How to save $50 per week

Read Tightwad Tips on this site. Probably don't save $50 a week. But, some weeks tips have saved a lot more than that. Read anything that saves time or money.

Exercise portion control in what you buy, cook and serve onto your plate. Some people are very good at using leftovers (me), for many they're $$ foodstuffs that ends up in the compost. Even if your leftovers go to chickens, it's still wasteful, considering that chickens will eat almost anything, and don't need "good food" to fill up.

I would love to know more about how you do this! I have tried several times to coupon, tried to follow a couple of blogs about couponing, watched the shows on TV once or twice - but I can't seem to find coupons for what we use. I've even been on an "organic" deals site that summarizes coupons for stores that tend to carry more organic food and still - I can't seem to save enough to make it worth the hassle. Year before last I was able to make back money through rebate forms for "real" food and gift cards from stores we frequent but since then I've had little luck finding many rebates.

PrettyPaisley, I tried to send you a PM but your box is full. If you will clear it out I'll send you some info.

Thanks!

Thanks for the heads up. I hadn't noticed. I cleared some space. Thank you!!!

Using my store card I saved $27.53 on a $70 dollar purchase at the local grocery; all stuff on our list. Shop the loss leaders and buy what you need...but get the store card...forget the tinfoil...if they want to know what you buy, the credit card co will let them know.

Matt

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I have a Hy Vee store card, it's a "fuel saver" program. Certain things you buy take cents off per gallon. My best fill-up was at $2.18 per gallon a few weeks ago. Most recently, got 30 cents off per gallon. It all adds up. I don't buy anything we don't need or use anyway, just take advantage when the stuff we buy gives the gas discount. It normally coincides with a sale price on the item, too.

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It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with the simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
Laura Ingalls Wilder

News flash! Our local grocery now has...

wait for it...

plans for a gas station...in the middle of their parking lot. This could get interesting, as the name on the sign is a national corp, but with their (grocer) name as the franchisee... will talk with the owner tomorrow...the construction was pretty much hush hush until the sign came in.
Hoping for the gas discounts mentioned prior...only 3 gas stations within 7 miles, and only one of them closer than the interstate.

Matt

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farmwoman -- thank you for your response. :-) I'm glad you can share information about couponing! I certainly wouldn't want to discourage anyone who incorporates coupons into their shopping, or who wants to try. Just sharing why it doesn't work for me, since it occasionally feels like it is assumed that if you aren't using coupons you aren't trying hard enough (I did not get this from you at all - nor in general from folks here). Just encouraging others to find what does and doesn't work for them and feel no guilt over it. :-)

I'm going to try to resurrect this thread because it was a good one.

In 2015 how can we either save $50.00/wk. or generate $50.00/wk. or month?

One of our big expenses is propane. We got on a monthly average pmt. that forces us to pay to this expense monthly. It also caps the per gallon cost of the propane. This takes a lot of stress out of wintertime.

I would like to learn to sell items on the internet. I know a little about fine arts and have some prints I want to have appraised. It may involve a fee but through a third party I may not have to pay. Sort of a gamble.

It's wonderful gasoline has come down in price! Now if beef would follow.

I just posted in Tightwad tips- about this-

I gave up all my vices in 2014-
coffee- switched to tea
smoking
soda- and I drank diet soda- realized I was drinking poison- aspartame- it was terrible- I had horrid reactions to diet coke- so that made stopping soda pretty easy- since it was causing horrible side effects-
wine!! one glass only and only on weekend nights! Fri and maybe Sun night-

I am trying to be more healthy- so drinking only water or tea-(tea is provided at work- green tea/chamomile/other herbals- not just regular tea)

I know there are other ways-

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CEO and President of SWS (Skirt Wearing Society)

I am glad to have found this thread. A lot of good ideas here and I agree, this should be shared in the tightwad tips.

We are fairly lucky with our propane. The local company does a non-advertised pre-buy during the first week of July. You can pre-buy at a significant discount and we got ours for under $2.00 this year and bought enough for the entire year. If any isn't used in a year it converts back to money credit for propane for the next year.

Get a Capital One 360 account and use that to store away your savings. It's an online account, fully FDIC insured and the biggest thing is that it is FREE. I have had them for many years, back when it was ING and it's been fantastic for our budgeting. I do have a debit card for the account but only use that at Christmas time because I have set up a Christmas account in the account where money is automatically withdrawn each week and then that money is available to use for Christmas leaving Christmas debt free. It takes about 2-3 days to transfer funds from this account to my regular bank account so I don't tend to dip into it for "whim" purchases but with the debit card, I can transfer the money from a sub account to the "checking account" portion of it and then use it if I need it (like for a sudden car repair).

In my account, I have sub accounts for property taxes, car repairs, emergency fund, car insurance, an account for each member of the family to put in extra money or birthday money for the kids, an account to save up for the kids' sleep away camp and date money. Again, it's all free and no minimums plus I get a small amount of interest! I am always surprised to go into the account and see a large sum of money that I don't even really look at regularly so it's nice to know that I have a stash tucked away. I just try to tuck a little here and there when I can - $25 in the emergency fund one week, $25 the next week for camp, regularly put in money for the property taxes and car insurance, etc.

January is our/my no grocery store shopping month. That should save our family about $600. If you absolutely need something Hubby will pick it up on the way home.
Otherwise it's time to use food storage and be creative.

Craftylady, I like this approach but probably couldn't manage it. We could though use a lot more frozen or stored food to do it on a partial basis.

Also, being that it is below 0 now is a good incentive and saves gas too!


For 2 folks as us, it would probably be more like $250.00 but then there is the animal food to consider... I did stock up more in late fall this year. That could be increased next fall.

I just made out our meal plan for the rest of the month, I will only need to spend around $50 this month and use up stuff we have, I feed 3 every day and most weekends its 4 meals with 7 people. So I'm thinking I will save around $300 this month.

I have a keurig coffee machine, My DD bought me for Mothers day last year. I use my own coffee that I grind and I brew 1 large cup and 1 small cup, with the same grounds. I works well this way for me, and way cheaper than the kcups. As I buy my coffee beans at the bent and dent.

Now is the time to look for people that will be dividing plants this spring, to exchange with them, so it's a free free thing.

January is a time when cleaning supplies are on sale.
Pre buying a needed item at a sale price works for me.

Make your own bread. Less than a dollars a loaf verses 2.19where I am....a loaf a day is a yearly savings of..... 365....on 12 th of my monthly food and grocery for the year which is a third of my property tax for the year.

I do not have a good place to start seeds but an elderly lady does.....so when my boy watches his father I can have coffee with her and visit while we start seeds I bring using supplies I have gathered.

She has company ...me and I will be there to aid her is getting her flowers started.....which she has wanted to do but she misses the timing and since she can afford it she buys the started plants while kicking herself and professing ....next year I will do it.


This year we will both do it.

Learn how to get stains out of clothing.

Annsni, we do this on a much more limited scale with our bank. Our funds currently would not give us the opportunity to do this but I know other folks will read your post and be able to use your example. Thanks for the post!

I keep the lights off if there is enough natural light. The WH is off as long as the wood stove is on heating the water cheaper than it cost to run the WH. I think that saves me roughly $40 a month.
I put vinyl on my porch and the house is 10* warmer (73-75) this year than ever before....also when the sun hits the porch I can open the door to the house and it provides heat. Since I heat with wood only I think the vinyl (which cost me $125) has saved me about $35-40 a month - 4 months use, it has paid for itself in more ways than one..
This summer I purchased tomatoes and peppers in bulk at the Amish produce auction so have enough canned to provide my own needs in pizza, spaghetti, and hot picante sauce, juice,etc.
I purchased dry beans and canned them and also keep the dry beans on hand.
There is a meat sale locally at the swap meets and I buy bulk meat for 1/2 to 3/4 off of store price.If it is freezer burned it is canned/frozen for the dog and cat.

Keep an eye out for these auctions/sales they can make a big difference in food prices.