How to save $50 per week

I occasionally look through the transactions on my checking account and look at what I can cut. Trimmed services on the satelite TV, trimmed the data service from 5GB to 3GB on my iPhone, instead of eating out for lunch I just buy lunch items with our weekly groceries, quick stops at the c-store to buy a snack or drink. Oh yeah, beer and cigarettes were a huge one. I made it a point this year to cut personal/family spending and put as much into a savings account and into our little operation of self sustainability.

We canceled our sat tv a few years ago, too. I now apply that money as an extra principle payment on our mortgage. We don't have cell service where we live, so only have a TracFone that doesn't even have minutes on it now. We have streaming Netlfix and a Roku. I do splurge on $10 a month to have ad free high quality streaming music, but it's on all day, every day, so I get my money's worth.

I am on some prescriptions that aren't for anything life threatening and am going to try to cut back on my dosages. We qualified for the new ACA health insurance, but they don't pay as much on prescriptions, and they are all generic already. It seems like there is always something that can be trimmed back.

Our trash service has gone up every year, and now it's $30/mo. Debating whether it would be cost effective to haul our trash to the dump ourselves or not. It's about 10 miles away.

I used to haul my own trash, too. Not so much an option here, but we were able to move to a smaller trash bin by being very careful about purchases. Some things are more packaging than they are the actual item you are buying.

If you avoid packaging and can most of our own food in reusable jars, you can compost the majority of your kitchen waste and get by with a much smaller garbage can. Getting rid of curbside may or may not save you money, it all depends on how your dump/transfer station charges. Ours was $10 for a pickup load, and with our smaller trash generation, that was 4-6 months worth... which saved us $55/mo for pick up. Of course, we needed 2 large pest-resistant wheelie bins to keep all the trash in until we had a full load for the dump.

we bought a pickup box trailer, $200. we're putting either an old topper or building a top for it, a 'rolling dumpster'. trash pick up here is terrible both in cost and dependancy. we can haul to the dump for $20 every few months. plus, while at the dump, i almost always find some treasure.

one time was a large cooler, like huge! one handle was broken--i'm sure some genius loaded it up (I bet it'd hold a whole deer) and tried to pick it up by that flimsy handle. duh! my dishwasher needed a new flatware caddy--dump find. several other choice items over the last few years as well, i actually look forward to going.

and instead of driving the 1.5hrs to shop, which i hate even doing, i order online. dog food, tp, dish soap, etc. all dropped at my door while i'm doing other things. no spending a day getting crabby, no going thru a tank of gas. and no bothering with the very grumpy store keepers in our own small town, or settling for their horribly high prices and poor service. as a final bonus, no temptations to spend on impulse buys!!

making sure you use up what is in the fridge before it's bad. or freezing it. and someone is usually going to town at least once per week, usually much more as hubby's new job takes him to different places. so i be sure to have my list ready if i do need things locally, no need for an extra trip to town and his job pays his mileage. big savings of time and gas and car wear. and being ok with what he brings even if its not *exactly* what i was asking for!

Not sure if this saves my family $50 a week but this is what I do on a regular basis.

Power strips in each room except kitchen,bathroom
Cold water to wash laundry
Making my own laundry detergent
Using our woodstove everyday
Free fire wood from a friend that we split
Cut my own hair
Dh shaves his head
My boys trim their own hair
No pedicures
No manicures
All lights are turned off when not in use
Use my homemade rice pack to get myself warm
Turn the hot water heater off during the non winter months..only use for a few hours to wash dishes and shower
Make foods from scratch
Canning your own food
Dehydrating my own herbs from my herb garden
Planting as many edibles as you can
Freezer meals
Buying in bulk
Shop twice a month
Coffee pot ready for my dh every morning..no more stopping at the convience store
Pack lunch everyday
Line dry clothes
Eat leftovers
Wear clothes more than once
Re-use your towel more then once
Buy sale items..
Make sure freezer is full..if not fill 2-liter bottles with water
I tend to run out of fresh potatoes and onions during the winter months..so I have dehydrated onions and instant potatoes for my back ups
Buy quality items...last longer
Pay bills online
Bring a drink and a snack with you on the road trip
Eat before grocery shopping
When running low on whatever write down on your list to restock
Always bring a list when shopping
Have extra filled portable propane tank for Bbq grill - use when we lose power
Forage wild foods
Chicken's for eggs
Pay bills on time
Keep a well stocked pantry
Foodsaver your food...I have recently pulled out a 3-yr old pork roast that looks as good as it did when I first bought it

Hope this helps you..I know it does for my family!

Once upon a time, I became painfully aware of just how much propane an oven can use. My gas cookstove was hooked to a line fed by a propane bottle outside of the house. A 5-gallon sized bottle holds approximately 20 pounds of propane, which will vanish in hurry if the oven is used (even sparingly).

You would be surprised to learn how much energy (propane, electric, etc.) it takes to bake the average dish or one loaf of bread in an oven. My recipe box is full of one-dish meals that can be prepared on the stovetop and saves a bunch of money, time and clean-up. If I must use the oven, I try to make several things at once.

Ever since that valuable lesson learned years ago, I have used my oven as little as possible (maybe two or three times a year). Delicious bread can be baked in a Dutch oven on top of a wood stove or flat-topped wood heater. (There are lots of tutorials and recipes on the internet.) If wood heat is not doable, a small toaster-oven is much cheaper to use than a full-sized oven.

Gauging by my previous bake-a-holic habits, I am guessing I save probably close to $15-20 week in propane.

I make homemade laundry soap and all household cleaning supplies: savings are around $7 week.

I make all of my meals from bulk goods (beans, rice, lentils, etc.), wild edibles/game/fish, and garden produce. No soda pop or junk foods. All homemade, from-scratch goodness here! Been doing it so long, I don't know exactly how much I am saving... But the insane totals on the cash registers in the grocery stores when other people check out tells me I am saving a fortune in grocery bills (and doctor bills). I know I am saving more than $50 a week in groceries than the average shopper.

I plan meals and budget for every item. I like to shop for most of the groceries once or twice a month. If I run out of something, I substitute or go without. Even if you live close to a grocery store, the gas savings combined with fewer groceries bought amount to more than you think.


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--Sharon Love, laugh, live...Joie de vivre!
http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/ (I'm unable to get back into blog to post...experiencing 'technical difficulties'...)

I agree! I am enjoying following all the suggestions. Thanks

I have been doing this for years! Bought a new car. Paid it off in monthly payments in 21/2 years. Keep making the monthly payments to myself (bank saving getting small interest). When this car died, I used my savings to buy another cash. Kept paying myself the same monthly payments. adds up and also have a emergency fund.


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I am continuously amazed at the attitude that coupons are for "smelly crap" or "highly processed crap". Here are a few things I've bought within the last several weeks with coupons and sales:

Feminine pads - .98 cents/bag from WM The regular price was 1.98 and there was a $1 internet printed coupon.

Colgate toothpaste - 3.00 minus a CVS store coupon minus a $1 manufacturers coupon = free tube of toothpaste. Where can you get a store brand for free?

Finish dishwasher get pacs - 32 count package I had a raincheck at CVS for 2.99 and combined it with a $2.15 manu. coupon= 84 cents/box. I know of nowhere that you can get a store brand that cheaply.

Dawn dishwashing liquid - 97 cents. My CVS used to double the 50 cent coupons so I got 5 FREE bottles a month.

Palmolive dish detergent was on sale at Fred's for $1, I had 50 cent coupons that doubled on Saturdays = 5 free bottles.

RiteAid had Post cereals 2 for $4. I had a coupon for a free gallon of milk if you bought two Post cereals. When my transaction was rung up their coupon machine gave me another coupon for another free gallon of milk. So for $4 I got two boxes of cereal and two free gallons of milk.

Fresh express salad mix in the bag was 98 cents each at my local grocery store. I had $1.50 off 2 bags coupons. 23 cents/bag for salad is cheap enough for me.

WM had the three pack of Reach toothbrushes for 2.97. I had $2 coupons for any multi-pack. The cashier scanned the coupons more than once and I ended up getting more than $10 credit for my 5 coupons which more than paid for them. Fifteen toothbrushes for free!

At the Dollar Tree yesterday I had two coupons for $1 off any Speedstick deodorant. Picked up two for free. Also they had a name brand of Ziploc bags (I forget the exact name) 15 count for $1 each. I had $1.25 q's off 2 so .37 cents each.

Today I will go to CVS and get (2) 12 packs of Angel Soft Tissue and one of Sparkle paper towels. The price is 3/$15 but I have (2) $2 Angel Soft coupons and (1) $1 Sparkle coupon which brings the price down to $10. But I also have $3 in Extra Bucks leftover from another transaction so I'm down to $7 now. Then CVS will give me back $5 in Extra Bucks for the deal. 24 rolls of toilet paper and 8 rolls of paper towels for $2 plus tax is a winner in my book.

I've gotten Mahatma yellow rice for .12 cents a pack with q's. Just this past week I got 10 packs of McCormick taco seasoning for free. They were on sale for .50 cents each and I had .50/2 coupons that doubled.

I could go on and on but the point I'm trying to make is all coupons are not for "crap". The money I save with coupons stretches my food budget and is what helps our family survive in these tough times.

I hope you will rethink your position about coupons. They aren't the worthless evil things that some people seem to believe.

To present a different point of view - I never use coupons. I'm 100% okay with the fact that I might be "losing out" on potential savings. It will never outweigh the fact that I know what items I should get where. I love the balance we've stuck of price, quality, preference (it's worth 40 cents extra per jar for our favorite peanut butter!), and our values with regards to the businesses, industries, and practices we support. We eat really delicious, nutritious food, we feel good about what went into the production of it, and on a budget (we aim for $7/day for two of us). The general grocery we go to has far better deals than any other grocery around. I don't have to look through the sales (they don't have a circular), or look for coupons. They always have awesome prices (I'm amazed how many times I've seen "sales" elsewhere that were still more expensive!) - and I'm certain that for me I'll spend less overall there than somewhere more coupon-friendly.

I think it's great that folks are able to use coupons to their advantage - but it really depends and as for me it isn't worth it.

edit -- I hope you don't mind that I cut out all but the end of your post - just didn't want to add a ton of length to the page when folks can scroll up to read your original post - which everyone should. :-)

[QUOTE=mathchick;6964011]To present a different point of view - I never use coupons. I'm 100% okay with the fact that I might be "losing out" on potential savings. It will never outweigh the fact that I know what items I should get where. I love the balance we've stuck of price, quality, preference (it's worth 40 cents extra per jar for our favorite peanut butter!), and our values with regards to the businesses, industries, and practices we support. We eat really delicious, nutritious food, we feel good about what went into the production of it, and on a budget (we aim for $7/day for two of us). The general grocery we go to has far better deals than any other grocery around. I don't have to look through the sales (they don't have a circular), or look for coupons. They always have awesome prices (I'm amazed how many times I've seen "sales" elsewhere that were still more expensive!) - and I'm certain that for me I'll spend less overall there than somewhere more coupon-friendly.



I keep a price book so I know where the best prices are available and WHEN the best prices are available. I shop the sales and you have to know the regular prices, the smaller sale prices, the best sale prices and also when these items come on sale. It takes a little time to set up a price book but you do it over the months as you shop and then just update.

I use coupons but only for items that I would normally buy (never ever buy just to use the coupon) and I always buy these items on sale so the coupons are just a bit of extra savings.

I put all this money that I get from couponing aside for our charitable donations. The way I look at it is that I am going to spend the money anyways whether or not I have a coupon so when I add in a coupon I am making money and this can go to the food bank or Salvation Army shelter or toys for tots. You would be amazed at how quickly this adds up.

instead of saving 50 dollars a week I'm spending an extra 50 this year since I decided to hire someone to shovel snow. we have had a storm every Wednesday and another on the way. not sure what I can save on. I was out today and I decided not to bother the book store this time. went into dollar store. bunch of kids from the high school in there for lunch time. one was asking the other if they had a dime to lend. the others said I wish I had one too. they were scrounging around trying to get enough for a bar and a pop. I dumped out my change purse for them. they were such good boys! that was my good deed for today.i probably gave them more than I would have spent on my books. then I paid the young fellow from the grocery store for lugging my salt across the parking lot. i'll likely find something else to spend it on next week. ~Georgia.

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Georgians

I am very frugal in many ways so that I can be extravagant or just practical and sensible in other ways. I actually love to shovel snow and cut lawns but can no longer do this so instead I enjoy being an "employer". You may not be saving because of snow shovelling but you are keeping the money in the economy which is a valuable contribution.

mathchick, I appreciate your comments and understand your position. My comments were an attempt to explain that coupons are not always for processed crap that some people seem to believe. I realize coupons are not for everyone but they have helped me save so much money and we don't eat crap here in my home.

I watch sale papers continuously and know which coupons are coming out so I can match them with sales. There is rarely a coupon for peanut butter however when it goes on sale I stock up until the next sale.

Coupons may not work for everyone but they do for me. That's why I was trying to present a different viewpoint on saving money.

There is also a lot of misery and suffering in puppy mills. Which is probably why they have been banned in several states. And hopefully more to come.

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Critical thinking -- the other national deficit

Did the Angel soft coupons work? The rolls here were not double rolls, they were single rolls. I try & follow all rules & not cheat the stores/manufacturers. I know it was not for the same product. Also, I've NEVER heard of Walmart scanning the same coupon more than once. I would not feel right if they did this.

I had a long post written out in response to Kristine but deleted it because it wasn't worth the trouble.

When our stores in our area doubled coupons up to a dollar I couponed ALOT- because a dollar off meant 2 dollars off -
now they stopped that about 4 yrs ago instead~they started giving gas rewards- for every 50 spent- you get 10 cents off- well I hardly ever spend 50 bucks in a trip... that is about when I started gardening and canning and preserving and going to the Amish stores for other stuff-
now I wait until the stores have a good loss leader and stock up on that one item- like this week- my youngest loves cereal- and it is 1.67 a box- for Kellogs - limit 4 boxes a trip- so I will go twice this week and get 4 boxes each time-

I did find 2 dollar off coupons for Toms of Maine deodorant- and it was on sale for 3.50 each- so I stocked up on it since it is the one we use and it is normally 5 something - but it is worth it to me to have the more natural deodorant- and spending 1.50 a piece was worth it to me-
other than that- I don't mess with coupons other than for Joann's or Micheal's when I need yarn

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CEO and President of SWS (Skirt Wearing Society)

One great tip, is to figure out how much it cost you in fuel to go to town, and back that you do you your shopping in. Then when you think there is a great deal at the store in town, make sure you calculate the fuel cost. I know many go to town for work, and grab things on their way home, but if you are thinking about making a special trip into town for that great deal you found, it might make you think twice when you add the fuel cost. Even if you can get 3ea of an item that normally cost $2, for free but it cost you $10 to go to town, it ends up not being such a great deal.

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