Living on Less – My Way of Dealing with Extra Expenses
The first few articles that I ever did for Oskaloosa news was my strategy for buying groceries by using coupons when items were on sale to get the most for my dollar and to also buy in bulk when items were on sale at rock bottom prices.
I add to my pantry and freezer throughout the year with these sales and I keep inventory sheets that I write on when I add to or take from either the pantry or the freezer. It sounds like a lot of work but it isn’t as I only devote about 20 minutes a week to keeping it organized and the inventory updated.
I knew that the day would come when we would need some extra cash and I could put this stockpile to good use. Well, it happened 1 month ago when we realized that we would owe Federal taxes this year – not an outrageous amount, but still an extra expense. Then there were prom expenses last weekend. Thankfully it was only for a tux and flowers. Boys can “do” prom cheaper than girls. Then there are the annual car tags which are due in May along with graduation expenses. Oh yes and then there were the leaky pipes last Friday and the bill for the plumber which I will gladly pay for such prompt and good service. And last but not least, what about the increased prices in gasoline.
Yes, you should have an emergency fund set aside, but what happens when you are hit with multiple expenses (okay prom and graduation aren’t emergencies) and you don’t want to dip into savings or worse yet, you don’t have any money set aside at all? In our case we first try to come up with the extra money and not dip into savings if at all possible. Where does the extra money come from? We eat from the freezer and pantry and buy minimal groceries.
I have been doing just that for one month now and I have averaged about $25 a week on groceries. What am I buying? I am buying fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Oh and if there is a little extra, some cheese puffs (my favorite). I don’t buy many bread products as I make most of our bagels, bread, hamburger and hot dog buns.
I have made a small dent in my food supply. If you are curious, go to the following links at my blog and you will see detail descriptions of what I had in the pantry and freezer along with pictures when I began this journey last month. I also have made a list of my inventory of personal items such as deodorants, shampoos and shaving products along with our supply of toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex and laundry supplies.
Personal Items, Bags and Laundry
I have had no problem making up meals from what I have on hand and these meals have had a lot of variety. I was going to do this for five weeks, but since I still have a considerable amount of food on hand, I am going to go for another 5 weeks or longer as necessary. In the meantime, we are saving about $50 a week. It isn’t enough for all of the extra bills, but it still helps. The rest will come from savings.
So, why am I telling you all of this? Groceries are one area to look at cutting back on when you have extra expenses. I feel that I have saved two ways on groceries. 1. I bought around 90% of everything in my pantry and freezer on sale and at a rock bottom price. So the initial savings was great. 2. I am saving again by only spending $25 a week on groceries and using up what I have in my freezer and pantry.
I will never go back to shopping for groceries the way I used to 3 years ago. I would just go to the store and buy food and come home and hope I could make up some meals from what I purchased.
If you are looking for a way to save big in your family’s budget I recommend buying on sale and stockpiling. It will change the way you shop for groceries forever and I doubt you will ever want to go back to paying full price on anything again.
