Economizing

[jpmcgrew]

We use one of our bedrooms as an office and turned the closet into a pantry. We only buy things when they are on sale. Now when I need something, instead of going to the store, I just go to the office!

Wow! Now that is a well stocked pantry. Are you a Mormon? I think we all should take a lesson from them because they store one to two years in food and other supplies sounds like a good idea especially in these times. The news today said gas will most likely be $ 4.00 a gallon by the end of the year. Also on the news a lot of families already have had their power and gas shut off because they can't keep up with the bills. I thought I heard in Minneapolis 500 families a day are getting their power cut off

 

[B'sgirl]

We use one of our bedrooms as an office and turned the closet into a pantry. We only buy things when they are on sale. Now when I need something, instead of going to the store, I just go to the office!

I should really get something like that. My exchange student's closet is stacked full of canned food and a 72 hour kit for each of us. It's so hard to get to everything because it is just all stacked on top of each other. It is nice to have things I use a lot in bulk though--it prevents me from going to the store so often and wasting money on impulse buys.

 

[Mama]

No, I'm not a Mormon (I didn't even stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night )
We decided a few years ago (after 9/11) that you just don't know when something is going to happen. We decided to just start stocking up when there was a sale. I got the racks at Sam's Club. It's actually two racks but we had to combine the center legs into one so that it would fit in the closet. When I go to the store and see the prices on some of the items that I got on sale, I'm so thankful that I stocked up. Whenever I start getting a little low, I start watching for sales again.

 

[Andy M.]

No, I'm not a Mormon (I didn't even stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night )
We decided a few years ago (after 9/11) that you just don't know when something is going to happen. We decided to just start stocking up when there was a sale. I got the racks at Sam's Club. It's actually two racks but we had to combine the center legs into one so that it would fit in the closet. When I go to the store and see the prices on some of the items that I got on sale, I'm so thankful that I stocked up. Whenever I start getting a little low, I start watching for sales again.

You should have a plan to use the stuff in the office and replace it with newer stuff so nothing gets very old.

 

[Mama]

I rotate everything so that nothing goes out of date. I also have dried beans and rice that I keep in gallon jars.

 

[buckytom]

Wow! Now that is a well stocked pantry. Are you a Mormon?

they even stock up extra wives!!!!! i guess just in case one goes bad.
smart people, them mormons.


well, i finally am resolved to taking the bus every day. i promised myself if gas ever hit $2 a gallon, i'd stop driving to work and take the bus.
then it was $3. and now, at $3.50 a gallon, i'm keeping my promise.

it was costing me about 8 or 9 bucks a day in gas, 6 to 8 bucks a day in tolls, and playing the broken meter game, another 15 or 20 dollars per week in parking fees. so, even on the low end, i was spending $18 to $20 per weekday just to get to work!

now, it costs me $10 a day on the bus, and my legs and middle finger are getting a workout skating from the bus terminal to my building and back.

we haven't really begun to cut back on food expenses though. we just spent about $275 on groceries in the last week, and another hundred or more in take out lunches and dinners (mostly sushi ). i refuse to give up my raw fish.

 

[jpmcgrew]

That was harsh BT the polygamist bunch is actually a break off from the original Mormons. The regular LDS church believes in being married forever to the same person. I was a Mormon as kid not by choice but it was OK. They did take on many wives in the early years as they were persecuted every place they went causing a lot of women to have their husbands killed in the process so a man would take on women as wives but not in the wifely duty way but to take care of them sans husband she could be as old as 80 years. At least that is what they taught when I was a kid. They don't do that anymore.

 

[Katie H]

After the hoopla about Y2K and 9/11, we've kept a very well-stocked pantry of canned and dried goods. Water is stored, too. We rotate the stock to be sure everything gets used within a reasonable time frame. With the exception of produce, Buck and I probably could exist quite nicely for 6 months without having to go to the market.

Even when all 5 of the children were at home, we used an unfinished large bathroom as a food storage space. Built shelves between the studs from floor to ceiling. Practically had a grocery store in that room.

 

[jpmcgrew]

After the hoopla about Y2K and 9/11, we've kept a very well-stocked pantry of canned and dried goods. Water is stored, too. We rotate the stock to be sure everything gets used within a reasonable time frame. With the exception of produce, Buck and I probably could exist quite nicely for 6 months without having to go to the market.

Even when all 5 of the children were at home, we used an unfinished large bathroom as a food storage space. Built shelves between the studs from floor to ceiling. Practically had a grocery store in that room.

I was never worried about Y2K but the way things are now I definitely have some concerns. Stocking up a few months worth of non perishable groceries is actually a good idea for many reasons. I still think it would be really nice if the ranch had a milk cow and some chickens. Real organic milk, butter and homemade cheese sounds really good to me.

 

[Maverick2272]

they even stock up extra wives!!!!! i guess just in case one goes bad.
smart people, them mormons.

JP is right, but still:

 

[Saphellae]

now, it costs me $10 a day on the bus, and my legs and middle finger are getting a workout skating from the bus terminal to my building and back.

LOL! I had to reread that "Why would his middle finger be getting a workout on rollerblades?"

I would love to start shopping at Costco but the space we have just doesn't allow it. I'm sure in the next year when we move back to Ontario and get a less expensive and bigger apartment things will get better Things are just a little down right now but the future is bright.

 

[buckytom]

That was harsh BT the polygamist bunch is actually a break off from the original Mormons. .

that is completely untrue! the original mormons, i.e. joe smith, had multiple wives. i've read he had 33!

but as far as harshness goes, it was a joke.

here's a little history: This Day in History 1890: The Mormon Church officially renounces polygamy

 

[GB]

OK folks this is getting into religion and as you all know we do not allow that. Lets please bring this back around to the topic at hand. Thanks.

 

[VeraBlue]

We drink at home...........

Seriously, being a chef has it's advantages. I feel like I'm in a restaurant every day of the week, so I appreciate cooking at home on Saturday and Sunday. Plus, being the perfectionist every now and then, we enjoy a 3-5 course meal at home for a fraction of the cost of dining out.

What you have to do, if possible, is make the whole idea of economizing attractive. I keep myself on a weekly budget at home. If I don't go over the budget, and in fact, can save something, I squirrel it away. Then, when I want to spend a weekend down the shore, I've got the money. If I want a new pair of shoes just to cheer me up, I can do it.

If you have to stay in on Saturday night because it's not in the budget to go out, make staying in fun. Assuming there are no kids involved, get dressed up anyway. Set the table with your good stuff. Light candles. Have cocktails in the parlour. Lounge in bed on Sunday morning watching old movies on the TCM station. Have pastries and coffee in bed.

If you have kids, make a picnic in the living room. Make forts like we used to do with blanket tied to chairs and eat in 'the fort'. Play board games like we used to. Make home made waffles and ice cream.

Whatever you do to cut back, you have to try to keep something aside for a treat. It's like dieting....if you deny yourself all the time, you'll be miserable.

Let me say again, you'll all save lots of money if you stop buying prepackaged or single serving snacks, drinks, etc. Buy the regular size, (not huge bulk sizes, either, they usually get stale before you can finish them) and make your own snack size packages with baggies, paper bags, thermoses, tupperwares, etc. Get a filter for your sink and ditch all that bottled water. Turn the water off when you brush your teeth. Get reacquainted with your glass plates and forget paper cups.

We've been spending our weekends at home for so long now that it doesn't seem like economizing. It's a better deal, the food is better and the drinks are never ever a short pour

 

[Grandad]

Regarding the discussion on generic vs brand name products.. Years ago when our kids were living at home I would get in big discussion with them on the taste of brand name vs generic. They maintained that the brand names tasted better. While I did agree that this was the case for SOME products, I disagreed that all brand names were better. So I started a practice of purchasing generic products and putting it into the containers of the brand name products - cereals, soft drinks, peanut butter, etc. (a rather long list). VERY SELDOM did any of my kids question the flavor of the "brand name" substitute. Meaning, they thought it to be the brand name product. In fact, I think I only was put to task on one occasion. My point to them and my experiment showed that it was mostly "in their mind". (Hey, isn't this why compaines advertise???)

I have since heard of scientific studies on this very subject. Blind studies are conducted with subjects who were found to more likely to show a preference for a "brand name" product, even thought an alternative product had been subsituted. Don't recall all of the details but there was actually something that was measured in the brain (chemical, electronic response, other?) during the testing. I recall forwarding this to my now married kids, not that it matters because they too use generic labels where there is no difference in taste..

 

[GB]

It is amazing how the mind can affect you like that isn't it Grandad? It sounds like your kids learned a valuable lesson from that.

 

[jpmcgrew]

You can save a lot on cleaning products as well there a some that do multiple task. Alot of things can be cleaned with plain white vinegar. So many cleaning products for so many different things. I remember we didn't have that many when I was a kid. A can of Ajax used to take care of many things like kitchen and bath sinks,bath tub/shower etc including the toilet now they have a seperate cleaner for all these things. Some multple cleaners are Simple Green, Bar Keepers friend, all in one kitchen sprays and so on.

 

[bethzaring]

On the food front, to cope, we both cut our eating so (the idea hopefully) is that we're buying less groceries and thus spending less.

This is one of the best ideas, in my opinion, but I rarely see it put forth as a viable option. It works!! I have tried it over the years as I see our metabolism slowing down. Simply eat less food, prepare less food, buy less food. It is a win/win situation. You spend less on food and lose weight too. Of course, this does not apply to children, and pregnant and nursing mothers, but I suspect most of us here do not fall into those catagories.

 

[Katie H]

You can save a lot on cleaning products as well there a some that do multiple task. Alot of things can be cleaned with plain white vinegar. So many cleaning products for so many different things. I remember we didn't have that many when I was a kid. A can of Ajax used to take care of many things like kitchen and bath sinks,bath tub/shower etc including the toilet now they have a seperate cleaner for all these things. Some multple cleaners are Simple Green, Bar Keepers friend, all in one kitchen sprays and so on.

The only cleaning products in our house are liquid and powdered Spic and Span and Glass Plus. That's all I use...for everything.

I use the powdered Spic and Span like an abrasive. I also buy the concentrate for Glass Plus, so I don't have to store a large container and don't have to throw a plastic bottle away. It's considerably less expensive than buying the stuff already made up in the spray bottle.

 

[PattY1]

Well my grocery spending hasn't really changed, hubby and I have always been on tight budget, 18 years ago when we first married and had our children I spent about 100$ a month on groceries. Now I spend about 150$ a month, by the end of the month its slim pickens in the pantry,but I figure if anyone is hungry enough they will eat whats there.
As for driving, hubby and I argue all the time about this. I go to all my DD athletic games, I am car pooling to the away games, but still going. Hubby says its too much extra gas money. I look at it this way. We each have X amount of $ for the week, if I use my money for gas to go to the games and dont buy the extra stuff like he does(goes out for lunch, buys cigars) what does it matter. My DD is only going to be around 2 more years and I'm going to be as involved with her as I can be. So instead of going thru a drive thru while shopping or buying all the extra junk food or that cute little blouse I saw, I put my money in the gas tank to watch me DD.

I am really intrested in knowing how you feed one person, let alone 3 for $150.oo a month..........................................