Saving Money - Living Within Your Means
Tips To Living Cheaper--Part One Live Cheaper Follow Some of these sacred truths You will never make enough money.
Nobody does.
The true test is to find the balance between paying the bills and living, not to mention fun.
If I need to shop in a grocery barn, remember the products are the same.
I cannot blow all my money at a bulk store that sells in huge quantities.
After two days, there isn't anything to eat for breakfast, lunch or possibly dinner that you can stand eating for another day.
I cannot get ahead by shopping for more than seven days.
I cannot economize by buying olives from Italy and caviar from Russia.
It's impossible.
Personal note: As a child, I was raised by two of the cheapest people you will ever meet.
If they ever read this column, I will totally deny I wrote this.
So basically I am calling them cheap whereas I'm saying that when push comes to shove, I was taught living cheap survival skills.
Very useful pieces of information can be learned by people who buy large as your head cans of tuna or from a woman who could make a dinner out of nothing at all while targeting the budget for softball, Scouts, haircuts, school related expenses and pretty much anything a person can think of.
Beyond bills which are generally pretty static, set a budget for the other items such as food, entertainment, miscellaneous.
These categories would be things you need to both eat and have a good time.
Basically, it has to be affordable because rent doesn't change month to month nor a mortgage.
Neither does energy and basic services.
In this article, I will tell you how some families seem to have it all together and why.
Don't budget small.
Budget big.
So say you decide it will cost you 1000 dollars to feed all of your children, you and the neighborhood.
Great.
Now the fun begins.
Yes, I said fun.
Now 1000 dollars is a lot of money.
Remember to think cheap now.
You have that in your budget now think about it.
Do you really have the stomach to spend all of that wad of cash on something that essentially passes through you?Wouldn't you rather somehow like to sweat a fiver out to maybe go get a sub?Wouldn't you like to have a spontaneous Wendy's night or whatever other kind of food you want?Wouldn't you like to go over to your local dance school and take a whole semester of dance?Good grief, anything would be better than spending all 1000 dollars on food and probably diapers and toilet paper.
So then, the game begins.
There are literally hundreds of dollars between all competing supermarkets.
There is one where the rich people shop.
There is one where the middle shop and there is one where the poor shop.
The first one looks great with high ceilings and food galore.
Some of it is even shipped in from other countries.
Who wouldn't want to shop there?Great option if you're looking to be in debt on groceries alone.
The second one will have aisles that are closer together naturally, less lighting, ceilings that are closer to the aisles but still nice flooring and a pleasant atmosphere.
In this store, you will find a balance.
Here you will be able to pick up sales but perhaps not get everything as in the first store and as its not upmarket you can survive by shopping here.
Then, there is the poor store.
It looks a lot like a barn.
Ceilings are low.
They never finished the flooring.
You feel like some down and out person when you shop there.
As for aisles that are close together, this kind of store is an expert.
Worse yet, the produce is lousy since they import it from other super markets that don't want it anymore.
As they are marketing to the people without SUV's, naturally you will think that everything there is a great deal and probably overbuy.
Rather than spending one hundred and fifty, you'll buy 200 and wonder where all the food went at the end of the week.
Part of the problem with supermarket shopping exclusively is that by mixing all those things in your cart, you really have no idea what you're spending.
The sad thing is we really think these are all our choices other than going to bulk stores like Costco (where sadly, you can buy 20 things for 200 dollars and nothing to put in your kids lunch).
So what are the other choices? Divide your money on a weekly basis into categories of need.
If there is a store that specializes in meat (even a local butcher shop), then go to it and blowyour meat money there.
As for produce, there should be a market nearby but also, somewhere in a regular sized town there is usually a warehouse that supplies restaurants.
Find it, the produce will be fabulous.
And there are usually other small stores off the radar that have hardly any choices and try so hard to get your business with all those sale signs every week, not to mention regular low prices.
Think outside of the box here.
We are so conditioned in North America to thinking that supermarkets are our way to go but that's not the case.
When in Europe, you will notice that they hardly shop at supermarkets and they are really marked up.
The specialty shops for meat and produce do a way better job and you see exactly where your money is going.
Supermarkets are then one stop shopping for carbohydrates and milk.
That's it.
Way less money is spent when you separate it.
So in the first case, splitting up your money into staples, meat and produce will work and no doubt you will save money from this food budget.
Now, may I also recommend preserving a portion of your money for really good specials?I'm talking about the kind of specials where you get a free turkey with the purchase or one or buy two and get a third free or oh my gosh, chicken nuggets for 4.
99.
Are they joking?The problem with over buying at a special is that it reduces the amount of money you can spend on the hear and now as you go for the bunker mentality.
Instead, set aside money every week to clean up on a special.
As for the supermarkets, remember that if you go to the one that is wonderful looking, you are paying for that extra space and probably the venting to smell the bread and shrimp from anywhere in the store.
As for the one in the middle, it can be a more pleasant shopping experience and offer great deals.
As for the one I mentioned as the poor option, probably lots of people shop there and there is no shame but usually the produce is terrible and not very nutritious.
Be aware of any short comings and keep in mind you will think everything is cheap and often things will not be.
When you actually go to the supermarket, make sure the money is on you in cash.
Keep your bank cards at home.
There is no reason to exceed what you've given yourself to spend.
Another way to beat your budget is to shop in meals.
First, shop for the dinners, making sure you have enough meals for seven days (I'm referring to weekly shopping as planning for fourteen days is a bit tough.
) Second, shop for breakfast food, making sure again that you have variety for seven days of breakfasts.
Then, lunch.
Remember that you don't have to spend as much on lunch if you don't want to.
You can plan ahead and buy packages of things and split them up or buy bottles of applesauce and smaller containers.
In terms of meals, lunch is the easiest one to lighten up on.
Also, try to keep about money for unmistakable necessities such as shaving cream or toilet paper.
Nobody does.
The true test is to find the balance between paying the bills and living, not to mention fun.
If I need to shop in a grocery barn, remember the products are the same.
I cannot blow all my money at a bulk store that sells in huge quantities.
After two days, there isn't anything to eat for breakfast, lunch or possibly dinner that you can stand eating for another day.
I cannot get ahead by shopping for more than seven days.
I cannot economize by buying olives from Italy and caviar from Russia.
It's impossible.
Personal note: As a child, I was raised by two of the cheapest people you will ever meet.
If they ever read this column, I will totally deny I wrote this.
So basically I am calling them cheap whereas I'm saying that when push comes to shove, I was taught living cheap survival skills.
Very useful pieces of information can be learned by people who buy large as your head cans of tuna or from a woman who could make a dinner out of nothing at all while targeting the budget for softball, Scouts, haircuts, school related expenses and pretty much anything a person can think of.
Beyond bills which are generally pretty static, set a budget for the other items such as food, entertainment, miscellaneous.
These categories would be things you need to both eat and have a good time.
Basically, it has to be affordable because rent doesn't change month to month nor a mortgage.
Neither does energy and basic services.
In this article, I will tell you how some families seem to have it all together and why.
Don't budget small.
Budget big.
So say you decide it will cost you 1000 dollars to feed all of your children, you and the neighborhood.
Great.
Now the fun begins.
Yes, I said fun.
Now 1000 dollars is a lot of money.
Remember to think cheap now.
You have that in your budget now think about it.
Do you really have the stomach to spend all of that wad of cash on something that essentially passes through you?Wouldn't you rather somehow like to sweat a fiver out to maybe go get a sub?Wouldn't you like to have a spontaneous Wendy's night or whatever other kind of food you want?Wouldn't you like to go over to your local dance school and take a whole semester of dance?Good grief, anything would be better than spending all 1000 dollars on food and probably diapers and toilet paper.
So then, the game begins.
There are literally hundreds of dollars between all competing supermarkets.
There is one where the rich people shop.
There is one where the middle shop and there is one where the poor shop.
The first one looks great with high ceilings and food galore.
Some of it is even shipped in from other countries.
Who wouldn't want to shop there?Great option if you're looking to be in debt on groceries alone.
The second one will have aisles that are closer together naturally, less lighting, ceilings that are closer to the aisles but still nice flooring and a pleasant atmosphere.
In this store, you will find a balance.
Here you will be able to pick up sales but perhaps not get everything as in the first store and as its not upmarket you can survive by shopping here.
Then, there is the poor store.
It looks a lot like a barn.
Ceilings are low.
They never finished the flooring.
You feel like some down and out person when you shop there.
As for aisles that are close together, this kind of store is an expert.
Worse yet, the produce is lousy since they import it from other super markets that don't want it anymore.
As they are marketing to the people without SUV's, naturally you will think that everything there is a great deal and probably overbuy.
Rather than spending one hundred and fifty, you'll buy 200 and wonder where all the food went at the end of the week.
Part of the problem with supermarket shopping exclusively is that by mixing all those things in your cart, you really have no idea what you're spending.
The sad thing is we really think these are all our choices other than going to bulk stores like Costco (where sadly, you can buy 20 things for 200 dollars and nothing to put in your kids lunch).
So what are the other choices? Divide your money on a weekly basis into categories of need.
If there is a store that specializes in meat (even a local butcher shop), then go to it and blowyour meat money there.
As for produce, there should be a market nearby but also, somewhere in a regular sized town there is usually a warehouse that supplies restaurants.
Find it, the produce will be fabulous.
And there are usually other small stores off the radar that have hardly any choices and try so hard to get your business with all those sale signs every week, not to mention regular low prices.
Think outside of the box here.
We are so conditioned in North America to thinking that supermarkets are our way to go but that's not the case.
When in Europe, you will notice that they hardly shop at supermarkets and they are really marked up.
The specialty shops for meat and produce do a way better job and you see exactly where your money is going.
Supermarkets are then one stop shopping for carbohydrates and milk.
That's it.
Way less money is spent when you separate it.
So in the first case, splitting up your money into staples, meat and produce will work and no doubt you will save money from this food budget.
Now, may I also recommend preserving a portion of your money for really good specials?I'm talking about the kind of specials where you get a free turkey with the purchase or one or buy two and get a third free or oh my gosh, chicken nuggets for 4.
99.
Are they joking?The problem with over buying at a special is that it reduces the amount of money you can spend on the hear and now as you go for the bunker mentality.
Instead, set aside money every week to clean up on a special.
As for the supermarkets, remember that if you go to the one that is wonderful looking, you are paying for that extra space and probably the venting to smell the bread and shrimp from anywhere in the store.
As for the one in the middle, it can be a more pleasant shopping experience and offer great deals.
As for the one I mentioned as the poor option, probably lots of people shop there and there is no shame but usually the produce is terrible and not very nutritious.
Be aware of any short comings and keep in mind you will think everything is cheap and often things will not be.
When you actually go to the supermarket, make sure the money is on you in cash.
Keep your bank cards at home.
There is no reason to exceed what you've given yourself to spend.
Another way to beat your budget is to shop in meals.
First, shop for the dinners, making sure you have enough meals for seven days (I'm referring to weekly shopping as planning for fourteen days is a bit tough.
) Second, shop for breakfast food, making sure again that you have variety for seven days of breakfasts.
Then, lunch.
Remember that you don't have to spend as much on lunch if you don't want to.
You can plan ahead and buy packages of things and split them up or buy bottles of applesauce and smaller containers.
In terms of meals, lunch is the easiest one to lighten up on.
Also, try to keep about money for unmistakable necessities such as shaving cream or toilet paper.
Source...