Need tips on how to tighten our belts

spring13

Tue, Dec 06 2011, 12:02 am

When you see something nonperishable that your family uses a lot on sale, stock up. I only buy whole-grain pasta, which costs more than regular, so when Ronzoni has a 10/$10 sale (which they do a couple of times a year!), I buy loads.

Look for generic brand juice and soda, if that's something you buy often - my toddler doesn't know the difference between supermarket OJ and Tropicana. Same with store brand cheerios instead of the real thing. If you buy bottled water, get a Brita and a stainless steel water bottle instead.

Another thing, if you have school-age kids - if you buy them snacks that come individually wrapped (like packets of cookies, pretzels, whatever), you'll end up spending more than if you buy a big box of whatever and divide it up. When you bring your enormous box of whatever it is home, take a few minutes to pack a week's worth of snack bags so they'll be easy to grab and no one will accidentally take too much.

Do you have a Costco nearby, or another wholesale club? Those can be helpful as well.

curlyhead

Tue, Dec 06 2011, 3:02 am

Pay yourself first. if you are trying to save money organize that the money gets transferred to a savings account automatically as soon as you get paid.

I have 3 accounts:
One for weekly everyday expenses such as groceries, cleaning help and gas.

The 2nd is for bills- every pay I transfer money into it

3rd is for all those big expenses that come up during the year.- Money comes from tax return, and any bonus income.

And I just opened another account for more long term savings which is "paying myself first: as written above.

This way I don't stress about bills, yomtov, major repairs and we are tight on funds.

I spend minimal time in malls and department shops as they eat up money. I only do clothing shop a few times a year. If you need to purchase something go to ebay, craigs list and a host of other discount websites. Kids clothes and furniture, baby goods, toys could be got used.

Turn saving money into a game. How much money could you put in your saving account every month.

In terms of food list your families favorite dinners. Then price every ingredient you put in to find out the exact price of the meal. Then Stick to the cheaper meals and do maybe more expensive meal a week.You will be amazed with the result. It will show you that not necessarily is vegetarian cheaper then chicken or mince meat. Once that activity is done you could look and see if you could just remove one small ingredient that could save you a dollar or two.

amother

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 12:31 pm

OP here

Hi I'm back!

Ok, so we tallied up our expenses for the month and realized we had about $100 left over. I can't decide if that's good or not. On one hand, it's good that we didn't go into the red (which I was afraid we would, that's why we started tracking our expenses in the first place) but on the other hand, $100 is not a whole lot. Or is it? Confused

Honestly, this wasn't such a "fair" month since I got a bonus at work (because of the holidays), but there were also more expenses this month (some baby gifts that I needed to buy, a chanuka party that we decided to host at the last minute, among other things) but I guess these things are always coming up.

Also, I see we spent over $800 on food/groceries!! (this includes chicken, fish, disposables & cleaning products) Isn't that an awful lot for a family of 4?

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 12:54 pm

It does sound like it can be pared down.

Disposables: what can you realistically cut down on? Right now, I only use a pan for weds. night ziti since we have leftover for Friday lunch and I really found it stressful to wash out that pan right before Shabbos. I use a disposable loaf pan a week on gefilte fish. And if I happen to make enough kugel for the freezer, then I use disposable for that. Otherwise, I use real pans. We use real dishes for the meals, though sometimes my kids will use disposable bowls to make oatmeal if I haven't washed enough real ones or they can't reach. Baggies I reuse for the kids' dry snacks. I use spoons to pack in lunch bags. And that's about it.

Cleaning supplies: how much are you buying? I find using a microfiber cloth and water works for a good chunk of what I need to do. I hardly ever buy cleaning products since I don't use them so often. Dishwashing soap I get with coupons or what not, and don't spend on the most expensive kind.

Food: I cut down on fish due to the pricing. It's cheaper for me to get chicken if I do want an animal protein. I mix it up with other foods in one dish meals and it goes a long way like that since I don't have to portion everyone X amount of pieces. I find if you don't have the money to spend, you can easily get by without the extras if you make a conscious effort not to have so much snack food, buy the produce that is in season and cheapest, get big containers and divide them up yourselves (e.g. applesauce, yogurt)

Challenge yourself:
First, go shopping at home. What do you have in your freezer? In your pantry? What meals can you make with that? Make a menu plan.

Now supplement by grocery shopping. Make it a game.
$20 of produce for the week. $20 of meat/chicken (say $10 for Shabbos, rest for the week...what can you make with that money) $20 of dairy (milk, eggs, cheese) and $20 of dried goods (snacks, pasta, canned goods), You may find yourself under-budgeted in certain areas and over in others and you can redivide those proportions.
You'd be surprised to see how much food you can serve your family by spending only $80 one week if you pay attention.

I find it much easier to spend less if you stagger out your big purchases by buying family sized items and rotating them in use.
For example, I'll spend $17 on 3 meals worth of ground beef when it's on sale (instead of $21, let's say). So that will last me a couple weeks. In the meantime, the next week I will buy a big block of cheese that will last me a couple months. I just have to make sure that when I have ground beef in the freezer, if chicken is not on sale, I'm using that ground beef so I'm not spending more than I need to be, and just buy the big-ticket items when they are on sale...

amother

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 12:59 pm

OP again

I tried some of the tips from you wonderful ladies (thank you all again!) so I imagine we spent a lot more in the past.

Another thing:
Since we started budgeting, I feel like money has become everything. Any decision, any conversation, anything happening in my life, there's always this niggling thought at the back of my mind "how much is this going to cost me?". I can't offer to make a salad for someone without thinking "hmmm pre-checked lettuce $4.99 a bag, peppers $1.99 lb..." I feel like it's taken over my life. Crying

I miss being generous (no extravagant spending, just generous!) with myself and others. Does it have to be this way?

amother

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 1:11 pm

Hashem yaazor, thanks for that long helpful post.

I try to use regular dishes a lot more than before but I find myself falling back on disposables a bit more than I'd like to. Between working for a big chunk of the day, plus taking care of 2 toddlers who enjoy wrecking the house more than anything else, I tend to turn to disposables for their time-saving convenience. Oh and my being very (very very Wink

) housework-challenged doesn't help much...

You're right, I don't buy that many cleaning supplies, I just wanted to mention that when I do get any, it's included in the grocery bill.

I only get fish for Shabbos and I'm trying to spend less on chicken (meat only for Shabbos) during the week, but I'm finding it hard to think of filling suppers that don't include chicken (I would greatly appreciate help with that too.

Love the spending challenge! Very Happy

I think I'll try that.

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 1:12 pm

I know what you mean. When money is tight, it seems like all you can focus on.

I'm not sure if others would be ok with what I do in my house, but I buy regular romaine lettuce, invested $15 in a salad spinner, and do the checking and washing myself. I'm spending $3 for a bag which lasts me 3 Shabbosim. Instead of getting a new bag per week.

But when I give other people meals, I rarely give salad because I do find it's expensive. I've learned to make corn salad or make green beans or do something like that instead.

After starting on a saving journey, certain habits become second nature and you won't be so uptight any more. Especially if you're saving and money isn't as tight Wink

And it really CAN be fun if you make it a challenge. (I try to guess how much my purchases will be as I'm shopping, and I'm usually within the dollar even though I don't weigh out my produce.)

Yearoldmother

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 1:14 pm

amother wrote:

I miss being generous (no extravagant spending, just generous!) with myself and others. Does it have to be this way?

This.

Seriously- what do you do??! I assumed that once we are actually making it month to month and I get used to and comfortable with all the cut backs and BE"H also have money for a few extras once in a while I'll just stop obsessing..

amother

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 1:17 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

After starting on a saving journey, certain habits become second nature and you won't be so uptight any more. Especially if you're saving and money isn't as tight Wink

And it really CAN be fun if you make it a challenge. (I try to guess how much my purchases will be as I'm shopping, and I'm usually within the dollar even though I don't weigh out my produce.)

I should live to see the day when I'll be able to do that! Meanwhile I have no idea of how much things cost. But as I said, I'm trying to learn...

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 1:22 pm

amother wrote:

I think I'll try that.

I'm the person to speak to about being housework challenged Very Happy

I have to admit that it was a BIG mechaya when we moved this summer to a kitchen I could walk in...and especially with 2 sinks and room to dry the dishes. Before that my home was dysfunctional: I had no room to make heads or tails of the clutter and stuff that needed to get done.

I try to do dishes in small increments. In the morning if there is anything left over from the night before (e.g. I had a pot soaking), during the day when I come home from work to clean the breakfast bowls, and then at night before I go to bed. Staying on top of it but also allowing things to soak allow for dishes not to take too long.

I don't have too many pareve menus, unfortunately. I try to make things my family will eat, and lentils just did not work, homemade falafel ended up being eaten by the adults only, and fish is out of my budget for the most part. Milchig is not necessarily cheaper, in my experience, than chicken. Especially if you add tuna in (like I'll serve macaroni and cheese with tuna patties...that's not cheaper than my chicken dishes). My primary thing is to make the "main" be in smaller pieces and therefore I can make do with less by adding in the secondary items. So chicken for supper is never a piece of chicken. It's mixed with veggies and served with rice, or mixed with veggies and potatoes all in one dish.
It takes practice to figure out how to balance out meals like this -- with not too much of the expensive stuff -- but with time it's standard for the family. I spend probably the same amount now on food as I did in shana rishona (once you take away the price increase of the same items...like $60 of the same food would be $80 now if you look at milk/egg/meat,etc price increases) because my menus have changed as such. I'll still use the same amount of meat, but stretch it with egg...and not have leftovers of that for lunch, but bring something else that's cheaper.

Faigy86

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 1:36 pm

amother wrote:

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

After starting on a saving journey, certain habits become second nature and you won't be so uptight any more. Especially if you're saving and money isn't as tight Wink

And it really CAN be fun if you make it a challenge. (I try to guess how much my purchases will be as I'm shopping, and I'm usually within the dollar even though I don't weigh out my produce.)

I should live to see the day when I'll be able to do that! Meanwhile I have no idea of how much things cost. But as I said, I'm trying to learn...

It really does get easier. Just listen to how some of the pros can calculate the cost of a meal, tell you if a certain item is on sell, or if it is worthwhile to buy certain items in bulk or not. In the beginning, it does feel like that is all you think about, but then it starts to become part of the routine and like HY says, it becomes fun - a game - can I still have healthy, filling meals on x amount, what about if I wait on x or y, challenging yourself - if I thought something was a staple - does it have to be?

Hatzlacha!

Hashem_Yaazor

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 1:44 pm

amother wrote:

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

After starting on a saving journey, certain habits become second nature and you won't be so uptight any more. Especially if you're saving and money isn't as tight Wink

And it really CAN be fun if you make it a challenge. (I try to guess how much my purchases will be as I'm shopping, and I'm usually within the dollar even though I don't weigh out my produce.)

I should live to see the day when I'll be able to do that! Meanwhile I have no idea of how much things cost. But as I said, I'm trying to learn...

Keep receipts and when you make a shopping list, make a note of what price you paid/expect to pay. Then when you go shopping, you can see if it's way out of bounds (price jumped by $2 in between visits or whatever). Some people find it easiest to do this on the computer. Put in their shopping list and price paid, and use that template to create a new shopping list. This works well if you don't have a head for keeping track of numbers. Smile

amother

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 1:47 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

amother wrote:

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

After starting on a saving journey, certain habits become second nature and you won't be so uptight any more. Especially if you're saving and money isn't as tight Wink

And it really CAN be fun if you make it a challenge. (I try to guess how much my purchases will be as I'm shopping, and I'm usually within the dollar even though I don't weigh out my produce.)

I should live to see the day when I'll be able to do that! Meanwhile I have no idea of how much things cost. But as I said, I'm trying to learn...

How did you know???? Wink

33055

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 1:51 pm

You are doing great OP. Just by noting your expenses, you will tend to reign them in.*

My best savings trick is to round the numbers up. There are no abouts when I save. If I have $87.90 to put away. I put away $100.00. I find the money even if I have to scrounge change. I set clear firm attainable goals at the beginning of the year. When I exceed them, then the next round number goal is set. It really really works. My Rabbi calls it my obsession with round numbers. It forces you to save the extra.

Also, I use large bills. It causes me the extra pause to break say $100.00 for an ice cream. If I have a five, it is no big deal. Once I break a bill, for me it is harder to keep account of my money.

I am a terrible shopper but my DH is a great one. (We fit like Jack Sprat and his wife. Very Happy

)

One thing he does is he watches the register. Often the specials are not rung up. The very large majority of the time, he catches a mistake. Restaurants make mistakes on the checks 12% of the time I read. Often my bills are incorrect and disproportionately the "mistakes" favor the restaurant.

Another thing he does is if I want something, he will shop it around and will buy it cheaper on line. I wanted a set of Henckel knives. The ones I wanted were on sale for $150.00. He got a similar set for $35.00. That set had the same wood block and a knife sharpener and a cheese knife thrown in.

Also, he does not accept the price of items as posted. Today, he is buying a new hot-water heater for our home. He went to one plumbing supply place and saw what he wanted. He shopped it on line and called the places. b'h, he got it for half the price.

Another trick is to take really good care of what you have. I treat stains with expensive stain sticks and I avoid my dryer. The clothes last much longer.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
* This is call the Hawthorne effect whereby you change your behavior as a reaction to the fact it is being measured.

eytse

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 1:55 pm

I just want to agree - it really does get MUCH easier! I've been married for about 5 years, and at the begining I was like the OP, it was ALL I could think about. Now, it's unconscious, I just know without thinking how much various things cost at various different stores. And I notice when oatmeal or eggs go up by 10 or 20 cents. If I had one piece of advice for eating cheap, it's oatmeal and eggs! They make a much, much, much more satisfying breakfast than cereal, in less than 10 minutes of preparation, and for less than one tenth of the cost. I switch back and forth during the week, and we always have pancakes on Sunday. What can I say, I love breakfast... hatzlacha to the OP!