I'm on a very tight budget, and one thing that I usually buy that costs a lot of money is half and half creamer. I ordinarily use quite a bit of it in my daily coffee, since I've always drunk my coffee extra light. I often drink at least 1-2 large coffees, that can use up a lot of creamer, which results in me spending around $20-$25/month on half and half. One thing I started doing is buying both milk and cream, since I was using the half and half in place of milk in everything else I cooked/ate. That helped save some money, since milk is a lot less expensive than half and half. Also, I recently purchased medium roast coffee instead of my usual dark roast, because I had a really good coupon for the medium roast. Yesterday I had overfilled my cup, so took a sip after I had added sugar, but before adding my creamer. Since the medium roast is milder than my usual dark roast, I found that I enjoyed the milder flavor without adding half and half, so I've decided that at least part of the time I'm going to skip the half and half, and drink my coffee black. Obviously that will save me some money, but will also cut back on calories, which I've been trying to do. Are there little things you can do to cut back on your spending without feeling as if you're sacrificing?
The tea brand that I prefer usually comes with 40 bags and I use to prepare one cup and toss the bag away. Those 40 bags dwindled pretty fast and I was spending more money than I liked on tea. I knew I had to make a change. So now I use one tea bag until the water is clear after being in the microwave. Doing this reduced my spending from buying tea every week to once a month a savings of about $15.00.
I stopped buying coffee at Tim Horton's. By both my husband and I not buying coffee every morning at Tim's I figure we are saving at least $40 a month on coffee. I buy instant on sale and we make our own to take with us to work. I don't miss it at all. Something else we have chosen to do to save money is not have cell phones. We both gave our us over 16 years ago. I do not miss having a cell phone and when you think of the savings it's astronomical. We have probably saved about $20000 not having cell phones. Another thing we do to save money is to call our cable, internet and phone provider every 8-12 months or so. We ask if we can get a better rate and more times than not they'll give us a better deal since we've been long time customers.
I always find things on sale every week like at CVS or Walgreens that saves a lot of money always. They are both online ads for both and every retailer in town too is online so you can check your ads without a newspaper subscription. Ralphs on the mainland and Safeway locally has $5 Fridays, that I just finished shopping at and got Ore Ida 2# frozen potatoes 2/$5! It's a great bargain and this is not the only item that's on sale weekly at Safeway too and they are online. You'll need a Safeway card and your free online account at Safeway for even more deals, savings and they got your creamer on sale every once in a while so you can indulge every once in a while and still watch your calories too. I just bought too Pepperidge Farm's cookies 2/$6 that I'm indulging in this weekend!
I stopped my chai lattes at Starbucks. I buy the Oregon Chia concentrate and make my own chai lattes. I enjoy the homemade version, but I do miss the Starbucks version. It doesn't taste any better and I use almond milk.
In a casual talk yesterday with a colleague, my husband realized that we were more on meat and admittedly we are meat eaters for some years now. So today, Saturday, we have that resolve not to eat meat - pork, beef, chicken. So we bought crabs for lunch and tonight we are going to have broiled milkfish. As per our computation, we have saved about half of our usual food budget since seafood is much cheaper than meat. Starting now, we will have no meat during weekends.
This month, if we don't have it in the cupboard or in the refrigerator, we are going without. With the exception of milk, we are not going to the grocery store to buy anything. Our freezer is full of food, and our cupboards are not empty either. We are trying to use up most of the groceries we already have before we spend more money on more groceries. It is silly to run to the grocery store for one or two items, especially because I usually end up purchasing more than what I truly need. In doing so, I have passed up a couple of really great sales, however, when tempted to run to the store, I remind myself that the ultimate way to save money is to not spend it. We have had some really creative, delicious meals this way, that I probably would have never thought of if I hadn't been forced to use what we have first. This method has also made me conscious of what types of grocery items we use the most, and which ones we should keep an eye on how much we consume.
I think many of us are feeling the pinch, @Diane Lane. In the last 2 years, we've had to really cut back because money's a little tight. We got rid of our cable, which is a huge thing. We also started cutting back on meat, which we now eat maybe once or twice a week. We've learnt to rely more on stuff like vegetables and eggs, too. We don't eat out as we'd like to either.
One thing I have cut back big time on is going to the movies. I used to go frequently, but now a days it is just too expensive. Also, I am not close to a theater so not only do you have the cost of the gas to worry about you also have the cost of the movies. I haven't been in months...which is a shame because I do enjoy them. but unless it is something really special, I am going to wait until the movies come out on another medium.
It's great to see how many suggestions are in this thread, and how thrifty y'all are. I have an overabundance of canned vegetables and actually also have some canned and frozen fruit here, so I've been using those more than usual. I also found flour and sugar on sale a while back and bought several, so I haven't had to purchase any in several months. I usually buy 4-5 pounds of flour per month and 8-10 pounds of sugar, depending on how much baking I'll be doing. In addition to price, I'm also very conscious of weight and bulk, because I have physical limitations, and am always buying heavy cat food and litter, so if I'm having a good day and can afford it, I'll splurge on extra cat food/litter and other heavy/bulky items so I can rest on my bad days. @Parker I sometimes buy the Oregon Chai Tea latte mix as well. I absolutely love the ones from Starbucks, and will occasionally splurge on one, but I tend to make them at home, either from scratch, or from the Oregon or other brand mixes. Incidentally, here's a recipe, in case anyone would like to try making their own:Log In This one has coconut, but I'm sure the coconut milk could be substituted for plain, almond, cashew, etc.
I used to use buy most fruit and vegetables I had, but the last few years I've been growing it instead. It's not exactly cutting back or going without, but it means I don't have to spend anywhere near as much cash. I suppose I do go without the things I don't have space to grow though. My household used to go through approximately 6 large 30 slice packs of ham for sandwiches in a week as well, which when I look back on it now was absolutely ridiculous. I personally don't like ham sandwiches much in the first place so why I was ending up having them most days I'm not entirely sure to be honest. Now I tend to have jam instead, which I can make with the things I grow, or buy for a lot less per jar than the ham was per pack. Most of the family do the same now as well so we end up saving a lot of money on ham!
Ha, @cocolgooh you brought up a good point. I've noticed that many people load meat and cheese on their sandwiches, but I think that's unnecessary. I don't eat that many sandwiches anyway, but when I do, I usually use 1-2 slices of meat (depending on how large and thick they are) and one slice of cheese. I've grown tomatoes and lettuce in the past, and really enjoyed the tomatoes. My cats enjoyed the lettuce. I forgot I'd planted it until I realized they'd eaten it all. I'm considering doing that again, but i need to get some large planters and potting soil first, and maybe some seeds. I have some seeds here that I've purchased in the past and not used, so I shouldn't need too many of them to get started. I spend most of my outdoor time up on the balcony rather than the yards, so that's where I'll plant my 'crops', because otherwise I'd forget about them.
I now have to be on a tighter budget than previously. I use a lot more coupons and money saving apps more now as well. I only buy the things I need when they are on sale and I will stock up enough to last us until the next time it is on sale. I have been trying to create recipes from the food I have on hand instead of going to the store to get things I do not need. Using store brand items is another way I try to save money at the grocery store.
Yes, exactly! I think the only time I really use more cheese or ham now is if I'm having a grilled cheese sandwich, with ham in it! Otherwise I don't tend to load much cheese or meat into my sandwiches anymore. I'm not even that sure why I used to as it only ends up being too filling in my opinion and you can end up wasting it rather than using it. One of my dogs loves lettuce too! I had no idea where it was disappearing to until I caught him with an entire lettuce plant in his mouth one day! I'll definitely be planting more lettuce this year, probably up higher where my dog can't steal it all! I've used all sorts of things as planters before, including large soda bottles cut in half and mushroom containers to grow lettuce in because I feel like it's a waste not to reuse them! Egg cartons can be good while the plants are small too!
Another thing you can try in your coffee is sweetened condensed milk. You will get cream and sugar in your coffee with one little scoop. I learned this trick from The Pioneer Woman. One little can lasts me about a week and it makes your coffee really rich and delicious.
Well when it comes to saving money we all know that we need to cut back on certain luxuries and really evaluate what we need and what we do not need, and it is tough sometimes. I have really just gotten into the buying more and more store brand items for the things that I have to buy, and that seems to save a good amount in the long run.
I have a prepaid cell that I cut off when I have a money shortage, I use skype on my cell which I pay $21 for 3 months, it is cell calls only so if I am not online I can not get a call or make a call. I also stopped using cream in my coffee that I make at home.
I used to drink espresso drinks everyday and I have cut back to having those once every month or so now. I am saving at least a hundred dollars a month now by not drinking them. It is a treat now when I get one and enjoy it much more.
I'd prefer doing without something rather than cutting back if circumstances demand that I save money. Or even better for a while I can substitute what might have been something pricier for one that is cheaper. I've done this before but it usually is something I do only for a short while. Once I no longer have to save the money [I know it's a bad habit I need to kill] I often go back to buying the same old somewhat expensive products.
There are some grocery items I would regularly buy, which have been going up in price in recent months, so I've been trying to cut back on my use of them or look for alternatives. One example would be butter, which is now costing around $5 per pound where I live. I've tried to cut back on using it for cooking, and instead using a little bit of vegetable oil or cooking spray when I'm frying/sauteing something, and using less on my toast. Orange juice has also gone up in price, at nearly $4-$5 per bottle, so I've instead started buying it frozen/concentrated, which is only around $1.79 per can. Plus I can add some extra water to stretch it out further.
