Extraordinary in the Ordinary » A Penny Saved

11 Easy Ways to Save at the Grocery Store

Topaz — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:18:14 +0000

Buy generic where you can. While I am happy with most generic brands, there are a few items that I really must stick with the name brand. This may not seem like much, but a few dollars here and there adds up.
Set yourself a budget each week and prioritize your grocery list before you leave the house. You will be surprised how well you can eat for so little just be making smart choices. We cut our grocery bill in half and have no idea what we used to buy. Seriously, I think it is the fish and the loaves story. Our grocery cart is half full, but our cupboards are overflowing. Also, if you shop at a store that have everything, there is a huge temptation to buy a lot of things you do not need. Make your list based on your budget and stick with it.
Plan your menu. Look for budget friendly meals, especially meals that can be stretched.
Snack ideas: homemade popcorn (even if you buy the fancy popcorn oil this is a cheap snack), homemade caramel popcorn, honey roasted peanuts (store brand only – this is a cheap, healthy snack with a lot of protein – we pay less than $5 for a huge party size container).
Use vinegar to clean most of your surfaces. We dilute ours 50/50 and have found it to be a pretty good cleaner for most things. If we have something paritucularly greasy or something with raw chicken, we will use a more heavy duty cleaner, but other than that we have been using vinegar for everything. It costs a fraction of what household cleaners cost, plus you save your valuable living space by not having so many different cleaners to store.
Drink more water. It is better for you, and it’s cheaper. Squirt a little lemon for flavor if you like.
If you use a fabric softener sheet, cut them in half when you open the box. A half a sheet works just is well for most loads and cuts your cost in half.
Always purchase your meats on sale and buy extra for your freezer. Watch your local sales papers. We have found some really great deals and only live about 3 minutes from 5 different grocery stores (it’s a wonder any of them stay in business with those odds), so it easy to stop by and pick up whatever we want that is on sale. We recently purchased chicken leg quarters for .39 a pound.
Plan your meals where you have extras and be sure to use those extras for lunches, additional meals, or freezing for later.
If you have extra pasta left over, don’t throw it out. Make a meal out of it. Make a quick and easy Alfredo sauce or a garlic butter sauce with Parmesan and throw in some veggies.
If you are addicted to the expensive legal stimulants at Starbucks, purchase an espresso maker and make your own. We purchased the cheapest one Wal-mart had – my husband picked it out – for less than $30. I use it for cappuccino and LOVE them. While it may not taste exactly like Starbucks, it is REALLY close.

10 Cheap Meal Ideas for a Tight Budget

Topaz — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Eating at home is so much cheaper AND healthier for you. You know exactly what is going in to your meals. I really struggle with the prices now at a restaurant. It is amazing how long we can eat off of what we pay for one average dinner for two at a restaurant.

Breakfast for Dinner (pancakes, omelets, grits, hashbrowns, breakfast casserole, etc.)
Extraordinary Linguine and Clam Sauce
Salmon Patties
Spaghetti
Shrimp Gumbo
Minestrone Soup
Potato Soup (This is a great recipe that can easily be changed to clam chowder by adding a can of clams!)
Chicken and Rice
BLT – I was 45 before I ever tried this and cannot believe how much I was missing! I know…I please easily. But seriously, what a great combination for a sandwich. We did change ours, though. We use spinach for ours, and we toast our bread. YUMMY!
For nights I do not feel like cooking, Little Ceasar’s has large peperoni pizzas for about $5.

Home Budget System – easy envelope system on paper

Topaz — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 07:32:23 +0000

Have you heard of the envelope system? Many finance programs teach this all cash system for tracking and managing money. It’s great. Our children used it when we were teaching them about money. It’s just a little hard to go to an ALL cash system as adults. It works great for spending allowances but is not practical for much else. My budget system basically turns your CHECKING account into an envelope system. It’s perfect!

I’m very visual and hands on. If I don’t have a system that works with that, trust me, it’s not good. It’s out of sight, out of mind, and I’m sure I do not have to tell you the havoc that wreaks on a household budget.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I had no concept of true money management when my husband and I got married. Fortunately for me he is a patient man. I would look in the checkbook and see a balance and think, “Oh, great! We have money to spend.” It wasn’t until I took an accounting class at a local college that the light bulb went off in my head. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy this made my dear husband. My ADD mind could not grasp this until I visually saw this on paper in an accounting system. That is when I said I have GOT to create a modified version of this for our household.

So after a bookkeeping class, I was understanding the concept of the fact that there is not magic money. It has to come from somewhere in the budget. So modified your basic business accounting system into a simple home envelope (minus the envelope) accounting system. It allows you to keep running totals in each budget category, but it is designed to go on one sheet so that you are not having to look all over the place every time you need a number. We also incorporated our check register into the system. This was about 12 years ago, and we have used it ever since.

Now we know EXACTLY how much we have for spending, saving, to go towards a big project that we are saving for or any other category we choose to add.

Advantages:

Paper – you never have to worry about your hard drive crashing and losing everything or having to boot up for a quick check.
Ability to view all your categories at once.
It allows you to know EXACTLY what you have to spend for different spending and savings categories.
It is perfect for visual, hands-on people.
Also perfect for the ADD mind. It organizes what our minds cannot.

Leave a comment with your e-mail if you would like to try it!

Grocery Shopping Made Easy

Topaz — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:05:15 +0000

Ok, maybe that title was a bit ambitious. I probably wouldn’t go straight to “easy”, maybe “easier”. I absolutely hate grocery shopping. I love cooking but just hate going to get the food. I am waiting on someone to decide to offer this service and deliver it to my front door step. Until then, this is what I use to help make it easier. I have used this grocery list sheet for about 15 years now. I remember when we started shopping at a different store, and I asked if they had an “aisle map” of the store so that I could redo my list. I can only imagine what the manager must have been thinking. He probably assumed I am some really strong “beaver” type control freak. Oh, goodness, I wish. That is not at all the case. Just very lazy. I don’t want to make anything harder than it has to be. This takes a little time to set up but saves countless hours in the long run, plus it can save you money, too.

This is a shopping list with columns for prices and the quantity you need. Simply add your own personal list of regular shopping items in the order they are in the store (seriously, I am NOT a nut…this just makes it SO much easier when shopping and making your list). Then when you need to add something to your list during the week, you can just add the quantity needed instead of writing out the word and the quantity.

If your budget is tight, then with your list and prices in hand, you can prioritize your list or perhaps shop for cheaper meal ideas that week.

I hope it helps you as much as it has our family. Please let me know how you like it!

Save a Living – Ways to Cut Back

Topaz — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 22:18:35 +0000

As a mom and just general homebody, I have always loved that phrase. This mindset has been what has kept me home with my children.

If you do the shopping for food, clothes and most other things you need around the house, you are a home manager. While you may not be getting a paycheck every week, you are earning money, not just by the chores and responsibilities you have but by the money you can save your family. Your family depends on you to make really smart choices.

I know the word “saving” generally makes us think that we are going to have to give up something, but you will be surprised that it is not near as bad as you think. But, yes, there will be things that you may be used to doing that may need to become special treats instead of regular occurrences. I know…that part I don’t like to hear either, but it sure beats the alternative. Foreclosure. Or not enough food to eat.

We have actually found the benefits out weighed the cons. I know, shocking isn’t it? Of course, my son tells me that he thinks I was just made for the depression. There is a plus right there. My parents lived through the great depression. That is probably why living like this comes naturally (ok, maybe not completely natural, but easily doable) for me. Many of the young adults now have lived with parents in times of plenty. They are not prepared for the economy we have now. Teaching your children to be good stewards of what they have is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. Right about now, I am so very thankful for parents who were so frugal and had lived through those times. I have been able to pass that onto my children.

I’m going to be sharing some tips and downloads for you to help you with ways to cut back and do without the income you may have lost recently or to start saving and stop using credit.

The most important thing is to start. Everything we do begins with that first step. We’ve been doing this for a long time, and I will be glad to share with you my 20 years+ experience of a “made for depression” lifestyle.

Stay tuned for the upcoming articles!

Saving at the Grocery Store
Decorating on a Budget
Taking a Look at the Household Budget
The Best Paper Budget System EVER – We have used this for at least 10 years now and could not live without it
Holidays on a Budget
Distinguishing Between a Want and a Need – Learning to Prioritize
Ways to Save on Clothes