New Year - New Budget tips

[MargaretJ]

It is a new year & with paycuts at work, & our Insurance premiums going way up I need more help with saving for Disney. Anyone have any new budget tips that they can share. I am especially interested in how to save at the grocery store. Warehouse Grocery Stores like Sam's are really not a help for me as I do not have storage space for large items & usually send up spending way too much there.

[JennyAnne]

Hi Margaret!

I don't think anything I have to say will be new or genious, but I cut coupons and have my coupon organizer that I use. I make my list before I go to the store and stick to it. I also check the fliers before I go the store to decide which one works better for me for the week (we actually have 3 different groceries within a 10 minute drive). Another thing I do, which always gets strange looks from DH, is stock up when things are buy one get one or are on a very good deal. For instance one of the stores was having a great sale on 12-packs of toilet paper. I also had three different coupons for that brand. Our local store doubles coupons. That day I came home with 36 rolls of TP and Jeremy looked at me like I was nuts, but I didn't have to buy TP for a long time. I tend to do the same with toothpaste, shampoo, laundry detergent, etc. Of course I don't WAY overdo it, we only have a 2 bedroom apartment, but I get what I can and store it in the laundry room.

Those bulk places like Sam Club and Costco are OK, but you really have to comparison shop. Sometimes you're not getting that great of a deal, you're just getting a whole lot more of an item. I'm not as good at comparison shopping, so I take mom with me to help with that. :D

Great question Margaret...I will be very interested to see other people's answers!

[Cinderella]

Hi Margaret:

I know what you mean about new year - new budget etc. Our costs are going uphill with FIL living with us and DH said he wanted me to get ressies for DW for next Dec. I'm just about paying the bills each month and really have not much leftover to put aside toward DW so, I too have to come up with new ideas.

We go to Sam's club now and then and I know what you mean about buying too much and having no room to store large quantities of each item.
I would suggest shopping with a friend or neighbor and splitting the large packages of stuff. Of course you'd have to make compromises on the products you'd be buying if different from your regular brands but it may work on certain staples (toilet paper/paper towels etc.).

I am now putting all my change in my change bank every day (started the day we got back from DW in Dec.). I also hope that when FIL is in assisted living our bills for heat/gas/electric/food will go down TREMENDOUSLY. Maybe I can pocket the difference in the monthly bills and put that aside. We'll also be able to eat smaller meals and not have to eat three big meals a day. Also we won't have to buy two different type of dinners per day as DH and I will be eating the same food and not catering to FIL's tastes.

We should be able to save on gas and use mostly one car once we can go out when we want and we can go together in the same car. (Usually one of us has to take FIL to doc/drug store etc. and one takes the other car to do other chores).

How about just putting aside a certain amount each week that you saved in coupons? If the price would have been $1 and you save 25 cents with a coupon - put that 25 cents in your Disney bank.

We hope to save money again this year instead of buying Anniversary/
birthday presents and just giving each other another trip to DW as our present.

That's all I can think of now but if I come up with more I'll add to the post.
Good luck.

Cinderella

:wave: :wave:

[Bookwood]

Knowing your shopping area is the best way to save. ( ie. I know that everday shampoo is cheaper at Walmart than K-mart-) I also stock up when sales are on. Our grocery stores take each others cut outs (if Kroger has heinz ketchup on sale I cut the add and take it in and Meijer will give me the Kroger price- saves gas driving all over) but you have to do you homework and shop as soon as adds come out. Watch sales of course for items you need for "gifting" January white sales are great for wedding gifts (if you can buy now) ect.

Happy bargian hunting

Pam "Bookwood"

[Belle]

Another tip - when dining out, always use a coupon. The Sunday paper usually has local restaurant Buy 1, Get 1 lunch/dinner or dessert coupons - like Friendly's, Bennigan's, Uno, etc. If we have a celebration (b'day, anniversary, etc) where we'd have gone out anyway, we try and use a coupon. Put what you would have spent on the other meal in the Disney jar. This isn't a huge way to save $$, but it may buy a nice meal or two while you are there :D

{hugs}
Belle

[SuzyQ]

I'm a big fan of the Entertainment book. Not only do they have 2-for-1 for restaurants and fast food, but in ours (Seattle area) we also have grocery store coupons - "Save $5 for order over $50" and we have one for each month!

~Suzy

[Belle]

I'm a big fan of the Entertainment book. Not only do they have 2-for-1 for restaurants and fast food, but in ours (Seattle area) we also have grocery store coupons - "Save $5 for order over $50" and we have one for each month!

~Suzy

That is what I ak for Christmas every year from my dad - that way I don't even have to front the $40! I am THE biggest cheapskate! Ahhh, the gift that keeps on giving...

{hugs}
Belle

[disneylover]

Belle $40.00!!!! Darn that's high,but worth it.Down here we only pay $20.00 I wonder why the cost diffrence?

[Stinkerbelle]

If you do not already have a rewards credit card I'd suggest you switch to one. Shop around and see which one is best for you. If you have the discipline to pay it off every month then put EVERYTHING on it. If you don't have the dicipline (like me :oops:) save it for major purchases then immediately make an online payment from your checking account to the credit card. You can also do that with your weekly groceries - charge them at the store then go home and pay the credit card immediately for that amount - you are getting points for purchases you would have made anyway and by paying it immediately you don't pay any finance charges. I just switched to a rewards card about 6 months ago but between 1 Disney trip, 1 DisneyLand trip, 2 plane tickets, some dental work and 2 rooms of new furniture - the only things I put on the card - my airfare will be covered for my next trip.

Also, ask for Disney Dollars. Whenever someone asks me what I want for my B-day or Christmas the rote answer is Disney Dollars, even if I don't already have a trip planned they won't go to waste and I can't spend them anywhere else.

[sandar]

hi Margaret,

Stinky's advice is exactly what I was going to offer as a suggestion. We put everything that we possibly can on the Disney VISA card -- groceries, gas, Christmas presents, and so on. By the time we get to WDW again, we should have enough reward dollars accumulated to pay for a meal or two, even at Disney World prices. :shock:

As Stinkerbelle points out, you have to select the type of reward that works out best for you, then do some research to make sure it will be worth the extra diligence.

Best of luck with your quest to save up for Disney. :)

Sandi

[Snickerdoodlesmommy]

The Entertainment book in Orlando costs $30 and the one here in Western New York is $23. I think they must vary according to who/what is in them in each city.

LindaC :sun:

[Belle]

Belle $40.00!!!! Darn that's high,but worth it.Down here we only pay $20.00 I wonder why the cost diffrence?

I am not surprised, lol. Everything in NY, esp around here, seems overpriced. Still worth it though, with the discount movie coupons, Walmart super-center coupons, and buy one get one Disney on Ice coupons. Those pay for it right there. Everything else is the frosting :D

{hugs}
Belle

[smallworld0]

It is a new year & with paycuts at work, & our Insurance premiums going way up I need more help with saving for Disney. Anyone have any new budget tips that they can share. I am especially interested in how to save at the grocery store. Warehouse Grocery Stores like Sam's are really not a help for me as I do not have storage space for large items & usually send up spending way too much there.

The very best advice I can offer is NEVER go grocery shopping with your spouse! Mine even admits to his grab 'n go obscession. :twisted:

It is hard at first, but I have gotten into the habit of making up a weekly meal menu. I plan dinners during the week, as breakfast is generally cereal or fruit and lunch is eaten out, soup/sandwiches or leftovers. On the weekends I like to cook breakfast so I plan simple lunches - or if we're full from a big brkfst we just snack and then have a smaller dinner, again sometimes eating out. Anyway, if you can spend an evening in front of the TV writing out a menu and then a shopping list of what you need, you'll find yourself at the store with a sense of direction and purpose and won't be drawn to all the eye-candy floating in the aisles. You spend a lot less when you have a plan of what you need before you get there. And of course the old standby advice of eat before you shop is soooooo very true. (Our local grocery just put in a Starbucks. My first 3 grocery trips after it opened I 'mosied' through the store drinking my latte. I'm sure I spent more than I normally did. Funny thing though, after awhile it just didn't seem like the 'treat' it used to be when we could only get a Starbucks once every few months on a mall trip. I stopped after that...and made sure to drink my coffee BEFORE I shopped, too! And, now that it's back to 'treat' status, I enjoy it much more.)

I also try to cook once for two meals. With chili or soups I make a double batch and freeze for another meal. If you shop less and cook less, you'll find a savings there, too. We also plan one dinner meal each week as a soup and sandwich meal. It aves your budget and our waistlines! :wink: Then, on the weekend there is usually a 'leftover night', meaning everything comes out of the fridge and gets 'cleaned up'. I try to add one 'new' thing or change something a little to spice up the meal somehow.

My husband gets paid every two weeks, so I budget a set amount for groceries and take it out of the checkbook once every two weeks. If there is any left over it goes in the coin bank for Disney. Also with the two week plan you get paid 26 times during the year. However, most bills are on a monthly basis and I set up the budget accordingly. I count on 2 paycheck per month or 24 in a year. The past couple years the 2 'free' checks have been used for college, but if you are on a system like this they could be used for vacation money.

Lastly, the old saying is soooo true - pay yourself first! Once you set up the monthly household budget you'll know how much is leftover after paying the bills and budgeting for those quarterly and semi-annual payments. When you see how much is left for 'you' then from now on when you sit down to pay the bills - pay yourself out of the very first check. Make that the one that goes to savings each month. I even take those quarterly and semi-annual payments, divide by 3 or 6 to see how much it costs a month and take that out along with 'my' savings check. That way I'm not stuck with insurance- or property tax-bill sticker shock.

Oops, look at the time. I'm off the soapbox...sorry! It's just when you get your bills under control you find that you feel in control of everything else. :D

Nancy

[Stinkerbelle]

Lots of great tips from Nancy - you seem like my kind of girl.

Margaret - I thought of more ways to save at the grocery.

1.) If your grocery store has has a bonus club card make sure you use it. I think 3 of the big chains here have them. I only shop one store for the most part but I between clipped coupons and this card I consistantly save about $30 per grocery trip. My best friend has the card for another grocery and if that store has a special on something I'll use her card and vice-versa. The membership cards are free, we are just too lazy to fill out the paperwork to each have our own cards, and they give you 2 copies so its not a big deal for us. Also, the store I shop at has partnered with other retailers in the area so we get deals there too -- free food from LaMadeline with the purchase of something else, discounts at car washes, Smoothie King, dry cleaners, oil changes, movie tickets etc. Its a pretty nifty card. Also, a couple of times a year they do promotions where if you spend X amount of dollars you get something free from the grocery - like if you spend X amount of dollars between certain dates you get a free ham at Easter or free turkeys at Thanksgiving or Christmas. My favorite was 4th of July - we got a free cooler with a pack of hot dogs, hot dog buns, 1 bottle of mustard a giant bag of chips, 2 cans of chili and a 2 liter soda. Can't beat that!

2.) Coupons - Look for a store that does double and/or triple coupons. My grocery always has double coupons but once in a while they do triple coupons up to fifty cents which in effect makes some items free! ( I love when that happens! :D ) Also, I have an arrangement with a girl I work with. We clip our coupons each Sunday and then bring the ones we don't want to work and switch. There are a few things that we both clip but for the most part we buy different things so we are both getting a bonus amount of coupons. www.valuepage.com Is an online source for coupons in addition to the ones you get in the newspaper. The "deals" change each week - just look at what is offered, check off the things you plan to use and then print off your customized coupon sheet. The checker just scans the page like a regular coupon. Not sure if your grocery stores have the red and white thermal paper coupons that print out when you check out but you can get some deals there. Say if you by Kraft salad dressing today it may print out a red and white in store coupon for Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing for your next trip. Sometimes they just have ads on them but be sure to always look at them b/c sometimes they have $ off your next grocery trip. I have seen from .50 to $5 off.

Nancy's advice about making a meal plan and sticking to it is good. Despite my best efforts I tend to overbuy or buy something and then get home and see I already had 4 cans of it, so when making your list see if you don't already have some of the ingredients on hand. I am so bad about not checking that I am forcing myself to use up my surplus before going to the store. I haven't been to the grocery in a while and I have enough in my pantry & freezer to get me through at least another week or two. I am trying to save grocery $ wherever I can look forward to more tips from others.

Hope this isn't too long winded....

Terri

[MargaretJ]

Wow really great ideas guys. Now a couple of posts have me wondering about meals that stretch. There are just the 2 of us but I would love to have ideas for meals that I could make & maybe freeze half for a later date. Keep those ideas coming, I am really stretched for money now with paycuts but must still have my Disney fix each year.

[Bookwood]

I also use discout cards sold by local school organizations. My nephews football team sells a card with lots dry cleaning discouts and fast food discounts in Ft Wayne- out Band sells one that is better for in town use (I get a free (diet) soda everytime I buy gas) I also save on gas buy using a Walmart "Gift Card" I think it's 3-4 cents off per gallon at Sams or Walmart gas stations (there's a Walmart gas station on the way to visit DD#1 at college and a Sams station in Ft Wayne.)

Pam "Bookwood"