So last night I opened a can of Nectar From The Gods...aka Diet Coke. I only drank about 1/4 of it and when it was time for bed, I couldn't bring myself to pour it out like I usually do. See, I'm a pretty wasteful person. I admit it freely. Okay, I do recycle. I recycle like a Mo Fo. But I dump a lot of stuff and spend money stupidly. A lot. A LOT.
But last night as I walked to the kitchen sink to dump my nectar down the drain, I stopped myself. I don't know if you noticed, but the Captain and I? Kind of broke at the moment. So I stuck a paper towel in the open can, put it in the fridge and drank it this morning instead of opening a fresh one like I usually do. Diet Coke is my morning coffee and I hate flat soda...but I did it because dumping it out would have been like dumping 50 cents.
We need to majorly change our lifestyle...it got serious the day Captain Carl lost his job. Wicked serious, y'all. So I figure I gotta start somewhere. I guess saving and finishing a can of Diet Coke is my start.
So, my bloggy friends....this is where you come in. I need your help. I need ideas! Suggestions! Advice! Please, help a sista out and give me some tips for smart spending and saving.
Give it up.....
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4 comments:
I don't know why I came here, I'm not smart but I can tell you that we've cut costs by not buying paper plates.... (It was the only not green thing we did.)
I don't buy wild bird food anymore... We don't eat out much anymore... I don't buy soda anymore... But, we are able to feed the kids and the animals... And, hubby and I have lost weight, only eating 2 meals a day...
I hope Capt. Carl finds something fast! We're doing better but I'm still having a hard time finding full time work...
Sorry I was no help but I'll bet you're glad you're not me!! LOL!!
Hugs!!
We've been rationing sodas - I'm almost completely weaned off, but my husband is a junkie. I have no idea why I'm here either, but to say I feel your pain. Even when we have enough money (And trust me, on paper, my husband makes MORE than enough to cover our bills and have some fun money), we still piss through it or have timing issues and end up in a bind.
I buy generic/store brand instead of name brand on most stuff - butter, milk, pantry basics.
I actually use the 800 fancy body washes and lotions I've received over the years but never used because, you know, they're too nice to use every day.
Selling off the random crap in your basement on Craigslist for gas money.
I am trying to get savvy with the whole coupon thing, but, well, it isn't happening so far. I hear about these women that go into Meijers and spend $50 for $300 worth of stuff, and I am just proud to save $0.55 on 3 cans of Progresso! I am going to be checking back here to get some tips from others!
Thanks for the ideas, ladies. I am trying to drink a lot more water during the day, just to curb my food and Diet Coke cravings. It works sometimes.
Amy, as far as the coupons go...there is a website called the Grocery Game. I think that's the name, anyway. I believe you have to pay to sign up, but it really does work if you follow it. We tried it once, but we are so disorganized, we couldn't keep up with it. I think you also have to get the Sunday paper coupons to make it really work. I'm not explaining it well, so just google it and check it out.
I also buy mostly store-brand things...including OTC medicines. That helps some. I'm trying to talk myself into buying cheap shampoo and conditioner...that's a hard one for me. I'm not a salon snob or anything, but I have certain brands I like that are a little more expensive.
Would it help if you just went through a couple of days and wrote down everything that you were eating/spending, etc to actually see where you are spending before you start cutting?
Store brands/generic brands are good, we still shop at Costco for stuff like toilet paper/paper towel/groceries in bulk and freeze a lot of things. But not the toilet paper. Turning the heat way down at night, taking lunch to work, shopping for makeup/shampoo at CVS or Walgreens, cutting back to basic cable.....
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