SPENDING YOUR MONEY WISELY
I have been searching the web for an article on how to budget money. I wanted to send the link to someone I know in hope's of helping them spend their money more wisely. Guess what? I cant find anything of any value. Oh, I found one on how to use coupons when shopping for groceries but that is a small part of it.
Here are just a few of the things i will cover in this blog, Later in another blog, I will address some more serious issues for those willing to get down and get serious. Why am I writing this? Because there was a time when I was so broke that the oven knew better than to light up. know. I can't tell a good joke. :)
- Food
- Car Insurance
- What you don't need to survive
- Lightening
- Car Loans
- When it comes to food, people spend too much money eating out. Not only are they burning their dollars bills but they are not getting wholesome food for the buck.
- How many of you buy vegetables in the can or frozen? In the winter that may be the only way to buy them. However, if you eat beans or peas, that come in bags that are dried and will save you a ton. Let's say you spend at the cheapest .50 cents on a can. A one pound bag will make at least 3 to 4 quarts of beans or peas for just over a dollar. What you don't use, just freeze.
- I know you have fallen in love with all the fancy breads on the market. Me too. However, when you have very little money, you should by pass that section and buy the store brand which is made by the bread company who has the most bread in their store. Cutting back on bread never hurts but if you make a sandwich for yourself or your children for lunch, then you need to have some at home. Just over a dollar a loaf is a far better deal than nearly 4.00 dollars or more for the fancy bread. I will admit it is better for you but now, we are just trying to survive.
- If you look on the bottom of the spice shelve, you will find some spices 1.00 or If not, buy them in a dollar store.
- Another thing that we all think we have to have is fancy coffee. Before it came along we loved the regular coffee and didn't think a thing about it. Also, fancy creamer is a budget buster.
- I am nor sure if there is a way to save on cheese other than watching the sales ads. I have figured it out and a block is just as expensive as the shredded kind. Be sure to read the label because you do not want to buy imitation cheese.
- As you can see, I have only mentioned a few things concerning food. I don;'t have room to write it all. Maybe later. One thing to do is never enter the grocery door without a coupon or a price matching ad for stores who do that. Many things that we buy already made takes minutes in the kitchen. Start cooking more and start saving more. There are many sites online that offer ways to cook great meals for little money. Another thing you have already heard is never show when you are hungry. It is true. I know.
- More than one dish can be cooked in the oven at one time which saves on energy cost.
I went for a long time without eating one single bite from a fast food place. A couple of years later, my son walked in with a hamburger and asked if I would like it. Since I had not had lunch, I ate it. Oh dear what a shock. It tasted terrible and to think at one time I enjoyed it.
Question: How much of your grocery budget goes to soda/soft drinks? Neither diet or full flavor has any nutritional value. Therefore, why not try drinking water? In time, you will wonder why you didn't all the time.
If you are broke and living below the poverty line, you may not have a car payment, If you do and you find yourself in a bind, see if the bank will extent the loan another year. I had to do this when I went back to college., Yes, you will pay more in the long run but you will pay less now which is the goal.
Another thing to do is shop for car insurance. I drive a 13 year old car. Not because I have too but because I do not want a car payment and higher insurance rates. I am driving it until it leaves a note on my windshield telling me that it isn't moving any longer. I did the unthinkable this year by not paying enough attention to the oil and burned up the engine. I had another used engine for 850.00 installed instead of buying a new car. So far so good. That will teach me a lesson.
As far as insurance, I only carry liability. I don't think in my state an insurance company will write full coverage on a car over 10 years old. Our state requires liability but since I own my home, I need that protection. Buy as much as you think you can afford if you own your home. If you do not have enough coverage, you can be sued for the difference if you had a wreck. If you do not own your home, buy the least amount to keep your cost down, You should be able to get liability for less than 30.00 dollars a month. Mine cost me 24.dollars a month but I also have my home owners insurance with the same company. It seems to me that insurance companies are in competition so call them all to get a quote.
Keep you tires aired up to the proper limit. That will save on gas mileage as does keeping the air filter changed. After buying a new air filter and running it for the limited amount of miles, take it out and give it a good blowing out with high pressure. It will do a good job until the next time you need to replace it., Keep an eye on your fluid so you will not end up like I did. I don't need to discuss oil changes.
Lighting your home. The most cost effective way is to use energy saving bulbs. You know the ones that look like a cork screw., However, they can be costly. I walked into Lowe's one day and found them for a dollar a bulb. I snapped them up. My entire house has those bulbs. One thing I will say is that they do not give as good of light as the incandescence bulbs. At the moment while you are struggling, less light can be gotten used to. Plus, these bulbs last years.
Turn off any light not being used. Unplug anything that isn't being used. If it is a charger for your cell phone and other gadgets, unplug them. You can go so far as to unplug the microwave. Yep, I am getting cheap here but we are trying to save money. Most new televisions do not use much energy but the old ones do. If they are plugged in, they are still using energy so unplug them or plug them into a wall switch control by a switch on the wall.
Turn off the computer after using. I haven't read up on how much energy they use but they are bound to be using some. One last thing is that the fuller the fridge, the less energy it uses, If it isn't full, just fill a gallon jug of milk when empty and put in the fridge until you shop again. More than one if needed, Keep the coils on the fridge clean because they make the fridge use more energy.
When you are out and stop for gas, do you buy a soft drink? At the going rate if you do that each day of the month you have just spent 45.00 dollars a months if the drink cost a buck fifty. A snack to go with it adds more to that cost. I am not sure about you but that would pay my water bill for a month.
Think about the purchases you make. When you pick anything up thinking of buying it ask yourself this question...Do I really need it. You will probably say no. In that case, just put it back and save that money.
Bookmark my blog because I intend to write more articles on saving money. A pro at being poor at one time taught me a lot. An English teacher asked me about a paper I wrote on saving money and how I learned all of those things. I told her it was because I had to. She said she had never heard of some of the things I wrote.
Want to see what a person looks like who doesn't need to save like suggested in this article?
Sorry Donald, I just couldn't help it. Now, go brush your hair and use better hair spray. ha ha
