SofaCoins: get a money saving tip, save a buck. Why not?

Subtract a little, add a little

2010-06-22T10:03:00-07:00

Convenience meal kits are everywhere and they are a great help when looking for a fast or easy dinner solution. They can also be used to help stretch your food budget in more ways than one. By reducing the amount of ground beef from a pound to 3/4 of a pound and adding some additional vegetables, you are not only reducing the calories from fat intake and creating better portion control, but you will actually be able to get an additional three meals out of ever ten pounds of hamburger than you buy.

Just how many movies do you really watch a month?

2010-06-15T07:30:00-07:00

These days, cable and dish companies offer a huge volume of pay per view packages, and the introduction rates are usually extremely attractive, sometimes just a few added dollars a month for a 3-6 month test period. But after that, those packages can almost double the cost of your standard cable. Tracking the number of times you actually watch all those channels can help you determine whether or not you really need to be paying up to an additional $60-$80 a month for all those extra channels. And if you've only watched 1 HBO special that month, that was one expensive special. Whittle down your bloated cable package, you probably won't miss all those extra channels and the extra cash will look good in your bank account. Watch out!

Did you ever wonder

2010-06-15T07:27:15-07:00

How you can walk out of the grocery store having spent $200 and realize there is actually not enough food to last a week? With grocery stores now carrying so much more than just food, it's easy to get sidetracked and pick up items that cut into the grocery budget without even realizing it. We've all done it, in spite of having a list and being diligent in keeping to that list, other items always end up in the cart. It's very easy to think, Oh, I am almost out of laundry soap or didn't we just use the last light bulb and drop those items in your cart as you are walking the aisles. The problem with that is, that while this is convenient, it is also more expensive. Light bulbs, laundry soap, even office supplies are now available at your local grocery store. A very good way to avoid this is to purposely separate out your food budget from your household supplies maintenance budget. By keeping track of your receipts for a month you can get a pretty accurate picture of what you actually spend on food, making sure to include those little side trips of course, and what you spend on household items such as toilet paper, paper towels, cleaners, laundy soap, light bulbs, etc. Then pay your local all in one department store a visit, picking up your household items at the same time. That way, you'll get more bang for both your grocery and household items budget.

It all adds up

2010-06-15T07:11:56-07:00

Wondering why the food budget just does not stretch as far as it used to, aside from the every increasing cost of food? Take a look at how you shop. You might be surprised at where the money actually does go. Those impulse stops on the way home from work to pick up this for dinner or that for tomorrow's lunch or the suddenly realization that you are out of cereal for tomorrow's breakfast can easily double what you actually believe you are spending on food. Most of us do not usually leave with the one item we have stopped for either. Getting a handle on what is actually being spent on groceries each month at your house can be quite an eyeopener. In our house for example, I was able to point out that we were spending close to an additional $100 a month on top of what was set aside for each week with all those quick stops into the store on the way home. One of the simplest fixes of all for this? Set up a menu plan and stick to it. Granted it might boost your regular shopping trip up a bit, but you'll save not only money but time by eliminating that nightly grocery store run out of your trip home

Double the Savings

2010-06-15T06:53:36-07:00

Price Club, Costco, Sams Club, BJ's and a half a dozen others, all names we have come to recognize as Bulk item stores where a great deal of savings can be achieved. Places like this are perfect if raising a big family. Just the staggering amount of stuff needed to pack six lunches a day more than made up for the cost of the membership. But when your family size starts to shrink, it's hard to justfy the purchase of a case of rice mix or a four box pack of cereal no matter what the cost savings when there are simply not enough mouths at the table anymore. Most of these clubs now allow you to have more than one person on a membership, what better way to continue to enjoy the savings than to team up with a sibling or your parents. This halves the cost of the membership and allows you both to enjoy the savings of buying in bulk without trying to figure out how to store and use a case of tomato sauce before the expiration date when it's just you and your spouse at home. And considering that most of these membership clubs also have household goods, electronics, books, clothing and even furniture, you can add those savings to almost every purchase you make.

Expect the Unexpected

2010-06-15T06:40:43-07:00

Utility bills are the bane of any budget's existence. Every changing rates and usage patterns make them the most predictable part of any household. And sometimes even the budget plans that so many utility companies offer can still hit you with that unpleasant surprise at the end of the billing cycle when instead of the credit you were expecting, there is an overage charge. One of the best ways I have found to avoid that ugly budget surprise is to automatically figure in, not the average of your utility bill as most budget plans do, but the highest bill. Any surplus left over after paying the current bill can be put into a savings account as a hedge an unexpected utility spike due to fluctuating energy costs.

Sometimes spending money saves you more in the long run

2010-06-11T10:14:00-07:00

Everywhere people are looking to cut corners, save a few dollars here and a few dollars there. Sometimes, the wrong corners are cut and that could end up costing alot more in the long run than it saves in the short run. Take your car for example. When things get tight, one of the first places that people will often cut is routine care maintenance, figuring that it is really an unnecessary expense. Frankly, that couldn't be further from the truth. Making sure that your car has regular oil changes, routine maintenance checks and good tires will keep your car in top working order and help keep your gas mileage up, and will also cut down on the possibilities of more serious car issues cropping up when you least expect them and can least afford them.

One Bill-Big Savings

2010-06-09T15:44:36-07:00

Does your cable company offer bundles? Take advantage of this service and not only save yourself some money, but cut down on the number of payments you need to send out. For some time now, most cable companies have offered internet services along with their tv package, but now, a lot of them are also offering phone service as well. By rolling these three services into one bundle, you can often save as much as $100 a month, depending on who your land line service provider currently is

Don't toss, wash instead

2010-06-09T09:39:45-07:00

Paper plates, plastic cups, disposable tablecloths and silverware. They've become the norm in almost every big family gathering over the years, at least in my family. Convenient, yes, cost effective, not really. Did you know that this convenience can actually add up to $50 to each family gathering? Even more so at bigger holidays when most of us also use the disposable roasters, baking pans, cookie sheets and the like, all to make creating and cleaning up the perfect holiday dinner easy as possible without realizing that that extra $50 or more has crept into the meal budget.

An attractive holiday vinyl tablecoth wipes clean easily, can be used more than once and costs about the same if not a little less than those high priced disposable table cloths. If you are using cloth ones, well they can be tossed right in the wash with your kitchen towels. The one extra load of dishes run through the dishwasher is still most cost effective on your budget than buying disposable cups, plates and silverware. And you can either pocket the savings or splurge on an extra special dinner treat to share with your family.

It's not just for salad anymore

2010-06-09T09:01:46-07:00

Vinegar. It's in just about everybody's kitchen, a lonely single bottle that sits on a shelf, waiting for the rare occasion that it's taken out for mixing with oil to make an oil and vinegar dressing or to add a touch to this recipe or that. But did you know that vinegar is an excellent cleaner? A touch in the water run through your coffee maker will turn the pot sparkling clean. Added to the dishwasher it's the perfect organic replacement for water spot remover. Considering the cost of regular store brand white vinegar runs around a dollar and goes a very long way when added to water, it is a great cost effective and eco-friendly solution to cleaning.