As taken from my facebook page: (Gotta love all my friends for weighing in on this topic!)
ME: Okay folks, we're going without credit cards in 2011... any shopping tips for saving money without eating mac-n-cheese/ ramen every day?
1. Aldis is a great place to save money when grocery shopping.
2. Lentils, rice, homemade pasta (super easy!), garden, canning. :)
3. Oh yeah gardening and canning for sure!
4. Make sure that you use your freezer! We save a ton on food by buying larger quantities of things when they are on sale and freezing what we are not going to use right away.
ME: I'm trying the coupon clipping thing for the first time... advice please?!?!
5. Go to eBay u can buy them. check it out!
6. COUPONS! I use coupons.com alot. Also, something I've been doing recently is going to websites of products I use alot (especially like health & beauty stuff) and see if they have any coupons you can print. I recently got $2 any Clean & Clear products...sometimes you have to sign up to get them but definitely worth it!
7. I hardly ever use coupons but I buy generic all the time! Just make sure the generic isn't higher in salt and sugar :) I only use coupons for things I refuse up but generic like cheerios. Also totally agree with eating beans...we eat vegetarian 3-4 times a week and my 2 year old loves it!
8. re: beans, don't be afraid of dry beans. They are way cheaper than canned beans and are super easy if you own a crock pot. Truthfully, I don't use coupons, but I do buy a lot of generic brands if they look comparable. Be wary of the high fructose corn syrup, though - that ingredient does NOT make something a bargain, in my opinion.
9. 1. Aldi. 2. Aldi. 3. Aldi. :)
10. We are on the Dave Ramsey plan for finances...it has been almost a year now...overall, working pretty well. We work out of an envelope system budget.
11. coupons around here are hard since there isn't much grocery competition and they hardly do the double coupons. but i agree with patty and do use coupons for the things you always use - go to the product website.
12. just don't go too much to the "evil empire" of Wal-Mart. I will be the first to admit however....sometimes saving a buck means saving a buck!!!
13. This was our 2010 resolution. We just celebrated 1 year using no plastic. I stockpile when sales hit, that helps.And by stockpile I mean if an item is on sale for a really great price, I buy one or two more than normal. Helps and saves on "emergency" runs to the store for that one item that turns into ten.
14. We have not used plastic or credit in over two years. Buy Dave Ramsey's book "Total Money Makeover" . We took his class in August 2008 and haven't looked back. And of course I use coupons but only if the item is on sale too! Also you have to have a budget with every cent going somewhere. Start emergency fund also so ur not tempted with those cards.
15. We also use the envelope cash system. One tip - be sure to give yourselves one envelope of "fun" money - doesn't matter how much, or what you spend it on, but you need to have a little bit of discretionary funds to play with.
16. I now buy all of our bread products at Gardner's Bakery in town. It helps to save some cost.
17. We have several friends in Atlanta who follow Dave Ramsey and they actually get to "live" life! We're only buying the "needs" this year. Our goal is to move back to Texas permanently within the next five years. Life is less expensive in every way, in Texas. I guess my point is we've made short term goals and long term goals and we're starting "small" and hoping to move to a life without plastic within the next two years. Finally, by year five, hopefully we've not just committed to make a lifestyle change, but actually living the lifestyle and living life!
18. Oh, and we're doing Dave as well. Nothing empowers you like making a major purchase using cash.....unless it's saving it and watching it grow. Good luck! First 8 weeks are the hardest, and then it becomes habit.
19. I always ask whether it's a "need" or a "want" - that goes for food, material items, and even leisure activities. Been doing it for at least 5 years and really heavy since economic collapse of 2008. We were able to not only pay off debt but establish a *very* healthy investment savings since then. Just find what works best for your family because then you will stick to it!!
Happy new year!
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