Cost saving ideas

Join our amazing community
Share what you know, learn something new!
register

sweetpumkinpye

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Apr 23, 2008
16,882
20,646
113
59
Canberra, Australia
I am interested in reading about what you all do to save money every month. We are going through a bit of a change here and I want to really start cutting back on household costs.
Any recipes or hints for saving money would be appreciated.
 
  • Like
Reactions: luludou

teachermomof2

Santa's Elves
Premiere Member
Oct 27, 2007
14,638
4,491
113
PA
  • We buy our beef in bulk. It saves us a lot of money.
  • I also started shopping at Aldi. Not sure if that is an option in Australia. It has cut our meat and produce costs down significantly. I still visit Walmart for some items, but get a lot of groceries there.
  • Use Ibotta....the refunds are great. I can share a referral code if you are interested
  • Plan your shopping list and menus....cuts down on random purchases.
  • Buy items on sale that you use a lot and stock up.
 

MrsSoup

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Oct 13, 2007
19,148
10,587
113
Missouri
  • We cut cable and just use Netflix and Hulu for television and then we found out our cable company had a streaming option so we added that back in, but we are still saving over $100 every month by not having all the boxes, etc.
  • Cancel subscriptions that you don't need, if you have any.
  • Meal plan and always shop with a list. Don't shop hungry!
  • Price check, when possible, the prices between different stores and shop where things are cheapest. Here on island things are so expensive but a lot of times I can find the same item cheaper at Target (by price matching) or Sam's Club (produce and other items sometimes). It helps if you can check the prices online.
  • I also like to stock up on paper goods or other household essentials when I can. Also things like ketchup or condiments, etc. that will keep if they are on sale and we use them frequently. We run out of ketchup and Ranch quickly so I try to keep a spare or two in the pantry.
  • I don't run to the store for one or two items. I wait until I have an actual list of needed items. This prevents impulse buying.
I know you do most of this already so it probably really wasn't helpful. Wish I had better tips or ideas.
 

sweetpumkinpye

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Apr 23, 2008
16,882
20,646
113
59
Canberra, Australia
Thanks all for the hints. It is a bit different living in Australia. We do have Aldi and I shop there often.
I don't meal plan as well as I should so that is something that I could look into. I also impulse buy a fair bit, I really need to cut that out, bread and milk suddenly cost $25 because of the extras that go into the basket.
 

missjane

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Oct 13, 2007
8,825
6,256
113
Louisiana
If the stores there have the option to order online and pickup, it will help prevent impulse buying. If possible, shop for two weeks rather than one. Keep a running list of items you run out of, so you aren't running back to the store for forgotten items. The more trips to the store one makes, the more they spend.

Plan trips to do things (grocery shopping, hair cuts, doctor appointments, post office, etc.) in a logical order so you aren't driving back and forth.

Eat more casseroles, soups, stews, etc., that don't require a large serving of meat per person. Eat one or two meatless meals per week.

Avoid buying national brand items and opt for store brand.

I don't pound chicken breasts, but I do split them horizontally, so one becomes two.
 

Minta

Super Moderator
Staff member
Premiere Member
Oct 14, 2007
1,989
1,994
113
50
South NJ
I have 2 containers in the freezer, one for veggies and one for spaghetti sauce. Whenever we have sauce or veggies left over and if its not enough to be used for lunch the day they go into their container in the freezer. Once the container is full its enough to be used for another family email. The veggies get used in a soup or casserole. I stock up when items we use are at rock bottom prices. I make lot of things from scratch: pancakes, waffles, cookies, brownies, corn bread, etc.. I always have all the ingredients on hands and its much cheaper to make from scratch.
 

missjane

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Oct 13, 2007
8,825
6,256
113
Louisiana
Even though Bounty dinner napkins cost more up front, I've found they are better quality and my family uses only one, whereas cheaper brands, they use multiple napkins at meals. Better yet, use fabric napkins which can be washed and reused.
 

girlsinmo

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Jan 1, 2008
3,996
1,668
113
MO
As DH will be retiring in a few months this thread catches my interested. We only have 1 grocery store here & a Dollar General(DG) dollar store but we're getting a Dollar Tree later in the year. I've already begin cutting all the bills & subscriptions we can. Cable would be a big one to cut but DH won't let go of his cable.

DG has a coupon only good on Saturdays where if you buy at least $25 worth you can get $5 off with the coupon. I try to wait till Saturday to get a better price.
 

teachermomof2

Santa's Elves
Premiere Member
Oct 27, 2007
14,638
4,491
113
PA
Even though Bounty dinner napkins cost more up front, I've found they are better quality and my family uses only one, whereas cheaper brands, they use multiple napkins at meals. Better yet, use fabric napkins which can be washed and reused.

Bounty are my favorite! It's one of the things I splurge on!
 

MrsSoup

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Oct 13, 2007
19,148
10,587
113
Missouri
If any of you have Target near you, pay attention to their weekly ad. A lot of times they have household products (i.e. cleaning products, paper goods, medicines, etc) buy 3 of certain kinds and get a $5 or $10 gift card free. There are sometimes certain size requirements for the products but they aren't crazy. Just an FYI, you can also price match using the app and a lot of those products have a price match on the app.
 

missjane

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Oct 13, 2007
8,825
6,256
113
Louisiana
DG let's you coupon stack and had coupons on their app.
 

Holiday_Mom

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Sep 12, 2009
3,808
6,160
113
I have a household notebook with names of the stores I like to shop. For example, when I find an item we use that is a really good price at specific store, I write that item down and next to it I write the everyday price. We needed a Brita water filter systerm. Walmart and Target carry the same Brita Filter system. Walmart's price is $8 less than Target. I bought the filter at Walmart.

The notebook is also good for me to keep track of what brands are carried at what store. For example, I was looking for Cold Eeze. Walmart carries it and also has their own brand of the zinc lozengers. Target does not carry it. However, Target carries the 300 count of multivitamins and Walmart does not.

Keeping the notebook helps me with staying on track of what to buy and where. I know what exactly I want to buy at each store I go to and I tend not to throw extra things into the cart.
 

AuntJamelle

Well-Known Member
Premiere Member
Oct 22, 2007
4,320
2,643
113
South Bend, IN
I do the same thing Mary - CEO called it a Price Book :)

I keep mine in a Google spreadsheet now. Receipts and online grocery ads/websites are great sources to build your pricebook - it can help you save money short term and long term.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ahorsesoul