Lets share our money saving tips - we have found or read

mckayleesmom wrote: These are some I have read...

I ALWAYS make a list and stick to it!

While making my list, I go clip the coupons for items on my list and put them in a envelope to carry with me.

I buy almost all store brands, unless I have a coupon on a national brand that brings the price lower then the store brand.

Look at the unit price on the items you are buying, sometimes it is not less expensive to buy a larger package or can.

I do not go to the store if I have not had breakfast or lunch, depending on the time of day I am running other errands.

I am growing my own fresh herbs.

The local farmer's market is now open. If you have one in your area, call some friends and carpool together for really fresh produce at (usually better prices), you still have to know your prices.

Also, shopping with a friend or two lets you share larger purchases and split the amount.

When checking out at the grocery store, ask the checker to wait if your cart isn't unloaded, so you can watch the prices as they scan. The store I shop at will give you one item free, is it scans incorrectly.

Buy reduced bakery products and freeze them as soon as you get home. I have also purchased some reduced meat if it still looks and smells good. I rinse the meat when I get home and package for the freezer if I am not using that day.

If you can do it, shop once a month or at least every two weeks, this really does save me money.

Clean out the refrigerator, before shopping and use up what you have.

I purchased some of the green bags advertised on TV at the local Bed Bath and Beyond store, so I did not have to pay shipping. They really work at giving my produce a longer storage life!

mckayleesmom replied: Don't forget...Walmart does price comparison and if you get your local grocery store sale papers...take them with you and they will match their price. If it is a store that has a VIP card...you have to be a member to get the deal.

mckayleesmom replied: Buy less of those processed foods that are pre-cooked or packaged for convenience, rather than thrift. This has become a favorite at grocery stores and convenience stores. Those pre-packaged salads and oven-roasted chickens are nice, but they do come at a cost. And all those frozen pre-cooked foods that you just pop in the microwave are not really cheap, when you start adding them up. Same goes for foods that are packaged in small portions or individual serving packages for convenience. Does your child really need a single serving “lunchable” bought at the grocery store, or would a nice sandwich and piece of fruit be better and less expensive? Wouldn’t it be cheaper to put a few cookies in a plastic bag (or in some foil) for a snack, rather than buying small individual bags? You might think you are saving money by reducing waste and preparation costs, but your per meal cost is considerably more expensive with prepared foods and convenience packaging. So, try to buy ingredients instead of meals or conveniently packaged small portions and save. And try to avoid the “junk” foods altogether. Homemade snacks are usually healthier and cheaper.

mckayleesmom replied: Talking about overuse of processed foods, try to break the habit of buying bottled water. In most households, the water from your tap is fine to drink. If you have an ice maker, you are already drinking tap water in the form of melting ice in your drinks. And tap water sure is a lot less expensive than bottled water. If you like those small plastic bottles for ease of use, try refilling them from your tap, rather than buying them pre-filled at the grocery store. If you do have concerns about water quality, buy an in-line water filter. But, in any case, make sure you do not freeze bottles of water, as there is some concerns that the plastic bottles when frozen can release some chemicals into the water. Try not buying bottled water, it is an easy way to save.




Prepare Your Meals Ahead Of Time



People often buy expensive prepared foods because of convenience. There is nothing like buying a prepared “meal” at the supermarket, or throwing a frozen entree into the microwave, to save some time at the beginning or end of a day. That’s understandable. But you can “have your savings and eat them too” if you plan and prepare your meals ahead of time. Since most convenience foods are frozen so they are available when required, why not make your own “convenience” foods for your freezer. Not only will you save money, but your meals will be much more enjoyable and nutritious.



1. Pick out your favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner meals that can be prepared and frozen, and develop recipes for making large batches at once. If you are not sure a certain recipe can be successfully frozen, try freezing a small amount next time you make it and see how it works.

mckayleesmom replied: Continued

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2. When you see those favorite meal ingredients (even perishables) on sale at the store, or if buying in bulk provides considerable savings, make sure you stock up and save, and get ready to make some meals. You may even consider planning your weekly meals around what is on sale that week.



3. When making a favorite meal, make a large batch and create “frozen dinners” for you and your family. Since you are already cooking, the amount of extra work and energy cost is minimal. Or if you like, set aside a “cooking day” once a month and prepare many kinds of meals for future use. All you need are some freezer containers for the types of portions you prefer, enough freezer capacity and a little organization. Most any kind of meal will freeze well. Even many breakfast items can be prepared ahead of time and frozen. For instance, mix up a large batch of pancake mix, griddle the pancakes and freeze them. When you would like pancakes, just pull the pancakes out of the freezer, microwave and enjoy. Or make a batch of muffins and freeze them. Preparing all kinds of meals ahead of time will result in nutritious meals you and your family will enjoy, that can be pulled out of the freezer on a moments notice. And you will save a lot of money. It’s really that easy.



4. You can even share pre-cooked meals with friends and neighbors and increase the variety of great dishes you can enjoy while saving. Sharing frozen pre-cooked meals with neighbors is easy. Just get a group of neighbors together that agree to prepare and share certain entrees. Or, if you like to socialize, set aside a morning or afternoon, and cook together. It can be a lot of fun and a lot of savings.



5. Also consider preparing large batches of the major ingredients of easy to cook meals, rather than the full meal. For instance, spaghetti sauce can be prepared in very large batches and frozen for a long period of time. And, for many families, spaghetti sauce can be used in several types of easy to prepare recipes. Just let a container of sauce defrost during the day when you are away, and when you come home heat up the sauce, spend ten minutes boiling some pasta, and you have a homemade inexpensive meal in short order. Or put the sauce on some chicken that was previously prepared and frozen. The same can be done with chili, soups, other sauces, beef, etc. Almost any major ingredient of a home cooked meal can be cooked ahead of time, and used with quick-to-prepare “side dishes” for an easy home-cooked meal. Use your imagination and eat healthy for less.



6. Don’t forget about the kids and dessert. All kinds of desserts and treats can be made ahead of time and frozen. Most thaw quickly, or do not need to be thawed like frozen juice Popsicles.



7. You can even make some meals ahead of time that only need to be refrigerated, and that you intend on eating in the next several days. So, you do not have to cook every night to save money with home cooked meals. Just plan ahead, save and enjoy the convenience of coming home and just heating up one of your home cooked meals.



8. Whether or not you care to make a large batch in order to freeze the extra meals, there are other ways to cook ahead and have a ready-to-eat meal when you get home. Try using a slow cooker or crock pot to make many types of meals, from stews to soups, as well as other types of dishes, when you are away for the day. Just prepare the ingredients the evening before (or perhaps even a day or two before) and put them in the slow cooker in the morning. By the time you get home, a hot delicious dinner will be waiting for you and the family. There are many types of great recipes for this type of cooking. As an extra benefit, you might even save a bit of electricity cost cooking this way, versus firing up that big oven all the time.





Save On The Ingredients



In addition to making your own, versus buying pre-cooked and processed foods, a little diligence on the cost of ingredients in your recipes can save even more. Look under the “Groceries & Sundries” heading in the “Shopping” section for tips on saving money while at the grocery store. But also consider the following savings ideas when preparing your meals.



1. Do not hesitate to change a recipe so it can be made less expensively. It will help your budget, and may even taste a bit better. Be creative. For instance, does the recipe really need all the meat it calls for? Or, perhaps, a different, less expensive, meat can be substituted. Maybe you can stretch that hamburger by adding some bread or cottage cheese. Or, instead of that brand name ingredient named in the recipe, can a more generic ingredient serve just as well. Can you use a little more filler like potatoes and beans to stretch a recipe? Maybe a little less sugar would be good, or eliminating ingredients that enhance a recipe’s color, but do not contribute to taste, would be OK. It’s just a matter of always trying to reduce the cost of a recipe in any way possible, while maintaining its nutrition and taste.



2. When it comes to vegetables and fruits, try using recipes that use items that are in season. In-season produce may not be inexpensive, but it sure is a lot less expensive than buying produce when it is out of season (and it tastes better too). Take advantage of seasonal bargains and make recipes that save you money. Remember, many recipes can be frozen, so you can enjoy out-of-season produce at in-season prices.



3. When a recipe calls for vegetables, see if less expensive frozen vegetables may suffice. Once a recipe is cooked, especially if you are planning on freezing it, the difference between fresh and frozen may be negligible, and there may be savings to be found. In addition, taking vegetables out of the freezer may be just a bit easier and less expensive than that extra trip to the store.

luvmykids replied:
I do this, it's been making a big difference. I don't do the "make a list and stick with it" thing anymore unless my list is based on whats on sale. Otherwise, I plan meals as I shop based on whats on sale. (Like I mentioned, couponmom.com lists store specials). I also print coupons online. My store (Kroger) always has tons of stuff on sale for the "10 for $10"....I stock up then, but you don't have to buy all ten to get the sale price if you don't think you'd use 10 of something, this week it was Bush's Baked Beans, Betty Crocker Brownie Mix, Cracker Jacks, all kinds of stuff. I also buy certain produce items like melons or strawberries on sale. Strawberries I freeze, melon was on sale for .25/pound.

I bought everyone a plastic bottle that we use instead of buying bottled drinks when we're out and about.

I'm not picky about brands. My store ALWAYS has bread of some kind on sale, usually two for $3. I buy whatever brand it is that week.

Milk can be frozen if it's in the plastic gallon jugs, you just have to pour enough out to allow for it to expand. I didn't believe it until I couldn't pass up 3 gallons for $6, but it's true. Also, I've started using powdered milk for baking. I know that stuff is nasty but in baking, you really can't tell the difference.

I quit buying fruit snacks, granola bars, etc for snacks, I bake almost all our snack stuff now. I also use my bread machine a whole lot more, I don't like any of the "sandwich" breads but I make all kinds of other breads for snacking, rolls, etc.

I hate to admit it but I used to be a terrible waster now I make sure to use up the produce. I also add extras to make a meal double cheaply, like for a chicken and rice dish I'll add double the rice but not the chicken....makes enough to get two meals out of it.

luvmykids replied: I forgot to add these, they're not food related but help a little.

DH put this fan contraption thingy on the roof, it sucks the hot air out so we didn't use the A/C upstairs hardly at all.

Keep blinds or curtains closed during the day to keep sun out.

See if your electric company has "on/off peak" meters....ours does, so it's cheaper to use electricity during certain times. I do the bulk of my laundry before 11am, run the dishwasher after 11pm, etc because our rates are MUCH cheaper during the off peak hours.

Turn things off, I used to leave my printer, Directv box, etc on all the time but don't anymore and although it was small, our bill did go down a few bucks.

For rooms that are a little warm but don't warrant having the A/C on, use a fan with a bowl of ice in front of it (I learned that trick when we lived for five years in a house with no A/C....at all ).

Make sure your ceiling fans are going the right direction, in summer they should be in "forward" direction.

gr33n3y3z replied: I have been finding that name brands are cheaper then the store brands so watch for that.
And check that unit price

Kirstenmumof3 replied: Don't go shopping hungry! You are more likely to impulse buy! Also check the clearance racks. Most grocery stores will have bakery items from the day before marked down and also you can always find a clearance rack with other items like detergents, soaps etc.

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: Bulk bins at whole foods are cheaper than the packaged in the aisles. Organic in things like cookies and cereal bars dont really mean organic..most of the time it means some of it is organic. Try and avoid anything with corn products in it.....seriously it takes out almost anything prepackaged. Gogurt, and yogurt smoothies will go on 'managers special' meaning the sell by date is in teh next few days. When that happens freeze them and they will last...who knows how long I have bought months worth at a time and they always get eaten. last time is was 6 boxes or 16 gogurts $.89 a box. oooh and they pack better in lunches that way sice they are still cool after a few hours out.

momofone replied: I have been cutting my own hair for a long time now.

HuskerMom replied:
I'm just the opposite. If I'm hungry when I go in then I do better at stocking up on stuff then I don't end up making a hundred trips to the store. But if I'm not hungry when I go then I don't end up wanting to buy anything!

HuskerMom replied:
My mom cuts my hair. I probably go to a salon maybe twice a year, it's so expensive!

momofone replied: I hear ya!

coasterqueen replied: I'm not sure what others as posted as I haven't taken the time to read them yet. My saving tips for my family are:

*If I'm going to make something like lasagna I make two at a time and freeze one - that way I don't waste the ingredients I bought to make one.

*I try to make a list and stick with it

*Don't go to the salon anymore - color my hair at home - do my own pedis and manis (unless Dh treats me to one).

*Try to use the clothesline to dry clothes to save electricity


Gosh, I'm sure there are more, but I'm drawing a blank right now.

luvmykids replied: I forgot this one....I don't buy Bisquick, packaged rice mixes, etc anymore. I made a giant batch of pancake mix and keep it in a gallon bag in the fridge, and you can make your own pasta and rice side dishes for so much cheaper and hardly any extra work.

jcc64 replied: Since I lost my job last year, I reduced my food shopping to bi-monthly, down from every week. It has helped ENORMOUSLY.
Some other things:
Avoid convenience foods (aka frozen meals) as much as possible; that's where the $$$ ads up for us.
Make your own pizza and/or calzones.
Grow your own food and herbs.

My2Beauties replied: Well I saved money today. Our vaccuum was on the fritz big time. One of those nice freaking whirlwind vaccuum cleaners that would have cost us nearly $300 to replace, we've had it for just a couple of years. We took it to a vaccuum repair shop down the street.....$10 bucks Sweet! Things like that people don't even think about, they just go buy a new vaccuum cleaner when they could just get it fixed for a couple bucks, same with their camcorders, cameras, things of that nature.

Our Lil' Family replied:
I tried this last week, that darn pizza ended up costing us $8...could've had a DiGornio for less.

redchief replied: Ways to save that a lot of people miss...

Work with the daylight (I'm really bad at this... such a night owl).

Turn off the power switch to the power strip running your computer. You'd be surprised at how much electricity a computer that is "off" wastes.

Refrigerated foods use energy. Freezing saves. The more you have in the refrigerator, the more you'll pay to run it. Conversely, the more you have in your freezer, the more efficiently it runs. Psst... Monica, put your homemade pancake mix in the freezer .

Plan your trips. Let's face it, it's hard to reschedule that doctor's appointment. But you can schedule your weekly shopping around it. Plan your routes so you're not doubling back when running your errands.

Does it need hot water? We use hot water on a lot of things that we don't need to. Wouldn't a cool shower feel more refreshing in this heat anyway?

Speaking of water... what about the pool? That's one of summer's biggest energy wasters, especially if it's heated.

Speaking of water #2... What kind of sprinkler system are you using on that nice, green grass? The arcing spray type look really cool, but up to 70% of the water they spray goes directly into the atmosphere without helping the plants out a whole lot. Change to an underground soaker system, and while you're at it, use the rain barrel or gray water to supply it!

Speaking of water #3... When was the last time you changed the flapper in the toilet?

Know why an oven has more than one rack? Because grandmom had more than one thing going on in there, that's why!

BTW, this is awesome, let's keep this one going. I think we all could use a little bit of lifestyle adjustment.

luvmykids replied:
So it's a myth that your fridge is more efficient when it's full than empty? Thats only true in the freezer?

And speaking of the fridge, vacuum the coils. If you're like me, it's been too long

redchief replied:
Yes... it's a myth that the more that's in your refrigerator, the more efficient it is. That only works for the freezer.

Oh, man... when was the last time I vacuumed the darned coils?!?!