[Koala77]

Considering the current economic climate, I thought a thread about how to save money would be good for all of us. I'll start off with a couple of tips that DH and I have been using lately.

We have discovered that at around 1pm our local supermarket marks down all their bread and other pastry items. It's all baked that day, so we buy what we need from the discounted items, then bring it home and freeze it.

Same thing happens with meats, but they tend to leave the meat until around 4 pm to mark down. It's usually meat where the "use by date" is getting close, so just keep an eye on the labels when you're doing your shopping. We have saved so much money by buying meat this way. It's usually around 25%-50% off the original price, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with the meat.

We recently bought a pack of aged sirloin steak for $10, and it's the most tender steak we have bought in many years. We got 4 meals out of that as it was a big pack.


What's your tip to help us all save a little money?

[ewizabeth]

I've been rethinking my selections when shopping. I'm looking at price per pound and fat content when buying beef for instance. I bought bottom round steak to make beef stew for tonight at $2.99 per lb. Stew beef was $3.99 per lb. I had to cut up the round steak but it was also less fatty so I saved some on that.

Also, I'm buying my veggies in season so I get them cheaper and fresher as well.

If I see a commonly used item on sale, I stock up.

I rethink impulse buys too. If I think I need something to purchase online, I put it off a few days. If I really need it, I won't change my mind.

I don't put more on my credit card than I can afford to pay off in a month. I get the cash back rewards and I don't pay interest. So, in effect, the credit card company is working for me, instead of vice-versa.

[karousel]

A lot of ways for us to save money are things we've changed over the past year. We've changed our insurance carrier to save hundreds of dollars, my rx's are mailed to me in 90 day supplies which saves me $200 per year. A lot of my other tips are probably well known by all but I'll still share.


Someone mentioned (I believe here) to cut your dryer sheets in half and get twice the amount out of a box (works great!!)

Combine my errands to one trip and walk or ride my bike when possible to save gas.

We buy discounted meat but it is only available early in the morning. By afternoon, it's all gone!

We buy mostly store brands.

If I use a coupon for $ off one item, I buy the smallest package.

I buy things like toilet paper, tissue and paper towel as well as canned goods with a long shelf life in bulk. BJ's will also accept coupons including ones like $ off 10 cans of soup. One bulk package contains more than 10 cans so the coupon is good.

I stock up when things are on sale. Especially if I have a coupon.

We bought a freezer so we can stock up on items we can freeze and buy more in bulk.

I check all foods I buy and make sure the expiration date is out far enough that I will use it before it expires. No sense buying it on sale only to throw it away.

I compared prices between the grocery store, the discount stores and BJ's and buy those items when I'm at that store.

When I go shopping I buy only what's on my list.

I bring my coupon book with me to all stores. If I find a great sale and have a coupon, I can pick it up while I'm there.

[doydie]

A lot of stores will honor other stores coupons so you don't have to go to several stores. I am going to make an order through Angel Food ministries this month. You get $65 worth of groceries for $30.

[Koala77]

I'm with karousel in that we recently bought a new freezer so as not to miss out on any food bargains that we can get.

We don't have food coupons here in Australia, but we do get lots of discounts in other areas.

We get discounted electricity, telephone, motor vehicle registry, driver's licence, and we also get discounts in many other areas instead.

There's also an allowance to help towards housing by means of a rent allowance if one is recieving benefits (a pension) and renting privately.

Medical cover is free unless you're working, and then you pay a levy in your annual tax... unless you choose to take out private health cover.

[Erin524]

When we go out to eat sometimes (well, actually all the time. My mom is one of those people who gets whiny if we dont take her out to eat a bunch...my poor dad and his debit card)

Anyways, sometimes when we go out to eat, we've figured out that if you drink water, you can sometimes save up to $6 to $9. (some restaurants around here charge close to $3 for a glass of pop, with free refills)

Also, splitting an order of something with the person you're with is another way to make things cheaper. I went to a steakhouse/italian restaurant with my parents on saturday night. My dad and I split the special which was a chicken and sirloin thing. I took the sirloin, and my dad took the chicken and the veggies. I bought a side of mashed potatoes. The special was $12.

If we'd bought what we usually get there, just my order would have been close to $17! and that's without buying a pop to drink. My dad's order would have been about $13 (he always drinks water when we go out)

My mom's order was about $16. (we let her get what she wants) and she bought tea, so that was another $3.

We ended up saving some money by splitting an order between myself and my dad. The server still got a 20% tip based on the total price with a couple extra dollars added to even out serving 3 people.

My dad was happy because we usually will spend up to $70 at that particular restaurant when we dont split a meal in half.

My dad and I both managed to fill up on the food, and an added bonus was that neither of us felt so stuffed with food that we couldnt move, and we didnt have to bother with taking any leftovers home. (altho, I LOVE taking leftovers home from that restaurant...love their food!)

We sometimes do the split meal thing at restaurants that we know tend to load you up on food. As long as neither of my parents have their hearts set on seafood (I'm allergic) it's kind of fun to split an order in half with one of my parents.

My mom and I split my chinese food tonight. (plum chicken) My dad had his shrimp dish he likes, and I got some fried wontons and my mom had some soup, and we still managed to keep the ticket under $30. Came home stuffed, and I had a small amount of leftovers that will be my mom's lunch tomorrow.

I've been trying to eat at home more often, because even with splitting meals, it's still expensive. We're trying to get my mom out of the habit of eating out all the time...which is kind of difficult when my dad doesnt want to cook at home (he's the short order cook at home...my mom and I dont have very good cooking skills. I love my dad's cooking)

If my dad has a decent amount of warning (at least 24hrs) and I suggest something that I know is good and fairly easy for him to make, we can get something pretty good made for dinner. He usually likes my suggestions, and we dont usually get too wild or exotic in home made dinners.

Tomorrow we're having Chicken Goo. It's basically a thick chicken soup, that my dad adds cut up frozen chicken and vegetables to, that we serve over rice, or mashed potatoes, or even over baked potatoes sometimes. I got a bag of frozen biscuits the other day that will go pretty good with it too.

We made minestrone soup last week. My dad puts canned beans (red, white, and cici beans into a crockpot, adds whatever vegetables that we can find in the house, uses the seasonings from a box of Mrs. Grass chicken soup for the base, and then we eat with either french bread, or the frozen biscuits. (obviously we cook the biscuits first)

My dad is pretty good at MacGyvering up something for dinner out of the leftovers in the fridgerator and freezer. We freeze the leftover soup and will thaw it out in a few weeks for dinner again.

[Koala77]

That's great Erin and I thank you for that, and I like the idea of spltting the order.

I daresay there'd be times when it wouldn't be appropriate, but if you're just out with family and close friends, I can see no reason why that wouldn't work.

I'm adding that one to my list!

[karousel]

Erin, I agree. Yesterday my DH and I biked (saved gas) to the library to drop off a movie we took out (free movie night) and then we went to Bill Gray's. We had a buy one get one free coupon, we split an order of fries and drank water for $7. Tonight we are going out to Mario's, an expensive steak house, for dinner but it will be free since it's an MS seminar being put on by Biogen. Another free night out plus I hope to get something out of this seminar.

My DD loves loves loves books. Letting her loose in a book store is an expensive thing. The school sends flyers home every month of books she can buy. So I now have her getting the books she wants from the library. If they are checked out or in another library, she puts them on hold. Instead of buying the books she wanted for $25 she paid $2 in hold fees and was just as happy. Add this up every month, it's quite a savings!

When my book club chooses a book to read I get it from the library to read instead of buying it. Often times I put it on hold but end up saving a lot of money that way. It costs less to put it on hold and pay 50 cents to have it sent to my local library than to actually drive to the other library and pick it up.

[Jules A]

I recently reard and then saw on Oprah yesterday that it uses electricity to keep appliances plugged in even if they are turned off! I'd like to brainstorm a bit about how we could easily unplug things. Would a surge protector turned off accomplish it rather than having to go by hand and unplug?

As for books my library always has a huge shelf of books for sale for 25 or 50 cents and magazines for 10 cents which is a great deal if you like to keep your books. Ebay, half.com and Amazon also have great deals on used books if you are looking for a certain title. Great thread.

[soxmom]

Now that all my children are in school(the first time in 18 years),
Im really trying to cook from scratch. Im trying to use very little prepared
food. Llike the other day, I roasted a 7 lb chicken, had dinner with veggies
and potatoes. two days later hot turkey sandwiches. that day I also
simmered the bones and made homemade stock for the freezer. cut up
the rest of the chicken and put in freezer also. I use homemade stock
for everything and its so much better than the canned.

My grocery bill for six is crazy. So I match coupons to sale items. The
problem is the coupons tend to be for junkfood. but all my health and beauty,
cleaners and some food , I use the coupons for that.

I made a huge pot of tomato sauce the other day and froze meal size
portions. very cheap and delicious to make.

Every little bit helps.