The True Story of Coupons and Home Cooking

Once we moved back to the States, I had a grand plan of clipping coupons to take advantage of those fantastic deals.  I bought a Sunday paper ($1.75 I think) and started flipping through the glossy pages like a treasure hunter.  No such luck.  We eat a minimum of pre-packaged items and ready to serve foods.  I rarely buy any brand of body wash, diapers, or other toiletries.  AND, that's really all the coupons were for!  I think I was able to cut one out for Goldfish crackers (.50) and one for deodorant (.25).  Obviously you can do the math on that.  I didn't even recoup my paper cost. 

Here's the kicker though.  I don't spend tons of money on groceries.  If I want to make rice, I use some from the huge bag of basmati rice (10 pound bag or so) that I bought, not Rice A Roni.  If I need chicken stock, I use the stuff I made myself in the freezer (it's conveniently measured in 1 cup portions in baggies), not a can.  My grocery trips are short and easy because I rarely have to travel through the aisles; my focus is typically on the perimeter.  We don't eat meat every night with dinner and we have multiple veggies each night. 

I enjoy cooking so some of these methods might be tedious for some (making the stock...), but the food is SO much better.  And, it's extremely easy to roast a chicken.  Cooking time is a little bit longer than a 30 minute dinner, but active time is low (plus you can throw your veggies in the roasting pan with the bird).  Tossing that chicken carcass in a pot with water and leftover veggies to boil down to make your own stock is also very EASY!  Plus, it makes several cups of stock which can easily be frozen in Ziploc bags for later use.

It's EASY to chop up a head of broccoli and steam it for dinner.  Easier than a can of veggies?  Maybe not, but with the 3-5 minutes it takes to wash and chop, the taste is phenomenally better (not to mention the added health benefits).   

I think sometimes we have preconceptions of what is too time consuming or what we think is difficult, but actually don't evaluate the true effort a task might take.  Next time you think you don't want to put forth the effort to make rice, read the ingredient list on that boxed mix.  How many does it have?  Mine has one.

You CAN Make Mountains Out of Mole Hills!

I keep a large jar for spare change and roll it as I get enough, but keep the rolls in the jar.  When I get birthday money, rebate money, flex fund reimbursements, or any other unexpected money, it goes into the jar.  After six months or so, my spare change jar added up to a little over $700!  We used that 'free' money toward a new digital camera purchase.  It was a rather guilt free purchase since so much of it was covered by my snowflake account. 

The little things do add up and it's great to just throw that money in a separate location instead of 'losing' it in your bank account or keeping it in your wallet where it will likely disappear.

Start transforming your mole hill into a mountain and say hello to your free money! 

Don't Rush to the Doctor

I will preface this by saying that I am NOT a doctor. 

However, if you're fighting a typical cold or runny nose/sore throat issue, maybe hold off going to the doctor for a few days.  A virus can take 7-10 days to run its course and antibiotics don't help a virus.  You'll save yourself $20 or so on a co-pay by waiting it out.  And, you'll stay away from all the other sick people waiting at the doctor's office.  You don't want to catch something else. 

Also, a fever is not a bad thing.  It means your body is fighting.  When you take a medication to lower that fever, you're eliminating a fighter against your illness.  There was a recent study that talked about length of illness in relation to fever reducers.  People that used medication to lower their fevers stayed sick longer than those who didn't.  I will try to find the study and link it on here.  If your fever is below 102, then maybe hold off on taking the Tylenol.  Not only will you save money on the medication, but also (theoretically) shorten your illness which means you save your sick days and reduce your doctor visits.  AND, (I'm on a roll here) generic medications aren't inferior to their named counterparts.  Remember, the FDA regulates all medications, so you're getting the same active ingredient and not paying for advertising.     

Just recently, one of my international friends made the comment (while on a visit to the states) about the multitude of drug commercials on television.  Enough said.  Watch your diet (include several servings of fruits and vegetables), get some physical activity, and practice good hygiene.  That and common sense should help you reduce your healthcare expenses.   

Veto Valentine's Day!

I'm not the horrible, cold hearted cynic you think I am.  I like flowers as much as the next girl, BUT, you pay a premium on those flowers on the 14th.  Please celebrate with your Valentine, but avoid the boxed chocolates, stuffed things, and all those plastic, white tents you see in the grocery store parking lots. 

Celebrate instead with a nice meal (I did see ribeyes on sale...) at YOUR house and gasp...maybe some candles!  A pink teddy bear that says "I love you" means nothing to me.  My husband washing dishes and putting the kid to bed - now that's what lights my fire.  

Just remember, that little heart shaped box of chocolates that you buy on the 14th for $15 will likely be $7.50 on the 15th.  That, my friends, is a loss any way you look at it.    

 

Sweat the Small Stuff

Obviously I don't mean the small stuff like the idiot that cut you off or the cashier that somehow managed to text and ring up your purchase, but rather the small stuff like the bottle of water you bought at the gas station or the shirt (or any other clothing item) that was on sale at the mall that you didn't really need, but it was on sale...

I'm not saying don't buy those things, but don't just pull out your wallet on a whim.  Take a minute and THINK about what you're buying and what the cost is.  For me, it's much easier to think about the $2 bottle of water if I have a financial goal in mind.  So now I think about how I would have $2 more toward an Australia trip or $2 closer to getting a wood floor in the living room. 

It's hard to think like that if you don't have a big picture or goal.  The first goal you should work on is building an emergency fund - something that can get you through six months if something drastic happened - losing a job, big car repair, hospitalization or injury...(I know that's not fun saving, but foreclosing on your house isn't fun either!) But, once you have that, identify what you love to do and work on saving toward that.  Open a special savings account just for that purpose (online accounts typically have better interest rates than a walk up location).  

In the end it's all about what makes you happy.  Personally I think I'll enjoy Australia a whole lot more than a bottle of water.  Speaking of water, check this out! 

Put Google to work for you!

Lately I have had to replace a lot of 'blah' items like refrigerator water filters, house phone batteries, and a camera charger that apparently didn't like the voltage in Dubai.  With a few minutes of research online, I found replacements for much less than if I walked into a physical store.  I didn't replace the items with their name brand equivalent, but even if you wanted to, a few minutes of googling would at least save you a few bucks.  Not to mention the fact that you don't have to leave the house!  Plus, I've found that you can get reduced shipping by buying a certain amount.  If I bought $75 worth of stuff when I bought the water filters, the shipping price dropped significantly.  So, I just bought three filters instead of two.  Done.  Cheers to filtered water and avoiding all those plastic bottles that are bad for my wallet AND the environment!  


Another research benefit - and this is not my personal experience because my husband buys all things electronic for the house, but I've seen the effects - is when you're in the market for a new television, computer, digital camera...You can read reviews of the products you're interested in and compare pricing.  This will take more than a few minutes, but could ultimately save you hundreds of dollars either in finding the best price or purchasing the best quality item that will last longer without malfunctions. 


Now, you just have to figure out how to tear yourself away from Facebook and open a search engine.   

Track, track, track your spending!

It sounds so simple AND it really is, but you'll notice where all your nickels and dimes go. And, those are what you need to watch for! You remember the purchases that you spend over $20 or $50 or $100 and probably think twice before whipping out the plastic, but if you're like me, you can rationalize out the Whataburger combo meal at $7 and some change. But, that $7 adds up (in more places than just my wallet)!

Just put together a simple spreadsheet and list your 'fixed' costs like mortgage, electricity, water...and then have a column for all the variable expenses. It might be an eye opener and show you where you can shave off $20 here or there. Remember, the $20 by itself isn't a lot, but six months of $20s...well you get the picture.

I encourage all of you (all 3 of my followers) regardless of your income, to track for a month. An added benefit is that if you're doing this during the month, listing the expenses daily or weekly, you'll know when you're out of money and can scrimp for the last part of the month.

This is especially helpful for those of you that use your credit cards (AND payoff the balance each month) to get points or rewards. Sometimes it's a little more difficult to watch your cash flow when you're not using your cash!

Let me know how your tracking goes! I'm already angry at some of my purchases this month and am tightening the belt for the last half.

Go to the Dentist!

I know, I know...how does this relate to saving money??

You have to think long term although there are short term benefits as well. There have been many studies that link healthy teeth and gums to healthy bodies. Going twice a year to the dentist could help improve your overall health and lead to reduced doctor co-pays and prescription costs.

Being a regular at the dentist can also help reduce cavities and gingivitis which reduce your out of pocket expenses on other procedures like filling cavities.

Also, with healthy dental care, you might be able to avoid future expenses such as dentures.

And, this is not a scientific fact, but just my own opinion...people with healthy teeth seem to smile more and smiling more seems to improve your mood. If you're happy, then you're spending less money. You're not out looking for things to make you feel better.

Schedule those appointments - twice a year my friends! Also, schedule both appointments at the same time and then put them in your planner. It's easier to go if the time is already on the calendar and you can schedule your other events around those appointments.

This applies for the kiddos too!