Favorite budget ideas

[Rit]

Cinisajoy wrote:
Rit,
You wanted to send it in an email to yourself right.
Ok go to your e-mail program and click compose or whatever you click to send an email. you put the link in the main body of the email.

So I want to send myself the convetion oven Temp. I go and highlight that site address and hit copy. after I do that then what do I do? Where do I go? Sorry, I so am lost at this . I need abc, 123 instructions.
Maybe others are getting tired of reading this. Sorry.

[Rit]

Cinisajoy wrote:
Rit,
You wanted to send it in an email to yourself right.
Ok go to your e-mail program and click compose or whatever you click to send an email. you put the link in the main body of the email.

Thanks for all your help! Rit

[Lunaraven_psi]

I’m so cheap (er... frugal) my family says I squeak when I walk…

For cheap meals and easy uses for leftovers (Not to mention it only takes 10 min to cook)

1 package of one of those flavored pastas or rices. ( I love catching Lipton/Knorr on sale)
Cook it just like it says but add:
1 can of meat (chicken, turkey) or ½ cup leftover meat
ANY leftover veggies or just a can or two of veggies (drained)

The pasta is $1 or less on sale, the flavors are never ending, and everything else is a leftover or already in your pantry. (AND it’s a one pot one meal thing)

Examples: Creamy Herb Angel Hair plus Carrots plus Peas plus chicken
Stroganoff Flavor plus mushrooms plus cooked onions plus leftover beef
Teriyaki noodles or rice plus chicken plus any veggie we like

Make grocery lists! I plan out 5-6 meals a week using my local sales ads. Then I make my list and only put what we need on there. I make sure I am very strict about not buying “off the list”. When I started I would ring up my off the list items and have them subtotal it. When you see how much you spend on “ooo shiny!” you curb the urge.

Once a month do a Pantry Week. Go through your freezer/s and pantry and write EVERYTHING down. Then put all of those items together for meals. You may not have to buy anything but milk and bread that week!

Check your grocery store’s website. Kroger’s Plus card can be loaded on two sites with e-coupons that come off of your groceries when you buy that item. You can still use a paper coupon too and of course it is doubled or tripled on the right days! That really adds up!

I kept high speed cable internet for 2 years at $9.99 because I called to cancel every time my intro offer wore off and they reinstated it every time!

Pharmacies sell things like Milk for WAY less than everyone else just to get you to walk in the door. Keep an eye on their prices for some staples.

[ladygwyn]

[quote="Chef #1248317"]for everyone who wants to buy meats and other things cheap there is a website angelministries.com you can buy meats that are avalible ont his months menu and pick it up at one of the local churches plus most of the money goes to the church.[/quote]

Here is the full link fo rthis ministry program
http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

Thanks for sharing it with us.

[RebelQueen]

Bump as this is a great thread!

[stevie03]

Paying for your food can get really costly especially if from time to time, your family go to a restaurant or fast food chains.The budget allocated for food for the month may not be enough until the next paycheck. Whenever you run out of cash, there are always alternatives to help keep you full. Get more info at: Pay for food needed

[foodtvfan]

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON GROCERIES
1. Prepare an inventory of all canned, packaged, and freezer items with a column for purchased date and expiry dates if given on item.
Plan meals with this inventory, along with the specials of the week in grocery flyers.
2. Clean out the refrigerator and check your pantry before you make your grocery list. Be sure to stick to your list.
3. Once a week you can make soup from the leftover bits of vegetables and cooked meat in the refrigerator; add canned broth or homemade stock.
4. Use the weekly grocery ads and flyers, and/or go online for grocery and other household supplies coupons.
5. Stock up on items you use on a consistent basis if it is on sale for a good price. Check the expiry dates; add to your inventory.
6. Focus your menus on seasonal foods and vegetables that are on sale as you plan your weekly menu.
7. Never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry.
8. Consider buying store brands or generic products.
9. Buy a whole chicken and cut it up as you like rather than buying separate portions. Freeze pieces in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper; bag, label and date; add to your freezer inventory.
10. Buy roasts on sale that can be cut into multiple uses:
A beef roast can be cut into a roast, steaks, kebabs or stew.
A pork roast can be cut into a roast, pork chops, kebabs or stew.
11. Freeze pieces in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper; bag, label and date; add to your freezer inventory.
12. Buy three-bags of milk rather than 1 or 2 liter containers. You can freeze the milk bags; thaw milk bags in the refrigerator.
13. Switch to tap water or tea or fruit juices on sale. Soft drinks are expensive. Make your own fruit juices when fruit is plentiful in summer.
14. Cook once; eat twice. Double recipes and freeze one for busy days.
Thaw in refrigerator before cooking or according to recipe.
Examples; chili, spaghetti sauce, soup, stew, cooked ground beef or chicken.
15. Use leftovers in appetizers, sandwiches, soups, and casseroles.
16. Brown bag it for lunch to use up leftovers.
17. Take your own coffee/tea/beverages in a thermos or cooler.
18. Invest in a thermos for hot lunches such as soup or casseroles.
19. Save trimmings from vegetables in zipper bag in the freezer; when bag is full, make vegetable broth. There are lots of recipes for these on food.com.

[foodtvfan]

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR SAVINGS
In total you should have about five bank accounts.

1. Your main bank account should be a chequing account where all the money comes in, and the only account where the money is coming out of on a regular basis. This is the bank account where your pay cheque and any other income you are receiving should be going into.
From this account, you will be making monthly deposits into the other four accounts:

2. A savings account for significant future purchases such a down payment for a home, appliances, furniture, or a car.

3. A savings account for vacations. A good idea would be to put any kind of money gifts you receive for your birthday or other special occasions into this account.

4. A savings account for emergencies or unexpected costs such as car repairs, medical costs, or if you ever find yourself in a tight financial situation such as between jobs. Try to keep at least six months monthly expenses for emergencies.

5. An RRSP- a registered retirement savings plan. Not only will you get a nice little tax cut from it, but by investing that tax cut back into your RRSP you will have initiated a cycle of money-making.

Remember, not all savings accounts are alike, so do some research online or visit banks for the best, cheapest or no fee bank account.