Finance Discussions

Well I haven't really done anything weird.. yet.. to save money. However when it comes to food shopping I've been applying a few simple rules:
Make a list and stick to it!!!
Shop alone (anyone with you will make it easier to go off the list)
Don't go hungry
Buy whole veggies instead of precut you get generally double the amount for about the same price or less. I go home and wash and slice right away and put 'em in baggies
Buy the bags of apples and oranges-its cheaper/lb
Buy fruit and veggies that are on sale
Buy extra meat and freeze some of it. We've also decreased our beef intake.
Chicken thigh instead of chicken breast (much cheaper and heartier) I pre-cut the fat off and debone it before freezing
Buy bulk dried beans (the little baggies are expensive)
Buy larger amounts of cheeses and freeze those (if properly done it will taste as good as unfrozen)
Decide what can be bought from the cheap grocery store and what can't. And then decide whether you're really saving money by going to separate stores.
Buy wholesale when you can
By doing these things we have decreased our grocery bill to under 50dollars a week for 2 people. Before we would spend around 100!!!
We've also stopped buying processed foods except for a couple things here and there for a treat!

We cook on our vacations. It's much less expensive than eating at restaurants, and the food is better too.

I haven't done anything really crazy but I am cutting back here and there and changing the way I do things.  I'm using my clothesline a bit more this summer  because air drying clothes is free.  I'm not doing it to save money but it helps.  I also shop quite a bit at Aldi.  As for gas saving, my DH and I try to carpool to work at least once a week and I've stopped driving like a maniac.  I tend to drive fast and crazy so I'm slowing down and coasting more instead of being a leadfoot.  We also buy most of our meats from Costco and freeze them using our Foodsaver which means a huge savings over grocery store prices. 

I agree about cooking while on vacation.. it keeps it a little healthier too.. We'll eat out once or twice depending on the length of the vacation and cook the rest.
Aldi's is good. We have also been slowing down.  I purchassed a handi-vac and the bags to freeze ahead of time.

I cant believe I am going to admit this, but when I was in my 20s, I actually pulled a mattress out of garbage of my neighbor. How gross now!!!

As for now-- in my mid 30s (and so much wiser)-- I save money by walking my kids everywhere, bike when I can, always take public transport and have reduced my air travel!

My sister garbaged picked a pretty nice couch. It made it through a few years until she got married and moved to another country...
We walk and bike to the grocery store when we can. We walk to some of the local places.. which is nice about living in the city. It is a bit easier to walk and bike.

I buy meats on sale and freeze them.  I also buy things like toilet paper, paper towels, etc in bulk at BJ's which saves a few bucks.  I'm not much of a saver, though, and totally blow whatever savings I've made (and much more) on clothes, bath supplies, etc.

I walk all the time, usually far more than most people with me are willing to walk. I also shop regularly at Goodwill, Salvation Army, consignment stores and yard sales. I also save printer paper that has been used on one side and use it for test printing (or printer cleaning runs) on the unprinted side. I drive cars until they're no longer reliable, then I donate them and get a tax write-off. I buy most of my cars used and fix them myself as much as possible. I don't drink alcohol or like fancy clothes, so I've saved a lot of money there over the years. I use a LOT of compact fluorescent light bulbs.

I've done all these things for years, mostly because I'm a notorious cheapskate and enjoy saving whenever possible.

--Bob

I've been signing up for free samples of products. I have gotten all kinds of useful products that I use in a pinch. Walmart.com always has a ton of freebies. You can also try Spoofee.com. I have gotten tons of deoderants, creams and shampoos. I get cat and dog food too! Hey, now a days, every penny counts!

I haven't done anything "weird" to save a buck recently. In my younger days, during my jobless "bum" period, however, is a whole nother story, which i'm not gonna get into right now.

I bought a motorcycle and use that as my primary transportation, use the truck for trips to the store and such and park it the bulk of the time. With gas prices what they are, I'd much rather spend $15 bucks to fill my tank than $80.

Jolie said…

I cant believe I am going to admit this, but when I was in my 20s, I actually pulled a mattress out of garbage of my neighbor. How gross now!!!

As for now-- in my mid 30s (and so much wiser)-- I save money by walking my kids everywhere, bike when I can, always take public transport and have reduced my air travel!

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Hey, thanks for sharing that! Makes me feel a little better! I actually do a few normal things to save money too.

bkovacs said…
I walk all the time, usually far more than most people with me are willing to walk. I also shop regularly at Goodwill, Salvation Army, consignment stores and yard sales. I also save printer paper that has been used on one side and use it for test printing (or printer cleaning runs) on the unprinted side. I drive cars until they're no longer reliable, then I donate them and get a tax write-off. I buy most of my cars used and fix them myself as much as possible. I don't drink alcohol or like fancy clothes, so I've saved a lot of money there over the years. I use a LOT of compact fluorescent light bulbs.

I've done all these things for years, mostly because I'm a notorious cheapskate and enjoy saving whenever possible.

--Bob

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Sounds like you and I have some things in common--I have 265,000 miles on my Cavalier. Wish they still made them 'cause I sure can't fix 'em.

I haven't done anything weird in awhile, but when I was a single parent working and going to school there was A LOT I would do to save money.  My most interesting one was purchasing things that had been taken for insurance claims ... you know like the kitchen flooded and the table legs and chairs had been damaged (not so's you notice) so the insurance company pays the claim takes the furniture and then resells it -- but you only know about the good things if you got a friend on the inside.

My other things for saving money are coupons, I have discounts or freebies just about everywhere we go. On an average I save about $75.00 each grocery trip.  We are always getting free things while eating out or doing activities.

Lastly, you would not believe what can be done with food to make it last longer and still get great meals out of it.  For example left over chicken, remove from bone, add cream of ....  (mushroom, chicken or celery) and some left over mixed vegetables, salt and pepper.  Using pie crusts (store brand is like 1.29) and whallah you have homemade pot pie, add a salad and dinner is done. I actually have a bunch of recipes that involve whatever you have in your pantry -- my mom laughs and calls me when she can't figure out what to do.

 

I used to get a HUGE amount of groceries for a few bucks by using coupons when they had double coupon days at the stores. I would walk away with $150 in groceries for $25. They don't double coupons around here anymore and I don't have the energy to go through and see what's on sale, find coupons, etc.

I always go through cash back sites on the net and use coupon codes to save money while shopping online. I won't shop unless I can get some sort of money off somehow. But I shop so much, I'm not really saving anything. lol.

We also cook or eat in when we vacation most of the time. We usually will go out to eat dinner at a nice place at least once but usually, we just eat what we bring. I like it better that way anyway because I can control the calories and fat I eat and not end up gaining weight at the end of the vacation.

We did cancel a trip to Wildwood, NJ this year due to gas prices. That stunk but it wasn't worth the cost since we have a SUV and it's a gas hog. We'll go instead back up to the mountains two hours away. And bring most of our food and drinks!

I order my groceries online and have them delivered. The delivery charge has gone up from 4.95 to 9.95 and they've added a 1.98 gas surcharge. I've started ordering $300 of groceries at a time, so that we only have to pay for delivery once or, tops, twice a month. Also, anticipating a spike in prices for any products made of flour, I've got about 30 boxes of pasta in the cupboard. It may look nutty, but the stuff keeps, it's easy to make in dozens of different ways, and the prices have already gone up since I started stocking up, so I know I've saved money.

I do love yard sales. It's been years but I have taken free chairs from the front of someone's house. Jo

I've found great stuff in the garbage. The neighborhood where I grew up is a treasure trove for dumpster diving. People know this, and tend to put their "good" garbage out in plain sight...sometimes even with a sign. My favorite chair was a 1940s, wrought iron ice cream parlor chair that one of my neighbors put in front of his house with a signt hat said, "I'm free, please take me." I no longer live in a cozy, NYC neighborhood, but in a huge SF housing development. We have a lot of students who move in and out after just a year in the building. When it's moving out time (end of the semester) it always pays to go down to the basement and check out the room where large items are places for trash pick-up. Right now, our printer is on a little table we got from that room, and my shoes are neatly stacked on a metal shoe rack I found. We even used to have a pair of perfectly functional speakers from that trash room that we hooked up to the tv for surround sound!

Telpher said…
I've found great stuff in the garbage. The neighborhood where I grew up is a treasure trove for dumpster diving. People know this, and tend to put their "good" garbage out in plain sight...sometimes even with a sign. My favorite chair was a 1940s, wrought iron ice cream parlor chair that one of my neighbors put in front of his house with a signt hat said, "I'm free, please take me."

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This is sort of like common knowledge where I live.  If there's something you want to get rid of, but it's still good, put it out by the curb.  Usually within a few hours it's gone.  This is especially true where with our particular street since we live a few blocks from a metal recycler.  My husband has put things out and had them gone before he got to the back yard.

That's how it was in Knoxville TN too. I knew that I could put a bookshelf or older couch or whatever out for the "trash" and within hours it would be gone.  personally I was thrilled that it could be "recycled" and that I didn't have to pay the extra to have it carted away.

Believe it or not but I'm actually saving money this summer by NOT going to garage sales.  I always manage to find stuff that I "must" have and end up getting rid of it the following summer. 

I like to go to church rummage sales though because I can often find good used clothes for my kids for cheap.  I also love to shop online and can get some great clearance deals at Kohl's or The Children's Place.  My kids are set for clothes for at least another year. 

Freecycle is another great way to get good stuff for free.  Although, with almost 5000 people in my Freecycle group alone, getting picked to be the recipient can be tough.  However, sometimes it feels like I've won the lottery when I get something really good, like the beautiful king-sized footboard that I got last year.   

We save $$ by sticking to the budget and I mean stick to it. Right now we're living off about $100 a month for a family of 4 (okay, one's a toddler and one isn't a year old yet).

 

We also have turn the AC to 87 (today it was at 96, oy!) and carry a spray bottle with us. Both kids generally stay in swimsuits when they are home from daycare, and we spend a LOT of time in our pool or running in the sprinklers. Generally it's been uncomfortable but not intolerable.

 

For clothes we go to a few consignment sales a few times a year. The next big one is in September and I can't wait; this time we're selling things too. Last time I bought about $400 worth of clothes for my kids and only paid about $75. Like I said, excellent stuff. PLUS you can buy Christmas and birthday gifts easily.

 

I'm also a member of MyPoints.com, so whenever I earn a gift card, I take it. My husband and I generally take a date night by dropping the kids off at his parents' place and spending an evening at home. This year we've seen a total of 4 movies, and we recently were treated to a nice performance of Cirque Du Soleil by my work. We also take the kids to local free places - a free petting zoo, a picnic by the airport, a trip to a local park, etc. We stick to the calendar of events because you never know what will be free and fun.

 

Neither my husband nor I live more than 20 minutes from our work (I live 3 miles!) and we only fill up 1-2 times a month. I would love to bike to work, but picking up the kids from daycare and manuevering rush hour traffic with them doesn't quite sound appealing, especially in 100 degree heat.

 

What a wonderful subject this is!  I've really enjoyed reading all your posts.

I have found that getting old(er) is a great way to save money.  I got one of those transportation cards for seniors issued here in Illinois and so can travel a lot of places for free.  If I'm riding with someone in a car and they stop at a store, sometimes I'll come in too and pick some things up. 

I use MyPoints to get those nifty $50 gift cards for CVS and Walgreen's.  One day at CVS, I saved so much using the gift card, plus special deals, coupons and sales that I walked out with two huge bags of stuff for only three cents!  The cashier thought that was so funny that she paused and said to the other people in line ... "Hey, everybody, we've got a smart shopper here!"  Even I had to laugh.

Like Telpher, I have found that I can actually save a lot by ordering from online grocery (in my case, Peapod) ... especially this year, with their extra $5 off on each order summer promotion. 

Yes, live long enough and you'll find a hundred ways to save but nothing approaches how I used to live when I first bought my condo years ago.  I can't believe how broke I was back then.  One day I was walking past the garbage dumpster behind Dominicks and found a perfectly good apple that had rolled out.  I looked around to make sure no one was watching and then took that apple home with me.  And you know those big old mulberry trees that drop all those berries each summer?  Well, those berries are what I used to sometimes take home and eat for dessert!  It's fun to think of it now but I'm glad things aren't THAT desperate anymore.

I'll keep watching this subject for posts.  You guys have a lot of good ideas.

Bye for now, Annie

 

lilsquibb said…

Telpher said…
I've found great stuff in the garbage. The neighborhood where I grew up is a treasure trove for dumpster diving.

This is sort of like common knowledge where I live.  If there's something you want to get rid of, but it's still good, put it out by the curb. 

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I've seen this happen in the apartment complex where I live. People move out and put perfectly good furniture down by the Dumpster because they don't want to bother moving it.  Also, a few times a tenant has been evicted and they pile all their stuff in front of the building. People come out of the woodwork to pick through all thjeir belongings. In a day or two a junk man takes whatever is left.

I haven't seen anyone post to this discussion in a while, so I'll pull it back out for anyone who is feeling the crunch of this economy.

I have found bartering to be quite useful in saving money. I think that we all have something to offer. Some people can repair things, others can do yard work, while others may be able to offer cleaning or caregiving services. I have been able to barter my ability to certifiy people in CPR, teach aerobics/yoga, and create educational and fun powerpoint games for services that I would like to have.

Wow Katrena and I thought I was frugal :)  I'm willing to do quite a bit to save a buck...

• I'll eat store brand foods even if they aren't as good (as long as they aren't GROSS)
• I'll only go out to eat if I have a really good coupon
• I'll turn the heat down as low as I can stand it, and then wear a sweater - sometimes even gloves
• I'll cancel my website (you may have seen posts about this) even if it gives me fits because I no longer have a website I can control :)
• My husband takes our cars to speedway for gas (to get points) and he goes inside everytime and buys a GC b/c it gives us 1000 points, then gases up with that gift card.  We use the points for gas :)
• I'll keep a small sofa my husband has dragged from apartment to apartment to our house even though it's so old and I have a feeling it's not that clean :-D

That's all I can think of, not quite as dramatic as yours but still, some people think i'm pretty crazy even for turning the heat down!

Coupons, coupons, coupons; use them religiously, bout newspaper born and internet spawned.  And we recycle printer paper by saving that which is printed on one side for scratch, then printing on the reverse side.  I also try and take care of shopping chores on the weekdays on the way home, so I don't have to drive anywhere on the weekends, unless of course Mrs. Bard wants to venture out.  We also eat out far less; now it is down to two or three times a month, and fast food is out, leftovers are in, in, in. 

I have taught the kids and all to turn off what they are not using (lights, televisions, radios, etc) when they leave the room, and we have switched out a lot of the lights bulbs with compact fluorescents.  We also have turned down the thermostat to 68 in the evening and 70 during the day (in the winter); can you say sweatshirt, sweat pants, and sweaters?  And we do a lot of shopping and banking on-line eliminating the need to drive; and of course we always look for a sale, bargains, and free shipping. 

We only go to the movies occasionally, and always make sure we go to the theater very close to our home (saving gas) that sends us coupons for low cost popcorn and soda.  Most of the time though we wait for movies to hit premium cable. 

All of these measures, and more, have helped us slash expenses and keep costs under control so we can save more.   

It's funny, here the land of milk and honey (houston texas) many people take for granted that we do not feel the "crunch" that many other parts of the country do.  My friends all make fun of my because if there is a deal I take advantage of it, but you can bet that my friends also have me post regularly my deals and steals.  so much so that I started freebie finds -- which has now grown to promotionsanddiscounts.com were we post deals, steals, coupons, and freebies. It is growing and not where I want it to be -- but I have a partner now so it takes so much more to get the right tone.  Don't worry though, I am a determined individual :-) 

my other helps and hints -- oh heck yeah! coupons

free samples. i have actually gone weeks without needed shampoo conditioner or body wash (and I am talking good stuff)

i havent' paid for a magazine in I can't remember how long -- why should I when so many I can get for free -- including cosmo, parenting, and elle to mention a few

free events - i take the kids to lowes, home depot or pick up free breakfast as say chik fil a. we stay and play and everyone's happy.

 it doesn't have to be free entertainment - but you know what a penny saved is a penny earned -- not that I go THAT far! and leaves that much more for me to use somewhere else.  

 

• I collect coupons each week. I only buy things on sale or if I have a coupon for it. When it comes to food, I'm kind of in a sticky situation because I can only have gluten-free food. I don't get too many coupons for gluten-free food. Other than that I use my coupons.

• We try to turn down our heater so the auxiliary won't kick on.

• We don't go out much any more. We only go out to eat unless it is for a special occasion. I can't even remember the last time we went to the movie theaters. Unless there is a FREE event, we pretty much stay home.

• We held off buying new bedroom and livingroom furniture for our new house. We are still using old furniture that we've had for years.

• I love to shop online. I have one rule....FREE SHIPPING. If they don't offer free shipping, I don't buy it. There was one time just recently I bought something without the free shipping, but that is a rare case.

• I canceled my long distance service on my landline phone. If I need to make a long distance call, I use my cell phone.

• We even went as far as altering our DIRECTV programming package. No more paid movie channels, sport packages,... This has cut down on our bill.

Oh here's a good tip... Sign up for the newsletter of every restaurant you enjoy!  You will quickly see that every month you have a few great coupons to choose from :)  Not to mention, most of them send good coupons for your bday.

We do a lot of borrowing around here.

We check out books and videos at the public library. If I find a cookbook online that looks like one I might like to try, I'll ask for an inter-library loan and make sure it's got some recipes that I will really use. The videos are free and we get to keep them for two weeks. We've also checked out CDs and tapes of music or books on tape. The library also has a programs with special entertainment for children.

Our county also has a toy library through Smart Start that is available for anyone with a child below the age of five. They have large plastic boxes with different themes at the toy library. The kids get to choose which theme they want and it might have any combination of puzzles, toys, games, musical instruments, puppets, blocks, experiments, books, or just about anything you can imagine. They also have those really big books and several resources for parents/teachers. We can cut out letters/pictures (dyecuts) for free if we bring our own paper. This resource is often underutilized--I wish I had known about it years ago.

Actually, anything can be an adventure with kids that are young. A trip to the post office can be thrilling. Riding an elevator or escalator can be an adventure. Going for a walk or playing in the playground can be a fun time as well.