So tired of buying .89 shampoo...
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| Sun, 11-06-2005 - 8:18pm |
among other things.
I just ready the post below about "how much do you spend at the grocery store?", and don't know how you all do it. It's just me, and I religiously buy the .89 shampoo, buy the .79 store brand bread, never buy frozen lunchable TV dinners that cost more than .99, buy $2/pack balogna instead of $4.99/lb turkey...and it goes on and on. I'm the most budget conscious grocery shopper I know...if I get ice cream, it's the $2.50 store brand half-gallon! I couldn't even tell you what the Ben & Jerry's flavors are, let alone taste like.
I include all of my makeup, toiletries, cat supplies, kitchen supplies like trashbags and paper towels, etc., in my grocery budget, b/c I only shop at Super Walmart. I don't eat all that much, but yet I still spend $250+ a month!
I'm just so tired of having to buy the cheapest of everything, and always store brands. Just once, I'd like to buy the $5 frozen pizza, instead of the $2.50 Jeno's Pizza! The $2.79 Aussie Shampoo, instead of the .89 White Rain! And I'm sure my cats would love Friskies or Iams instead of Special Kitty...
Will it ever end? Being single and having to rely solely on myself sucks sometimes...

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Hi, CJ!
Why not treat yourself to a nicer bottle of shampooo every once in a while or get an ice cream you like? You can do it if you want to....sometimes if you hold yourself to a strict budget for too long, and it is bothering you, you could really fall off the wagon and blow your progress. A couple of nice things should be okay. You can rejuggle a few numbers or skip something on the budget list. You still deserve to take good are of yourself....
I'm a confirmed bachelorette, and I like taking care of myself, but it can be a drag single or emotionally linked to go thru debt stuff. Hang in there! As long as you keep working at it, you will be helping yourself.
Best wishes, Littlesbigs
I know how you feel. I get so sick of not buying things. I haven't bought a pizza in months (I can bake, so I make pizza dough from scratch). The only meat we get is ground beef. Everything in our fridge other than the DH's diet coke is an ingredient. I am tired of cooking.
Just thought I'd let you know you're not the only one.
I agree with everyone else. Go ahead and pamper yourself a little. Get the bottle of shampoo that's a little more expensive. Maybe pick out something special for your bath like a bottle of bubble bath or something. Since you're shopping at SuperWalmart, nothing there is going to be extremely expensive, such as in a mall store, so go ahead and splurge once in awhile.
I plan to splurge a little today, myself, and get a pair of pull-on slippers or loafers for my son. He's got a pair of big ol' puffy Power Ranger slippers for the house, but the ones I'm getting today are for his martial arts class. The change of classes is chaotic with one class leaving and one class coming in, and everyone either trying to drop off gear bags and go into class while my son's class is trying to take off their safety gear, pack it up, and also get their shoes on. My son is just learning to tie his shoes, so it's difficult when he's sitting there trying to tie his shoes and making several attempts while people are stepping over him. It adds an extra 10 minutes or so to our end-of-class time, along with everyone else's frustrations, trying to carry heavy gearbags, loaded down with weapons and safety gear, over the heads of those children who are trying to tie their own shoes (not wanting to have a gear bag slip and fall on them). So to save my son's sanity and mine, we're just going to splurge and get some pull-on slippers that would look appropriate during daytime hours (unlike the puffy Power Ranger ones ;-D) so he can come out of class, get his gear off, and slip right into his shoes and go. To me, that's my splurge. It helps me out, helps him out, and it definitely will make me happy. :-D Sometimes I splurge on bath and body items, and sometimes my splurge is just something that will make my life a little easier, such as today's planned purchase. :-D
So definitely, once in awhile, go ahead and treat yourself to something. :-D
Pat :-D
Just wanted to say I know what you mean, for me it is the frustration of never doing any extras, like going out to dinner, or going shopping for fun and just getting yourself something just for the heck of it, or just going to the movies. And heaven forbid if I do one of these things I can't even enjoy it b/c I am feeling so guilty the whole time about the money being used that could be used for bills . Someday I hope to have it together enough to be able to have a little allowance for myself. Until then I have to keep chugging along..... Just wanted to say I know how you feel!
Shannon
I know $250+ can seem a lot but I know my best friend does spend at least $250 every two weeks for just her and her BF so that's over $500 each month! So I guess your efforts are really worth it.
I try to cut down to $150 each month but I eat at my parent's during the week-end and sometimes I don't eat anything else than sandwiches (home-made, of course) all day, which is unhealthy. I think I'm going to cut down somewhere else and add some to my food budget to be able to buy more fresh fruit and vegetables, and fish.
I agree with the other posters, sometimes you should treat yourself with something nice even if it costs a few dollars more, and you'll feel better.
I agree...it does get very old after a while but also becomes more and more of a habit over time. I would juggle the budget a bit to try and fit in the shampoo if that's what really matters-for me it's having Coke and Diet Coke on hand.
You may also want to shift some food choices-the first step in my saving money on groceries was going the generic route but the second step was looking at our food choices and saying-
Store ice cream for 2.50 or I can make a batch of cookies for the same or less that last me longer (I stick them in the freezer and dole them out 2 at a time).
Casseroles were cheaper than meat and a side dish
Meatless meals were less-let's face it dried beans are cheap! I soak mine overnight, stick them in the crockpot for the day and then incorporate them into recipes.
Instead of buying frozen meals, trying doubling up on a recipe and freezing the extras for your own convenience food for less.
Taleyna
I can totally empathize........I'm tired of doing without too.
Sometimes frugality is simply not personally rewarding in my humble opinion. Due to divorce and the horrifyingly costly custody battle, I have been in a financial hardspot for three years with a HUGE reduction in standard of living. I find it very hard sometimes not to wallow in resentment over it. I just do what I can, week by week and try not to cry when I look at my bank balance and CC statements. I keep telling myself it won't always be like this.
My whine is about perfume. I LOVE good perfume and simply can't justify buying it. My favorite is Estee Lauder Dazzling Silver and I've been out for months! Maybe I'll buy the small one for myself for a Christmas gift. When my mom asks what I want for Christmas, this is the suggestion I'll give her. Maybe I'll go walk at the mall and just spritz myself with their sampler. I'll ask for sample bottles.
I just keep repeating, it WILL GET BETTER!!!!!!!!!
I'm a single girl too and I know what you mean. I have a lot of debt so I'm trying to reign in my spending as well to pay off some debt but I refuse to go without certain things. I sat down one afternoon and tried to think of the things that bring me the most joy.
I shop both SuperWalmart (their price match is awesome), Super Target, the Regular Groceries Stores, Aldi's (which if you have one near you or anything like it saves a boat load on groceries), the Discount Bread Store (You can pick up some pretty nice bread as cheaply as you get the cheap bread any where else) and the Dollar Store. I'm trying to get the habit of using coupons but still haven't quite gotten there yet (and I really should since the grocery store closest to my house doubles coupons up to a $1.) It's a bit more work shopping around but well worth it for me. Thankfully I all these store are either close to home, work or my parent's house.
I tried the .89 White Rain Shampoo and I couldn't stand the way it made my hair feel, so once I was finished with the bottle I bought a different brand. Sauve makes a good shampoo that you can pick up pretty cheaply as well. $1.75 or so I believe. Now admitted that is $.86 more expensive but worth every penny. I just had to save $.86 somewhere else. I've also found if I buy better Shampoo then I don't need conditioner.
As far as make up goes, I don't wear it very often but skin care, I drop a lot of money on. It's worth every penny in my mind, because I will have this skin the rest of my life. I am going to try to start shopping ebay though because I've found that I can get it cheaper there. Body wash and the like, I usually get for Christmas and Birthday presents. But then when I first moved out, I made sure that people knew that I would be thrilled to get those kinds of gifts.
I have two cats, and I buy them Purina Cat Chow Indoor. It's a bit more expensive than Special Kitty but my vet suggested strongly that I not feed the boys Special Kitty so I just buy the biggest bag of Purina Cat Chow I can to cut down on expense and found a storage container to keep the food in to keep it fresh longer. I pay a about $8 a bag (sometimes I can catch it on sale for $7 a bag)and that lasts me around a month to a month and a half. Which comes out roughly to $64 a year or $5 a month. I figure in the long run, I may save myself some vet bills. And if my vet is full of it, then at least it makes me feel better about what I feed the cats. I am a bit of a sucker for my kitties.
I can't stand the taste of cheap ketchup, it has to be Heinz but I stock up when I catch it on sale (I can usually catch it for .99 a bottle once or twice a year which put's the price I pay in line with the cheap brands). I feel the same way about Miracle Whip and strangely enough C & H Suguar but only for baking.
I don't buy any of those convience meals is how I afford the extra's I spend else where. I home cook just about everything, from dinner to bread.
For Dinner: once a week and eat off that usually for the whole week. I tried to find inexpensive recipes that I could make over and over again that weren't too unhealthy. I eat a lot of rice and pasta. And frozen vegies and broth can stretch a long way. And for meat I buy whatever is on sale. Also for my birthday, my Dad and Mom had 1/2 a cow butchered (You can go in with someone else)and allow me to take whatever meat I want from their freezer. It's a lot cheaper than buying beef in the store. If nothing is on sale, and the freezer is empty then I just don't have meat.
I take sandwhiches in my lunch with chips. Or left overs from dinner, depending on what day of the week it is.
And either take cereal or breakfast bars when I can find them on-sale for breakfast. This morning though I had a treat someonw brought donuts in and the donut was delicious.
Also if you learn how to make bread, it works about out to the same price for a good loaf of homemade bread as it does for one of the cheap loaves at the store. Or at least that has been my experience. It cost more upfront for the flour and yeast and such but you can make several loaves of bread from a bag of flour and a jar of yeast. It took me a while to figure out how to make it but then I got a bread maker from my Mother who never used hers. If you keep an eye out you may be able to pick one up pretty cheap at a garage sale or something, but owning a bread maker is by no means necessary for making bread.
Also if you live near other single friends or even married friends you might suggest having a pot luck supper type thing one night a month or even a week. It doesn't cost anything more than feeding one person for the night and you get a little variety. I know I get tired of the same thing over and over again.
After I get done budgeting for everything excluding groceries I usually have $100 a month left over. That $100 buys me groceries and whatever else I need. Yes money is very tight right now but I keep telling myself that it's only until I get my debt paid down to what I feel is a reasonable level then I'll loosen the budget up a little until the debt is paid off.
The other thing I do is I set up treats for myself when I achieve certain goals. For each Debt I pay off I have a set treat.
For my smallest card, my Old Navy Card. I'm going to allow myself $20 extra dollars that month in my left over money to spend on whatever tickles my fancy.
For my Best Buy Card, which is much larger. I'm going to allow myself another $20 extra dollars.
For my Mastercard, another $20 dollars.
For my Discover, I'm giving myself a whole $50 extra dollars to spend as I'll only have one card left then.
For paying off my car, I'm giving myself $80 extra dollars to spend.
For my last card, I'm giving myself a hefty $100 to blow on whatever I want.
Could that money be better used paying down my other debt probably but it keeps me moviated. And a one time treat isn't going to affect much in the long run. It may take me a few months longer to pay off my debt but it is so worth it to have something to work towards.
Well I'll stop rambling on now.
Hi there,
I haven't read through all of the answers, so don't know if anyone has said this, but... I am sure that, as is over here in Germany, a lot of the "no name" brands are actually manufactured by the same company as the name brands. Because they are not called by their name, they can be sold cheaper. So your 2.50 pizza may be the 5.00 one, and your .89 cent shampoo may be the more expensive version. I am sure that someone made a list on the internet... see if you can find your "name brand"-version of the "generic"-brand you buy :).
Sushi
I think sometimes you just HAVE to buy what you want for yourself. I use drug-store cosmetics for everything EXCEPT my foundation(I get on-line or at Sephora, but just spotted my brand on eBay)and moisturizer (which is still by Olay--not like I'm at Clinique!). I used to use the Costco shampoo and conditioner, but it was WRECKING my hair horribly, so I use Dove now (which I have always loved because my hair gets SO soft). I bought the Intense Moisture formula, and even though I am still using the cheap conditioner my hair is in much better shape. I just shop smart, and buy at Target or WalMart where the big bottle of shampoo is $5, and at my local grocery store it's over $7!!
I spend the extra money on better cat food, too. I have a 5 yo and a 7 yo, and their coats look so much better when I get the brand names. I don't get top of the line, but its not the cheapest either. My frequent shopper card earns me points toward pet food, and when I have enough "points" I get a coupon for like $9 off, so I use that to get the kitties a bag of Iams, which ends up costing like $2 or $3 after the coupon.
Now, I did use generic formula with my son because it's all regulated by the FDA, so all formula is about the same. I used the Costco brand, and it actually mixed better than the big names, and was SO much cheaper.
I just think that there are times when you have to just get what works best.
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