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If your family is anything like mine, then you are feeling the effects of the economic downturn. With rising gas prices, astronomical grocery bills, and two teenagers who always seem to be in need of something, we have had to tighten our belt…to the point of suffocation. It came down to this, I either had to release one of my children into the wilderness to fend for themselves, or find ways to spread my household budget as far as it can go. It’s pretty thin right now, almost to the point of transparency, but we have managed to survive by making the following small changes.
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Gas Costs: Experts advise that a car in good working order gets the most fuel efficiency. Regular oil changes, tire care, and tune-ups keep your car operating at peak efficiency. Another way to help save at the pumps is taking advantage of fuel discounts. Grocery stores that also provide gas services offer discounts simply by earning points on the groceries you already purchase. Most offer a substantial discount if you purchase gift cards through the store. If you know you are going to be shopping at Best Buy or Home Depot, then purchase a gift card inside the store and earn maximum points for fuel discounts.
We’ve also started combining all our errands into one trip in one car. We all load up in one car and complete our errands together. With three drivers in the house now, we have all learned to make the most out of the gas we have. It may mean sitting in the car for thirty minutes until one of my kids gets off work, but it gives me time to hone in on my “Angry Birds” skills.
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Grocery Stores: Grocery stores play the game well. They put the expensive items at eye level so they are the first items we see. Manufacturers pay a premium to have their items placed at eye level and at the end of the aisles. It gives the appearance that these items are on sale, when in fact they are not always discounted. Use coupons, shop the ads, and find stores that are willing to price match. I am not a huge fan of Wal-Mart who has 36 check-out lanes and only opens 3, but they are willing to price match any item as long as you bring in the advertisement from another store. This means you can get all the sale prices at one stop. It may mean gathering and organizing your ads, but you won’t have to waste the gas driving to each store.
Dollar Stores: It is no surprise that dollar stores are the fastest growing retail stores in America. Everyone is looking for a deal. These stores are a great place for gift bags, paper products, and basic craft supplies. I load up on glue sticks, glitter, pipe cleaners, and floral wire. Most now offer a pretty wide selection of food. Instead of buying snacks at Wal-Mart for the kid’s lunches, I buy them at Dollar Tree. I have noticed that in the last year that box sizes are getting smaller. Some products may not be a savings when you compare size and price. Their products also change frequently. If you are already making a trip to pick up gift bags and ribbon, it may be worth a trip down the food aisles.
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Thrift Stores: My teenage daughter used to cringe when I’d suggest shopping at the local thrift store. I figured out though, if I gave her a budget of twenty dollars, she could roam the store on her own and put together an entire outfit. Yes, it requires digging through bins and scouring the racks, but once she saw how much she could get for twenty bucks, she got into the spirit of thrift store shopping. Thrift stores offer coupons, clearance days, and incredible deals on books, furniture, and fashion accessories. We can’t always find what we are looking for, but occasionally we find a deal. Last October, needing home-coming heels, we found a pair of silver shoes for $3.00. After bedazzling a $2.00 package of rhinestones onto the heels, they looked brand new.
Library: The local library offers far more than book borrowing. The kids can now rent movies and video games. Video games are the biggest con out there. Sixty bucks for a game that the kids will beat in three days anyway. It is far cheaper for me to use my gas to run to the local library. The library offers programs that help the kids get involved. Reading groups, teen support groups, and book clubs are just a few perks that our library has. Almost all libraries have a toddler reading and activity group. For stay at home moms this offers a chance to interact with other parents and lets their children play with other kids. Our local library even helps with resume writing and job searching.
Eating Out: Eating out is our downfall. With all four of us now working, we are rarely at home at the same time. Sometimes it is easier to all meet up somewhere. I keep a barrage of coupons in my purse just in case. However, it is so much cheaper to eat at home. When I carefully plan meals and grocery shop accordingly, I save all around. We are working on eating out less, cooking healthier food more, and having quality meals together as a family. Also, the left-overs can be taken to work the next day for lunch, thereby saving us even more money. I guess we need to tighten the belt a little more. We are a work in progress.
With the economic crunch threatening to strangle us all, there are small ways we can cut back. It can be as easy as clipping coupons before shopping or bypassing Starbucks on the way to work. One thing I know for sure, if the entire family commits to each cutting back on something, it can make a monetary difference. I know all of you have creative ideas for stretching the household dollar. What are some ways you have cut back to save a few bucks? Do you have any tricks for saving at the grocery store or gas pump? Please share your ideas; we are always interested in getting the most for our buck!
By: Jill Aldridge
Jill Aldridge
Owner/Partner at My Personal Accent
Latest posts by Jill Aldridge (see all)
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My husband and are are semi-retired and both of us have some health problems so cooking at our house has been redefined entirely. He needs to stay away from nitrates (ham. bacon, sausage, etc) and I have kidney disease and need to eat as organiclly as possible to avoid pesticides and addditives. Needless to say, our grocery bills are higher than I would like living on a somewhat fixed budget. I watch the ads for the grocery stores closely and buy as much as I can on sale and in bulk. We cook a different meal every day for a week but make the portion large enough to serve 2 people for 5 meals. We eat fresh the day we cook and put the rest into freezerbags and lable them with the date and contents. This process gives us enough food for a month although we add in some impromtu meals on occasion, and we don’t have to cook every day. Stew, chili, Mac& Cheese, Chicken & rice, navy beans and ham, and spanish rice are just a few of the meals we prepare this way. We select a frozen entree, add garden salad and freshly made bread from my bread maker and we have a hearty meal. I also use my crock pot frequently to make soup using leftover pork, chicken , or beef from a post roast. A quart of beef or chicken broth, leftover meat, and a bag of frozen vegetables makes a tasty soup and is very inexpensive when all the ingredients are bought on sale. Coupons and special sales are a treasure to discover and use. I wish more people knew how to can and dehydrate vegetables and fruit like I do because it saves money and give a great sense of pride and accomplishment when you don’t have to get them store bought. Years ago, my step dad made the following comment about my mother and me. ” If you can’t can it, freeze it, or dehydrate it, Chip and Dale here, will make you sit down and eat it!!” The old ways of food preserving are becoming scarcer as our “Fast Food” society continues to grow and that is a very sad state of affairs.
Sande, Thank you for sharing your creative ideas of how to stretch a tight grocery budget with special food restrictions. It really does take preparation and planning to make your grocery money last the entire month. It sounds like you really put a lot of work and ingenuity into your planning. I hope people read your comment and take from your ideas to stretch their food budgets more. Thank you for your great comment!
Jill’s article made me think of a nonprofit called Gaballi, a nondenominational group that provides boxes of top quality fruits and vegetables at a 30-70% savings from the current national retail prices. They are similar to Angel Ministries before they closed. They are currently operating in FL, IL, IN, OH, MI, PA, but are looking for host sties in the rest of the country. For more information, see if there is a location near you, or to be a host site go to http://www.gaballi.com
We have definitely had to cut back since I stopped working about three years ago to homeschool my youngest child. I clip coupons, shop at Aldi, keep the heat low, reuse items, and try to do all my shopping in the area where I live. I buy in bulk, specifically meat when it goes on sale. I don’t have any new creative ways but just use the old fashioned common sense techniques of saving. Found you on bloggy moms. Following you… Stop by and visit http://makeitorfixit.com when you get a chance.
Those are great ideas! I will definitely check out your blog. Feel free to connect on Bloggy Momms.
Thank you all for the suggestions. I wish I had remembered to add in how bulk shopping can be a valuable money saver. Also, cooking meals and freezing them is a great way to preserve left-overs. All very good ideas. Sharon, thanks for visiting our site. I cannot wait to make the pound cake you have posted!! I’m even thinking of trying to make the Easter Egss, even though I have no little ones left to do it with. They are just really cool!
Jill, I am doing a roundup of unusual Easter eggs…don’t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet but keep and eye out for it!
Very good points! I have 4 kids and I’m always looking for ways to save money! We do a lot of shopping at walgreens when they have sales and we get points with our balance card and get free money with stuff we purchase!
I know the crunch all so well, these past few months have been very hard. It even makes it harder to go shopping and see that the items I bought last month are much higher in price this month. I been doing more of my shopping at the dollar tree, It’s the only way I can save some money.