Sprout's Double Ad Day

You are probably already aware of Sprout's double ad day, but in case you are confused, here is how it works:  When you shop at Sprout's on Wednesday (the day their weekly ad comes out) you get not only the advertised sales for that coming week, but the advertised sales from last week.  What a deal!  Remember to take your reusable bags for additional savings!

Jamie

Plastic Baggies

A great tip to save money and the environment:  wash and reuse your sandwich baggies!  For ease of cleaning, turn the baggie inside-out and insert your hand into it for easier wiping with a soapy cloth.  Rinse and then hang to dry on any drying utensils.

*I recommend not reusing baggies which have held raw meat or peanut butter (if you have a peanut allergy in the family).

Price Tracking

There are several ways to keep track of prices so you know when it's on sale:

• In your head-- this way is definitely the easiest but not always the most accurate.  I use this for the basic items I buy often...just trying to remember what price I usually pay and recognize when it's truly on sale.  This is not so great when you are trying to compare price per ounce or when items start increasing in price due to inflation.
• Excel spreadsheet-- very time consuming, but a great way to keep track of each item and/or brand and how much you pay per ounce.
• Binder method-- in a book I read once, the author kept a separate sheet of paper for each item (ie., ground beef, cereal, cheese, etc.).  She'd write down the price of an item, the store, and the date.  After a few months, she had a good idea of the lowest price and the sale cycle.  Great for if you have/make the time, but very time consuming.
• Subscribe to a company that does it for you--There are several companies online that will do this for you for a small fee.  I personally use the Grocery Game.  They track the price of items, combine it with coupons, and calculate when an item is at it's true sale price (rather than a phantom sale).  I pay $5/month for the list for my local grocery store.  You can add more stores to your list for an additional amount.  The upside: it saves you time and tracks items in the store circular and unpublished sales.  The downside:  it does not track the price per ounce, nor does it compare prices with neighboring stores.  It is item specific.  (For example... it tracks, say, a Satin Care Shave Gel 7 oz. bottle.  Usually it is $2.36 (at my King Soopers) but is on sale for $1.88.  Combine it with a coupon and you can get it for $0.88--a "savings" of 63%.  But you could possibly get a better price per ounce by buying a larger bottle or by purchasing it instead at Walmart using your coupon.)
• Do a combination that works for you-- then you get the best of both worlds! 

Jamie

Shop Around

Have you been with the same trash company for several years?  It might be time to make some calls to see if you are still getting the best deal.  I recently did and I was surprised to see how great the differences in prices were.  You may be able to save a lot of money by switching.  Or you may discover you are already getting the best deal.  Either way, you'll ensure you are saving!

Jamie

Stock Up When On Sale

A great way to save money is to stock up on an item when it is on sale.  Say, for example, that cream of chicken soup is on sale for $0.39/can.  Knowing that you use the soup often for meals, buy several cans at the reduced price.  Not only are you saving money by buying them at a discounted price, but you are also building your food storage!

Two caveats:

• It may be tempting to be a little wasteful when you know you have "extra" stock on hand.  Don't do it or you'll lose your savings!
• Make sure the sale is a true sale....many stores will tout sale items in their flyers, claiming them to be "on sale."  However, if you track prices (more on this in another post) you will realize that many "sale" items are only reduced a few cents in price--which is called a "phantom sale."   Only stock up when it is a true sale.

Jamie

Best Day to Buy Gas

You've probably realized that the price of gas fluctuates during the week and that it increases for the weekend.  According to several articles I've read, TUESDAY is the cheapest day of the week to buy gas.  Fill up first thing in the morning to maximize your savings.  The reason is that, as the day progresses and warms, the gas becomes less dense.  When you fill up in the afternoon, you are paying more for fumes than you would be in the morning when the gas is cold and dense. 

Jamie

Got Milk?

Did you know that you can freeze milk?  Just put your plastic gallon bottle or cardboard 1/2 gallon into the freezer.  (Occassionally the container will split, but usually it is fine.)  When you are ready to use it, pull it out and thaw it in your fridge or in the sink overnight.  Some separation occurs but it is still great for cooking or pouring on cereal.  It's taste is slightly different so those of you with pickier finer :-) tastes may not want to drink it.

When milk goes on sale (say on clearance because it's about to expire), stock up and freeze.  I just bought a 1/2 gallon for $0.75!

Jamie

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Thanks to R. for sharing this recipe and information!  She wrote:

1 bar (5.5 oz, 2 c.) Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap (I found them at ACE Hardware for $1.29 each)


1 c. Borax (found at Walmart, natural laundry booster, no phosphates or chlorine)

1 c. Washing Soda (found at King Soopers in laundry soap section, all natural)

Grate the bar soap (yes, this part is tedious). Mix with Borax and Soda and store in an airtight container. 1 TB for small loads. 2 TB for normal. 3TB for heavy. I usually use about 2.5 TB per large load.

Note: I read that whites might come out a little dingy so use color safe bleach with them. It seems to clean just as well when compared with commercial soap. Also, there is very little suds action because of using pure soap. This is perfect for HE front loading machines and regular machines.

R. also wrote, "All of the ingredients are advertised as being all natural. I read somewhere it comes to .15 per load but I really think it's cheaper than that."  She also noted that this detergent didn't seem to bother her child who has sensitive skin.  Thanks again for sharing!!

Cost per ounce

One of the best ways to ensure you are getting the most for your money when shopping is to find the lowest cost per ounce or unit.  If possible, keep track of the cost/unit so you know when an item is a good deal.  It's helpful to take a calculator when shopping because those price tags that show the cost/ounce aren't always accurate! Although I'm not always the best at this, it does save money when I take the time to do so!

One side note:  Be careful to figure out the true cost per unit or you may not be saving as you thought.  For example, one brand of dish detergent may be cheaper by ounce than another.  However, it may require you to use twice as much detergent in a load than another brand, so it may not really be the cheapest.  Figuring out the cost per load would be better than the cost per ounce.  The same goes for diapers... one brand may be cheaper, but if you find you have to use several more diapers a day because of their lack of absorbancy, you may need to go with a brand with a slightly higher cost/diaper.

Refinancing?

Do you own your home and are you considering refinancing?  Be sure to calculate the money you will save each month with your new payment and compare it with the upfront closing costs.  Then calculate how long it will take for you to "break even."  For example, you may need to live in your home (and not move) for 2 more years before you will really begin saving money.  If you know you won't be moving in that time period, then perhaps refinancing is for you.

*Hot Tip-- When you refinance, keep paying your previous mortgage amount.  Call your mortgage company to ensure that the difference goes toward paying down your principal.  You will save thousands of dollars in interest over the years!

Jamie

Fabric Softener Sheets

For years I saved money by never buying fabric softener sheets.  I had read that you shouldn't use them for baby's and children's pajamas because it negates the flame resistance of the clothing.  Since the baby's clothes were washed with ours, I never used them.  However, the static cling started to take it's toll!

We now have enough laundry to wash baby's clothing separately, so I enjoy the "luxury" :-) of fabric softener.  But I still want to stretch my dollar.  Take the fabric softener sheets and cut them in half.  Then use just one half sheet per load.  I promise it works just as well!

Jamie

Another Use For Grocery Bags

Thanks to N. for reminding me of this great tip:

Plastic grocery bags also work great as garbage can liners for small garbage cans!  When it's full, pull it up by the handles, tie them up, and toss it out.

*Timesaver Tip--Put extra bags inside the bottom of the can to have bags on hand when you take out the trash.

Do you dislike having extra grocery bags cluttering your cabinet?  Take an empty tissue box and stash your extra bags in there.  It's a quick, easy (and FREE!) way to keep the bags organized!

Jamie

Health Insurance

Health care is a hot topic right now in our nation.  While I don't agree with the legislation our "representatives" are trying to pass right now (we won't delve farther into political topics here), I do recognize that health care costs are very high.  So high, in fact, that you cannot afford to NOT have health insurance.  Seriously, this is one area you should not skimp.

Case in point:  Being a young family, it could be tempting to think that none of us will get seriously sick, and so we don't need health insurance.  But you never know what may happen.  For us, one of our children, though healthy, was born with an abnormality that needed to be corrected.  If we had not had insurance, the costs of surgery, hospital stay, specialist visits, and MRI would have cost us over $40,000!

If premiums for health insurance do not fit into your budget, find a way that it does!  Shop around for the lowest rates (choosing a high deductible plan is usually cheaper...giving you insurance for those truly catastrophic times).  Cut out other expenses (cable tv, cell phones, meals out) so that you can afford health insurance.  Believe me, it's worth it!!

Jamie

Money Saving Kitchen Tool

One of the best money saving tools in the kitchen is....

drum roll, please...

The Spatula!

I know, pretty basic, right?  But some people don't use it very often.  I use mine for every can or jar I'm just about done with.  For example, by using my spatula, I can usually get out enough peanut butter for an extra sandwich or two.  Why waste food from a nearly empty container when you paid for all of it?

Jamie

Shopping Bags

The latest "earth-friendly" craze is to bring your own shopping bag.  But did you know that you can often earn some green while being green?  Some stores will give you a discount for every bag that you bring that you use.  For example, my local grocery store gives me 5 cents for every bag I use that I've brought.  And the bag doesn't even have to be "reuseable."  I just reuse the regular shopping bags, which don't cost me anything, until they get holes in them.  Then I put them in the grocery store's bag recycling bin.  Just ask a clerk or customer service of their policy.

It's not a huge savings initially, but when you figure that if you use 8 bags a week for a year, you'll save over $20!!

**Update** King Soopers, Sprouts, and Target offer a discount if you bring your own bag.
Jamie

Budget Basics

Sit down with your spouse to compile your budget so you are both on the same page.  Teamwork works! 

1.            Track all your expenses so you have a good idea of how much you spend.  And I do mean ALL... you'd be surprised to see how those little purchases at Target's $1 spot add up!-)  See where you can trim expenses.

2.            Calculate your monthly income.

*HOT TIP*  If you receive a paycheck every two weeks, calculate your monthly income based on two paychecks.  This then gives you two "extra" paychecks a year that you can put in savings, pay down your mortgage, use for unexpected expenses, etc.

3.            Plan your monthly savings amount and what will be your budgeted amount for different categories.  Some categories we have besides the basics:  family fun, date night, gift, charitable donations, medical, car maintenance, clothing, allowance, etc.  If you have a bill that comes quarterly, include the monthly amount in your budget.  For bills that fluctuate such as electric, estimate your yearly costs and divide by 12.

*HOT TIP*  Give you and your spouse a small allowance each month.  This is your "mad money" that you can spend however you want... as long as you stay within the budgeted amount.  Save up your allowance for bigger purchases.  An allowance category makes you feel not as restricted with a budget.

4.           Track your expenses and stay within your budgeted amount.  I use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my expenses.  About once a week I sit down and enter my receipts and other expenses.  This helps me keep a general idea of what amounts I have left in each category.  If we are getting low in a category such as grocery, I try to make only necessary purchases...stretching it until the next month.

**If one of you keeps track of most of the finances (like I do), keep your spouse updated on the budget items that concern him/her (such as allowance or clothing).

5.            Every few months reevaluate your budget.  Make changes where necessary. 

***Remember that, while a budget seems restrictive, it is really giving you freedom from the overwhelming stress of debt and by providing for your future!***

Informative Family Finance Site

Whether you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (as I am) or not, they offer an excellent website with information on family finances.  There is even an online financial course!  Check it out here.

Jamie

Most Important Money Management Rules

Follow these two basic rules and you'll be a true "thrifteconomist":

1. Spend less than you earn
2. Make saving a priority

Jamie

About Me

Hi!  My name is Jamie and I am a SAHM of three beautiful young kids living in the north Denver area.  While in no ways am I an expert on thriftiness, I do love a good deal and trying to save money. 

Growing up I was blessed with parents who taught me the importance of living within your means, saving, and working hard.  They taught me more through their actions than through their words.  That said, I've definitely had to learn money management and frugal skills over the years, particularly since being married. 

For those of you who come from backgrounds very different from mine, please know that ANYONE can learn how to become a good "thrifteconomist."  I grew up seeing a relative struggle consistently with money management.  She always seemed to be in debt and in tight financial situations.  Her children grew up seeing her spendthrift ways.  Admiringly, two of her children were able to break the spend/debt cycle and have become great money managers.  It is possible!

I have felt inspired to create this blog in an effort to help others learn money management skills and thrifty tips.  Hopefully the tips I've gleaned over the years will be useful to you.  Depending on time, I may even include local deals that are happening in an effort to help your hard earned money go farther.  But this blog isn't just about me...it's for all of us to learn.  So please feel free to email me your own tips so we can all learn together!

Jamie

P.S.  I'm choosing to not have advertisements on the blog so that you can trust that when I mention some store or product, I don't get any kickbacks!