This is exactly the type of post I was looking for. I talk to so many people who live paycheck to paycheck (or worse), and they just don't seem to "get it". It's like they don't read the news about the reasons people go bankrupt, or whatever.
In any case, I'm fanatical about saving money, and that's good enough for me. I'm actually putting together an article on the credit card industry and I think this will be a good resource.
I actually took my first step into an Aldi's yesterday when my wife and I drove by it while we were out. I was urged by co-worker, family and this post to do it. I'm relatively new to Baltimore and there's no Aldi's in Boise where I moved from. We thought the prices were very competitive on most products and bought a basket full of items we needed. Then we got to the counter and realized they don't take credit cards, luckily I had a debit card on me. Then we got to my car and we realized our biggest mistake. We need bags. We had to put everything in the back seat then we balanced everything on top of the two large frozen pizzas we purchased. I'm sure we look funny to our neighbors.
I use coupons and save a lot of money on organic and natural foods. I use coupons at Whole Foods all of the time and cut my bill in half, usually saving me more than $100. Not all coupons are for unhealthy garbage, I have seen coupons for milk and produce too.
My number one strategy for saving more is to simply to stay at home more. It's a no-brainer that when you go out, you spend more. For example, make fewer trips to the grocery store so there's less temptation for impulse buying. Wait for a movie to come out on DVD rather than going to the theater where you not only pay more to see the movie, you spend more on gas as well as at the concession stand.
I try to use coupons, but getting online coupons is NOT as simple as they say. 9 times out of 10 you have to 1) answer a survey 2) buy a product
3) ask for information from one of the sponsors which you don't want/need and 4) download their tool bar in order to print the coupons. I like cutting because I'm dieting and it keeps my hands off the refrigerator/freezer doors. Also, I have this bad habit I'm trying to break - SALES!!! My family says, "The word sale to you is like waving a red cape in front of a bull. You buy things you normally wouldn't buy." I would also make suggestions:
1) If you don't like coupons and/or if like me you have "senior moments" and forget the coupons, use your grocery store club cards - grab a store circular, look for special manager sales, in-store unadvertised sales.
NOTE: I have found that sometimes a well-known brand is cheaper than the store brand so take time if you can and compare prices. I went to grocery shopping the other day and forgot the coupons. Following the above advice, I SAVED $35.00 and the total bill was over $100. 2) I'm now getting in the habit of going with a list. I go through my food cupboards, refrigerator/freezer, and ask family. This way I won't be overloaded with the same items, i.e. 5 boxes of angel hair spaghetti, 6 cans of tomato soup, etc. 3) My word processing program (Microsoft) prints out grocery list forms, so all I have to do is type in the info and print it out. I guess I should add that I love grocery shopping - great way to exercise: walking, lifting, pushing the cart. If you do find yourself overloaded with duplicates, please consider donating them to a food pantry. I cleaned out my cupboard the other day and filled 6 bags of food to give to my temple - food pantries around our area make pick-ups every week. Also, coupons are great donations for charities - people and animals. Grocery stores have coupon boxes when you exit the store. I put in the store coupons I get at the cash register that I don't use and the ones I clipped for them while getting the ones I use.
Most of those people who stockpile are buying for a food bank or donating to charity. As an unemployed stay at home grandma (not by my choice) coupons help our family alot. Don't be discouraged by coupon naysayers. I'm sure the writer of this article has a hefty salary and doesn't need to worry so much about their budget as "todays average household" does!!!
I have a downstairs neighbor who is extermely loud. I can hear her phone conversations like she is in my room. I also hear her having some adult fun and even though I have mentioned it she laughs it off and nothing changes. She did have the nerve to tell my landlord our kids are noisy but at least they are in bed by 7pm where as her loud mouth has woken me up at 4am talking on the phone or slamming her door letting one of her "friends" out. Annoying!!
I totally agree with this especially no. 3 on the list. It is such an effort to pay attention to details without getting obvious. But it takes more experience and you'll really get the hang of it.
You know what I think this is? It's a variant of hoarding. Many hoarders are addicted to shopping. So are these people. It's the only explanation for them spending this much time on it. And they always have way more stuff in their house than they will ever use in one lifetime. Yeah, sure, some people shop for donations, but just try to get them to get rid of their stash. I bet you a dollar they'd react the same way the hoarders do.
When I was a stay at home mom, I tended to think of my time as "free" (not realizing how precious those times really were!) taking care of my children, baking, cooking, cleaning, washing and caring for clothes, driving them places, shopping, sewing. All of those things were free for my family's taking :) In addition I was taking my husband to the airport and picking him up, and receiving and sending packages for him when he was on the road. (Even one time running out to FEDEX in a dangerous snowstorm to get a package out by a deadline.) Many of those things are things that people actually get paid for. What a concept!
After a couple of years working, I was making $9.60 an hour; it hit me when I was spending my time doing something or someone was demanding my time, is this worth $10 to me?
Now that I am going to school full time, working (for minimum wage now), doing homework and still trying to be a good mom, I constantly have to remind myself to make good (NO! the best!) use of my time because it is short. Soon all the kids will be grown and I want them to remember these times in a positive way.
Sorry that was a little off topic....all that to say...if I have a coupon for something I need, I use it. If I don't, I don't go out of my way using gas and time that I don't have.
If you go to a store like Sav-A-Lot you have a smaller store, because you don't have five brands of everything. You don't have to compare, because you are getting the cheapest brand. I like stores like Sav-A-Lot. If you need to pick up a few things like for lunch I go to Dollar General. YOu can go in and get corn beef hash, pickles, or sardines to eat and save a lot of money and time than going to McDonald's. Go to Dollar General and buy lunch and a family of five will save $20
I was wondering how many deal sites there are. I've never heard of half of these so its great to have this list. The one I use most frequently wasn't even on the list.
Before we officially bought our home (we lived 2 houses over in a rental) some one came in the yard ripped out a very productive rhubarb and cover it to kill the rest, a few peony plants, a very pretty purple tulip, and took off with half a fence. After we moved in, I uncovered a purple rose under a climbing rose, when it finally bloomed I went to smell it and it was gone with the rest of the branch mangled. I don't have the option of putting anything in a back yard since my lot all faces street. Even putting up a fence won't work since all my roses are right by the road.
I am on my 3rd child being home-schooled. It is the only way to go. I have to pay the taxes that everyone else does, but I don't care. My children all have much better educations. I don't say that egotistically. One-on-one just plain works better.
Thanks for the extra resources including the budget ones from your website. I research also but find that tastes and expectations among reviewers vary so much sometimes that it can be hard to find the right place, and there are often nuances about a location that is difficult to sift through. Consistently poor reviews or consistently great ones though, usually do mean something.
One thing I learned about Minnesota -- it's a beautiful state! We decided to go north on a whim, and didn't grasp how significant the protected wilderness area was (BWCA and surrounding area) and how in demand rooms might be.
Though this idea doesn't mesh well with planning, I have seen folks stop in at the front desk and ask to see rooms before making a decision to stay somewhere.
That's part of it, yes. Any time products take up space ("real estate") the company has no way of knowing just how long some products will remain there before they sell. Almost every company I've ever shopped with, including hobby shops and card stores, will order you things to pick up if you pay in advance. All they have to do is stick it in the back until you come and pick it up. It takes up none of their most valuable shelf space and they don't have to worry about "selling" it.
That said, if you show up in the store with proof of the lower price on their own website, they *should* match the price...but I do the Ship to Store option for Wal-Mart. I can order all my things and go in there and pick them all up at once. It saves me time instead of picking everything out separately at Wal-Mart.
Sign up was easy. Looks like a useful service.
This is exactly the type of post I was looking for. I talk to so many people who live paycheck to paycheck (or worse), and they just don't seem to "get it". It's like they don't read the news about the reasons people go bankrupt, or whatever.
In any case, I'm fanatical about saving money, and that's good enough for me. I'm actually putting together an article on the credit card industry and I think this will be a good resource.
I actually took my first step into an Aldi's yesterday when my wife and I drove by it while we were out. I was urged by co-worker, family and this post to do it. I'm relatively new to Baltimore and there's no Aldi's in Boise where I moved from. We thought the prices were very competitive on most products and bought a basket full of items we needed. Then we got to the counter and realized they don't take credit cards, luckily I had a debit card on me. Then we got to my car and we realized our biggest mistake. We need bags. We had to put everything in the back seat then we balanced everything on top of the two large frozen pizzas we purchased. I'm sure we look funny to our neighbors.
I use coupons and save a lot of money on organic and natural foods. I use coupons at Whole Foods all of the time and cut my bill in half, usually saving me more than $100. Not all coupons are for unhealthy garbage, I have seen coupons for milk and produce too.
My number one strategy for saving more is to simply to stay at home more. It's a no-brainer that when you go out, you spend more. For example, make fewer trips to the grocery store so there's less temptation for impulse buying. Wait for a movie to come out on DVD rather than going to the theater where you not only pay more to see the movie, you spend more on gas as well as at the concession stand.
I try to use coupons, but getting online coupons is NOT as simple as they say. 9 times out of 10 you have to 1) answer a survey 2) buy a product
3) ask for information from one of the sponsors which you don't want/need and 4) download their tool bar in order to print the coupons. I like cutting because I'm dieting and it keeps my hands off the refrigerator/freezer doors. Also, I have this bad habit I'm trying to break - SALES!!! My family says, "The word sale to you is like waving a red cape in front of a bull. You buy things you normally wouldn't buy." I would also make suggestions:
1) If you don't like coupons and/or if like me you have "senior moments" and forget the coupons, use your grocery store club cards - grab a store circular, look for special manager sales, in-store unadvertised sales.
NOTE: I have found that sometimes a well-known brand is cheaper than the store brand so take time if you can and compare prices. I went to grocery shopping the other day and forgot the coupons. Following the above advice, I SAVED $35.00 and the total bill was over $100. 2) I'm now getting in the habit of going with a list. I go through my food cupboards, refrigerator/freezer, and ask family. This way I won't be overloaded with the same items, i.e. 5 boxes of angel hair spaghetti, 6 cans of tomato soup, etc. 3) My word processing program (Microsoft) prints out grocery list forms, so all I have to do is type in the info and print it out. I guess I should add that I love grocery shopping - great way to exercise: walking, lifting, pushing the cart. If you do find yourself overloaded with duplicates, please consider donating them to a food pantry. I cleaned out my cupboard the other day and filled 6 bags of food to give to my temple - food pantries around our area make pick-ups every week. Also, coupons are great donations for charities - people and animals. Grocery stores have coupon boxes when you exit the store. I put in the store coupons I get at the cash register that I don't use and the ones I clipped for them while getting the ones I use.
Most of those people who stockpile are buying for a food bank or donating to charity. As an unemployed stay at home grandma (not by my choice) coupons help our family alot. Don't be discouraged by coupon naysayers. I'm sure the writer of this article has a hefty salary and doesn't need to worry so much about their budget as "todays average household" does!!!
I have a downstairs neighbor who is extermely loud. I can hear her phone conversations like she is in my room. I also hear her having some adult fun and even though I have mentioned it she laughs it off and nothing changes. She did have the nerve to tell my landlord our kids are noisy but at least they are in bed by 7pm where as her loud mouth has woken me up at 4am talking on the phone or slamming her door letting one of her "friends" out. Annoying!!
this information in what you really needed
I totally agree with this especially no. 3 on the list. It is such an effort to pay attention to details without getting obvious. But it takes more experience and you'll really get the hang of it.
You know what I think this is? It's a variant of hoarding. Many hoarders are addicted to shopping. So are these people. It's the only explanation for them spending this much time on it. And they always have way more stuff in their house than they will ever use in one lifetime. Yeah, sure, some people shop for donations, but just try to get them to get rid of their stash. I bet you a dollar they'd react the same way the hoarders do.
When I was a stay at home mom, I tended to think of my time as "free" (not realizing how precious those times really were!) taking care of my children, baking, cooking, cleaning, washing and caring for clothes, driving them places, shopping, sewing. All of those things were free for my family's taking :) In addition I was taking my husband to the airport and picking him up, and receiving and sending packages for him when he was on the road. (Even one time running out to FEDEX in a dangerous snowstorm to get a package out by a deadline.) Many of those things are things that people actually get paid for. What a concept!
After a couple of years working, I was making $9.60 an hour; it hit me when I was spending my time doing something or someone was demanding my time, is this worth $10 to me?
Now that I am going to school full time, working (for minimum wage now), doing homework and still trying to be a good mom, I constantly have to remind myself to make good (NO! the best!) use of my time because it is short. Soon all the kids will be grown and I want them to remember these times in a positive way.
Sorry that was a little off topic....all that to say...if I have a coupon for something I need, I use it. If I don't, I don't go out of my way using gas and time that I don't have.
If you go to a store like Sav-A-Lot you have a smaller store, because you don't have five brands of everything. You don't have to compare, because you are getting the cheapest brand. I like stores like Sav-A-Lot. If you need to pick up a few things like for lunch I go to Dollar General. YOu can go in and get corn beef hash, pickles, or sardines to eat and save a lot of money and time than going to McDonald's. Go to Dollar General and buy lunch and a family of five will save $20
Great roundup! I really like the article on 4 Qualities that make a good job great.
This is very interesting, but it pulled in old debts that I had already paid off. The payments look manageable.
I love these ideas. I actually had to empty boxes in the trash. I got them out. Now rasin brand and apples jacks help organize the papers on my desk.
I was wondering how many deal sites there are. I've never heard of half of these so its great to have this list. The one I use most frequently wasn't even on the list.
http://www.promocodepal.com
Looks okay so far. Looking forward to see how it works. Thanks.
I really can't express in words how much I love you for writing this.
Wow, they really analyzed my information quickly
Before we officially bought our home (we lived 2 houses over in a rental) some one came in the yard ripped out a very productive rhubarb and cover it to kill the rest, a few peony plants, a very pretty purple tulip, and took off with half a fence. After we moved in, I uncovered a purple rose under a climbing rose, when it finally bloomed I went to smell it and it was gone with the rest of the branch mangled. I don't have the option of putting anything in a back yard since my lot all faces street. Even putting up a fence won't work since all my roses are right by the road.
My father made working pendulum clocks out of cereal boxes and still has one hung on the wall in his hobby-room.
I am on my 3rd child being home-schooled. It is the only way to go. I have to pay the taxes that everyone else does, but I don't care. My children all have much better educations. I don't say that egotistically. One-on-one just plain works better.
Thanks for the extra resources including the budget ones from your website. I research also but find that tastes and expectations among reviewers vary so much sometimes that it can be hard to find the right place, and there are often nuances about a location that is difficult to sift through. Consistently poor reviews or consistently great ones though, usually do mean something.
One thing I learned about Minnesota -- it's a beautiful state! We decided to go north on a whim, and didn't grasp how significant the protected wilderness area was (BWCA and surrounding area) and how in demand rooms might be.
Though this idea doesn't mesh well with planning, I have seen folks stop in at the front desk and ask to see rooms before making a decision to stay somewhere.
That's part of it, yes. Any time products take up space ("real estate") the company has no way of knowing just how long some products will remain there before they sell. Almost every company I've ever shopped with, including hobby shops and card stores, will order you things to pick up if you pay in advance. All they have to do is stick it in the back until you come and pick it up. It takes up none of their most valuable shelf space and they don't have to worry about "selling" it.
That said, if you show up in the store with proof of the lower price on their own website, they *should* match the price...but I do the Ship to Store option for Wal-Mart. I can order all my things and go in there and pick them all up at once. It saves me time instead of picking everything out separately at Wal-Mart.