And if there aren't many perks at your job, but virtually no other jobs to apply to that pay as much (and I'm not talking much--I'm living paycheck-to-paycheck), I guess I gotta just keep reminding myself that at least it's paying the rent and for groceries, eh? I do try. I remind myself of that quite often, but it's becoming harder and harder to not give in to perpetual aggravation. I have 3 bosses (and there are 5 people, including myself, where I work). One is loud and seems to have no manners (burping, farting, talking to himself, hocking up snot, playing loud music). The Director acts like I'm not getting enough done even when I have a lot to do--and am producing tangible results.
The bosses have one set of rules for themselves but another for me--they can work from home, take 2-hour lunches, make personal calls/emails, during the work day and write off vacation days as "work at home" so they get paid for them and don't have to claim that they took it as a vacation day. However, they also vociferously state that they are too busy to even get done all they need to do and say they can't take on any new projects--even though the company is hurting. As for me, well, I am not afforded any of the above benefits and am even reprimanded if I take a 10 minute break. They don't notice that some days I work through my 30-minute lunch break even though I don't get paid for it. I can't afford the company health insurance and they won't look into cheaper options--so I can't afford health care. There is no 401K offered. We do get 7 paid holidays per year (federal ones), 10 days of vacation after we work for a year and 3 personal days (1 for every 4 months of work). There are no paid sick days.
Years ago I worked in a much better paying job that had a 401K, full health care benefits, 10 days of paid vacation, about 10 paid holidays and up to 10 paid personal/sick days. I kept it for nearly 3 years even though I had a supervisor who liked to trap me in my office (by standing in the doorway and not letting me try to politely walk past him) while he screamed at me, red-faced and shaking, because he was scared I was trying to steal his job. Never thought I'd look back on that job fondly. Oh well.
My wife and I only buy groceries on sale, but we don't buy items we don't use because they're on sale. We wait until items we use regularly get marked down, then we buy a bunch of them for storage in our pantry. When the stock of any item is getting low... we start watching it for sales again. Works great, and now-a-days we do most of our shopping in our basement!
Since I don't buy things very often, I don't feel limited to only buying the thing that's on sale. I can get exactly what I want. Don't get me wrong, if I can get a deal on it that's great...
Hot water drips are the killer. And in my neighborhood, we pay not only for water but also for sewer, so in total, about double the cost of just water delivery.
White vinegar is the only thing you should ever use on coffee makers, especially the plastic parts. Seriously, stop using soap, it tastes better and won't make you sick.
There are items I buy (mainly food items) that NEVER go on sale. Some are already priced so low that there probably isn't any margin for reduction because it would be impossible to make a profit, or because the retailers know the market is finite and price reductions aren't going add any new consumers. Those are the items I buy not on sale - everything else sits on the shopping list waiting for its sale time to stock up.
I try to either get nothing back from the Feds every year , or I actually have to pay. I had a decent tax bill this year, but I would rather pay than give the government an interest free loan for a year.
Full disclosure: I have no consumer debt, and my only monthly bills are a mortgage at 4.25 percent and some student loans at 2.94 percent. I was lucky to have a great financial education from my parents and have been a saver for many years.
If you are in good financial shape, think about what you can do with the refund if you had it throughout the year.
Great article. If you are getting a refund, smart things to do with it.
I usually try to wait until the things I want are on sale, but I try not to take a sale as the reason to purchase something, because that leads to impulse purchases of things I don't need. It's hard though!
I try to make a conscious effort to only buy things on sale or if it isn't, to buy it at the cheapest place (discount store vs. department store). To use a coupon also is a bonus. Also buy gas at places like Costco or our local supermarket who give $ back.
I have air-dried nearly all my clothing for years.
For households which generate large volumes of laundry, it is important to do laundry regularly so that there is line space available for drying. Most lines can accommodate no more than two loads at a time, so you may need to have several washing days each week.
Don't discount basement or attic space to dry! I have an outdoor line for summer, and an indoor line for cool weather. In fall, winter and early spring my clothes dry very quickly because the lines are near the furnace. The heated air is dry, and really pulls moisture out of the clothing. I can't use my basement line during the summer or during periods of extended rain, when the basement air is humid. Clothes take a long time to dry, and the drying process adds to the existing humidity and can compound mold issues.
On big purchases, my husband and I always buy on sale, with coupons and gift cards if possible. This is how my husband bought his PS3 a couple of years ago. Since his birthday is right before Christmas, he simply asked for gift cards and took advantage of post-Christmas sales and "bonus bucks" we had accumulated. We didn't pay for anything out of pocket for it or the two video games he purchased.
As far as everyday purchases go, I always clip coupons and scour weekly ads. I also try to combine them with other store specials, like when our local health food store offers 10% off your purchase during certain months, or bonus bucks.
But, if it's something that doesn't go on sale regularly, I try to purchase it at a discount store, like buying maternity clothing at Ross; get it used from someone else, again with the maternity clothes; or borrow it from a friend/family member, like the weed wacker we borrow from my cousin once or twice a month.
My apologies, I meant to say 1000 gallons is $1.50. 1 gallon is $0.0015. The post is fixed now. Thanks to all who pointed it out. It does make a good argument for drinking tap water, too. I doubt you can buy bottled water for less than $3/gallon these days.
LAPTOP!- My laptop 6 years ago is still faster and more powerful than my desktop of 2 years ago. Alienware m9700. granted it only gets 20-35 minutes on battery but i can take it anywhere i want and its screen is the same size as my desktop anyway...
99% of the time we buy on sale. It's rare that we pay full price for anything. We wait until the item that we want to buy goes on sale and/or use a coupon if possible.
And if there aren't many perks at your job, but virtually no other jobs to apply to that pay as much (and I'm not talking much--I'm living paycheck-to-paycheck), I guess I gotta just keep reminding myself that at least it's paying the rent and for groceries, eh? I do try. I remind myself of that quite often, but it's becoming harder and harder to not give in to perpetual aggravation. I have 3 bosses (and there are 5 people, including myself, where I work). One is loud and seems to have no manners (burping, farting, talking to himself, hocking up snot, playing loud music). The Director acts like I'm not getting enough done even when I have a lot to do--and am producing tangible results.
The bosses have one set of rules for themselves but another for me--they can work from home, take 2-hour lunches, make personal calls/emails, during the work day and write off vacation days as "work at home" so they get paid for them and don't have to claim that they took it as a vacation day. However, they also vociferously state that they are too busy to even get done all they need to do and say they can't take on any new projects--even though the company is hurting. As for me, well, I am not afforded any of the above benefits and am even reprimanded if I take a 10 minute break. They don't notice that some days I work through my 30-minute lunch break even though I don't get paid for it. I can't afford the company health insurance and they won't look into cheaper options--so I can't afford health care. There is no 401K offered. We do get 7 paid holidays per year (federal ones), 10 days of vacation after we work for a year and 3 personal days (1 for every 4 months of work). There are no paid sick days.
Years ago I worked in a much better paying job that had a 401K, full health care benefits, 10 days of paid vacation, about 10 paid holidays and up to 10 paid personal/sick days. I kept it for nearly 3 years even though I had a supervisor who liked to trap me in my office (by standing in the doorway and not letting me try to politely walk past him) while he screamed at me, red-faced and shaking, because he was scared I was trying to steal his job. Never thought I'd look back on that job fondly. Oh well.
I try to buy things when they're on sale but many times I end up giving in to my wants and just buy it regardless of whether or not it's on sale
My wife and I only buy groceries on sale, but we don't buy items we don't use because they're on sale. We wait until items we use regularly get marked down, then we buy a bunch of them for storage in our pantry. When the stock of any item is getting low... we start watching it for sales again. Works great, and now-a-days we do most of our shopping in our basement!
Since I don't buy things very often, I don't feel limited to only buying the thing that's on sale. I can get exactly what I want. Don't get me wrong, if I can get a deal on it that's great...
Hot water drips are the killer. And in my neighborhood, we pay not only for water but also for sewer, so in total, about double the cost of just water delivery.
If the drip is your hot water, then you also need to factor in the cost of heating the water (gas and electricity).
Starting a small business can not only save you on taxes but potentially provide extra income.
White vinegar is the only thing you should ever use on coffee makers, especially the plastic parts. Seriously, stop using soap, it tastes better and won't make you sick.
There are items I buy (mainly food items) that NEVER go on sale. Some are already priced so low that there probably isn't any margin for reduction because it would be impossible to make a profit, or because the retailers know the market is finite and price reductions aren't going add any new consumers. Those are the items I buy not on sale - everything else sits on the shopping list waiting for its sale time to stock up.
I try to either get nothing back from the Feds every year , or I actually have to pay. I had a decent tax bill this year, but I would rather pay than give the government an interest free loan for a year.
Full disclosure: I have no consumer debt, and my only monthly bills are a mortgage at 4.25 percent and some student loans at 2.94 percent. I was lucky to have a great financial education from my parents and have been a saver for many years.
If you are in good financial shape, think about what you can do with the refund if you had it throughout the year.
Great article. If you are getting a refund, smart things to do with it.
I usually try to wait until the things I want are on sale, but I try not to take a sale as the reason to purchase something, because that leads to impulse purchases of things I don't need. It's hard though!
I'm definitely taking advantage of the energy tax credits. Investing in an energy efficient home will save me lots of money in the future.
I try to, but sometimes....well it happens.
I try to make a conscious effort to only buy things on sale or if it isn't, to buy it at the cheapest place (discount store vs. department store). To use a coupon also is a bonus. Also buy gas at places like Costco or our local supermarket who give $ back.
I've been using the blinds in my son's room to hang/sun bleach cloth diapers in the window.
I have air-dried nearly all my clothing for years.
For households which generate large volumes of laundry, it is important to do laundry regularly so that there is line space available for drying. Most lines can accommodate no more than two loads at a time, so you may need to have several washing days each week.
Don't discount basement or attic space to dry! I have an outdoor line for summer, and an indoor line for cool weather. In fall, winter and early spring my clothes dry very quickly because the lines are near the furnace. The heated air is dry, and really pulls moisture out of the clothing. I can't use my basement line during the summer or during periods of extended rain, when the basement air is humid. Clothes take a long time to dry, and the drying process adds to the existing humidity and can compound mold issues.
On big purchases, my husband and I always buy on sale, with coupons and gift cards if possible. This is how my husband bought his PS3 a couple of years ago. Since his birthday is right before Christmas, he simply asked for gift cards and took advantage of post-Christmas sales and "bonus bucks" we had accumulated. We didn't pay for anything out of pocket for it or the two video games he purchased.
As far as everyday purchases go, I always clip coupons and scour weekly ads. I also try to combine them with other store specials, like when our local health food store offers 10% off your purchase during certain months, or bonus bucks.
But, if it's something that doesn't go on sale regularly, I try to purchase it at a discount store, like buying maternity clothing at Ross; get it used from someone else, again with the maternity clothes; or borrow it from a friend/family member, like the weed wacker we borrow from my cousin once or twice a month.
My apologies, I meant to say 1000 gallons is $1.50. 1 gallon is $0.0015. The post is fixed now. Thanks to all who pointed it out. It does make a good argument for drinking tap water, too. I doubt you can buy bottled water for less than $3/gallon these days.
Will you be updating this post with new calculations? As everyone else says below, the numbers don't add up.
LAPTOP!- My laptop 6 years ago is still faster and more powerful than my desktop of 2 years ago. Alienware m9700. granted it only gets 20-35 minutes on battery but i can take it anywhere i want and its screen is the same size as my desktop anyway...
Yes, I always try to buy on sale. In our small town it is not always possible but I give it my best effort.
Yes, Always buy on sale as much as possible.
99% of the time we buy on sale. It's rare that we pay full price for anything. We wait until the item that we want to buy goes on sale and/or use a coupon if possible.
About 75% of the things that I buy are either on sale or bought with a coupon (food included).
These are some great tips for clotheslines indoors. We are seriously considering adopting this to see just how low we can get our electric bill.