anyone have any money saving advice?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
anyone have any money saving advice?
11
Fri, 05-07-2004 - 12:44pm
I am currently working 3 different part time jobs as a teacher. Only one of them continues over the summer, and one of them ends entirely in June - so money is going to be much tighter than usual for a while (possibly permanently, I don't know!). I've eliminated the non-essentials, such as cable tv, and I'm paring down what expenses I can. Our biggie is always our mortgage payment, which is just covered by my husband's monthly pay, so I have to cover pretty much everything else, and I'm trying to still swing a few recreational activities for the kids this summer. Any other ideas, especially in terms of whittling down the grocery budget? There is a Costco an hour from here, and I'm wondering if the savings would pay for the membership fee and gas - I've never been a Costco member before. In our small town, "healthy" foods - like fresh produce and lean cuts of meat, are pretty expensive and not always the highest quality!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-08-2003
Fri, 05-07-2004 - 12:58pm
I LOVE Costco and definetely believe it saves a bunch of money....however, you have to spend a lot of money upfront to get the savings. That is where it can be difficult. For example, let's say you want to cover the basics like toilet paper, paper towels, soap and laundry stuff etc. You can get everything you would need for an entire summer, IF you have 300-400 dollars to spend the one time. Does that make sense? You wouldn't then be spending that money throughout the summer but you will have made one really big initial payment. It truly does pay off in the end, however, for many of us it is too big a bill to swing that one time so we end up buying toilet paper every couple of weeks at the supermarket instead of the big bulk one. I hope this is making any sense...Costco quality is exceptional, I buy all their store brands of household goods and it saves me a bundle. (But I am also feeding and running a household of six people, if it were just the two of us it might not make as much sense.) KSAS
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2004
Fri, 05-07-2004 - 4:34pm
>>Any other ideas, especially in terms of whittling down the grocery budget?<<

Meal planning, and then grocery planning on a list instead of just going into the store. I always spend more when I just "pop in" for groceries. Also plan your menu in a way that stretches one meal into three completely different ones. My mom use to do that all the time: say, ham on Sunday, casserole with ham on Monday, soup by Wednesday.

>>There is a Costco an hour from here, and I'm wondering if the savings would pay for the membership fee and gas - I've never been a Costco member before.<<

Ask the service desk for a one-day pass (Costco should have those as most warehouse stores do) and then decide for yourself from there.

>>In our small town, "healthy" foods - like fresh produce and lean cuts of meat, are pretty expensive and not always the highest quality!<<

Do you have room for a garden, even a small one? Seeds are cheap, and it's fun for the kids to help grow your own, better tasting too. Even a couple planters, a few tomato plants etc. Also check your newspaper for "pick your own" places this summer. A good excursion, and you can't beat the prices or the quality, fresh off the plants!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-26-2003
Fri, 05-07-2004 - 7:15pm
I also find that cooking in big batches saves me money. Say you are making lasagne or quiche or burritos or whatever. Just double or triple the recipe and then freeze the rest. Then you can thaw and cook whenever you're in the mood for what you made. There are a bunch of good websites that give advice about what freezes well and what does not, etc. Do a google search for "freezer cooking" and you should find a bunch.

I belong to Sam's Club, and I do think we save money. It's true that it's an investment up front. Sometimes it feels odd to pay nine dollars for a multi-pack of toothpaste, but then it lasts 4 months. You could buy fresh foods at Costco, prepare meals at home and then freeze half of them, that would make it so that you don't have to drive out there so much.

I'm also all about coupons and sales. If you get ads in the paper or mail from your grocery store you could plan meals around what is on sale. I'm not this organized, but I've heard of people saving lots of money by doing this.

Good luck!

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Mom
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2003
Fri, 05-07-2004 - 9:22pm
My hubby's been out of work for about 2 years so this is something I know a little about. I village has a couple of good message boards on frugal living that were VERY helpful for me. Also try stretcher.com. The have free enewsletters and everything else in an easy to use library of sorts. Very informative. The library also has some great books that can help too. One thing we did was to "rent" videos from our library instead of the local block buster type. Check out local community stuff for the kids. Here they usually have a weekly show in the park...magic shows, Nature, music etc. Maybe you could get together with other families for game nights, movie nights, it's a full moon night. Anyway, I could write a book. My opinion about Costco and the like, is that it's usually cheaper to get the store brand of whatever at your local market. Check the prices on what you usually use a lot of. If you go in, they will usually let you look around and not buy if you want to check prices before you buy a membership. Hope this helps. Ruthie
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-04-2003
Sat, 05-08-2004 - 3:55am

We are Sam's Club members and I love it, but I will say this.......you have to pay very close attention to the pricing.

 
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sat, 05-08-2004 - 12:31pm
Thanks for the ideas - especially the one day pass for Costco - I hadn't thought about asking if they do that!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sat, 05-08-2004 - 12:33pm
Thanks for all the ideas - several I hadn't really thought of (or had thought of, but not committed to, LOL)
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2004
Mon, 05-10-2004 - 12:55pm
I use Sams Club too, and I've also found that shopping there if you watch closely the items with a shelf # C at the end are close-out and you can get them alot cheaper. Example, the huge boxes of Cheerios with bananas and strawberries are now closeout $3.50 (it's the double-bag box Sams usually sells for $7.18). I also got a Cuisanart juicer which Sams sells for $58. and I paid $18. on closeout. Those wonderful *huge* fancy jars of Greek olives (packed in Greece) are now on closeout for $5.84 (from at least twice that much at Sams, so more elsewhere). Besides, the store is so big that you can really get some serious exercise in just going up and down every eisle and looking for the real *bargains.*

I'm with you on preparing two meals at a time, but I personally can't do it because my freezer is **seriously** challenged right now. Too much stuff, too little room.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2004
Mon, 05-10-2004 - 1:00pm
One (possible) problem I have with Sams and the like, is I'd say watch the produce. Sometimes, because it comes in on these big refrigerator trucks and is stored in huge walk-ins before shelving, the produce seems to spoil faster than you can get it home. Before strawberry season, I bought some which Sams brought in from California and they looked great (on the top anyway) but they'd been artificially ripened and tasted like zip. I also gave up on purchasing tomatoes or lettuce from Sams. Some things are just better gotten from your local produce stand (preferable), or at least a chain grocery which is based in your State. The closer to the farm the better, both for taste and nutrition.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-08-2003
Mon, 05-10-2004 - 4:15pm
The produce at our costco is absolutely top-notch. We just got a huge thing of strawberries which were so sweet and juicy that I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It sounds like there is quite a variance on things so you need to check out the options closer to home. I buy all the store-brand costco items and love them all (even the toilet paper) and I definetely save money. Their clothing is also high quality and cheap! Gotta love it. Can you tell I am a big advocate of Costco. (BTW I grew up in Kirkland--thus my affinity for the kirkland brands I guess :)

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