I discovered a frugal tip. I had a diaper genie lid break on me this week. Its an older model so I looked for a lid replacement online. I discovered that these things dont exist so I searched for what a replacement would cost. While looking for a replacement I stumbled across a printable for a 3d printer for the lid I was needing for my genie. I asked my coworker if I could pay him to print a lid and he said he would. It worked! It fits like a glove and I didn't spend any money! Now Im gonna keep in mind 3d printing to replace parts if its possible.
My son recently moved out. I’m so proud that my frugality rubbed off on him! He furnished his house with secondhand furniture and always packs his lunch!!
My husband is a logger and is diabetic, so there is a challenge, he is far far out in the woods..I build his lunch for the 30 years we’ve been married, very low carb, lots of protein items,trying very had to not use processed foods, I cook almost 90% from scratch, it can be done,it ups the creativity for sure.
My brother worked in a bacon packaging plant some years ago. He says that the plant would package a name brand bacon on the line. Then they would stop the line and put generic/store brand packaging on and they would use the exact, same bacon in those store brand packages. Converted me!
My husband works in London and is always surprised that he seems to be the only one in office who brings in his own lunch and coffee. Literally everyone else goes out! What he saves each week this way gives us more opportunities to do something as a family on the weekend.
My wife makes coffee every day at a fraction of the cost of purchasing it away from home and it is better than what we could buy at Starbuck’s as an example. We have breakfast every day at home. Before we retired I would make breakfast and lunches for us everyday before heading out to work. I got up a little earlier than she and having been an Army cook I used methods that were time saving. My wife would get home earlier than I did so she would typically make dinner. Making meals at home means I don’t have to wait in lines or at tables to eat, I can eat and take an afternoon nap and do it within a 30 minute lunch break. A 30 minute lunch break means I get to leave 30 minutes earlier and miss heavy traffic. We purchase store brands, meats etc. only on sale or reduced and use the store credit card which gives us 5% back on the store brand products and. 1.5% back on all other purchases. Additionally my wife will scan the receipts to Fetch for credits she can use elsewhere. As an example I can make an egg, bacon and cheese breakfast burrito ready between 3-3.5 minutes.
@@YeshuaKingMessiah I can see going out to eat with co-workers once a week for that reason. I work for myself from home and one of the benefits of that is I don’t spend the bulk of my day with co-workers and therefore there’s little temptation for lunch outings
I was eating my lunch everyday when i was workig in a drug store at the same level of a lot of restaurants. The pharmacist was astonished that I had a lunch each time. He says it take so much time. I was just tripling each recette. One time for the night, one time for the nezxt day lunch and the tird part to put in freezer for lazy days. I didn't see how hard it was.
Retired now...but always took my lunch to work.. usually "leftovers" from dinner night before. Never ever buy "rubbish" from McDonald's. Worse "food" ever! Likewise with your other tips. And yes...my house is furnished with old furniture...from granparents, etc.👍🏻 🤗🇦🇺
Hope, did you know that you can put salad dressing on the bottom of the container then add the salad, close the container and pack it on its bottom in your lunch container; then when you are ready to eat the lunch, just shake the whole thing and you will have fresh crisp salad that is coated w dressing? It won't get soggy. Love your tips!
Our town has multiple apple trees. Instead of growing our own, we ask them if we can take the apples off the ground. We bring 5 gallon buckets and cut off the rotten parts. We keep the good parts and fill our freezer with tons of organic apples for free.
My 2 children and I lived with my sister and her husband temporarily for a couple months. They said they saved so much money even though 3 people were added to their household. They usually ate out for every meal. I made every meal. Breakfast before they left for work with a packed lunch. Dinner was ready, house was clean, and laundry was done by the time they came home from work.
What an amazing gesture of appreciation with so many benefits! I hope it gave you all time around the table to build memories as well. Did they keep up with cooking at home more after?
Years ago now, someone we knew was buying Eggo waffles for a quick breakfast on the fly. They drifted to store brand and then there was a price increased which incensed them enough to buy an inexpensive waffle maker for batch making and freezing themselves. That adventure morphed into tje purchase of a better waffle maker that could produce more waffles at one time. For a quick trip put the door, they pop their home made waffle in the toaster as they get out the peanut butter and grab a piece of fruit. They like that the waffles hold peanut butter better than anything else. At the time they bought thier waffle maker, the waffles were about the exact size of Eggo's. Recently they checked out Eggos in the grocery store for curiosity's sake and were amazed at the shrinkflation.
I had to give up frozen eggos etc because I noticed I felt bad if I ate them too often. I react to so much processed food. Not a lot but a general feeling of crappiness. It’s very inconvenient. But better in the long run
Take peeled hard boiled eggs, quartered, in a baggie or Tupperware. Pop in mouth inbtwn waffles bites. No pb all over. I don’t do syrup on my waffles, I put it in them, along with some maple extract and butter and often some fruit.
I have always packed lunches this way. I even do the same thing for road trip days, errand day, because we are rural. I pack thermos with Coffee, and on cold days, a second thermos with soup. We have 2 sets of travel mugs, for that. We wait in a parking lot after errand and have our meal. I take apples and pb, and slice them and spread pb on them, and put them in a platis bowl, hubby can snack during the drive. I pour cream in a small bottle and keep it on ice to add to his coffee cup, thus keeping the thermos hotter, longer. The trick is to preheat your thermos with boiling water, fill seal, and let sit for 10 minutes while you pack other supplies. 😊 I learned this from my mother who did this 60 years ago, that I remembered seeing.😊 All those old frugal habits were passed down to me.
Thx for telling me to let it sit for 10 minutes. I just started doing this. I turn off the 2 hour auto heat. The best part is coffee ☕️ tastes better lasts until afternoon!
For the cutlery I would suggest getting one of those reusable cutlery sets that comes in a little container. That way you can put the dirty cutlery back in the container which is also washable rather than messing up the bag with all the dirty cutlery.
We wrap the sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits in wax paper. The pancakes we just put a few in a container and put the lid on amd freeze. Saves a lot of time on mornings that you have to leave the house.
I buy sandwich making supplies and keep them in the fridge at work. That way I don't have to prepare my lunch in the morning, but I also don't have to pay to eat out.
I used to do that too. And kept a bag of apples in the fridge, chips, nuts, and my favorite cookies in an unused drawer in my desk. My boss kept a stack of lean cuisines in the freezer just in case she forgot to bring something too.
I did the same. I bought my own cubic fridge for my office. I saved a fortune by buying separate lunch groceries for the office, as well as buying diet sodas at the grocery store and keeping them in my fridge.
Back when I was in school and work, I packed my lunches. I had several insulated lunch bags and thermoses. I would pack my lunch bags weekly,label,pop into freezer until I need it. As I used one lunch bag, I washed it and grabbed the next.
Though I do not do engage in any of the expensive habits in this video, I feel very validated in my frugality realizing that it could be costing me nearly $13K per year if I did engage in those habits. Thank you, I needed something to cheer me as it's been a tough few days for me.
I make my husbands lunches for him everyday he works. Sometimes it's leftovers from the night before. Other times its Soup or a Sandwich. I always try to add some kind of fruit and a little treat. It takes me 5 minutes to put his lunch together. Along with a little note. What I put together is cheaper then him buying his lunch from a fast food place. I say its around $1. Most of the employees buy Pizza, Chinese Food, Arby's, Apple Bee's McDonald's. All those restaurants are within a small block from where he works. He says they spend between $10 to $15 for lunch. Thats definitely not going to happen in our household. It doesn't matter what I put together for his lunch he eats everything & he appreciates it. After he eats his lunch he texts me this, "Yummy, Yummy for my Tummy. I love You." That text makes my day & puts a big smile on my face. In my opinion food is food. Do it the right way & save lots of money every week, month & year.
@@chrisk4053 It changes every day! Today we had a taco/nacho bar and I had chicken, flank steak and guacamole. If you don't like the hot food being served, there is always a stocked salad bar and sandwich making station and a different restaurant "pop up" on a separate floor. All free!
Completely agree about bringing lunch where you can. Besides saving money, you also have more time to relax during your lunch break because you don’t have to worry about traffic, whether the restaurant is busy, etc.
AMEN! Traffic and restaurant crowds are the worse during lunch time. Usually, the people eating out are in a hurry and don't have time to really enjoy the lunch they purchased.
Great job Larry and Hope for teaching you children to spend their money wisely. I am a mom to a teenager that I adopted. She struggles with understanding that as an adult we need to manage learn and teach how to manage our finances so that the needs are met. Every time we leave the house she looks to be fed and bought things. She struggles with my frugality.not understanding that we need to manage our money. She gets a little attitude when we don't stop for food or impulse buy the bling that is conveniently placed to attract buyers. I stay firm though in hopes that she catches on.
She will, the minute she starts earning her own money. That happens to a lot of people. When we see how much we earn and how much everything costs, it hits us very hard. And we have to learn very fast. Then, we remember our parents and say: „Ooooh, that’s why….”
I'm a lunchbox mom and my Tipp is, Invest in some good containers to pack homemade lunches. They fits better and you Save paper, bags and foil. Also better for the Environment
I agree, I went on holiday recently and forgot my aluminium foil, baking paper and cling film and I didn’t need them because I had remembered to pack plenty of food boxes.
Great lunch and lunch packing! I make Jar Salads: put “protein” in a mason jar, add diced yummy veg, add mixed greens, then cold cooked grains last. Make dressing in separate container. At work just dump the jar: the last ingredient will end up on the plate with all the toppings in order on top! Add dressing. You can use last night’s supper extras for next day’s salad meal!
I hadn't had a coffee out in over 4 years, and one of my students gave me $5 for Christmas and said "get yourself a coffee out on me!" So, when I was in the city, I got a venti coffee at Starbucks... $4!!! For a black coffee!! This is why I don't buy coffee out lol well, I'm also on my debt free journey.... almost debt free. And I've got a nice stock pile of coffee here at home from gifts from my family, friends and students ❤
Students are the best..I teach a 5 week CNA class…I have made it known that a $5.00 McDonalds card is a good present for me. McDonalds has surprisingly good coffee..the senior coffee in my area is .97 with tax…I drink it black but order 2 creamers and 2 sugars on the side…creamers go for tea( which I like with a splash of milk) and sugar goes into the sugar jar. I have my students write thank you cards for clinical and special teachers. I get them at the dollar store…I teach them the importance of thank you cards…and the impotence of frugality. My very nice students usually gift me with individual Mc Donald’s cards…some times a group card…which I encourage..say a $10.00 card from 10 students…and a dollar store thank you card…beautiful and thoughtful.
Thank you Larry and Hope for all your help with my finances. Recently I cancelled my cable and so I removed all the boxes and electrical associated with it. Never realizing the knock on effect it would have on my power bill....electricity bill went from $94ish to $77ish. Amazing. Can't think of anything else that has changed so I want to believe it was the passive power effect.
Garage sale season is not quite over and Christmas present season is beginning. It does depend a bit upon your recipients' acceptability of used items but we have stumbled upon great prices for bigger ticket used items which have gone over WELL. There was the $25 rototiller we brought home, hosed down, checked for functionality then stored until Christmas; a big win. Included is the almost unused 20ft aluminum extension ladder bought at a moving sale. We have bought several study desks (typically older, all wood, and sturdy), multiple bunk bed frames of the sturdy type, a couple of bookcases, a dresser and also a mirrored bedroom vanity table. These weve gotten dirt cheap most times, brought home, wiped down, yet seldom did any value added painting or other work to them. Kids aged 5 to 18+ are often wanting room make overs and these types of things have gone over well. There have been times we've added curtain panels, waste baskets, small rugs depending upon the budget and a multitude of other factors. Retro linens can go over well depending upon the person and of course most things kitchen still in or with the box.
I’ve never seen the appeal of Starbucks, personally. I always make my own coffee, take food from home, etc. Also, I have a lunch bag (or 30) just like Daniel’s!! Great taste, haha!
I once drove 30 miles to get a new flavor of coffee at Starbucks. It was fall. Guess what the new fall flavor was! Those days are behind me though. I make cowboy coffee every day now. I look forward to it every morning!🌞
My dad uses to say: „Coffee is a money printing machine, thinking about the costs to make it and the price they are selling it for.“ As usual great content! Best regards from sunny Germany👋🏻
Important tip, need big items like couches chairs, they practically if not actually give them away at estate sales near end of sales to get rid of them, no place for them to store them. Always have friends with trucks 🚛.
I have just finished off canning our bumper crop of tomatoes. About 6 bu. Made into organic catsup, stewed tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato juice and tomato jam. I checked comparable products at Walmart and figured I saved about $250 by time I subtracted the $40 for plants and sugar etc and lids. I'm good in the tomato department for a few years with a well stocked pantry.
One year, we had canned 80 quarts of tomatoes, and ate tomatoes morning, noon and night in various dishes. I even made mock apple pie with green tomatoes. I took the pie to a church social, and no one knew the pie was made from green tomatoes. I got a lot of compliments, too.
another thing you can do for a coffee fix, if travel a lot is buy a small backpacking stove and a cup, put those two together with a can of fuel. along with your preferred instant coffee, tea or coffee bags. it becomes a heck of a lot cheaper than a $5 coffee. works great, also a small setup. this all packs into small space in my work van and I have a hot drink on the cheap
I do that now and then and it works great. I also have a 6" cast iron skillet I take along. I can make a couple slices of toast and fry an egg on the fly for a really good egg sandwich. Pick a nice spot to pull over and have breakfast with some bonus awesome scenery. Great tip!
Hi Hope and Larry 😊great video! I wanted to let you know Kroger has 10 English muffins in a big package, which is $2.99 ! Here's a tip for the eggs ...look for medium eggs on the shelf. Kroger sells repackaged eggs as medium eggs for a lot less a dozen. Today i got extra LARGE eggs that have been repackaged for $1.99 a dozen when regular large eggs were selling for $3.19 a dozen in my area! I get the cheese on sale, then ham at walmart. Great value brand 1 pound for $3.77 shopping tricks like this help us all to make things more affordable 😀 thanks for sharing your experiences with us 😀
@@myaccount9498 yikes, glad I went vegan a few years ago. Those are crazy prices!! I honestly don't know how families are making it. Between insurance, mortgage/rent, utilities and groceries its depressing. Eggs used to be the cheapest meal, egg salad, fried egg sandwiches, boiled eggs....jeez we have to eat for Pete's sake!
Great video. This is why hubby and I don't eat out. We are not coffee drinkers, so Starbucks never had an appeal to us. But years ago we ate out far too much.
Covid is what showed me how much money I was wasting on my coffee - breakfast - lunch routine. Between that and my reduced gas cost it was like a 10 - 15% raise! I always now take two of those kerig cups you can fill with your own coffee, oat bran muffins I make over the weekend for breakfast, and a sandwich or salad for lunch. Not just cheaper but honestly healthier.
Great tips! Thank you, you guys cracked me up today, with the demo of how to pack a lunch bag, it has been rather sombre here today, so thanks! I have just had dinner, including home made potato salad and cole slaw, so much better and cheaper than buying ready made. I only very occasionally buy lunch at work, usually only when we decide to go to the pub for lunch for a very occasional treat. Being brought up frugally is a great advantage, it comes pretty naturally.
I worked in a service job and I was rarely in the office. Always on the road. I never knew were the nearest place to eat would be. It became a problem to stop what I was doing and go find food to eat. I started setting the coffee pot on automatic the night before and bringing my lunch every day. Breakfast was a banana or toast with jam. I did this for 34 years while my co-workers would have to leave the jobsite and find and pay for expensive food. I'm retired now (retired at 63). I'm sure the money I saved just with breakfast and lunch was partially responsible for my being able to retire early. I also figured out years ago that buying furniture new was one of the worst investments ever. I still make my lunch at home. I'm very happy and secure. Just my story...
I used to buy the oatmeal packets and grew to despise them I started using the oatmeal cups. They discontinued the one I liked and realized I could probably make my own oatmeal packets.I looked on Pinterest and chose a recipe that had the things I liked and made my own. The recipe called for making a big batch and scooping it out. I use snack bags and make individual packs. I use the bags several times over. I do buy the name brand because they do seem to work better for multiple uses. I buy quick cook oatmeal in bulk from our Winco foods for $.70 per lb. I add different dried fruit and some nuts (also in bulk) and just boil water and pour it over and let it sit while I'm getting ready in the morning.
The only time I get breakfast before work, at the gas station is if I was heading in to work an overtime weekend shift. Want to look forward to something. 😊 Save a lot of money by not purchasing cigarettes or chew.
I love packing my own lunch. I work in the school system in FL. They don't serve enough for lunch. I bring my own. I know they charge $3.50 . I love your videos! Thanks for breaking it all down.
I do all these. I used to eat out when I was younger. How silly to say I was treating myself...when I was spending so much money I could have saved for a rainy day. Ah well. I learned the hard way, but now my grown kids are watching me and they see how careful I am. They get to see your videos, too. I hope they are paying attention and make better choices than I did at their age!!
We bought a steel, double walled, 64oz thermos at Walmart Christmas of '23 for $34.9x and brew 2 pots before leaving home for longer periods of time. It is dark green with black plastic handles which was stocked at the time with the thermal beverage cups adjacent to the kitchen wares. It works better than many. Spring/ summer of '24 we bought a similar 32 oz container boasting that it keeps beverages cold for 24 hours from the seasonal camping and cooler department. It is sort of a brushed steel color with a different lid utilizing a chrome/ steel bale handle. It cost $17-$19 and boy, it is definitely worth the cost! If we fill or half fill it with ice and then a beverage, there is still ice left 24 and more hours later after several openings for drinking and additions of liquid beverage. Not sure if its constructed a little differently than the similar item we purchased at Christmas, its the size and dimensions, or cold versus hot beverages. But it enables cold beverages at a savings.
I'm turning 71 this week and have been packing my own lunch since 3rd grade. Partly due to cost and partly to being a picky eater. An additional advantage to packing your own is a practically longer meal break. When you have your own, you can instantly be on break but if you are buying, there will be time spent in line and perhaps traveling to your fave spot....
My breakfast is typically made up of 1 boiled egg, half an avocado, 2 brazil nuts, and a small snack (portioned out from a large bag or a fruit). This is only for my work day since break is 15min. Lunch break is also made from home, which is a sandwich/wrap plus another snack (typically a piece of fruit). During cooler seasons, I'll change it up and bring beef stew for lunch instead. Drink of choice is tea since coffee makes me too jittery/anxious/etc during work hours.
@genxx2724 True that. I would call it desserts. My real snack appears after work, an hour or two before making dinner. It usually consists of leftover lunch dessert or whatever I got at home. I don't snack often since lunch/dinner is enough.
When I was in college, I had an inexpensive 16oz or so aluminum hot pot that could boil water which went with me along with instant coffee fixings, some tea bags and sugar, a manual can opener, amd things that could be made with boiling water. And yes, I discretely used plugs in and about the library.
Hi Hope & Larry, your channel has changed my money spending philosophy, or I should say, you have taught be to be frugal, or more frugal, without becoming cheap. I owe you!
I buy organic coffee, cream, cocoa and stevia, so I'm sure it costs closer to $1 per cup, but still cheaper at home. Crafting is my budget killer, but nearly everything I make is for gifts and charity/fundraising.
I am traveling today and refuse to pay airport prices for food. I grabbed some fruit, some bread, some cheese and some meatloaf. I stuck it all in a a plastic store bag and brought it with me. I just had a delicious meatloaf and cheese sandwich on homemade bread while Waiting for my flight. I will have some watermelon on my next flight. I can have a cheese sandwich once I get to my car. I have instant coffee with me in my suitcase and I always keep a clean cup in my car. When I stop for gas, I will also take my cup with instant coffee, use some of their hot water and drink my coffee on the way home. I have never had a gas station charge me for hot water…even when I don’t buy gas but just stop for the restroom. When I do t plan, I can spend up to $50 on airport food, drinks and coffee.
I like sandwiches, but the price of good quality bread is so expensive, plus I like the sandwich insides better than all the bread. So I switched to buying good quality corn and flour tortillas and now make roll-up sandwiches and breakfast tacos. The tortillas are less expensive than bread, less filling and take up less space in the fridge to store (they also freeze really well). They are also very versatile. I can put some cheese between two flour tortillas and warm it in the microwave oven for an easy quesadilla or toast a couple of corn tortillas in the toaster oven, break them into pieces and then eat them with salsa, hummus or soup. Toasted corn tortilla pieces don't have all the salt and fat of store-bought tortilla chips.
Great show Hope and Larry! Lots of practical money saving tips every week. I don't know how you keep doing it, but every week you've always got great tips and ideas. Thanks for all the hard work you do on your channel. It is appreciated by so many!😀
I really enjoyed this video and I think you have done one heck of a good job explaining how little changes in our buying behaviours can Save really impressive chunks of change. I thought that you might mention buying used cars too, since that has to be one of the most dramatic ways to save really good amounts of money. Maybe you should do a video on transportation as frugal commuters? One more thing: Some of your information in this video talked about what one individual could save on, eg., making their coffee and preparing thier own breakfasts and lunches. The amounts were impressive. But then, if I understood correctly, you spoke about how much a family, not an individual, could save each year by buying store brands, etc. You moved away from the individual model. Is that the case or am I misunderstanding the video? In any event, please keep going with these videos because we North Americans have tons to learn about how to spend our money efficiently and effectively. Thanks to you and your family for the great conversations you bring at this time of difficult financial scenarios that require planning and perseverence.
If you're working in an office or even out of your car, I bought an inexpensive heated lunch box. Great for warm food in cold weather. Mine came with both a regular plug and a car plug.
I run across deals at a local grocery discount store. I got 12 whole wheat english muffins for 2$ thats .16 cents per muffin. I can make muffins and bagels but this was a nice " cheat". We have our own eggs and meat.
Don't drink the frozen water that melts. This is due to plastic particles in the plastic go into the water I used to do the same and then a friend scared me with the facts. Generics or name brand read the ingredients too much sodium. When my kids were small money was tight I kept the brand name cereal box and inside I put the bag from a box of generics brands. OMG my kids noticed the difference in taste and said mommy this cereal tastes bad. I tried it and sadly it was true . Some items taste great but you have to do a taste test to decide to go generics or name brands.
Fort Worth has a lot of very nice salvage stores, and some are very close to each other in certain parts of town. Used them a lot when hubby and I were in college.
Yeah I bring my water/tea/pop (depends on the day ahead..some days you need fizz) in a reusable cup....and oh yeah REFILL IT...some of these tips are eye rolling....
STARBUCKS is the biggest rip off on the planet. Although about once a year I get a caramel macchiatto. But....I have lots of gift cards to Starbucks that have been given to me. LOL. Those fancy coffees are over DOUBLE the regular coffee. So ridiculous. Lunch too...... My friend and I used to eat out almost every day....then we decided to cut out the pop...that saved almost 3 bucks....then we started only eating out once a week. Then....we rarely ate out.
Coffee- probably doesn’t include tip or danish, savings almost 90% making it at home Lunch (& Breakfast)- that $2,400+ is after tax money, you need to make $3,000+ to spend that $2,400 for lunch
Try silicone bags instead of plastic they make them dishwasher safe now.... Game changer for chips and sandwiches Haven't caught a video in a while.... Loving your hair Hope That length looks great on you 😍
I used to make my own breakfast muffins when I was working and freeze them. I’m not much of a breakfast eater so they usually ended up as lunch and my lunch became dinner. I guess that was one way to save. Anyway I discovered you could get perfectly round eggs for your muffin by cooking it in the microwave in a coffee cup. Scrambled or over medium type eggs, didn’t matter which, they came out perfectly round. Start with about 30 seconds on high and check. I also used to make breakfast burritos and freeze them. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Best savings ever was when I worked for a hotel chain with an attached restaurant. Lunches were free from certain selected menu items. I learned to pick the items that ensured leftovers which I was allowed to take home, and I ate that for dinner. Also free coffee while at work. For 18 months I spent very little on food.
@@LaManteca76 you are welcome. They took no time to cook in the microwave. So easy and a lot less messy once you get the right cooking time for your egg. Oh and I believe I lightly sprayed the inside of the cup with cooking spray just to make sure the egg came out easily. Just turn the coffee cup over your muffin and out it plops. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!
I have been adding asian sauce to meatballs and make vegetable rice in the rice cooker. Add mixed veggies and some onion butter salt to 2 cups of rice. I also like burgers, salads and chicken strips for lunch
I learnt from you that its the small purchases that make all the difference. By stopping them I paid off my mortage. Have you heard of ramesh sethi? He talks nonsense that small purchases don't make any difference. I would love to hear your opinion of his nonsense financial advice
For shopping second hand Once Upon a Child is my favorite for children and maternity they have amazing selections are kinda picky at what they 'buy back' so I don't worry about holes and stains as much! That's what's also do fun is they buy clothes/shoes/gear from you!! You can get cash but formlur large family of 7kiddos, between there and thrifting I (&gma) find a lot of awesome clothes/shoes etc. We use it for that season and I can resell it and make enough money I can generally outfit everyone with that money earned!! Also buying used I ALWAYS check to see if Amazon has used options, usually much cheaper than brand new and also saving the planet one book/clothing item at a time❤ & I've always gone along with the $100 per person per month, grocery budget! So family of 9 would be $900 and I even try to do less more like $700 shopping sales, deals and best price points is very helpful... We also don't eat 3meals a day!! We eat a huge brunch & dinner with a couple *healthy* snacks! That also helps cut prices majorly!! Now some kids would eat all day long but that's what we have found suits our odd schedules best!! My other biggest tip for food is buy single ingredient foods and in bulk!! If you're 1 stocking up for 6months to a year or 12family stocking up for 2or3months!! Bulk is always best price per pound/ounce!
My frugal guidelines: If I can buy used, I won't buy new; if I can fix it, I won't throw it away; if I can use it and it doesn't fall out, it's a keeper; if I have one, I don't need two
I used to love it at my job when they the bosses thought they were offering me some sweet reward by bringing me a Dunkin’ coffee. I happily replied I have my own prepared automatically at the correct time by my so forty years ago of tech ago Mr Coffee.
Is this including electricity, water dish soap,opening and closing fridge and gas? Not trying to be a smarty but i do most of my own from scratch and just wondering???
Every place you go - regardless if it’s fast food or just a cup of coffee- they all expect a tip and even have it programmed before you swipe your card- to ask “how much are you adding for a tip”. Options include 50 cents, $1.00 , other amount-- or by percentages 10%, 15%, 20%, 25 % etc.
I've been making steel cut overnight oats for breakfast and it makes enough for 4 to 5 servings depending on what add ins I have for the week. Just boil 2 cups of water, add 1/2 cup of stee cut oats, let that boil 1 min stirring. Then turn off heat and cover. my stove is electric so I partially removed from the hot burner so the residue heat doesn't overboil the oatmeal. By morning these are perfectly cooked. Usually I have chia seeds, flaxseed, walnuts and so in season fruit to add in. I divide and portion into my reusable containers for the week. Lucht is usually a salad and something leftover from supper or no leftovers then a baked potato and salad. I'm saving so much by not eating out. By the way my office provides free tea and coffee for us to drink.
I think, in addition to the money savings, the health benefits can't be stressed enough. Those frozen breakfast sandwiches are sodium bombs! I'm fortunate to have decent kitchen areas at work with new refrigerators, so I take a , small bag of groceries Monday morning that carries me through the week. Last week, for example, I took a big tub of watermelon I cut up myself, a bunch of greens, beans, veggies & home made dressing and had 4 days of salads (I work from home Fridays). Those ingredients for 4 days cost less than I would've paid for one salad downtown --- plus it's healthier and way tastier!
I’ve been doing the frozen water bottle for years. I swear I still have some from way back when I started. We don’t ever drink that water. Just freeze repeatedly. It works better than any ice pack ever could.
I discovered a frugal tip. I had a diaper genie lid break on me this week. Its an older model so I looked for a lid replacement online. I discovered that these things dont exist so I searched for what a replacement would cost. While looking for a replacement I stumbled across a printable for a 3d printer for the lid I was needing for my genie. I asked my coworker if I could pay him to print a lid and he said he would. It worked! It fits like a glove and I didn't spend any money! Now Im gonna keep in mind 3d printing to replace parts if its possible.
Wow!!!!!!!!! That is a great idea. Was the 3D printer at work?
Thats brilliant!
Use cloth diapers....do the environment a favor.
My son recently moved out. I’m so proud that my frugality rubbed off on him! He furnished his house with secondhand furniture and always packs his lunch!!
You should be very proud.
My husband is a logger and is diabetic, so there is a challenge, he is far far out in the woods..I build his lunch for the 30 years we’ve been married, very low carb, lots of protein items,trying very had to not use processed foods, I cook almost 90% from scratch, it can be done,it ups the creativity for sure.
You can reverse his diabetes
@@muhammadnawaz5039 please share your information
@@muhammadnawaz5039yup, go as no carb as possible. Get rid of seed oils.
@@muhammadnawaz5039 With rare exceptions, Type II two diabetes is caused by diet and can be reversed by diet. She didn’t specify which type he has.
That is really hard work. The thing you do is 20 years old and you keep your husband's health in a good condition
My brother worked in a bacon packaging plant some years ago. He says that the plant would package a name brand bacon on the line. Then they would stop the line and put generic/store brand packaging on and they would use the exact, same bacon in those store brand packages. Converted me!
I work in a lunch meat processing plant and we do the same thing
My husband works in London and is always surprised that he seems to be the only one in office who brings in his own lunch and coffee. Literally everyone else goes out! What he saves each week this way gives us more opportunities to do something as a family on the weekend.
It’s a social thing too, networking also
My wife makes coffee every day at a fraction of the cost of purchasing it away from home and it is better than what we could buy at Starbuck’s as an example. We have breakfast every day at home. Before we retired I would make breakfast and lunches for us everyday before heading out to work. I got up a little earlier than she and having been an Army cook I used methods that were time saving. My wife would get home earlier than I did so she would typically make dinner. Making meals at home means I don’t have to wait in lines or at tables to eat, I can eat and take an afternoon nap and do it within a 30 minute lunch break. A 30 minute lunch break means I get to leave 30 minutes earlier and miss heavy traffic. We purchase store brands, meats etc. only on sale or reduced and use the store credit card which gives us 5% back on the store brand products and. 1.5% back on all other purchases. Additionally my wife will scan the receipts to Fetch for credits she can use elsewhere. As an example I can make an egg, bacon and cheese breakfast burrito ready between 3-3.5 minutes.
@@YeshuaKingMessiah I can see going out to eat with co-workers once a week for that reason. I work for myself from home and one of the benefits of that is I don’t spend the bulk of my day with co-workers and therefore there’s little temptation for lunch outings
I was eating my lunch everyday when i was workig in a drug store at the same level of a lot of restaurants. The pharmacist was astonished that I had a lunch each time. He says it take so much time. I was just tripling each recette. One time for the night, one time for the nezxt day lunch and the tird part to put in freezer for lazy days. I didn't see how hard it was.
Retired now...but always took my lunch to work.. usually "leftovers" from dinner night before. Never ever buy "rubbish" from McDonald's. Worse "food" ever! Likewise with your other tips. And yes...my house is furnished with old furniture...from granparents, etc.👍🏻 🤗🇦🇺
Hope, did you know that you can put salad dressing on the bottom of the container then add the salad, close the container and pack it on its bottom in your lunch container; then when you are ready to eat the lunch, just shake the whole thing and you will have fresh crisp salad that is coated w dressing? It won't get soggy. Love your tips!
You can freeze your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches you can make a week's worth at a time.
Our town has multiple apple trees. Instead of growing our own, we ask them if we can take the apples off the ground. We bring 5 gallon buckets and cut off the rotten parts. We keep the good parts and fill our freezer with tons of organic apples for free.
My 2 children and I lived with my sister and her husband temporarily for a couple months. They said they saved so much money even though 3 people were added to their household. They usually ate out for every meal. I made every meal. Breakfast before they left for work with a packed lunch. Dinner was ready, house was clean, and laundry was done by the time they came home from work.
What an amazing gesture of appreciation with so many benefits! I hope it gave you all time around the table to build memories as well. Did they keep up with cooking at home more after?
@@TheReflectivePerspectiveofc not lol
Ppl don’t suddenly stop being lazy
I’m surprised they let you move out 😂
Win win.
Years ago now, someone we knew was buying Eggo waffles for a quick breakfast on the fly. They drifted to store brand and then there was a price increased which incensed them enough to buy an inexpensive waffle maker for batch making and freezing themselves. That adventure morphed into tje purchase of a better waffle maker that could produce more waffles at one time. For a quick trip put the door, they pop their home made waffle in the toaster as they get out the peanut butter and grab a piece of fruit. They like that the waffles hold peanut butter better than anything else. At the time they bought thier waffle maker, the waffles were about the exact size of Eggo's. Recently they checked out Eggos in the grocery store for curiosity's sake and were amazed at the shrinkflation.
I had to give up frozen eggos etc because I noticed I felt bad if I ate them too often. I react to so much processed food. Not a lot but a general feeling of crappiness. It’s very inconvenient. But better in the long run
I went on this exact same journey, including the peanut butter for an inexpensive extra protein addition.
Take peeled hard boiled eggs, quartered, in a baggie or Tupperware. Pop in mouth inbtwn waffles bites. No pb all over.
I don’t do syrup on my waffles, I put it in them, along with some maple extract and butter and often some fruit.
I have always packed lunches this way. I even do the same thing for road trip days, errand day, because we are rural. I pack thermos with
Coffee, and on cold days, a second thermos with soup. We have 2 sets of travel mugs, for that. We wait in a parking lot after errand and have our meal. I take apples and pb, and slice them and spread pb on them, and put them in a platis bowl, hubby can snack during the drive. I pour cream in a small bottle and keep it on ice to add to his coffee cup, thus keeping the thermos hotter, longer. The trick is to preheat your thermos with boiling water, fill seal, and let sit for 10 minutes while you pack other supplies. 😊 I learned this from my mother who did this 60 years ago, that I remembered seeing.😊 All those old frugal habits were passed down to me.
Thx for telling me to let it sit for 10 minutes. I just started doing this. I turn off the 2 hour auto heat. The best part is coffee ☕️ tastes better lasts until afternoon!
For the cutlery I would suggest getting one of those reusable cutlery sets that comes in a little container. That way you can put the dirty cutlery back in the container which is also washable rather than messing up the bag with all the dirty cutlery.
Or wrap in a cloth napkin if space is an issue
We make breakfast sandwiches with on sale items, and pancakes. We freeze and use as needed. So good.
This sounds great
I do the same with breakfast burritos. So convenient and tasty. 😊
I didn't know you could freeze them! Thanx, gonna try this now. 😄
We wrap the sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits in wax paper. The pancakes we just put a few in a container and put the lid on amd freeze. Saves a lot of time on mornings that you have to leave the house.
I buy sandwich making supplies and keep them in the fridge at work. That way I don't have to prepare my lunch in the morning, but I also don't have to pay to eat out.
Plus your coworkers can help themselves to a free sandwich whenever they want 😆
@@ricksherman34 ha ha, I haven't had that problem yet, but other work places may not be so mindful.
I used to do that too. And kept a bag of apples in the fridge, chips, nuts, and my favorite cookies in an unused drawer in my desk. My boss kept a stack of lean cuisines in the freezer just in case she forgot to bring something too.
I did the same. I bought my own cubic fridge for my office. I saved a fortune by buying separate lunch groceries for the office, as well as buying diet sodas at the grocery store and keeping them in my fridge.
And you don’t have to lug your lunch around. The downside, as someone else mentioned, is you really have to trust your co-workers
Back when I was in school and work, I packed my lunches.
I had several insulated lunch bags and thermoses.
I would pack my lunch bags weekly,label,pop into freezer until I need it.
As I used one lunch bag, I washed it and grabbed the next.
You can make a pretty dang awesome lunch at home for $20. 😂 That is like our budget for a week for breakfast and lunch combined lol.
when u look at this and u see the $$$ ur spending its an eye opener
Though I do not do engage in any of the expensive habits in this video, I feel very validated in my frugality realizing that it could be costing me nearly $13K per year if I did engage in those habits. Thank you, I needed something to cheer me as it's been a tough few days for me.
So glad it was helpful for you. I hope your week gets better.
I make my husbands lunches for him everyday he works. Sometimes it's leftovers from the night before. Other times its Soup or a Sandwich. I always try to add some kind of fruit and a little treat. It takes me 5 minutes to put his lunch together. Along with a little note. What I put together is cheaper then him buying his lunch from a fast food place. I say its around $1. Most of the employees buy Pizza, Chinese Food, Arby's, Apple Bee's McDonald's. All those restaurants are within a small block from where he works. He says they spend between $10 to $15 for lunch. Thats definitely not going to happen in our household. It doesn't matter what I put together for his lunch he eats everything & he appreciates it. After he eats his lunch he texts me this, "Yummy, Yummy for my Tummy. I love You." That text makes my day & puts a big smile on my face. In my opinion food is food. Do it the right way & save lots of money every week, month & year.
Your second sentence is like me. I waste nothing. I take leftovers from the night before for work!
💜👍🏼💜
His health is probably also much better than his coworkers who eat out.
I’m so lucky that my work provides caterered free lunch every day!
That is awesome! You are fortunate, indeed.
Wow !! What is thee typical lunch?
@@chrisk4053 It changes every day! Today we had a taco/nacho bar and I had chicken, flank steak and guacamole. If you don't like the hot food being served, there is always a stocked salad bar and sandwich making station and a different restaurant "pop up" on a separate floor. All free!
I would rather have a small raise.
@@jamielivingston7765I’m super fortunate to be well compensated for the work I do too! The food is just a perk
Completely agree about bringing lunch where you can. Besides saving money, you also have more time to relax during your lunch break because you don’t have to worry about traffic, whether the restaurant is busy, etc.
AMEN! Traffic and restaurant crowds are the worse during lunch time. Usually, the people eating out are in a hurry and don't have time to really enjoy the lunch they purchased.
Great job Larry and Hope for teaching you children to spend their money wisely. I am a mom to a teenager that I adopted. She struggles with understanding that as an adult we need to manage learn and teach how to manage our finances so that the needs are met. Every time we leave the house she looks to be fed and bought things. She struggles with my frugality.not understanding that we need to manage our money. She gets a little attitude when we don't stop for food or impulse buy the bling that is conveniently placed to attract buyers. I stay firm though in hopes that she catches on.
She will, the minute she starts earning her own money. That happens to a lot of people. When we see how much we earn and how much everything costs, it hits us very hard. And we have to learn very fast. Then, we remember our parents and say: „Ooooh, that’s why….”
She will appreciate tardier
You need to show her the rest of the lesson. Where you have money for xyz because you didn’t buy abc.
@@sophianachtigall3598el pan ajeno hace al hijo bueno. Cuando no tenga las comodidades de casa vera lo que es sufrir.
Her origin family most likely raised her to be money-dumb
It’s very prevalent. I doubt at the late age u will impact her but perhaps.
I'm a lunchbox mom and my Tipp is, Invest in some good containers to pack homemade lunches. They fits better and you Save paper, bags and foil. Also better for the Environment
I agree, I went on holiday recently and forgot my aluminium foil, baking paper and cling film and I didn’t need them because I had remembered to pack plenty of food boxes.
Great lunch and lunch packing! I make Jar Salads: put “protein” in a mason jar, add diced yummy veg, add mixed greens, then cold cooked grains last. Make dressing in separate container. At work just dump the jar: the last ingredient will end up on the plate with all the toppings in order on top! Add dressing. You can use last night’s supper extras for next day’s salad meal!
I hadn't had a coffee out in over 4 years, and one of my students gave me $5 for Christmas and said "get yourself a coffee out on me!" So, when I was in the city, I got a venti coffee at Starbucks... $4!!! For a black coffee!! This is why I don't buy coffee out lol well, I'm also on my debt free journey.... almost debt free. And I've got a nice stock pile of coffee here at home from gifts from my family, friends and students ❤
Students are the best..I teach a 5 week CNA class…I have made it known that a $5.00 McDonalds card is a good present for me. McDonalds has surprisingly good coffee..the senior coffee in my area is .97 with tax…I drink it black but order 2 creamers and 2 sugars on the side…creamers go for tea( which I like with a splash of milk) and sugar goes into the sugar jar. I have my students write thank you cards for clinical and special teachers. I get them at the dollar store…I teach them the importance of thank you cards…and the impotence of frugality. My very nice students usually gift me with individual Mc Donald’s cards…some times a group card…which I encourage..say a $10.00 card from 10 students…and a dollar store thank you card…beautiful and thoughtful.
Love this!!!!
Thank you Larry and Hope for all your help with my finances. Recently I cancelled my cable and so I removed all the boxes and electrical associated with it. Never realizing the knock on effect it would have on my power bill....electricity bill went from $94ish to $77ish. Amazing. Can't think of anything else that has changed so I want to believe it was the passive power effect.
The amount of money I was spending eating out blew my mind when I checked my bank statement, it’s highway robbery.
Garage sale season is not quite over and Christmas present season is beginning. It does depend a bit upon your recipients' acceptability of used items but we have stumbled upon great prices for bigger ticket used items which have gone over WELL. There was the $25 rototiller we brought home, hosed down, checked for functionality then stored until Christmas; a big win. Included is the almost unused 20ft aluminum extension ladder bought at a moving sale. We have bought several study desks (typically older, all wood, and sturdy), multiple bunk bed frames of the sturdy type, a couple of bookcases, a dresser and also a mirrored bedroom vanity table. These weve gotten dirt cheap most times, brought home, wiped down, yet seldom did any value added painting or other work to them. Kids aged 5 to 18+ are often wanting room make overs and these types of things have gone over well. There have been times we've added curtain panels, waste baskets, small rugs depending upon the budget and a multitude of other factors. Retro linens can go over well depending upon the person and of course most things kitchen still in or with the box.
I’ve never seen the appeal of Starbucks, personally. I always make my own coffee, take food from home, etc. Also, I have a lunch bag (or 30) just like Daniel’s!! Great taste, haha!
Never tried it
Made me chuckle. I love that you have "backup" lunch bags. You can never have too many lunch bags. LOL!
I love that lunch bag! I was thinking I could put my meter & insulin pens in the bottom compartment plus I love that it has a shoulder strap. 🤔😀
I once drove 30 miles to get a new flavor of coffee at Starbucks. It was fall. Guess what the new fall flavor was!
Those days are behind me though.
I make cowboy coffee every day now. I look forward to it every morning!🌞
@@LaManteca76 if you are a Type II diabetic, correcting your diet can even reverse your diabetes.
My dad uses to say: „Coffee is a money printing machine, thinking about the costs to make it and the price they are selling it for.“
As usual great content! Best regards from sunny Germany👋🏻
Important tip, need big items like couches chairs, they practically if not actually give them away at estate sales near end of sales to get rid of them, no place for them to store them. Always have friends with trucks 🚛.
Should be in hospital & will miss this, best of luck & good wishes, Victor from Fort Worth, Texas
Bless you, Victor. We wish you all the best. We'll be praying for you and see you in a few weeks.
Take care!
I'm praying for you.get well soon.
Prayers
Hope you are doing much better Victor!
I have just finished off canning our bumper crop of tomatoes. About 6 bu. Made into organic catsup, stewed tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato juice and tomato jam. I checked comparable products at Walmart and figured I saved about $250 by time I subtracted the $40 for plants and sugar etc and lids. I'm good in the tomato department for a few years with a well stocked pantry.
One year, we had canned 80 quarts of tomatoes, and ate tomatoes morning, noon and night in various dishes. I even made mock apple pie with green tomatoes. I took the pie to a church social, and no one knew the pie was made from green tomatoes. I got a lot of compliments, too.
Why don’t you use stainless steel water bottles instead of plastic?
Yes. Single use plastic is a waste.
Excellent!!! No one out there has shown such detailed practical tips for meals on the go😃 Great job guys👏
Thank you! We're so glad it was helpful.
another thing you can do for a coffee fix, if travel a lot is buy a small backpacking stove and a cup, put those two together with a can of fuel. along with your preferred instant coffee, tea or coffee bags. it becomes a heck of a lot cheaper than a $5 coffee. works great, also a small setup. this all packs into small space in my work van and I have a hot drink on the cheap
Love this tip! Thanks for sharing it.
I do that now and then and it works great. I also have a 6" cast iron skillet I take along. I can make a couple slices of toast and fry an egg on the fly for a really good egg sandwich. Pick a nice spot to pull over and have breakfast with some bonus awesome scenery. Great tip!
Hi Hope and Larry 😊great video! I wanted to let you know Kroger has 10 English muffins in a big package, which is $2.99 ! Here's a tip for the eggs ...look for medium eggs on the shelf. Kroger sells repackaged eggs as medium eggs for a lot less a dozen. Today i got extra LARGE eggs that have been repackaged for $1.99 a dozen when regular large eggs were selling for $3.19 a dozen in my area! I get the cheese on sale, then ham at walmart. Great value brand 1 pound for $3.77 shopping tricks like this help us all to make things more affordable 😀 thanks for sharing your experiences with us 😀
Hi 👋 A dozen eggs is currently $8 in Australia and that's equivalent to US$11
@@myaccount9498 yikes, glad I went vegan a few years ago. Those are crazy prices!! I honestly don't know how families are making it. Between insurance, mortgage/rent, utilities and groceries its depressing. Eggs used to be the cheapest meal, egg salad, fried egg sandwiches, boiled eggs....jeez we have to eat for Pete's sake!
@@myaccount94984€ in Germany. Also very expensive for where we live
I buy my English muffins at the Dollar tree. They are $1.25 for 6.
Love your red nails! I discovered estate sales this weekend. Such fun! Both houses were 1970's time capsules. I got a Revereware sauce pan for $5.
My mom’s revereware has lasted for over 50 years. Great find!!!
Great video. This is why hubby and I don't eat out. We are not coffee drinkers, so Starbucks never had an appeal to us. But years ago we ate out far too much.
Covid is what showed me how much money I was wasting on my coffee - breakfast - lunch routine. Between that and my reduced gas cost it was like a 10 - 15% raise! I always now take two of those kerig cups you can fill with your own coffee, oat bran muffins I make over the weekend for breakfast, and a sandwich or salad for lunch. Not just cheaper but honestly healthier.
Bought four large wind chimes for twenty dollars at estate sale
Great tips! Thank you, you guys cracked me up today, with the demo of how to pack a lunch bag, it has been rather sombre here today, so thanks! I have just had dinner, including home made potato salad and cole slaw, so much better and cheaper than buying ready made. I only very occasionally buy lunch at work, usually only when we decide to go to the pub for lunch for a very occasional treat.
Being brought up frugally is a great advantage, it comes pretty naturally.
First time ever hearing bagel pronounced that way. Have always heard it as like bay instead of bag
There’s a section of the country that mispronounces it like this, it’s cute.
I worked in a service job and I was rarely in the office. Always on the road. I never knew were the nearest place to eat would be. It became a problem to stop what I was doing and go find food to eat. I started setting the coffee pot on automatic the night before and bringing my lunch every day. Breakfast was a banana or toast with jam. I did this for 34 years while my co-workers would have to leave the jobsite and find and pay for expensive food. I'm retired now (retired at 63). I'm sure the money I saved just with breakfast and lunch was partially responsible for my being able to retire early. I also figured out years ago that buying furniture new was one of the worst investments ever.
I still make my lunch at home. I'm very happy and secure. Just my story...
I used to buy the oatmeal packets and grew to despise them I started using the oatmeal cups. They discontinued the one I liked and realized I could probably make my own oatmeal packets.I looked on Pinterest and chose a recipe that had the things I liked and made my own. The recipe called for making a big batch and scooping it out. I use snack bags and make individual packs. I use the bags several times over. I do buy the name brand because they do seem to work better for multiple uses. I buy quick cook oatmeal in bulk from our Winco foods for $.70 per lb. I add different dried fruit and some nuts (also in bulk) and just boil water and pour it over and let it sit while I'm getting ready in the morning.
The only time I get breakfast before work, at the gas station is if I was heading in to work an overtime weekend shift. Want to look forward to something. 😊 Save a lot of money by not purchasing cigarettes or chew.
I love packing my own lunch. I work in the school system in FL. They don't serve enough for lunch. I bring my own. I know they charge $3.50 . I love your videos! Thanks for breaking it all down.
I do all these. I used to eat out when I was younger. How silly to say I was treating myself...when I was spending so much money I could have saved for a rainy day. Ah well. I learned the hard way, but now my grown kids are watching me and they see how careful I am. They get to see your videos, too. I hope they are paying attention and make better choices than I did at their age!!
We bought a steel, double walled, 64oz thermos at Walmart Christmas of '23 for $34.9x and brew 2 pots before leaving home for longer periods of time. It is dark green with black plastic handles which was stocked at the time with the thermal beverage cups adjacent to the kitchen wares. It works better than many.
Spring/ summer of '24 we bought a similar 32 oz container boasting that it keeps beverages cold for 24 hours from the seasonal camping and cooler department. It is sort of a brushed steel color with a different lid utilizing a chrome/ steel bale handle. It cost $17-$19 and boy, it is definitely worth the cost! If we fill or half fill it with ice and then a beverage, there is still ice left 24 and more hours later after several openings for drinking and additions of liquid beverage. Not sure if its constructed a little differently than the similar item we purchased at Christmas, its the size and dimensions, or cold versus hot beverages. But it enables cold beverages at a savings.
I'm turning 71 this week and have been packing my own lunch since 3rd grade. Partly due to cost and partly to being a picky eater.
An additional advantage to packing your own is a practically longer meal break. When you have your own, you can instantly be on break but if you are buying, there will be time spent in line and perhaps traveling to your fave spot....
Nice to see Daniel! And nice fedora - my youngest son wore fedoras throughout high school and in college 🙂
My breakfast is typically made up of 1 boiled egg, half an avocado, 2 brazil nuts, and a small snack (portioned out from a large bag or a fruit). This is only for my work day since break is 15min. Lunch break is also made from home, which is a sandwich/wrap plus another snack (typically a piece of fruit). During cooler seasons, I'll change it up and bring beef stew for lunch instead. Drink of choice is tea since coffee makes me too jittery/anxious/etc during work hours.
A snack is something eaten between meals.
@genxx2724 True that. I would call it desserts.
My real snack appears after work, an hour or two before making dinner. It usually consists of leftover lunch dessert or whatever I got at home. I don't snack often since lunch/dinner is enough.
When I was in college, I had an inexpensive 16oz or so aluminum hot pot that could boil water which went with me along with instant coffee fixings, some tea bags and sugar, a manual can opener, amd things that could be made with boiling water. And yes, I discretely used plugs in and about the library.
Hi Hope & Larry, your channel has changed my money spending philosophy, or I should say, you have taught be to be frugal, or more frugal, without becoming cheap. I owe you!
You can buy reusable cooler packs that go on the bottom to help keep things cool for a few hours....
Or freeze a water bottle. Then drink it cold.
Wow .....30 cents a cup .....nice.ive never been to starbucks too expensive
Estate sales you can buy products that are sometimes old but better quality than those made today, much cheaper.
High from my lonely room, day after day...
Hi 👋
Have a good day my friend.
Hoping you get better soon so you can meet up with family and friends.
I buy organic coffee, cream, cocoa and stevia, so I'm sure it costs closer to $1 per cup, but still cheaper at home.
Crafting is my budget killer, but nearly everything I make is for gifts and charity/fundraising.
I am traveling today and refuse to pay airport prices for food. I grabbed some fruit, some bread, some cheese and some meatloaf. I stuck it all in a a plastic store bag and brought it with me. I just had a delicious meatloaf and cheese sandwich on homemade bread while
Waiting for my flight. I will have some watermelon on my next flight. I can have a cheese sandwich once I get to my car. I have instant coffee with me in my suitcase and I always keep a clean cup in my car. When I stop for gas, I will also take my cup with instant coffee, use some of their hot water and drink my coffee on the way home. I have never had a gas station charge me for hot water…even when I don’t buy gas but just stop for the restroom. When I do t plan, I can spend up to $50 on airport food, drinks and coffee.
Love it! You have planned ahead and it will pay off (in more ways than one.)
I like sandwiches, but the price of good quality bread is so expensive, plus I like the sandwich insides better than all the bread. So I switched to buying good quality corn and flour tortillas and now make roll-up sandwiches and breakfast tacos. The tortillas are less expensive than bread, less filling and take up less space in the fridge to store (they also freeze really well). They are also very versatile. I can put some cheese between two flour tortillas and warm it in the microwave oven for an easy quesadilla or toast a couple of corn tortillas in the toaster oven, break them into pieces and then eat them with salsa, hummus or soup. Toasted corn tortilla pieces don't have all the salt and fat of store-bought tortilla chips.
I have found the same about bread. Pita bread and tortillas are still affordable
@@M_SC That's a great idea! I have sometimes used pita and naan bread to make little pizzas.
Buy Christmas gifts /birthday gifts during the year at sales/clearance sales. Saves a fortune
😀I like Daniel, my son( only 1boy) is very frugal too. He took his lunch k-12 pluss college& now work.😊
Great show Hope and Larry! Lots of practical money saving tips every week. I don't know how you keep doing it, but every week you've always got great tips and ideas. Thanks for all the hard work you do on your channel. It is appreciated by so many!😀
I really enjoyed this video and I think you have done one heck of a good job explaining how little changes in our buying behaviours can Save really impressive chunks of change. I thought that you might mention buying used cars too, since that has to be one of the most dramatic ways to save really good amounts of money. Maybe you should do a video on transportation as frugal commuters?
One more thing: Some of your information in this video talked about what one individual could save on, eg., making their coffee and preparing thier own breakfasts and lunches. The amounts were impressive. But then, if I understood correctly, you spoke about how much a family, not an individual, could save each year by buying store brands, etc. You moved away from the individual model. Is that the case or am I misunderstanding the video?
In any event, please keep going with these videos because we North Americans have tons to learn about how to spend our money efficiently and effectively. Thanks to you and your family for the great conversations you bring at this time of difficult financial scenarios that require planning and perseverence.
If you're working in an office or even out of your car, I bought an inexpensive heated lunch box. Great for warm food in cold weather. Mine came with both a regular plug and a car plug.
I run across deals at a local grocery discount store. I got 12 whole wheat english muffins for 2$ thats .16 cents per muffin. I can make muffins and bagels but this was a nice " cheat". We have our own eggs and meat.
Don't drink the frozen water that melts. This is due to plastic particles in the plastic go into the water I used to do the same and then a friend scared me with the facts. Generics or name brand read the ingredients too much sodium. When my kids were small money was tight I kept the brand name cereal box and inside I put the bag from a box of generics brands. OMG my kids noticed the difference in taste and said mommy this cereal tastes bad. I tried it and sadly it was true . Some items taste great but you have to do a taste test to decide to go generics or name brands.
Why even buy plastic water bottled? Plastic water bottle contains microplastics.
Plus- what about the tip?! (For the Starbucks coffee). They expect a tip!
I hadn't thought of that!
And I don’t think too many Starbucks customers are ordering plain coffee. They’re spending a lot more than $3.
Look for local salvage stores, I buy salvage or short date, open package products from a store in Fort Worth that has been around since 1953.
Fort Worth has a lot of very nice salvage stores, and some are very close to each other in certain parts of town. Used them a lot when hubby and I were in college.
Make regular meat, cheese, pepper and beans burritos or egg, sausage or bacon and cheese burritos to freeze for later. Quick and good.
Thanx for the tip & I hope you recover well from surgery. 😊
I make my own English muffins but in loaf form ! As for the savings, I can't imagine saving 12 grand. Currently for July I spent $300 for the 2 of us.
Broke bags at Lowe's, ask for a discount, I got an open bag of stones for $1.00.
One can budget and treat themselves
i budget twice a week or so
I have my own frother and way better than getting starbucks
Here in Ontario, Canada that coffee would be over $8!
And in Quebec, too! And that 8$ is what we give Starbucks after we pay our income tax on that money! What a terrible waste.
To save more money on the lunches...drink water from a fountain or tap and use all washable containers, no plastic wrap or tin foil. Save save save.
Yeah I bring my water/tea/pop (depends on the day ahead..some days you need fizz) in a reusable cup....and oh yeah REFILL IT...some of these tips are eye rolling....
Had to turn it off when she kept saying baggles….It’s bayyyyyyyyygles. I admit I have issues. 😂
What a cool lunch bag. I love how it comes with a shoulder strap.
STARBUCKS is the biggest rip off on the planet. Although about once a year I get a caramel macchiatto. But....I have lots of gift cards to Starbucks that have been given to me. LOL. Those fancy coffees are over DOUBLE the regular coffee. So ridiculous. Lunch too...... My friend and I used to eat out almost every day....then we decided to cut out the pop...that saved almost 3 bucks....then we started only eating out once a week. Then....we rarely ate out.
Coffee- probably doesn’t include tip or danish, savings almost 90% making it at home
Lunch (& Breakfast)- that $2,400+ is after tax money, you need to make $3,000+ to spend that $2,400 for lunch
Try silicone bags instead of plastic they make them dishwasher safe now.... Game changer for chips and sandwiches
Haven't caught a video in a while....
Loving your hair Hope
That length looks great on you 😍
Plus, the silicon bags are reusable!
Thanks. It's been four months since I got it cut. So, I'm headed to see the beautician in a couple of weeks for a trim.
I used to make my own breakfast muffins when I was working and freeze them. I’m not much of a breakfast eater so they usually ended up as lunch and my lunch became dinner. I guess that was one way to save. Anyway I discovered you could get perfectly round eggs for your muffin by cooking it in the microwave in a coffee cup. Scrambled or over medium type eggs, didn’t matter which, they came out perfectly round. Start with about 30 seconds on high and check. I also used to make breakfast burritos and freeze them. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Best savings ever was when I worked for a hotel chain with an attached restaurant. Lunches were free from certain selected menu items. I learned to pick the items that ensured leftovers which I was allowed to take home, and I ate that for dinner. Also free coffee while at work. For 18 months I spent very little on food.
Ooooh Thanx for the egg tip!
@@LaManteca76 you are welcome. They took no time to cook in the microwave. So easy and a lot less messy once you get the right cooking time for your egg. Oh and I believe I lightly sprayed the inside of the cup with cooking spray just to make sure the egg came out easily. Just turn the coffee cup over your muffin and out it plops. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!
I have been adding asian sauce to meatballs and make vegetable rice in the rice cooker. Add mixed veggies and some onion butter salt to 2 cups of rice. I also like burgers, salads and chicken strips for lunch
Pawn shops, always ask if they can do better on a price, at the very least they will drop the sales tax.
Hi from FL!!
I learnt from you that its the small purchases that make all the difference. By stopping them I paid off my mortage. Have you heard of ramesh sethi? He talks nonsense that small purchases don't make any difference. I would love to hear your opinion of his nonsense financial advice
He also delete that don’t fit his narrative, or that are not sympathetic toward his guests. That makes me lose interest in a channel.
Every city has an iconic breakfast spot. Here in St. Louis, It's the Buttery on south grand
For shopping second hand Once Upon a Child is my favorite for children and maternity they have amazing selections are kinda picky at what they 'buy back' so I don't worry about holes and stains as much!
That's what's also do fun is they buy clothes/shoes/gear from you!!
You can get cash but formlur large family of 7kiddos, between there and thrifting I (&gma) find a lot of awesome clothes/shoes etc. We use it for that season and I can resell it and make enough money I can generally outfit everyone with that money earned!!
Also buying used I ALWAYS check to see if Amazon has used options, usually much cheaper than brand new and also saving the planet one book/clothing item at a time❤
& I've always gone along with the $100 per person per month, grocery budget! So family of 9 would be $900 and I even try to do less more like $700 shopping sales, deals and best price points is very helpful...
We also don't eat 3meals a day!! We eat a huge brunch & dinner with a couple *healthy* snacks! That also helps cut prices majorly!! Now some kids would eat all day long but that's what we have found suits our odd schedules best!!
My other biggest tip for food is buy single ingredient foods and in bulk!! If you're 1 stocking up for 6months to a year or 12family stocking up for 2or3months!! Bulk is always best price per pound/ounce!
Frugality will destroy The economy
Maybe not as some ppl won't stop shopping. Even myself. Try to be frugL, know how, but am not successful always. Spend money on splurge items.
@@dorismahoney1440 Impulse buying Is a big part of the economy without it it might not survive
I agree, but I don’t think too many people will adopt frugal habits. We are all preaching to the choir here in the comments.
Off topic, would you remind me of the solar generator you talked about last year?
My frugal guidelines: If I can buy used, I won't buy new; if I can fix it, I won't throw it away; if I can use it and it doesn't fall out, it's a keeper; if I have one, I don't need two
I used to love it at my job when they the bosses thought they were offering me some sweet reward by bringing me a Dunkin’ coffee. I happily replied I have my own prepared automatically at the correct time by my so forty years ago of tech ago Mr Coffee.
Wow! I definitely need to do that!
Is this including electricity, water dish soap,opening and closing fridge and gas? Not trying to be a smarty but i do most of my own from scratch and just wondering???
Or you could stop drinking coffee all together, and save even more money.
Every place you go - regardless if it’s fast food or just a cup of coffee- they all expect a tip and even have it programmed before you swipe your card- to ask “how much are you adding for a tip”. Options include 50 cents, $1.00 , other amount-- or by percentages 10%, 15%, 20%, 25 % etc.
You can tell the machine zero and use cash to pay tip.
@@SageGypsy I tip for full table service only. If I am standing up to order, I do not tip.
I've been making steel cut overnight oats for breakfast and it makes enough for 4 to 5 servings depending on what add ins I have for the week. Just boil 2 cups of water, add 1/2 cup of stee cut oats, let that boil 1 min stirring. Then turn off heat and cover. my stove is electric so I partially removed from the hot burner so the residue heat doesn't overboil the oatmeal. By morning these are perfectly cooked. Usually I have chia seeds, flaxseed, walnuts and so in season fruit to add in. I divide and portion into my reusable containers for the week. Lucht is usually a salad and something leftover from supper or no leftovers then a baked potato and salad. I'm saving so much by not eating out. By the way my office provides free tea and coffee for us to drink.
I think, in addition to the money savings, the health benefits can't be stressed enough. Those frozen breakfast sandwiches are sodium bombs! I'm fortunate to have decent kitchen areas at work with new refrigerators, so I take a , small bag of groceries Monday morning that carries me through the week. Last week, for example, I took a big tub of watermelon I cut up myself, a bunch of greens, beans, veggies & home made dressing and had 4 days of salads (I work from home Fridays). Those ingredients for 4 days cost less than I would've paid for one salad downtown --- plus it's healthier and way tastier!
I’ve been doing the frozen water bottle for years. I swear I still have some from way back when I started. We don’t ever drink that water. Just freeze repeatedly. It works better than any ice pack ever could.
I have questioned if soaked oats are safe? Without heating can they carry bacterial. I know it is popular but i can't find an answer.
I ask the same question. And it’s so unappealing to me. Why not just cook it