Window Shopper

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

First, you should know that I am in no way an expert about saving money. I simply had to learn how to do so when our income went way down and we have kids to raise. To start, my husband and I are both disabled and have an EXTREMELY SMALL income from disability. So, because we have very little to work with, we had to learn the ins and outs of saving money pretty much the hard way. But now that we do know a bit about it, I can share with you some of the things we do.

The first thing, because of huge gas prices, cut down to the bare bones all of the travel you can. In our case, we live in a rural area and all of our movement is by car. Our car is not the most economic vehicle in the world but it is what we have so we use it as sparingly as we are able. Now, I do know that those of you who have a job do have a different situation. In those cases, it would be a great idea to carpool. Yes, I know. Not your favorite idea in the world. But is going broke because of gas prices a better deal? If you cannot carpool and you have a big car or truck that is going to run you out of money before the end of the month, how about a trade in? Get a car that gives you your money’s worth in gas and comfort at the same time. Yes, that means those big man cars have to be history. Sorry guys.

On to food savings. We found a place that sells at greatly reduced prices on food. We shop there once a month, usually. Unfortunately, it’s about 50 miles from our home so it’s not as good a deal as it once was. But we will still go there as often as possible because even if we only go there once every couple of months, the savings are well worth the effort. And we also go to a store that is a little wholesale place that has awesome bargains. Most meat items are half off even now.

A few tips on purchasing food:

1) Buy what you need. Even with a sale item if it’s a perishable, some of it is going to go south before you use it all. Guaranteed.

2) Buying things for the freezer is great but buy what fits. At the beginning, I remember buying all these fab things but found out that when we got home, it did not fit the freezer. So make sure you have the room.

3) Buy loss leaders IF YOU NEED THEM!!! If the loss leader is not what you usually buy, do not bother. It will get you hooked on the item and then it will go sky high in price. I hate that.

4) Check your pantry and shelves before you go to the store. Buy those things that will help you make meals, not some speculation thing. If you do not have an idea of what it will be used for, leave it alone till you do know. Purchases of that type will take your grocery bill HIGHER AND HIGHER. While that works great for people it does not work for a bill.

5) Get the basics in bulk when you can. Things like pasta, potatoes, rice. Those things are meal stretchers. Use them liberally. This allows you to have enough so that people don’t feel cheated out of a meal or leave still hungry.

6) Have a meal plan before you leave home. Make a list of those items you have used up.

7) Any extra treats are going to cost you so be extra careful about those. Sugar is at an all time high so things made with sugar are going to be more expensive too.

8 ) Go for the bargains and buy the generic brands. I can talk till I am blue in the face about this one since many people still do not believe it BUT most, I did say MOST, generic brands are made by a national brand maker. So, those brands will taste the same as the brand name items. There are a few that I have run up against that I did not think were as good but most are. Buy generic when you can. It saves A LOT OF MONEY!!!! Sometimes, it will cut the cost of that item by one half.

I realize that today with the prices going up and up, sometimes it might seem a lot overwhelming. It is. But you can do things to change that. These are just a few of the tips that will help you get through this time and hopefully teach people that it’s a different world out there and we have to adjust to it or lose out completely!

Happy Shopping!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

One thing that I have found out over the years is that I am horrible at organizing anything..until I really think about it. Then, it can be somewhat easier. Frankly, I am not the most organized person on the face of the earth anyway. Yet, to save money and to have your house in order at the same time, organization is one of the keys to success.

What do I mean? Ah, let’s see. First, if you are already an organizer, it is unlikely that I will have news for you but for those who have no organizing skills at all, I can help a bit anyway. Do you see that pile of bills over there on the desk? That pile that grows every month but some do not get paid because you decided long ago that you wanted to pay them but the money ran out before the bills did? Do you see those kids’ toys scattered all over the room? See that pile of dishes in the sink? Am I calling you a slob? If you are a guy, maybe. HAHA! If a gal, probably not. She will have the excuse that she does not have time. The guy will simply look at it and say, ah, I can do that tomorrow. But then, tomorrow never comes. (Isn’t that a Bond movie?)

Okay, you have the piles of books, whatever. Now what? For the bills, it’s as easy as sorting them out by importance. The ones on the top are really important and must be addressed first. Now, a tip here? Your latest magazine subscription is NOT important. The cable bill isn’t either. Are the lights getting turned off soon? Really need that gas coming in to keep the stove going? How about water? Need that? Oh yes, I’m guessing the mortgage payment is there too. Think you might want to move soon? If not, it has to be a priority.

Now, if you have a filing cabinet use it to file bills by their type and so they do not get lost. (the companies really don’t care if you lost the bill. They want to be paid, no matter what.) The dividers can be set up so that it can be by any sort of system you want. That’s the beauty of this. You find things by what you want to do. But, bills do need to be paid in order of importance.

This will very likely make you scratch your head but the first person you pay is yourself. Put aside some dollars for that rainy day when the car breaks down or the kids are sick and need a doctor. Do not simply believe that somehow it will be okay. It only takes a few dollars put away each payday to accumulate to an impressive amount. But, DO NOT use that to buy what you have been wanting for the last six years. It is emergency money.

Then, pay the normal every month bills first. Prioritize by importance. If you have someone coming after you for a debt and it’s going to mean something going back, decide if it’s REALLY important or not. The TV isn’t as important as the car. Your newest sofa is not that important. We lived without furniture in our house for months before we could afford to have some. Believe me, I have been there. All the way from having nowhere to live to a nice house and a little bit of income that goes over and above the “have to haves” like food, clothes and shelter.

I know what some of you are thinking. “I don’t have enough to pay the big bills, let alone the extra bills.” Been there. You still must prioritize what you can pay and what can wait a little longer. If there are overdue bills, call the people and tell them your problem. Some of them are totally crappy about it but at least you tried. Be NICE. Nice goes a long way, believe me. I have had really overdue bills that they were going to shut stuff off. They were cranky and nasty to me. I stayed calm and tried to be as nice as possible. (not so easy with some people) Not always, but on several occasions I was given extra time because I was nice. They really are not used to that, you know. See if the place has a way to pay in installments. Be careful there. We have a light company that will do that BUT if we do, the company still wants their NEXT bill in full PLUS the overdue money, even in payments. (Light companies do what’s called levelized billing. That works for some people. It keeps the bill as an average instead of high bills here and low there. Try that if it works in your case. Not all households are suitable for this) So, be sure you know what they want before you agree.

The toys. Do you have somewhere the kids’ toys could go, like a toybox? If not, either find a good sturdy box and use that or get some type of wooden box. Teach the kids to play the “Mary Poppins game” of putting things away. When they learn this as a game, they will continue to do it. The kids will learn this if you stick with it. There might be resistance at first but if you make it fun, anything can be accomplished.

If you have the bucks, go to a discount store and buy some bookshelves. Then, use those for books, DVDs, CDs or anything else that is not organized and in piles. Do you know that the way to teach a kid to be as messy as possible is to be disorganized and messy yourself? Hate to say it but…monkey see, monkey do. If your kids are sort of out of control in that area, maybe you need to look in the mirror. It’s an eye opener. Ask me how I know.

Speaking of fun, you might try that for yourself. When it’s time to do the chores, put on some great music from your teen years. I love that stuff and at my age too. When the kids are down for a nap, take that time for yourself to unwind. Get a good book out.

How does all this save money? Well, if you didn’t lose the bills, you pay them. Eventually, they go away. You start with the one that is the lowest bill. Pay it off or in as large a payment as possible. It gets paid off really soon. Then you put money on the next highest bill. When the debts are paid off, look at the money you now have for other needs and wants. Celebrate. You saved yourself some money. Oh yes, if you have money to spare, NOW you can buy that thing you have been wanting for the last six months. It’s a reward.

More organizational tips in the future. Happy Shopping!!!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!