Often times, when you go to the grocery store, there are several items that are marked down – yellow tags, red tags, blue lights – a colorful array of possible savings. Just make sure you’re doing comparison shopping. This is something that my mother engrained in me from an early age and now it’s automatic when I hit the grocery store. I happened to notice myself doing it the other day & thought, hey, great blog idea!
Comparison shopping doesn’t have to be the difference between buying a generic product over a brand-named product. Sometimes you can get a discount on a big name item just by purchasing a larger or smaller size of the exact same product. For example, when I went to the store the other day to buy conditioner (which I use a TON of), the smaller bottles were on sale, but even with the sale price they were (per volume) still just slightly more than the bigger bottles. Sometimes sales are just an attention grabber.
On the flip side, companies will generally offer specials on their larger items. You may think, “why buy a small bottle of ketchup when the giant size is only a few bucks more?!” Well, you have to think about whether you’ll use the whole bottle of ketchup. Sometimes we buy huge items since they’re cheaper, in hopes that the whole product will be used. Oftentimes, those are pipe dreams, and the reality of the situation is that you could have saved a few bucks by knowing to buy only what you’ll really need.
So while a few cents may not sound like much of a difference, over the years, if you continue to comparison shop, you’ll find that you save a lot more just by taking a few extra seconds to make some quick, easy calculations.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Sort Through Those Colorful Sales
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
What a Night!
This past Saturday was just GREAT!!!
I had an Awesome time with our Savings Race Family at the Nutter Center.
This was a great night for everyone ( Go WSU Raiders Go!!! )
The team ( Basketball-Raiders ) and our fans were so welcoming as we all cheered our Families on during the half-time show. We did not win but; we did get 1 basket!! That was our Goal for the night ( ha, ha )!!!
I wanted to say THANK YOU for always having faith and supporting our Bledsoe Family. Talk to you next week.
Coach Jayme :0)
I had an Awesome time with our Savings Race Family at the Nutter Center.
This was a great night for everyone ( Go WSU Raiders Go!!! )
The team ( Basketball-Raiders ) and our fans were so welcoming as we all cheered our Families on during the half-time show. We did not win but; we did get 1 basket!! That was our Goal for the night ( ha, ha )!!!
I wanted to say THANK YOU for always having faith and supporting our Bledsoe Family. Talk to you next week.
Coach Jayme :0)
The Joys of Homeownership
Last month it was the bathroom, this month it is the kitchen.
Yep, our kitchen has decided to go on strike. In one week: the stove top on our gas oven stopped igniting without the help of a lighter, the sink started to back up into and underneath our dishwasher (which is always dead), and our fridge is slowly "warming up" to the point it needs to be replaced real soon.
But facing all this we are "OK." Our coaches have taught us how to prioritize and reprioritize, and we will find the money somewhere by doing without something else. Also, thankfully we have our home shield warranty, which should cover the oven and the dishwasher and we have a "handy" friend who gives us a discount on labor and he is going to take a look at the sink. And I can take care of fixing/replacing the water damaged floor. This old house of house is teaching me to be quite the handy person :)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Cookin' Time!
Dave and I realized sometime last week that our deep freezer was getting low, only a few more meals left. Also, unbelievably, my weekend was pretty open (Dave had to work all week; he's on "sevens" right now). So, Saturday morning I made the list of recipes to make (somewhere between 10 and 15 recipes) and then the long and tedious task of multiplying the recipes and making the grocery list. Once the list was complete, it was off to GFS. Dave and I love GFS. We think the quality of bulk food (frozen and fresh) is so much better than the prepackaged food at the "other bulk stores." I was able to get most of the ingredients (mostly the veggies and meat) at GFS and then it was off to Cub for the rest of the ingredients. Came under $400 and spent less than 2 hours shopping. Yay!
I had plans to go out Saturday night, so Dave agreed to do some of the prep work (cooking and chopping the meat, chopping the veggies, etc), so almost everything was ready for me when I started to cook Sunday morning. Two friends, Christy and Heather, came over to hang out and help me prepare the meals. I am so greatful for their help. With Dave at work, I would have never gotten through half of what we did. We spent 5 hours gabbing and cooking, and it was pretty fun.
We freeze the meals in 8x8 baking pans. They all include meat and veggies in some way and are enough to feed both of us and a friend, or leftovers for the next day. This amount will continue to come in handy when we are able to adopt and bring a child into our lives. So the kitchen is still a mess (our dishwasher is broken), but we were able to prep and freeze 60 meals for $400. That's $6.66 a meal or $2.22 a person!!!!!
I had plans to go out Saturday night, so Dave agreed to do some of the prep work (cooking and chopping the meat, chopping the veggies, etc), so almost everything was ready for me when I started to cook Sunday morning. Two friends, Christy and Heather, came over to hang out and help me prepare the meals. I am so greatful for their help. With Dave at work, I would have never gotten through half of what we did. We spent 5 hours gabbing and cooking, and it was pretty fun.
We freeze the meals in 8x8 baking pans. They all include meat and veggies in some way and are enough to feed both of us and a friend, or leftovers for the next day. This amount will continue to come in handy when we are able to adopt and bring a child into our lives. So the kitchen is still a mess (our dishwasher is broken), but we were able to prep and freeze 60 meals for $400. That's $6.66 a meal or $2.22 a person!!!!!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Update on January's Resolution
Sooooooooo… (as I’m sure you all thought I would) I went to Starbucks. But it’s not what you think!
Isn’t that what they all say?
No, really, I was invited to coffee for my brother’s birthday. My mom treated all of us to a drink of our choice, & because I had missed the birthday dinner, she also treated me to one of The Bux’s fancy new lunch wraps.
When I got my drink, it was as though I’d been lost in the desert and was looking at a mirage. I imagined that at any second it would disappear. And it did – right into my tummy.
Is this “cheating” on my resolution? I suppose it may be, but it was so good to spend time with my family, plus I didn’t have to spend any money, so I’m going to let myself slide just this one time, and I’m hoping all of you will, too.
Other than that, I have been behaving myself very well. Every day that goes by, I am less and less tempted to go there… and my savings account loves that.
Isn’t that what they all say?
No, really, I was invited to coffee for my brother’s birthday. My mom treated all of us to a drink of our choice, & because I had missed the birthday dinner, she also treated me to one of The Bux’s fancy new lunch wraps.
When I got my drink, it was as though I’d been lost in the desert and was looking at a mirage. I imagined that at any second it would disappear. And it did – right into my tummy.
Is this “cheating” on my resolution? I suppose it may be, but it was so good to spend time with my family, plus I didn’t have to spend any money, so I’m going to let myself slide just this one time, and I’m hoping all of you will, too.
Other than that, I have been behaving myself very well. Every day that goes by, I am less and less tempted to go there… and my savings account loves that.
The Power of a Dollar!
Nowadays, a dollar doesn’t seem to stretch as far as it used to, or as far as we’d like it to, but there is one place where a dollar could turn into one of a zillion cool items.
“Dollar stores” have been around for as long as I can remember; offering cheap prices on tons of brand name products. My favorite is the store where everything truly is a dollar or less. I pick up anything and everything that I need for my home there. Dish soap, detergent, plates (I mean, REAL plates!), cards, decorations – EVERYTHING!!! Why spend three times as much on the exact same items? Those who haven’t been to the dollar store lately may believe that what’s sold there is nothing but junk, expired, or generic items, but it’s not true! Most dollar stores buy brand name products from major retailers who are simply getting rid of their overages. And you can benefit greatly from it.
BUT….
Just remember that when you go to the dollar stores that you CAN easily overindulge! Everything is so cheap that you may walk in and grab a basket, then realize you need a cart, then stroll up to the counter with $50 worth of items. I’ve certainly been guilty of this myself. Not often, but sometimes I go there and go a little crazy. If you’re buying everything that you absolutely need, that might be alright. If it’s something you’re doing once a week, and finding that you’re taking home more “wants” than “needs,” you could be digging yourself a hole. Keep yourself on a tight leash by taking a list (& sticking to it!), as well as only the specific amount of money you plan to spend there (and maybe an extra buck or two for something fun).
If you haven’t been there lately, get out there & rediscover the power of the dollar.
“Dollar stores” have been around for as long as I can remember; offering cheap prices on tons of brand name products. My favorite is the store where everything truly is a dollar or less. I pick up anything and everything that I need for my home there. Dish soap, detergent, plates (I mean, REAL plates!), cards, decorations – EVERYTHING!!! Why spend three times as much on the exact same items? Those who haven’t been to the dollar store lately may believe that what’s sold there is nothing but junk, expired, or generic items, but it’s not true! Most dollar stores buy brand name products from major retailers who are simply getting rid of their overages. And you can benefit greatly from it.
BUT….
Just remember that when you go to the dollar stores that you CAN easily overindulge! Everything is so cheap that you may walk in and grab a basket, then realize you need a cart, then stroll up to the counter with $50 worth of items. I’ve certainly been guilty of this myself. Not often, but sometimes I go there and go a little crazy. If you’re buying everything that you absolutely need, that might be alright. If it’s something you’re doing once a week, and finding that you’re taking home more “wants” than “needs,” you could be digging yourself a hole. Keep yourself on a tight leash by taking a list (& sticking to it!), as well as only the specific amount of money you plan to spend there (and maybe an extra buck or two for something fun).
If you haven’t been there lately, get out there & rediscover the power of the dollar.
Every little bit helps
I found out that I got a raise. It is not huge, but every little bit helps.
And I guess this little raise is appropriately timed as last week I finally set up my 403B retirement plan. It actually works out that I won't be "missing" much of the money that I have allotted for my retirement.
2009 is off to a good start!
Jessica
And I guess this little raise is appropriately timed as last week I finally set up my 403B retirement plan. It actually works out that I won't be "missing" much of the money that I have allotted for my retirement.
2009 is off to a good start!
Jessica
Friday, January 2, 2009
Windfall Budgeting, and the New Year...a blog entry in two acts.
Act 1
As some of you may know, I'm in a commissioned sales position. This means that my income can vary somewhat. This is a bit more complicated in my case, as my primary industry is tax preparation...making my sales very seasonal.
One of the things our wonderful coaches have helped us with is averaging the income. This time last year, I had a lot of money. But like many of us, it bled out of my checking account in little "why nots" and "we can afford its". New TV. Nights out. Dinners at good restaurants. None of these things are necessarily evil, but when they're not coupled with some form of discipline...well, suffice to say that by summer we were back in the same old boat.
This year, we took a look at the big sales commissions in a very different light. Each dollar is an opportunity to save or pay down debt. And the lesson we've taken this year is to put aside a large portion into savings, to average out the income. In July, when a sale is hard to come by, I will have a supply of funds from this sales season, left there with forethought. If this seems like a no-brainer, perhaps you're right. But sometimes the most obvious solution can be the hardest to see. When you boil it right down, there's just no such thing as "extra money."
Act 2
On New Year's Eve, we attended the Harlem Globetrotters game/performance as guests of Wright-Patt Credit Union. Other families in the Race attended as well, and it was very nice to be able to chat with them and get to know them even more. It was also very nice to see the Globetrotters. I grew up in the days of Meadowlark Lemon, Geese, and Curly. When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a Globetrotter...like every other little kid. Suffice to say, by half time I think I had reverted to about 11 years old. Unfortunately, we had to leave a few minutes early to get home and prepare for our New Year's Eve festivities. As we rang in the new year with close friends (and I'll admit that those fellows Captain Morgan, Jose Cuervo, and DeKuyper were in attendance) we reflected a bit on what's ahead. Amongst other things, we have another several months of the Race in front of us. With all the tools we've learned, I already feel like a winner. I am already less stressed about money, just from making progress thus far, and making some sacrifices in spending to get where we are. We've changed this year.
New Year's Day dawned, but honestly I didn't know it until around ten in the morning. But in any case, it did in fact dawn, and I'm pretty sure it dawned on a good year. If fortune's wheel hasn't turned, then at the very least Jess and I are looking at that wheel from a different perspective. May your new year be as full of promise as it may.
Dave
As some of you may know, I'm in a commissioned sales position. This means that my income can vary somewhat. This is a bit more complicated in my case, as my primary industry is tax preparation...making my sales very seasonal.
One of the things our wonderful coaches have helped us with is averaging the income. This time last year, I had a lot of money. But like many of us, it bled out of my checking account in little "why nots" and "we can afford its". New TV. Nights out. Dinners at good restaurants. None of these things are necessarily evil, but when they're not coupled with some form of discipline...well, suffice to say that by summer we were back in the same old boat.
This year, we took a look at the big sales commissions in a very different light. Each dollar is an opportunity to save or pay down debt. And the lesson we've taken this year is to put aside a large portion into savings, to average out the income. In July, when a sale is hard to come by, I will have a supply of funds from this sales season, left there with forethought. If this seems like a no-brainer, perhaps you're right. But sometimes the most obvious solution can be the hardest to see. When you boil it right down, there's just no such thing as "extra money."
Act 2
On New Year's Eve, we attended the Harlem Globetrotters game/performance as guests of Wright-Patt Credit Union. Other families in the Race attended as well, and it was very nice to be able to chat with them and get to know them even more. It was also very nice to see the Globetrotters. I grew up in the days of Meadowlark Lemon, Geese, and Curly. When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a Globetrotter...like every other little kid. Suffice to say, by half time I think I had reverted to about 11 years old. Unfortunately, we had to leave a few minutes early to get home and prepare for our New Year's Eve festivities. As we rang in the new year with close friends (and I'll admit that those fellows Captain Morgan, Jose Cuervo, and DeKuyper were in attendance) we reflected a bit on what's ahead. Amongst other things, we have another several months of the Race in front of us. With all the tools we've learned, I already feel like a winner. I am already less stressed about money, just from making progress thus far, and making some sacrifices in spending to get where we are. We've changed this year.
New Year's Day dawned, but honestly I didn't know it until around ten in the morning. But in any case, it did in fact dawn, and I'm pretty sure it dawned on a good year. If fortune's wheel hasn't turned, then at the very least Jess and I are looking at that wheel from a different perspective. May your new year be as full of promise as it may.
Dave
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