In trying to answer Becky's comment on my last post, I realized that soon Blogger would not let me write any more lines. So I decided to just make it today's. Notice I said in trying to answer it. You may want to hop back and read her comment before going on.
Becky,
I'm thinking that you may have to dedicate some storage space to that particular thing. Tightwad Gazette suggests using space that isn't in the kitchen or bathroom, like under your bed or in a box next to your shoes in the closet -- being creative with it in other words.
The reason I have 20 or so shampoos is because I got them mostly free or for less than 35 cents. If I generally spend 5.00 a month on shampoo for example and I can pull one from my 'stash' that I paid almost nothing for, that means I don't spend that 5.00 for that month. If I buy enough that I can make it to the next sale, I get to keep that trend going. It may not seem like much but it adds up very quickly. Because I haven't spent it on shampoo for so many months, I have a 'stash' to buy the next number to make it to the next sale.
As far as the coupons, at least for my family, mostly they are for convenience food. The larger printings are giving us a better variety but the best ones are always convenience items that I can see. That was one of the reasons I didn't use them much before. So if you don't use convenience items much, it won't make a difference as much. That's why my budget itself hasn't really changed and why most of the coupons I'm using are for hygiene and toiletry items.
However, because I cut them out every time and only throw them out when they expire,I have a coupon stash that is more likely to yield a savings when something I do use goes on sale. We do get them from the paper but we buy a paper on the way home from church because delivery is ridiculous in my opinion -- especially when we want only one or two days. (And because the Post and Courier ticked us off with its bad business practices which is a story for another day)
As far as the extra stuff, that's a different thing. The reason I cook and bake so much is because I can keep us 'in the black' and we can still have stuff that would otherwise be out of reach of our budget. It helps that I like to do it.
Not feeling like you are living on a budget while doing so is one of the best ways to keep doing it. You don't get that rebellious streak that tells you to forget it and go buy this or that. The extra stuff I buy (like the mini-oreos from Target for instance) not only is a treat for the kids but can also sometimes remind them that they like this or that thing I make a little better.
Saying it another way, they don't feel like they're missing out on anything and occasionally think they have it better. Another example of this is that it would probably use every bit of our budget to eat out for pizza once a week but it only costs a few dollars for me to make pizza once a week. We still get pizza but its better and cheaper. Another one is the kids lunches. I try to throw in something special pretty regularly. I even now still feel good when they come home saying that their friends were begging to try something they had. This is despite the fact that their friends had a school lunch from Fazolis or wherever or brought one from home with a bunch of single serve packages of something that probably cost more than the school lunch.
I feel like I just went in circles trying to make it clear. You might have a harder time getting coupons for the stuff you buy. But hang on to them, even if you don't need it right then. And when there is a sale, do some real bulk buying (that is -- not buying in bigger packages but buying enough to get you through to the next sale) so that you aren't spending more buying it as you need it.
That still seems confusing but I'm not sure how better to explain it. Maybe you guys can help.
3 comments:
I don't buy many convenience foods, and I don't think I'll have extra storage space until we buy a house. I can understand why it would make sense for you, with a family of four, to buy items in bulk. For me, even if I would be getting the stuff cheap, I have no reason to put forth the extra effort only to take up needed storage space. I'm not actually having a problem with the grocery budget (of course, there are only two of us, and the fact that I don't buy as many items overall helps us afford fewer items that are more expensive). But, I do feel a little guilty when I hear others talk about saving so much money with coupons. I'm just wondering if it's even worth it for me to bother with it. I would save a lot of money if I could get deals on organic produce and non-hormone/grain-fed meats. There are, perhaps, deals I could get on hygiene and other non-food products, but if I have to buy in bulk to make it work, the storage space is more valuable to me than the money right now.
The baking/cooking thing is a good idea, but I can't really think of anything that I buy (that I am not already baking or cooking) that I could bake or cook instead. However, I could see this becoming a good thing to do once I have kids.
You HAVE inspired me to start making a list of all the things I would possibly buy at the grocery store so I can check into whether or not there are coupons (or cheaper alternatives) for those things. What are good places to look for coupons besides the Post and Courier?
Knowing the little I do about your lifestyle, I kind of thought that might be the conclusion you'd reach. :)
You might try signing on some of the brand websites for things you know you buy. Also at some of the grocers websites. I get Publix's magazine with coupons and I know you like that one. They might send you coupons or make online ones available to print.
Yeah, Becky, couponing became the beautiful thing that is for me when I had two kids. I think I rely on it even more than Shelia b/c she makes a lot of things from scratch, and I do rely more on the "convenience items." I do like to bake, but I find it quite difficult with a baby and a toddler shadowing my every move and/or destroying the house around me:). Maybe when they are a little older. So right now, cheap/free brownie mix and granola bars sound great. Later, I would hope to just make something comparable from scratch.
We do get fresh fruit and veggies each week, but I buy what is on sale (it gives us a good variety:)), and I occasionally use a coupon like Food Lions $2 off $5 produce purchase. Also, from what I've heard about frozen veggies, I like them way more than canned, and even occasionally, fresh (apparently, they are picked and frozen at the peak of ripeness, with nothing added, whereas, "fresh" veggies sometimes have stuff sprayed on them to make them look fresher after all the travel they have to go through). And I can very often get very cheap/free Birds Eye and Green Giant frozen veggies, which make up the bulk of our vegetable eating.
I would just put it in the back of your mind until your station of life makes it more appealing. Though I do think it would help to at least look at the circular when it comes out and "shop the sales." But you probably do that to a certain extent anyway.
Okay, that's all. Hope that helps!
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