Frugal Tips Archive

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It’s time once again for that annual celebration of all things green. Earth Day is nearly upon us and, while many people offer advice on being kind to Mother Earth, too many of these tips don’t quite coincide with frugal lifestyles. In an effort to dovetail these two purposes, we offer 22 budget-friendly ways to go green in honor of April 22.

1. Sign up for the “no solicitation” registry.
That way, you can avoid getting credit card offers and other ads which will reduce paper clutter and save trees.

2. Shop online to reduce your carbon footprint and save money.
According to a study by Carnegie Melon’s Green Institute, shopping online reduced carbon emissions by 35 percent. The abundance of online coupons from such sites as FreeShipping.org makes this green practice a no-brainer.

3. Get out of the gym and exercise outdoors.
Freeze your gym membership and save up to 75 percent (or more) per month during the summer. You’ll also rely less on those energy-sucking cardio machines.

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When I teach couponing classes, I talk about how important it is to build up a stockpile of items you use regularly so you never need to pay full price for those items.  Foods like tuna, pasta, and beans will keep for a very long time without spoiling.  But what about foods you use regularly that do spoil such as meats, butter, cold cuts, and cheese? That’s where having a freezer is really important to building a “fresh foods” stockpile.

Using a freezer effectively also means wrapping the food effectively.   One of the best accoutrements to a freezer is a Food Saver machine.  These suck all the air out of whatever items you are freezing so they last longer.  If you can’t afford one of these right now, you can always double wrap your food in zip top bags. (And you can reuse zip top bags as long as they don’t come in direct contact with food or you wash them out.)  Just remember to squeeze as much air as possible out of the bags before placing food into the freezer.  The more air frozen with your food, the more quickly items will get “freezer burnt” and go bad.  I personally use a combination of both methods when I freeze food; it just depends on what I freeze.

Butter, for example, can just be frozen in zip top bags.  It’s pretty well wrapped in its packaging to begin with and will last for months as is.  By “double wrapping” it in a zip top bag, you ensure it will keep for MANY months in the freezer.

Deli meats and cheeses are another thing you can keep for a long time in the freezer when wrapped in zip top bags.  When cold cuts and cheese go on sale, I buy them in bulk at the grocery store.  I have the deli counter person wrap the meats into 1/2 pound packages and store several packages in zip top bags labeled by meat and cheese type.  When we run out of deli meat or cheese, I just grab one of the frozen packages from a zip top bag and let it thaw in the refrigerator.  By using this method, I save money on deli meats by buying them when on sale.  I’m also not at the mercy of what happens to be on sale in a given week or, *gasp*, have to pay full price for what I want.  In addition, freezing deli meats and cheeses alleviates the need to run to the grocery store every week for these items, also saving time and gas.

When freezing meat, I prefer to use my Food Saver machine.  I like it because I can make the correct size bag for whatever I am freezing.  Plus, it does get almost all of the air out of the food, which is much better than using the zip top bags.

As with most things, meat is cheaper when you buy it in bulk.  Many grocery stores and butcher shops will sell meats at lower costs per pound when you buy it in larger packages.  It only makes sense to buy the larger packages and freeze them in smaller, meal-sized packages to save money.  For example, I recently purchased 40 pounds of natural, antibiotic free boneless breast of chicken at $1.49 lb.  Since regular sale price on most chicken is $1.99 lb, this was a deal I couldn’t pass up. (It’s still available!)

Although using your freezer is a great way to save money, there can also be few  pitfalls if you aren’t careful.  First, you really should make a list of what is in the freezer and keep it taped to the door.  When something is removed to be used, cross it off the list.  This may seem a bit silly, but how many times have you found something in the back of your freezer you had no idea was there, the item in question now unidentifiable?  This is especially true with chest freezers!  You won’t save money with a freezer if you freeze food, forget about it, and then have to throw it out because it didn’t get used in time.

Second, just because you have a huge freezer doesn’t mean you have to fill it to bursting. Just like with any stockpile, moderation is the key. The people on the Extreme Couponing show would have us believe that more is better. (I really hate that show, but that’s for another article!) However, always be mindful of how much you are actually going to use. Again, throwing out food is not cost effective.

Third, it is a good idea to label your food with what it is and the date it was frozen. Food is not always identifiable after it is frozen so labeling saves you from taking out chicken for dinner and then having pork to cook. (Er . . . yeah, I learned that one from experience.) Putting the date on packages also ensures you use the oldest items first. Just like a non perishable stockpile, you always want to rotate your stock.

Although not everyone has the space or funds to have a stand alone freezer, the tips above can be used with your regular freezer as well. Just remember to think beyond your weekly grocery needs when you do your shopping and plan your meals around what is on sale and what you have in your stockpile.

Have a freezer tip? Email me at ginaskokopelli@yahoo.com or leave me a comment!

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Using coupons has become more and more popular lately because of our crummy economy. Although I personally feel coupons are an excellent resource for stretching my money, many people don’t really want to bother with coupons for one reason or another. In light of this, I have nine easy tips that will help save you money at the grocery store, even without using coupons

1. Only buy what is on sale. Just sticking to this one simple rule will save you hundreds on your groceries every year.

2. Plan meals around what is on sale and what you have in your freezer or pantry, not what you want to eat. Although this concept seems like a “no brainer”, many people create their shopping lists around what they would like to eat for the week and then go shopping. Often, this practice leads to spending more money because what is being bought isn’t on sale.
3. Take time to plan your meals each week. Meal planning is an excellent way to reduce your grocery costs. Take the time to assess what you have in stock at home and then plan meals in advance. Even if you plan out just half of your weekly meals, you’ll save time and money because you won’t be running to the grocery store for last minute items, which often swells your monthly food budget.
   
4. Buy extra when you shop. If you are a family who eats pasta once a week, for example, buy more than one box of pasta when it’s on sale. This way, you won’t have pay full price the next time. Recently, Swiss cheese was on sale at my grocery store for only $2.99/lb. Because my family eats lots of Swiss cheese, I bought three pounds, which was the maximum amount I could buy. To make it easy on myself, I had the deli person package the cheese into half pound units. I then froze all but one of the packages. For the next few weeks, I won’t have to pay full price for the cheese because I have 5 more packages in my freezer.
   
5. Make extra when you cook. If you have to cook anyway, there’s very little additional effort needed to double the amount you cook. Making extra food can be a frugal endeavor in two ways. First, you can take the leftovers for lunch and cut down on the more expensive lunch items such as deli meat. Second, you can make enough extra to freeze for another meal at a later date. Then, on the days you don’t feel like cooking or are short on time, you have a complete meal that only needs to be defrosted. 
   
6. Shop like a man, not like a woman. For the most part, women like to browse and look at everything when they go grocery shopping, whereas men get what they need and get the heck out of Dodge. Grocery stores, just like any retail store, want you to buy as much as possible. There are pretty displays and end caps enticing you with products you really don’t need. How many times have you walked into a grocery store for bread and milk, and brought home three or four bags of groceries? It’s best to put your blinders on and get only what is on your shopping list.

7. Make a shopping list and stick to it! Going to the grocery store without a list is like fighting a war without a battle plan. Without a shopping list, you are susceptible to overbuying. Having a list keeps you on track and focused.

8. Buy bread at bakery outlet stores. Bread is a relatively expensive item at the grocery store. Some of the heartier whole grain varieties can be more than $4 per loaf. Take trip to your local bread outlet store such as Freihoffer’s or Wonder to purchase bakery products for as little as $1 per item.

9. Buy staple items such as flour, sugar, butter, milk, and eggs at a warehouse store. For the most part, staple items tend to be much less expensive at warehouse stores such as Costco and BJ’s. Because the warehouse stores buy in such huge quantities, they get products for less and pass that savings on to the consumer.

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I have to be honest and say I shudder at how expensive bread can be. I can’t believe that “good bread” – the kind with whole grains, seeds, etc. – can run as much as $4 at the grocery store.  Even on sale, bread, in my opinion, is still expensive. I suppose I could buy the really cheap bread at Walmart, but I don’t really care for it.  I’m spoiled and fussy and I want good bread. I also know I could cut costs by making my own bread, but that’s not always convenient; and I find that home made bread sometimes isn’t what I want for my sandwiches.  The answer?  Outlet stores.

Just to dispel any fears, the bread and other merchandise in outlet stores is perfectly good.  There’s nothing wrong with the products even if the date on the package is one or two days expired.  Bread, unlike meat, will last quite a bit past it’s due date.  The outlet stores have to adhere to the same health and food prep standards as the regular grocery stores, so they cannot and will not sell you bad bread.

Recently, I took a trip to my favorite Freihofer’s outlet.  I was able to get a bag of Fritos (Hubby’s fav), 2 loaves of white bread, 2 packages of bagels, 1 loaf of Cinnamon Raisin, 2 loaves of rye, and 2 loaves of whole grain for $12.13. Basically, that comes to about $1.21 per item. All I do is freeze the bread, and I have it for a month before I need to go back.  That’s not bad for a family of five.

Not everyone has an outlet store near them.  Mine, in fact, is about 35 minutes from my house.  I don’t take a special trip there, as that would defeat the frugality of buying bread at the outlet.  Instead, I plan my trips to the outlet around my trips to my Coleen’s house, whose house is just 5 minutes from Freihofers. I see her about once a month, and I make sure I stock up when I am heading that way.

If you haven’t tried a bread outlet store yet, give it a whirl.  Just buy one or two loaves to “test drive” the idea.  I’m sure you’ll find it’s really a great bargain!