Hey, we're all constantly looking for ways to save money / make more money / spend less money. I know I do since both of us are civil servants, making just enough money to live life comfortably but not so luxuriously either. Thought I should start compiling whatever useful articles / tips I come across on the Net.
So, here's the first one, by Lylah M Alphonse.
1.) We use our big freezer. We have a huge freezer in the basement. I love our freezer. I buy meat and divide it into meal-size packages and freeze it. I buy extra bread when it’s on sale and freeze it. I cook extra meals and freeze them. I roast tomatoes from our garden and freeze them. I make homemade dairy-free ice cream and freeze it. On hot days, I fantasize about standing over my open freezer and gazing lovingly into its icy depths for long, cool hours at a time, but I restrain myself.
Okay, so I don't own a big freezer - but I think I can do the meat thing and the extra meals too. But extra bread ? Probably not.
2.) We buy in bulk. What, you don’t have a huge freezer in your basement? You can still buy in bulk, just buy non-perishables like toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags, laundry detergent, and stash those in your freezer-less basement. You’ll still save money. (Don't have a basement? There are other places where you can stash the goods: Under your bed, on a high unused shelf in the closet, in a trunk that doubles as a coffee table... take a look around and see what space you have to spare.)
I do buy in bulk - toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags etc. But there's just no place to put 'em! I'll admit it - I'm lousy when it comes to arrang things properly :-P
3.) We buy ingredients instead of products. Those little single-serving Jell-O packs that my preschooler loves cost about $2.50 for four. But a package of actual Jell-O costs 39 cents to 50 cents and makes five to six single servings. I know that Jell-O hardly counts as an ingredient, but you get my point: It often costs less to buy the actual ingredients than it does to buy the finished product.
I don't do this often. And I think she's right. So I'd better remember this the next time I do grocery shopping!
4.) We make ethnic foods. We eat meat often, and it’s a star ingredient, but it’s not the biggest thing on the plate. The USDA recommends that adults eat five to six ounces of cooked meat a day – that’s about the size of a deck of cards, and most people eat a lot more than that in a single serving. A painless way to reduce the amount of meat you eat is by making ethnic foods like Indian-style curries or veggie-intensive stir-fries.
Ethnic food ? Heck, they're our regular meals!
5.) We shop to replenish the pantry. Aside from perishables like milk, eggs, and vegetables, we rarely shop for food to use right away; instead, we shop to replace the items we’ve used from the pantry and freezer. So, if there’s a great sale on something we use often, we can stock up without it blowing our budget.
I guess she means food items like cereal, pasta etc. Hmm ... stocking up again. Now, where can I find the space to stuff everything ? ;-P
Okay, enough tips for now. Until later, here's the ultimate tip -- make a list before going for grocery shopping!
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