Fun Stuff > CHATTER
Making ends meet
bainidhe_dub:
As far as laundry goes, for things that are hard to wash and/or only get lightly worn, you can clean them between washing with vodka. Mist with plain vodka, the cheaper the better, and hang them to dry. It kills any b.o. bacteria and doesn't leave an alcohol smell when dry. It's pretty standard practice with theater costumes.
With food budgeting, I don't know how well it would work for you, but my mom developed a big spreadsheet of all the groceries and things we needed on a regular basis, and price-checked them across the 4 or 5 stores she went to regularly. I guess it depends on your area, we lived in a town with one small (rather expensive) grocery store, so any real shopping required a 30 minute drive out into the "real world" anyway. So she figured out that Target was best for bulk paper goods, the Asian mart had the best prices on produce, and so on. And since she knew the best prices, she knew if the sale price somewhere else was actually worth it. (I'm still working on the idea that just because it's on sale doesn't mean it's a good use of money.)
It might also be worth checking to see if your state has deregulated energy suppliers. In Maryland now, you can choose what company to buy your energy from, so you can shop around and try to find a lower kwh price for electric, and natural gas too. You still have to pay your same company for transmission but it's nice to have some option.
Alex C:
My science teacher in middle school talked about this and while fabric softeners are indeed an overpriced waste of cash they shouldn't actually -harm- your clothes given that most of them are nothing but a scented hydrophobic coating for your clothes. Anyway, if your only goal is to avoid static cling you can also just chuck a ball of foil or two in the dryer.
Darkbluerabbit:
A really simple thing that might help a food budget is to drink a lot of water. Some research has found that people can misinterpret thirst as hunger, so being hydrated can reduce food cravings when you aren't actually hungry. I go through a lot less food when I make sure I'm really hungry, and not just thirsty or bored, before eating. I read this somewhere as a diet tip, but I've found the idea useful just for making sure I'm not "wasting" food.
Some good, cheap food items I haven't seen mentioned yet are eggs and oatmeal.
Eggs are really really cheap. I actually get them for free most of the time because I know people who raise chickens for fun, but I don't save too much money because they're dirt cheap to begin with. They get a bad rep because of the cholesterol, but as long as you average about one egg a day, you're fine, and they contain lots of good stuff too. For one thing, they're a good source of folic acid, which is one of the most important nutrients to get during pregnancy. They're also a protein, which helps keep you full, which helps prevent you from spending money on snacks.
Oatmeal is my other cheap as hell staple. It's full of fiber and some protein, and therefore really filling. If I have oatmeal for breakfast, I won't be hungry for hours.
To make things healthier and more interesting, I really like to have frozen fruit and veggies around because they're cheap and keep for a long time. Broccoli can be added to an omelet, berries to your oatmeal, etc.
Akima:
Lots of good advice here, and most of the things I would have suggested have already been mentioned, except perhaps for one. Shopping lists. Make a shopping list before you go shopping, and stick to it unless you have simply forgotten to add something you need. It's a good way to ensure you don't impulse-buy.
The Seldom Killer:
Although if you see items discounted, don't dismiss them because they're not on your shopping list. If it's something with a limited time offer or reduced for quick sale, definitely worth consideration, or substituting it for something on the list.
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