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I feed and entertain 2.5 people on 1/10th of your spending, and still eat very well. (and nutritiously, Fruits, Salmon, veggies are common on the menu).
I disagree. It is VERY difficult to spend $900 a month if you are cooking at home at night.
It is very easy to spend $900 a month if you are buying prepared foods, prepared meals, alcohol and the like. A few months ago, I was at one of the new Kroger's Marketplace in Cincinnati. They were selling prepared Wedge Salads for $4.50/lb. I never thought that a wedge salad (a quarter head of iceberg lettuce with blue cheese and bacon) would be something tat someone would buy premade.
We don't buy prepared foods and I do cook at home every night. I think adding up all the toiletries and cleaning products and laundry detergents adds a lot to it. And I also think those big trips to BJs are killing me too...it is ridiculously easy to drop $300 just there. So that's once a month and then the other $ comes from $150 a week at the regular grocery store and walmart for toiletries. I never think of it in terms of $900 but that's what it comes out to be.
I'm going to do the tracking thing and see what the heck is wrong here.
You can substitute most cleaning products for ones you make yourself. Key ingredients to keep on hand: Vinegar, rubbing alcohol, baking soda, water, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, ammonia. You can make most, if not all, of your household cleaners with these items. Buy some spray bottles and store your concoctions in them, and LABEL them!
I have to dig up some links to household recipes... be back later to do that.
Only 2 in your household? You can probably lower the temp on your water heater. Do you have a tank, or tankless?
Shop ethnic markets for meat and produce... much cheaper usually.
Here's another idea. Leave the credit card and debit card and check book at home. Take $100 cash for 1 week's grocery shopping.
Use a calculator (or in your head if you can do it) as you put things in the cart. When you get to $100 (or less, if you have taxable items) - time to check out.
That's it. Kaput. Over. No more shopping until 7 days later.
Many people mentioned less prepared foods, with which I totally agree.
Cook at home, and if possible make a few foods yourself, such as bread, salads and all kinds of soups. In colder months they go a long way and are very nutritious. These are easy to make, you add things to your taste and they are ridiculously cheaper than store bought items.
Learn how to cook with grains and beans. They are delicious and very nutritious. Buy the cheapest kind of meat/poultry/fish - but the real thing, not the one that has only bones and fat attached. More quality means less quantity.
Read weekly ads carefully. Sometimes brand products are cheaper than generic, believe it or not. Look for discounted items that are 100% usable, something is worthless if you are going to throw 50% away.
Buy according to what you will consume, so no leftovers. Learn to create new dishes or lunch bags with your leftovers.
When going shopping, think of a weekly menu. Cook accordingly.
Go to your city farmer's market. Produce is usually much cheaper there.
Not all wholesale products are worth it. Wholesale stores are essentially good for non-perishable items or long shelf life ones, unless you have a large group to feed. If you are unsure, don't buy it.
Switch everything you can to non-subscribed, non-contract, etc. unless the other option is waaay cheaper.
Cook for your dog. Research items which dogs cannot eat and cook dishes of meat and vegetables for him which do not contain any of these.
Before dog food existed, dogs ate food, not dog food... if you cook a variety of foods, a dog will get all nutrition he needs. After I started cooking for mine I never gave her dog food again. But that is simply my opinion and I respect who has other choices.
Start tracking your spending. Look at every dollar. You'll be appalled at some of your spending decisions, once you see them in the cold light of day. Then you can decide what you need to cut out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by steelstress
You can substitute most cleaning products for ones you make yourself. Key ingredients to keep on hand: Vinegar, rubbing alcohol, baking soda, water, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, ammonia. You can make most, if not all, of your household cleaners with these items. Buy some spray bottles and store your concoctions in them, and LABEL them!
I have to dig up some links to household recipes... be back later to do that.
Only 2 in your household? You can probably lower the temp on your water heater. Do you have a tank, or tankless?
Shop ethnic markets for meat and produce... much cheaper usually.
Great tips, thanks. I am going to check out a Latino market tomorrow actually. Also I'm going to try Aldi again. Last time I went there I just got the impression everything was really low quality...maybe not.
Here's another idea. Leave the credit card and debit card and check book at home. Take $100 cash for 1 week's grocery shopping.
Use a calculator (or in your head if you can do it) as you put things in the cart. When you get to $100 (or less, if you have taxable items) - time to check out.
That's it. Kaput. Over. No more shopping until 7 days later.
Worth a try
another good idea. I actually tried this exact thing about a year ago and it was so hard I gave up. Story of my life. I think this is more of an issue of excess than anything else. I need to get into a mindset of 'need' vs. 'want'...in many areas. Excess shopping is only one of them. Oh boy...
Many people mentioned less prepared foods, with which I totally agree.
Cook at home, and if possible make a few foods yourself, such as bread, salads and all kinds of soups. In colder months they go a long way and are very nutritious. These are easy to make, you add things to your taste and they are ridiculously cheaper than store bought items.
Learn how to cook with grains and beans. They are delicious and very nutritious. Buy the cheapest kind of meat/poultry/fish - but the real thing, not the one that has only bones and fat attached. More quality means less quantity.
Read weekly ads carefully. Sometimes brand products are cheaper than generic, believe it or not. Look for discounted items that are 100% usable, something is worthless if you are going to throw 50% away.
Buy according to what you will consume, so no leftovers. Learn to create new dishes or lunch bags with your leftovers.
When going shopping, think of a weekly menu. Cook accordingly.
Go to your city farmer's market. Produce is usually much cheaper there.
Not all wholesale products are worth it. Wholesale stores are essentially good for non-perishable items or long shelf life ones, unless you have a large group to feed. If you are unsure, don't buy it.
Switch everything you can to non-subscribed, non-contract, etc. unless the other option is waaay cheaper.
Cook for your dog. Research items which dogs cannot eat and cook dishes of meat and vegetables for him which do not contain any of these.
Before dog food existed, dogs ate food, not dog food... if you cook a variety of foods, a dog will get all nutrition he needs. After I started cooking for mine I never gave her dog food again. But that is simply my opinion and I respect who has other choices.
Great ideas. More detail on the dog cooking please! THat is ridiculously expensive, and they keep getting allergies and other issues no matter what food we use. And it's at least $40 a month for 2 dogs.
Read Your Money or Your Life from the library. Follow their step program. It is far more than just a food budget.
There is also a Simplicity forum under The Simple Living Network - SimpleLiving.net and then go to Discussion Forums. Wide variety of topics and a lot of different posters with a wide spectrum of ideas.
Here's another idea. Leave the credit card and debit card and check book at home. Take $100 cash for 1 week's grocery shopping.
Use a calculator (or in your head if you can do it) as you put things in the cart. When you get to $100 (or less, if you have taxable items) - time to check out.
That's it. Kaput. Over. No more shopping until 7 days later.
Worth a try
Quote:
Originally Posted by claud605
another good idea. I actually tried this exact thing about a year ago and it was so hard I gave up. Story of my life. I think this is more of an issue of excess than anything else. I need to get into a mindset of 'need' vs. 'want'...in many areas. Excess shopping is only one of them. Oh boy...
12 months x $900+ spent = $10,800+ a year
52 weeks x $100 = $5,200
Keep asking (telling!) yourself what you could do with that extra $5,600 a year.
That's $460+ a month that could be put towards CC debt, mortgage pre-payments, college funds, retirement funds, an oh-hell-we-lost-a-job fund, an oh-hell-we-need-a-new-roof fund, a vacation fund ....
(And I still laugh every time I see the title of this thread )
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