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I belong to a bunch of frugal message boards. Some I visit regularly, others not so often. The following tips came from various boards over the course of the last couple of years.
1. Shop your sales!!!! I rarely did this until a year ago and just on meat alone, I bet I save $100 a month. That is a huge savings for any family. We have 3 good sized stores, plus a Walmart Supercenter, but luckily they are all within 2 miles of each other. I get my ads on Monday (or Wednesday in the regular ads) and make out my menu accordingly. Each store has a different meat on sale, so there is almost always a beef, chicken or pork cut on sale. It’s the same for paper products, canned goods, etc. I always TRY to buy on sale. If it’s not on sale, I have an idea of whose prices are best and go from there. Pay cash and don’t use credit cards. It can be easy to rationalize a purchase if the plastic is in your wallet so leave it at home.
2. Record your spending.This way you know where your money is going. Then make the changes
3. Buying only what you need is good advice, however in order to stay good, all of us must have a little treat once in a while. When it comes to groceries…. Spend !!! When the price on something that the family eats is on sale…BUY IT !!! If your family likes mac and cheese and it goes on sale for 8/$1.00 buy 24, cereal .99c a box buy 20. This is what I do. It may sound extreme but my family can eat 2 or 3 boxes of mac and cheese and 2 boxes of cereal a week. Just remember to rotate your food: New in back, old in front to be used first. Be organized!!! Know what you have so you don’t buy a second one, combine your errands, know what size the kids wear etc so you can take advantage of the sales, so you don’t run out and buy something that you already have in a closet.
4. Always think before you purchase! Ask yourself, do I really need this? Do I have something already that might serve the same purpose?
5. Mine would be to take the time to think and plan before you start ANYTHING. If you always have a plan in mind before you hit the grocery store, you’re less likely to be sidetracked. If you already have a plan for your money, you’re less likely to be tempted to do something else with it. If your time is already planned, less opportunity to waste it.
6. My tip would be that buying in bulk or at a warehouse is not always cheaper..even if you don’t use coupons when your not buying in bulk! For example I went to Costco with my mom this week, the FIRST thing they had in view of people coming in was a pack of three boxes of Nutrigrain bars for 6.99. My Ralphs JUST had those SAME boxes on sale for 2$ each! I felt so bad for the people buying the box of nutrigrain bars at Costco There were even coupons out that would have made them FREE, 50 cents or .90 cents each, depending on what coupon you had! There were SO many other things like that but that was the best example that comes to mind.
7. I would say to at least consider second hand clothing and dented can stores. I have saved tons at both. Dented can stores also sell, dented boxes, ie-cereal boxes with dented corners (bag inside is intact). I have also purchased many LL bean clothes and so forth at K-mart prices cause they were used.
8. Shop at thrift stores and yard sales. If I have something in mind, it only takes me one or two trips to find what I was looking for. Recently I decided I really needed an adding machine if I was going to do my budget justice. I have calculators but I wanted one that was bigger and with a print option. The next day, having forgotten about the adding machine, I walked into a thrift store and there was one on the shelf. I paid $3.00 for it. It is a TI and just like the ones we have at work that cost $20.00. I find that it pays to shop there as long as you keep in mind that there has to be a need for the item.
Here’s a few copycat recipes that you can try at home.
Taco Bell Chalupa Supreme
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/2 cup water
4 (whole) pieces of Pita Bread
Oil (for deep-frying)
Sour cream
Shredded lettuce
Shredded Cheddar/jack cheese
Diced tomatoes
Mix dried onion with water in a small bowl and let stand for five minutes. Combine ground beef, flour, chili powder, paprika and salt. Mix well. Add onions and water. Mix again. In a skillet, cook beef mixture until browned. Stir often while cooking so no large chunks form; it should be more like a paste. Remove from heat and keep warm. In a deep-fryer (or you can use a skillet) deep fry the bread for 30 seconds. Let drain on absorbent towels. Build Chalupas starting with meat, then sour cream, lettuce cheese, and tomatoes in that order. Top with hot sauce or salsa if desired.
Olive Garden Chicken Marsala
4 Chicken half-breasts — pound 1/4″ thick — skinned & Deboned
1/4 cup Wondra flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
4 tablespoons Oil
4 tablespoons Butter/margarine
1 cup Fresh mushrooms — sliced
1/2 cup Marsala wine
Combine flour, salt, pepper and oregano and blend well. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet until bubbling lightly. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off the excess. Cook the chicken on medium heat for about 2 minutes on the first side, until lightly brown. As you turn the breasts to the second side to cook, add the mushrooms around the chicken pieces. Cook about 2 more minutes, until lightly browned on the second side. Stir the mushrooms. When the second side is lightly browned, add the wine around the pieces, cover the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes.
A-1 Sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons chili sauce[/list]
Bring to a boil for 2 minutes stirring. Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm. Put mixture in a blender till it is pureed. Pour in bottle. Cap tightly and refrigerate to use within 90 days
