February 2009 Expecting Club

We aren't the most thrifty people in the world, but I think we do really well. I use coupons, but I'm not one of those women who save hundreds of dollars using them. As far as the generic brands, you are right, some of them are nasty and I don't buy them. There are some things I buy generic though because I have found no difference in the ingredients or the taste. I think if you do start buying generic food items you definitely should pay attention to the ingredients. Also, we very very rarely eat out. The reasons being not only costs, but also it is so much healthier for us to eat at home and I enjoy cooking. You will save so much money by not eating out. DH doesn't eat out for lunch either, he has always packed his lunch for work. Another way I save money at the grocery store is by making as many things homemade as I can. I make homemade meatballs, spaghetti sauce, muffins, pizza dough, bread (not a lot), snacks for Marisa, etc. I very rarely buy anything in the frozen food section or snack section because that stuff is usually just something I can make myself.

We're also pretty thrifty with electricity and heating oil. We don't leave on lights in rooms we're not using and we turn off our computers at night. When the weather is nice we leave the windows open to avoid using the a/c. The winters are hard because we live in CT and the cost of heating oil is insane. We have found it is much cheaper to set the thermostat at 62-64 and use a space heater in the room we are in to warm it. So instead of heating the whole house we only heat the space we are using. I think you live in Tx so this shouldn't be as much an issue for you, but you can definitely save some money by setting your thermostat a couple degrees cooler in the winter and a couple degrees warmer in the summer.

To save on gas, we usually do all of our shopping and errands on Friday or Saturday and just get it all done in one shot. We also don't have cable or satellite. We payed for DirecTV for years and DH always had to buy the NFL Sunday ticket. We realized we were paying so much money and we were very rarely watching TV anyway. So, we just have the local channels and that's good enough for us. Sure, sometimes we wish we had more options, but it's just not worth the money. Plus we watch less TV which is always a good thing! I know there are other things we do, but I am drawing a blank. If I think of them I will let you know. I'm sure some of the ladies have of a lot more ideas for you anyway. Hope this helped some. Good luck!

I don't have any real tips ... but here are the things I do :)

I like to eat generic cereal though, it always seems to taste sweeter :)

I shop for baby stuff at garage sales, especially things they won't use for very long.

When I lived at my old apartment and electricity wasn't included in rent, we always opened windows instead of using the AC if there was a breeze.

I buy catfood and cat litter in bulk (gigantic bags) so that I don't have to waste gas to get more when the cats run out and because the food is cheaper that way.

Instead of buying bottled water I just get a gallon of water and fill up the same bottle several times a day.

I ration DF's cigarettes (he isn't allowed to smoke in the car or in the same room with me, so that keeps him from smoking a few of them).

I don't buy snacks, no matter how good I think that Little Debbies snack cake looks I refuse to let myself buy it.

When I go grocery shopping I have to stick to a budget, $60 a week is usually what it is at. As I go through the store I don't use a calculator. I round EVERYTHING up and just add in my head. So if something is $3.23 I round it up to $4, this covers taxes and helps me come home with a little extra money.

I get things that are cheap and easy to cook and I buy more than we will eat in one night so that there will be left overs. So, when I buy chicken I buy 6 pieces but I know that we will only eat 2 maybe 3 of them between DF and I. We eat leftovers when we can and only cook more food when we are tired of the leftovers we have or when we run out of leftovers, this helps in the weeks when we may not have much money for food.

I signed up for WIC, this ensures that we always have eggs and milk in the house. They also provide peanut butter and once baby is born they will let you borrow a pump or will help with formula.

I forgot to also say ...

mysavings.com is an awesome website that will send you coupons and free samples. I have enough tampons and toothpaste to last a year because of that site (they will also send diapers and I think I saw formula once, you just have to look through the site, it is awesome). You can print off coupons for things you actually like there and not just what is in the newspaper or mailbox.

Also, if you ever see a store add showing something cheaper than what WalMart offers, then WalMart will match that price, just show them the add. No need to actually go to the other store (this only works for store adds, apparently not coupons :( )

I cut down on my grocery bill, but by realizing how much extra I was cooking in a meal and then throwing out.  I would cook the whole package of chicken and would have 1 or 2 pieces left over, it would go in the fridge and not get eaten.  I now divide up all my meat, chicken, pork and cook smaller portions, this has saved me at least $20-$30 at the store.  Generic items can be iffy, I am actually disappointed because I hear that WIC is going to start only paying for generic cheese in Jan, and Wal Mart's cheese is pretty gross!  I too was spending way too much on my cell, I have stopped using it during the day except if it is a friend who has the same plan I do.  I heard cricket is cheap, but I have never used it.  I suggested to DH getting a land line and getting rid of the cells but would would be charged a early termination fee.  We do not have any TV, direct is too expensive (we did have it), cable is not offered, and bunny ears do not work.  I watch the shows I can online, but other then that it is $1 movies at the red box and those are getting fewer.  We have also cut back to using just one car, since my DH's truck is a gas guzzler.  Helps since I can't go anywhere to spend money :-)

I'm so sorry to hear you are laid off. I know how stressful that is. As far as coupons, you can save a ton. Try to find a store near you that will double them. Most double .50, but you can find some that will even double up to $1.00. When shopping check several stores for their front page deals. Those are usually the best deals. Sometimes fast food can be cheaper certain nights of the week then cooking. We do McDonald's night on Tuesdays since it's 1/2 price happy meals. Kentucky Fried Chicken also has meals on Tuesday that are $1.99. We like to keep track of restaurants that have kids eat free nights too.

We just switched or cell phone carrier. T-mobile now offers a flexpay monthly plan. You can get contract pricing services without the commitment of a contract. The way things are in Michigan, I don't want to be tied down to a contract anymore. They can also switch your phones over to their service.

There are deals everywhere so you don't have to eat generic food. Just have to look a little. I did cave and go to Walmart and found a lot of items I was buying at the grocery store are a lot cheaper there. For now I will shop there. My daughter gave me crap about shopping there, but I told her no one cared about how crappy the people were treated at my old job so why should I be concerned when I need to save some money.

Michelle

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