May 11 | Money Saving Tips
Every Monday in 2015, I’ll be sharing a different idea to help you save money! Add all of these tips to your frugal repertoire and you’ll be able to save a lot of money this year! I hope you’ll gather a few new ideas or at least some inspiration from this series.
Ever since my husband and I were married almost 8 years ago, I’ve been planning our weekly menu. Even if I didn’t take the time to write things down, I still had a few meals in mind that would get us through the week. It’s in my nature to be a planner so planning a menu was obvious for my own sanity. But, even if you’re more of an impromptu cook, today I’d like to touch on the importance of menu planning. Especially if you’re looking to save money and some sanity. We’re all busy people so the power of a plan can help each of us tremendously!
Menu Planning Keeps the budget in check
Groceries cost a lot. Save yourself some financial stress by planning your meals and your shopping list based on what’s on sale and what you already have in your pantry. With a menu plan in place, you only have to purchase the ingredients you need create the meals you’ve picked. That’s how I spend less than $50 some weeks on groceries.
Your Time and Sanity are Important Too
Whether you work outside the home or you’re a stay-at-home parent, we’re all juggling a ton of activities on a daily basis. While planning a menu in the first place takes a bit of time, it will definitely save you time and restore sanity in the end. You will always have the ingredients you need to create a meal from your planned menu. No running to the store for a last minute item or opening the fridge and cupboards 500 times to figure out what to make for dinner. Or realizing it’s 5pm and you just spent an hour trying to find a great recipe when dinner could have already been on the table. With a plan in place, all you have to do is pick a meal from the list and make it!
Menu Planning Reduces Waste
Have you ever bought food from the grocery store thinking you’ll use it for something, but end up throwing it out instead? If you stick to the grocery list that you created based on your planned meals, you won’t be purchasing anything that you won’t use. In turn, creating less waste, both in the food sense and financial sense!
Related: 11 Ways to Reduce Food Waste
I believe that having a menu plan to save money and your sanity cannot be stressed enough. Menu planning has made my life so much easier and I’ve heard the same from many others. Sometimes, the menu plan is the only thing in the day that goes as planned!
See the other articles in this series, here.
May 4 | Money Saving Tips
Every Monday in 2015, I’ll be sharing a different idea to help you save money! Add all of these tips to your frugal repertoire and you’ll be able to save a lot of money this year! I hope you’ll gather a few new ideas or at least some inspiration from this series.
Are you guys enjoying this series? Have you learned anything new or gained some inspiration? I’ve been having a lot of fun writing these posts!
One way to save a bundle every day is to make substitutions for things you buy or do regularly. I think it’s possible to find a substitute for so many things these days. The list could go on and on!
When I say make substitutions, I don’t mean necessarily have to stop doing and eating everything you love. Just find a cheaper, and quite possibly, a better way to do it. If you love to stop for coffee, purchase a french press or an Aeropress for at home or work and start making your own instead of going to a coffee shop. Or, if you enjoy getting your nails done, why not find a friend who enjoys painting nails to do it for you? Make an afternoon of it!
Here are a few of the ways I like to make substitutions at home:
Sometimes making substitutions could be as simple as buying a carton of whipping cream (to whip yourself) instead of a can of pre-made whipping cream. Or for some frugal fun, why not find a new-to-you hiking trail instead of dishing out money for a local attraction. Or maybe you’re forced to make a substitution because you ran out of something. Check out this list of 100 Emergency Ingredient Substitutions.
As you go about your week, try to think of some substitutions you can make. Challenge yourself! I’m going to try my hand at some homemade bread. The bread maker has been sitting for far too long. 🙂
What are some ways you make substitutions in your life to help save money?
See the other articles in this series, here.
Apr 20 | Money Saving Tips
Every Monday in 2015, I’ll be sharing a different idea to help you save money! Add all of these tips to your frugal repertoire and you’ll be able to save a lot of money this year! I hope you’ll gather a few new ideas or at least some inspiration from this series.
Today’s 52 Ways to Save post is inspired by this amazing community garage sale that I hit up with some friends over the weekend. It was great! There were at least 40 garage sales in this one community. They even provided a map of all the sales!
And with that, learn to save big at garage sales with these tips:
Find the Sales
Before you jump in the car to find garage sales, you might be wise to do a little research beforehand. The night before you head out, be sure to take a look at the sales in your area. When you look at the garage sales in your area, you can plan to hit the sales closest to you so you’re not driving all over the place. Plus, having a clear plan of action in place will help you save big because you’re not going from one end of the city to the other then back again. Here’s where you can look for garage sales in your area:
- Your local newspapers
- Craigslist/Kijiji
- Facebook Buy & Sell groups (I find people often post about their upcoming garage sales)
Write a List
Making a list of items you’re looking for can also be a money saver. Garage sales can be really exciting with all.the.neat.things that you must have for so cheap. All those neat things can add up to a lot of clutter and wasted money. So grab a pen and paper and start listing the items you hope to find that you will actually need. Get specific, especially when it comes to kids clothes. Over the weekend, I was on the hunt for 2 pairs of pants, 3 t-shirts, 2 pairs of summer PJ’s and a great pair of sandals for my daughter. I managed to keep most of my money because I could overlook all the cute things she didn’t need (dresses! skirts! sweaters!).
Be prepared
Now, it’s garage sale day. But before you jump in the car, make sure you’re stocked up on snacks and your beverages of choice. A day of garage saleing can be long and you don’t want to spend more at the drive-thru then you did on your garage sale treasures.
Bring cash
Make sure to have cash on you when you start. If you come across something that you must have, you don’t want to run to the bank and risk that item being sold to someone else! Having smaller bills and change is ideal.
Get ready to bargain
I’ll admit that bargaining isn’t my forte, but I did however, manage to do a tiny bit of bargaining over the weekend! I think most people expect you to offer a different price actually. So, just ask! The worst they can say No and the best they can say is Yes! Just make sure you offer something reasonable. Sort of lame, but one person said I could have my purchase for $8, but I countered with $7 (because I had a $5 and a toonie). He accepted and I’m pleased with the deal I got on two jeans in brand-new condition and a t-shirt!
Another trick I learned is to see if they’ll let you fill a bag for a fixed price. As I was digging through the kids clothes at one home, I was offered a plastic shopping bag that I could fill for $5. I would have jumped on this but I couldn’t find anything in the right size for my daughter.
Buy these items
I find that buying these types of items at garage sales will save you a load of cash in the long run:
- Wedding supplies: Once our wedding was over, I sold all the candle holders and table runners that we had purchased. You might find similar items yourself!
- Craft supplies: I’ve also sold a ton of fabric and card making supplies in garage sales over the years.
- Collector items: If you’re a collector of a particular item, garage sales could be a gold mine for you!
- Kid clothes: Can’t go wrong with buying kids clothes. Most of them will be in excellent shape since kids usually outgrow them before they get too worn.
- Large baby/kid items: While I am quite hesitant to buy used car seats, I don’t think you can go wrong buying things like excersaucers, baby swings, high chairs and outdoor toys.
Since I didn’t find everything on my list at the community garage sale this past weekend, I plan on hitting up more future sales armed with the tips I listed.
What are your tips for saving at garage sales? What are some of your must-buy items?
See the other articles in this series, here.
Mar 30 | Money Saving Tips
Every Monday in 2015, I’ll be sharing a different idea to help you save money! Add all of these tips to your frugal repertoire and you’ll be able to save a lot of money this year! I hope you’ll gather a few new ideas or at least some inspiration from this series.
For today’s 52 Ways to Save post, we’ll be talking about buying items in bulk!
I find that buying items I use often end up being cheaper in the long run when I purchase them in large quantities. Most grocery stores sell items in bulk which can result in a lower price. (When you’re comparing the cost per weight between a small package and a large package). For example, purchasing a 10kg bag of flour is cheaper (according to weight) than a 5kg bag.
However, it’s not always good to buy everything in bulk. Take the example of a 10 pound bag of potatoes For our family specifically, since it’s just my husband and I and our daughter (who doesn’t eat much), buying the big 10 lb bag of potatoes is not a good use of money for us. If I purchased the large bag there would be guaranteed waste. Which is essentially like throwing money down the drain!
What to Buy in Bulk
What you should buy in bulk will depend on your own family. Take a look at the items you regularly buy a lot of that have a long shelf life or will keep well in the freezer.
For our family, I buy flour, tomato soup, rice, meat and beans in large quantities. Up until recently, I was also buying large boxes of diapers and baby wipes.
What not to Buy in Bulk
Buying in bulk can often save you a lot of money in the long run, however there are times when it’s wise to skip the large quantities.
1. Don’t buy things you won’t use up in time
Going back to my example of the 10 pound bags of potatoes. As I mentioned, this would not be a smart purchase for our family because I know all the potatoes won’t be used up in time.
2. Don’t buy things if you’re not sure you’re going to love them
Sure, that big bag of dried beans may be a great deal, but if your family doesn’t love beans then that bag is just going to sit around collecting dust. You may have good intentions in wanting your family to eat more beans, but you are better off getting them used to the taste of beans with smaller bags or cans.
3. Don’t store your bulk items carelessly
Make sure to store your bulk items properly and check them often. the last thing you want to do is find your grains bug infested! Many bulk items can be frozen to extend their life. Here are some things that freeze well:
- Meat (either cooked or uncooked)
- Flour
- Fresh fruit (strawberries, peaches, cherries)
- Vegetables (beans, corn, tomatoes…etc)
- Butter
- Breads, pastries and baked goods (cookies, muffins)
- Cooked rice
Another option for bulk purchases is splitting a large purchase with friends or family members. You’ll all reap the savings while reducing the possibility of waste because you have a quantity that is more manageable for each family.
So tell me, do you buy in bulk? Have you ever made a bulk purchase mistake?
See the other articles in this series, here.
Mar 16 | Money Saving Tips
Every Monday in 2015, I’ll be sharing a different idea to help you save money! Add all of these tips to your frugal repertoire and you’ll be able to save a lot of money this year! I hope you’ll gather a few new ideas or at least some inspiration from this series.
One way to save money is by earning a little extra money! One of my favourite ways to earn a little extra happens to be selling my unwanted clothing. While I’m not a big name brand shopper, I often have clothes that are in great condition that sell well in consignment shops. You’ve probably seen me write about the powers of selling used stuff in local Facebook Buy & Sell groups, but for what ever the reason, I don’t have much success selling clothing on these sites. So consignment is my go-to for selling unwanted clothes.
Here are my tips to help you get the most money out of the items you bring to consignment:
Make sure your items are clean
Give your gently-worn clothes a wash to freshen them up and to get any stains out, you’ll have more luck selling items that are in great shape.
Make sure your items are ironed
Going along with my previous point, having clothes that are newly ironed will help your items sell for top dollar.
Make sure your items are current/in style
You will have the best luck selling more “current” clothing; nobody wants to wear your grandmother’s polyester pants!
Don’t hold on to something you know you won’t wear
The longer you hold on to an item you know you won’t wear, the less it will be worth when you decide to finally clear your closet.
Brand names sell well
There are many many people out there that want the brand name clothing at a fraction of the cost. Consignment stores are a great place to bring your brand name clothing to get a bit of return on your investment!
On the opposite side of things, consignment stores are also a great place to find a deal on clothing you may need yourself! This week’s 52 Ways to Save post will have you earning and saving! 😉
Do you have any tips for selling your clothing in consignment stores? Have you ever snagged a brag worthy deal?
See the other articles in this series, here.
