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Thread: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

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    Default Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    Hello ladies (and men if they're reading too),

    I'm curious to know what everyone does to help cut daily living expenses. Here's my story: I haven't been dancing for a while (busy with school and needed a mental break from it), and feel like i've finally gotten somewhat good at living very inexpensively. Looking back, it was crazy how much i'd spend every day on stuff like taking cabs instead of subway, ordering takeout (i'd spend approx $40-$50 a day in take-out...maybe the sushi was so expensive?), getting my nails done instead of doing it myself, expensive gyms versus moderate gyms, etc. Nowadays i've been able to live off of 100-150 a week (not including rent) for transportation, food, etc. It feels good to get the budget more under control.
    Here's some of the things i've been doing:

    -Buying a 2-liter of diet pepsi and filling my smaller bottles with it (each smaller bottle would be 2 dollars each..that would make a full pepsi 2-liter bottle cost approx. $10 dollars if I added it up!).
    -bought 16 ounce (tall) travel coffee cups so I could make my coffee or tea at home instead of spending 3 dollars on a cup. Also bought a small jar of instant coffee so whenever I want a coffee fix wherever I am I can make it in the transportable coffee cups and heat it up.
    -Make my own salad by saving the cute plastic salad containers from the cafe's I would buy them, and in the morning make my own salad, throw a can of tuna on top (or you can do tofu or chopped chicken), and bring it to work etc. (a rought estimate of costs, cafe-bought would be approx 9.00 versus 4.00 for making it at home, so save approx 5 dollars).
    -buy fruit on sale and bring it with me wherever I go. I bought grapefruit 3/2.00 instead of at some bodega in a pricey neighborhood that wanted 3.00 for one grapefruit.
    -would buy energy protein bars at CVS or Duane reade for 1.99 whereas the same brand and size would be 4.00 at some convenience stores!! crazy!

    All of this seems to add up big time. A year ago with dancing, I wouldn't care about this at all. Saving 5.00 wouldn't mean a thing to me. No wonder I barely saved any money...it's crazy how quickly I burnt the cash. How very dumb, I think when looking back. How can you become fully independent and start building up a nice nest-egg with an attitude like that, burning money like crazy? I feel like i've learned my lesson and hope I don't ever be as careless as I used to be. I was a real fool!

    Anyone here have money-saving tips they'd like to share? Thanks so much and let's save our money!

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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    My biggest thing is simply living on a budget. Ever since I was about 16 I've kept an Excel spreadsheet of what I make in one column, and all my bills in another column. Over the years my bills and income have changed, but I always know how much I have to spend.

    Another thing for me is that I can spend $120 per month on groceries. I know exactly what I like and can buy two weeks worth of groceries at a time and it always comes out to $60. Most of the time I do my shopping at Wal-mart... even though I prefer places like Whole Foods. I realize there's a price difference. My biggest expense on food is probably Slim Fast, which is about $7.50 per can (I buy the powder).

    I think because I spend so little on groceries I don't feel so bad when I eat out... and I don't really eat out that often.
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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    a few other points to ponder about bargains ...

    - since the money saved by bargain shopping is AFTER-TAX, every dollar that you are actually able to save via bargain shopping is equivalent to an additional $1.25 to $1.50+ in income ( depends on your individual tax bracket ).

    - while certain retailers have made their reputations on bargains ( i.e. WalMart ), for a fact not every item that they offer is actually a bargain. Thus while it isn't as convenient as one-stop shopping, it's usually worth investing the time to determine which other local retailers ( i.e. Dollar General, Aldi's, BJ's Wholesale ) and alternate sources ( farmer's markets ) are available in your area ... and which products are offered by what retailer with the best compromise of low price versus decent quality.

    - 'quantity purchases' / large size purchases can save a bunch of money. When I was still living in New York, I used to plan a monthly schedule of grocery shopping every other week at Walmart, then one odd week at Aldi's and the other odd week at BJ's Wholesale. While taking advantage of 'quantity purchases' / large size purchases meant investing enough money to (basically) keep a month's worth of (some) groceries and household items on hand, a tremendous amount of money could be saved by (example) buying a case of 12 cans of tomato sauce / a 1 gallon jug of laundry detergent at BJ's Wholesale, or big bags of frozen shrimp / case of 2 dozen rolls of TP at Aldi's.

    - making your own 'processed' goods out of raw materials can also save a ton of money. For example, making your own window cleaner out of bulk vinegar works just as well as commercial glass cleaner, for perhaps 1/3rd the price. Making your own pasta out of eggs and flour winds up being more nutritious, at 1/2 the price. I've even made my own bath soaps and lotions out of Lye, which are actually better than the commercial products at 1/3rd the price. Of course it requires devoting a bit of extra time to such projects, but hey one afternoon's work yields 6 months worth of soaps and lotions.

    - where fruits and vegetables are concerned, depending on what sort of crops are NOT typically grown in your area you can save a ton of money by growing your own versus paying high prices for stuff trucked in from 1000+ miles away. While I was living in New York, I kept dwarf lemon trees on my sun porch and planted a gazillion tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers in my garden from which I would make and can my own tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, pickles, salsa etc.

    - where animal protein is concerned ... such as the 'too good to pass up' occasional sales on steaks, fish, chicken etc. at the discount retailers, or even better the 8 point buck you managed to shoot / half a dozen good sized fish you managed to catch while hunting / fishing with your brother ... a chest freezer is a rapid 'payback' investment. It also comes in handy for freezing sweet corn, squash, broccoli etc. when harvest time arrives for your garden and you're too busy dealing with canning the tomatoes and pickling the cucumbers.

    - where coffee is concerned, you can save a bunch of money by purchasing a combo bean grinder / coffee maker and buying roasted commercial beans ( like Dunkin Donuts blend) by the 2 1/2 lb bag rather than buying 1 pound cans of pre-ground coffee or (even more expensive) instant coffee. To save even more money you can buy big bags of green beans ( from internet retailers ) and roasting the beans yourself ... but this requires a bit of skill as well as a big cast iron frying pan and a very good vent hood over your stove ! This also opens up the option of different types of beans i.e. hawaiian kona, columbian, ethiopian, java beans etc. that make all of the commercial roasted beans look like bottom shelf substitutes ... but then again the prices of these 'gourmet' beans can sometimes be just as expensive if not actually higher.

    ~
    Last edited by Melonie; 03-15-2010 at 05:31 PM.

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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    ^^^ and on the 'dancing expenses' side of the equation, when I was still full time dancing I invested in my own tanning bed / TotalGym / treadmill etc. Between the avoided expense of tanning salons and gym membership, and the business expense tax deduction / depreciation, this saved me a serious chunk of money over the course of 5 years.

    When I was doing road trips, I also invested in a 12 volt cooler that I could load up before leaving home and carry with me on the road. I also got the 120v adapter so I could take it into cheap motel rooms.

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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    Thanks both of you ladies for the tips. And Melonie, you're such a crafty lady! I've always admired you for being so impressive on your financial knowledge and habits. You're definitely an inspiration!

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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    Don't mean to sound full of it, but I've always done everything that's been listed already (with the exception of making my own soap out of lye), and I find it hard to believe people don't do these things. Perhaps is has something to do with where and how I was raised (poor, northern rural town), but I would never buy a $9.00 salad for lunch - completely unheard to me. When I moved to America I couldn't believe there was such a thing at the grocery store as a 'convince pack' of fruit - essentially an apple peeled and bagged and therefore 4 times the price; I mean, an apple is already pretty convenient in itself!

    I realize that this sounds bratty, so please ignore the pretentiousness. I'll add something to the mix so that I'm not just preaching:

    -keep track of what fruits and vegetables are in season in your area, and try and consume those. If you're worried you'll get sick of whatever it is you're eating (squash, mushrooms, etc) keep in mind an average peek season is only 3-4 months, so there is variety.
    - Farmer markets are you friends. Often times they'll make you a good deal too (if you continually go to the same stands).
    -Learn to sew. Being able to alter/hem your own clothes will save you more than the 70 bucks a sewing machine will cost. It'll save you hundreds if you're willing to make yourself full on pieces of clothing from scratch.



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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    I second the large freezer idea. Its a great way to cut back on food expenses, and allows me to put lots of meat and frozen goods in there. You can also buy from local butcher/meat market. They often have great deals and you can get lots of different varieties of meat.

    Buy generic/store brand. Sometimes it is not worth it, but most of the time the taste is comparable if not better than the name brand. Some generic food I haven't liked, but most are good. I used to be a brand name snob, but now I know better.

    I switched from buying bulk liquid detergent to bulk powder laundry detergent. I haven't noticed a difference and its almost half the price plus you get MORE detergent.

    I will also second the cancellation of a gym membership. If you really use it all the time and don't have much debt, then fine. But that money could be chucked towards something else. Especially if you have cable. Many of those classes come on tv and could be done at home. Yoga, pilates, whatever, its all on tv already. Invest in a home gym, or simply get some weights, treadmill, ellipticall whatever.

    If u have kids, also shop at co-signment shops like 'Once upon a Child.' I shop there for all my baby clothes. Since they pay customers for the gently used clothes they bring in, the quality is VERY good and they are VERY picky about what they take. Since it isn't just donations, you can get quality baby clothes for a very cheap price. I will never buy or suggest anyone buy infants brand new clothes, swings, bouncy seats, walkers. They will get very limited use and it is a waste of money. Take it home, wash it, sanitize it, and its just as good. My babies only got brand new bottles, cribs, car seats. For safety reasons, I'd rather buy car seats/cribs new, but these items can last for YEARS but you will have to invest in high quality items and pay more for it. Everything else was used or a gift. However, the older the child, the less quality the clothes. Since older kids usually wear their clothing for a longer time than an infant, it may not be worth it to shop for older kids (like 2nd graders and up). You can still find great deals, but will have to dig a lot more. I find that you can get new clothes for only slightly more and better quality if you know how bargain hunt for older kids. I buy all my older kids clothes at pricier stores but I subscribe to their mailing lists and e mail sales allerts and ONLY buy when I have a coupon. I also shop 'out of season' when many things are on clearance. Like buy summer clothing when it is fall and they have the winter line going up. I sell my older kids clothes to the co signment shops when they outgrow them, so it mostly pays for the babies clothing.
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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    I use a "pay as you go" cell phone, and only use it for emergencies. I pay around $100 a year for service. I occasionally go to a dollar store to see which items they have that I need, and are much cheaper than other places. I use a Brita water filter instead of buying bottled water and I take a thermos with me when I work out instead of bottled water.

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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    ^^^ this is indeed a rare occurrence. Eagle2 and I are in complete agreement regarding something ... in this case, bottled water being the most profitable 'rip-off' ever conceived by the bottling industry thus the largest waste of money for consumers.

    Indeed a Brita pitcher or other types of filters produce filtered drinking water that is every bit the equal of the filtered tap water being sold by many of the water bottlers. The only real exceptions are 'premium' bottled waters that are actually collected from (famous) springs ... which supposedly have wonderous mineral content ... but which are even more outrageously priced.

    I'm even guilty of additional 'cheeze' ... by repeatedly refilling (famous) spring water bottles with filtered water from home !

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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    First thing about foods, you'll be buying it all your life to its really worth knowing how/where/when to buy. Keep a list of prices you expect to pay for food items you buy regularly and cpompare it to where you are shopping now. Cut a and use coupons and discounts. Watch for sales which can be very good a for a few items. Food sources in order of increasing price (grenerally) :

    fresh veggies (in season):
    farmer's markets, then Aldi's, then big box stores (BJs, Sams Costco etc),then Walmart SuperCenters, then supermarkets, then delis/bodegas etc.

    meats and many dairy:
    Aldis, then SuperCenters, then big box stores, then supermarkets, then delis/bodegas etc. (Often you will have a local dairy where dairy proeducts are very cheap.)

    staples:
    dollar stores (it seems the smaller the franchise, the better), then Aldis, then big box stores, then SuperCenters, then supermarkets, then delis/bodegas etc.

    misc:
    Clothing/old electronics/kitchen implements from thrift stores (Salvation Army) and from yard/lawn/garage sales at least for everyday items.

    Soft drinks - get less known brands, eg Sams is good enough and really cheap. Maybe powdered drinks are pleasant and less problematic on the teeth.

    With the new digital TV, get a convertor, a better antenna and an antenna amplifier (if needed) and cut out TV by cable.

    Forget water in plastic bottles. In general learn how to do anything you can make for an avarage of a few minutes per usage. Including making meals to consume at work; prepare foods in bulk and freeze/microwave.

    <<I know I'll think of a few more, but supper is waiting (homemade pizza). (Result, I guess I don't like whole wheat pizza crust.)>>

    Watching for great sales and clipping the bigger coupons will save you money and is worth a moderate amount of time.

    Find a clinic that will provide a sliding scale for medical visits. Find a discount plan for your meds (20% should be easy to find). Tests, well, good luck on that.
    Last edited by threlayer; 03-17-2010 at 09:22 PM. Reason: add content/corrections
    I loved going to strip clubs; I actually made some friends there. Now things are different for the clubs and for me. As a result I am not as happy.

    Customers are not entitled to grope, disrespect, or rob strippers. This is their job, not their hobby, and they all need income. Clubs are not just some erotic show for guys to view while drinking.

    NOTE: anything I post here, outside of a direct quote, is my opinion only, which I am entitled to. Take it for what you estimate it is worth.

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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    ramen noodles

    a somewhat appetizing meal for around 30 cents cant be beat, though the sodium contents a bit high

    course you will go nuts if you dont get a bit of variety, back when I was going to school I ate ramen noodles every meal for a month by the 30th I was looking at some of the larger people around campus wondering how long it would take them in the oven (ok it wasnt that extreme but it came close)

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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    ^^^ actually I make my own noodles for less than 1/2 the price of Ramen ... and with just the right amount of salt !!!


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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    Unless you make your own noodles or sauce and add crushed vitamin pills (or the like), Ramen noodles have almost no food value other than carbs and salt. Taste and volume aside.
    I loved going to strip clubs; I actually made some friends there. Now things are different for the clubs and for me. As a result I am not as happy.

    Customers are not entitled to grope, disrespect, or rob strippers. This is their job, not their hobby, and they all need income. Clubs are not just some erotic show for guys to view while drinking.

    NOTE: anything I post here, outside of a direct quote, is my opinion only, which I am entitled to. Take it for what you estimate it is worth.

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    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    I've always done everything that's been listed already (with the exception of making my own soap out of lye), and I find it hard to believe people don't do these things
    This is a VERY important point. Like you, I grew up in a poor rural town. My grandmother took the time to teach me as much as she could about gardening, cooking, canning / preserving, sewing, soapmaking ( and other home concoctions like the window cleaner made from 50 cents worth of vinegar and ammonia ). She even taught me a whole lot about herbal 'medicine'. My father also took the time to teach me about hunting and fishing, building, basic plumbing and electrical, car repairs etc. ( he was a construction contractor and I was the 'son' he never had I guess ). However, in retrospect, I was very lucky to come from a family where such knowledge was not only known and understood but also routinely practiced.

    In a 'wider' America, such knowledge and practice has generally been lost. It has now been at least two complete generations since 'housewives' began entering the work force. As the direct result of 'moms' working for a full time paycheck, most of those 'old fashioned' do it yourself skills were thrown overboard because time ( savings ) became more important than money ( savings ). And the US public school system certainly isn't teaching any of this stuff today, and hasn't for decades.

    Along different lines, the enactment of ever stricter building codes, gun regulations, licensing laws, zoning laws etc. over the same time period has put a major damper on not only hunting and fishing, but has also tended to move do it yourself construction skills, auto repair skills, plumbing and electrical skills etc. away from 'amateurs' and into the hands of 'professionals'.

    With the recent economic downturn, more and more people are rediscovering the virtues of doing it yourself as opposed to paying a premium price to have a 'professional' do it for you ... whether that means buying organic tomatoes or pre-packaged $8 salads or $10 a pound steak, or that means paying $50 an hour to have a water leak repaired, or that means paying $400 to have a $200 car alternator replaced. Unfortunately, most people today lack the basic skills to attempt doing these things for themselves, and also lack anybody to teach them how !

    Making the same point from another perspective, for the past two generations 'money' has become more important than 'time'. This has led to a fundamental change in American culture, where earning money took precedence over almost everything else. However, when a sustained economic downturn makes full time employment / earning money impossible for a large number of people, the 'time' versus 'money' equation shifts back to where it was many years ago. Unfortunately, most of today's Americans lack the knowledge and the skills to put that additional 'time' to productive use !

    I'll even go one step farther and offer the following prediction. Even when the economy recovers, the greatly increased tax rates which are now in the works are going to provide a 'permanent' incentive for people to save money any way they can. As I alluded to earlier in my comment about the AFTER TAX value of every $1 saved, with greatly increased tax rates $1 saved may very well wind up equalling $2 in additional earnings !!!

    ~
    Last edited by Melonie; 03-19-2010 at 06:32 AM.

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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    Check out www.couponmom.com . It gives you a list you can print out of sale items at various grocery and drug stores, and also gives links to printable coupons so you can purchase sale items with a coupon. I consistantly save 25-50% off of my grocery bill every week. It also tracks sales at Target and Walmart.
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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    I'm a SERIOUS restaurant whore .
    So ... if splurging on eating out .... Restaurant.com has gift certs you can buy for $2 that are good for $25 worth of food. You generally have to spend $35 to use them. I've used a lot of these. Look closely ( some places say " dinner only " or " sun-Th " only ) before buying.

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    Default Re: Your ideas for cutting down food expenses, etc?

    I seriously question the overall value of deep discount coupons. If I don't use them or am able to find them, it greatly raises the price of my purchases. Plus it costs real money to print and distribute them. Still it is reality and they are limited in occurence.
    I loved going to strip clubs; I actually made some friends there. Now things are different for the clubs and for me. As a result I am not as happy.

    Customers are not entitled to grope, disrespect, or rob strippers. This is their job, not their hobby, and they all need income. Clubs are not just some erotic show for guys to view while drinking.

    NOTE: anything I post here, outside of a direct quote, is my opinion only, which I am entitled to. Take it for what you estimate it is worth.

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