What do you spend money on that’s actually necessary? You’d surprised how much is actually a waste of money. Many people fool themselves, and they’re essentially letting their pocketbook dictate for them. This is a mistake, because you can save a lot of money on things you’re already paying for by just modifying how you pay for those “necessary expenses”.
1. Cook At Home
If you had a $300 bill each month that you could avoid, would you cancel the serivce? Well, I know how you can do this very same thing. Simply, don’t go out to eat anymore. The typical meal for two costs $30 when you include a tip. If you get desserts, drinks, appetizers and alcohol, that price can shoot up more than 200%. Plus, if you have kids, and you buy meals for them, even if you use the kids menu, you could end up spending $50 or more. That is just an unnecessary expense. So, what is the answer? Cook at home. Some people feel that cooking at home is expensive, but it’s not really if you buy a few simple ingredients in bulk and cook from those. Prepared foods are important and cooked foods are important. Just get a small bulk assortment of grains, eggs, cheese, milk, and breads, and you can get creative with cooking at home. Uses spices to mix it up, and just google recipes and cooking tips – you’ll never get sick of your own food this way.
2. Buy Generic Foods
Speaking of bulk grocery shopping, one thing you should do is buy generic. Each grocery store has their own generic brand of most ingredients, and these can be purchased for much less at the grocery store themselves. People are used to buying their favorite brands like Heinz, Starkist, and Dole, but these brands are grossly overpriced. Plus, if you add in the grocery store discount card, you could save even more. On the subject of grocery stores, try not to shop more than once a week. Make your food stretch, and if you can’t, this means more of what you buy should be purchased in bulk.
3. Water
Most people don’t like the taste of water from the tap, but they can get a water filter and bottle it at home. If you bottle your own water, you can save a lot of money in the long run. You don’t have to spend money each week on bottled water, and you don’t have to lug it in from the car (which can be pretty annoying), and let’s face it – you’re helping the environment! Furthermore, a water filter is nice to have because you know that all the water you drink is pure and fresh. When you think about it, buying bottled water regularly means you have two water bills each month, one of which is marked up something like 1000%.
All very good points. I try to pass these along to my clients, but sometimes they just don’t understand how these little things can make a difference in the course of a month.
#1 Comment vom 04. March 2012 um 11:12 am