Personal Investment

[hsifeng]

 This is something I need to try and remember to do. Not because I buy pricey clothes (I am a Thrift Store denizen and proud of it!) but because I do spend money I don't need to and then end up wondering where my cash has gone at the end of every month.

Part of this is the unavoidable side-effect of two adults with a first- and second-mortgage

Comments

[dravon]

Food is definitely an area that is easy to spend less on while still maintaining quality/taste. The biggest down side is that it's also very expensive in terms of time. It takes time to find the sales and clip the coupons, but in all honesty that's the fricken easy part. Coupons come in the newspaper or you can print them out on-line (I use www.couponmom.com), and the grocery sales fliers are delivered en masse to my house every Tuesday in the mail.

What is expensive is combining the right sale with the right coupon; then buying in bulk when the right combination appears. Even more expensive is figuring out that Store A is cheaper for this, that, and these while Store B is better for the next round of items. And for those that work and/or go to school full time, going through 2 to 5 different stores in a day just to get the best deal is ... well, is it really worth it? Is your time that unvaluable to you? Or is the money saved that important to you?

It comes down to what do *you* value more, and then accepting that decision. I have the time to do all this, and as a result we eat pretty darn well on very little spent per week. I'm even saving up to purchase a storage freezer so that I can really take advantage of those amazing meat and steak sales. Right now our freezer is cram packed with carefully labeled stuffs, and I make sure to use the oldest first when I do the weekly meal planning.

Oh. That reminds me. Meal planning is another HUGE way you can save money. I used to go buy stuff, then make a meal plan based on what we had. Now I do through my freezer, plan the meals based on what we already have and then purchase only what we need. There are times when I don't have to the go the store at all because I either already have everything I need (frozen, canned, standard-on-hand stuffs, or fresh from the garden).

Alcohol is the kicker, but that too is available via sales (since so many grocery stores now stock actual real liquor) and also coupons. First time I ran across a hard alcohol coupon I was stunned. Turns out, they are common!

I also turn the savings into a game. Without it being fun, I just can't maintain it. So far, my best day of shopping sales/coupons netted me a savings of $97 on an original tab of $150. That's the new record I'm aiming to beat, but the average is somewhere between $15 and $30 saved per trip. Even so, just clipping a few coupons and being aware of when a sale is REALLY a sale at your favorite store, this can save you quite a bit. You don't have to get all manic about it like I do. *lol*

If you ever have any questions on this one, feel free to ping me. I grew up with a super-couponing-rebating mom and now I'm doing it too. heh. It's fun for me to talk about, but for most folks it makes their eyes cross.

And now that your eyes are crossed, I shall sign off. :-)

[hsifeng]

“The biggest down side is that it's also very expensive in terms of time. It takes time to find the sales and clip the coupons, but in all honesty that's the fricken easy part. Coupons come in the newspaper or you can print them out on-line (I use www.couponmom.com), and the grocery sales fliers are delivered en masse to my house every Tuesday in the mail.”

Thank you for the website recommendation! I don’t want to become totally coupon driven (I am not going to buy 500 rolls of toilet paper, no matter how good the sale is) but it seems stupid to not take advantage of the discounts I *can* readily use in my normal shopping routine.

“I'm even saving up to purchase a storage freezer so that I can really take advantage of those amazing meat and steak sales.”

I am fortunate to have a friend with a storage freezer that lets me use space there. It is where our bulk sauces (Yeah! Garden!), wild game meats, and whatnot get stored when our own fridge is out of space. It’s been a lifesaver a number of times and I am all for buying big cuts of meat and then doing our own butchering (in fact, C prefers it that way).

Meal planning is another HUGE way you can save money. I used to go buy stuff, then make a meal plan based on what we had. Now I do through my freezer, plan the meals based on what we already have and then purchase only what we need.”

This is where I really need to start getting my act in gear. We have a ton of canned and frozen goods that just need to get used more regularly. I am always shocked when we end up staring into the fridge and coming up empty handed when the damn thing is bulging. Just because there isn’t a tiny chef in there with an already made veal picatta in hand doesn’t mean that we can’t eat well from what we have. *chuckle*

“Alcohol is the kicker, but that too is available via sales (since so many grocery stores now stock actual real liquor) and also coupons. First time I ran across a hard alcohol coupon I was stunned. Turns out, they are common!”

I am finding that I can *make* many of my favorite flavored drinky goodness with vodka (cheap at CostCo) and the right citrus/berries.

“If you ever have any questions on this one, feel free to ping me. I grew up with a super-couponing-rebating mom and now I'm doing it too. heh. It's fun for me to talk about, but for most folks it makes their eyes cross.”

Thank you for the offer honey! The website you recommended alone is gold but I will certainly keep you in mind as a resource.

BTW - Are you doing CoCo this year? Any chance you’d want to come join claughter713 and I for dinner some night?