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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Saving Money

With the Economic Woes that seem to be bombarding the media lately I've been thinking about how I save money.  There are many things you can do but yes they do take more time and effort. You just have to ask yourself is this worth it.  For me these things are.  I find they bring me satisfaction and my family benefits from them.  
1.  Making Yogurt-I make yogurt at least two times a month.  I make about one gallon at a time and it is delicious.  I prefer homemade over store bought because we can flavor it with fresh and canned fruits.  I use it also in cooking to substitute sour cream which is much healthier.  I also think eating yogurt on a regular basis can prevent you and your children from getting sick as often.
2.  Clip Coupons and Shop the Ads- If you can find items on the Ads and also use a coupon with it.  Awesome deals!
3.  Use Cash for some of your expenses-When it's gone it's gone.  We use it for groceries, going out money, babysitting for dates, date money, and Devin and I's Mad money.  Mad money is our allowance to ourselves that we can spend what ever we want.  I get a whoopin' $5 but I really enjoy having it.  Sometimes I will save it up for something I really want.
4.  Grow your own Veggies and Fruits and then Preserve what you can't eat at the time it's in season
5.  Have your milk delivered-This way I try to only go to the store once or twice a month.  The less I go to the store the better I do on my grocery budget
6.  Make things from scratch-It can be intimidating to make breads, and other items you normally buy but the more you do it the easier and funner it gets.  Yesterday I made my first loaf of French bread with cinnamon chips in it.  It actually turned out great.  We are going to use it for French Toast tomorrow.  I don't have to buy Great Harvest Cinnamon burst bread at a crazy price of $5.00 a loaf!  
I would love to get any more ideas that you find help you save money.  So if you think of something post a comment.   
Happy Saving!

8 comments:

Sandra said...

We looked into having milk delivered but for us it would be more expensive. We live so close to Sams I could walk to get some. So travel expense couldn't be added in. I'm excited we finally got an electric wheat grinder so I made wheat rolls the other day. Kevins aunt gave me a recipe for bread that uses vital gluten and wheat germ that I'll have to try. Have you ever tried those? I want to get your yogurt recipe! Another thing for us in saving money is of course thrift stores.

David said...

Heather - you truly are the queen of frugality and I am humble in your presence. Homemade yogurt - I'm not sure I would even dare attempt it.

Currently our frugality includes taking a train over to New Jersey to buy family sized boxes of Wheat Thins for $2.50 a box at Target. A small box of Wheat Thins in Manhattan is $4.50. They don't even sell the family size, which would undoubtedly be at least $7 if they did. And Michael can really go through Wheat Thins quickly.

Cereal is at least $6 a box in Manhattan, but only $2 or $2.50 in NJ. I guess this advice isn't so helpful to your other readers, but at least allows me a place to vent about the high cost of groceries in NYC.

My saving money tip is retailmenot.com which has a ton of coupon codes if you are ever going to buy something online. Always check this first.

overlyactive said...

Sandra-I use gluten and wheat germ. I put gluten in my breads and wheat germ in granola. I'll have to get your wheat roll recipe. I'd have to agree with you on that one about gas money. Where you live so close to stores milk delivery wouldn't be a factor. I just find the less I shop the less I'm tempted to get things I don't really need.

overlyactive said...

David-NYC is a whole new ball game. I'm sure it's crazy getting use to the high prices. Hopefully they are compensating you well to help with the high cost of living. I'll have to check out retailmenot.com Sounds great!

overlyactive said...

David-I just looked on the website. Wow I wish I knew about that sooner. We love LL bean and there is free shipping. Devin just got something from there this morning-Snap. Thanks for the tip we'll use it next time.

The Mrs said...

I was just telling Larry that I need to buy yogurt in gallon size containers. Please share your recipe!
Some other little things that could add up over time are: using washcloths and towels to wipe messy kid faces and spills instead of paper towels. Using plastic storage containers instead of zip-locs. Also this might seem silly but being less vain is a real money saver. The less makeup you use, the less you buy and the less makeup remover you buy. I've also been trying to cut my boys' hair at home. I'm pretty terrible at it but they are boys and don't seem to care too much (right now).
I've tried to think about "the good old days" when it comes to saving money. People then made it without so many convience items. We just need to think about things a little.

Chrystal said...

AWESOME! I made my own pizza dough today and my mother-in-law gave me a yogurt maker for my b-day - we'll be trying it out this weekend. :) GREAT TIPS! Always shop with a grocery list - and stick to the list!!

overlyactive said...

Yogurt recipe will be coming soon. I'm going to take pictures as I take it next time so you "see" the process.