My husband and I were approved for double the amount we paid for our home. We decided to buy a house that if one of us lost our job or became disabled we could still afford to pay the monthly mortgage. I have always been financially responsible and frugal.
Not sure when you bought your house but this is extremely hard to do these days with mortgage rates or home prices. If you want to own a home right now that is not totally realistic for most people. But rent is about the same and that’s throwing money away. Right now…you need a side hustle if you aren’t wealthy or have mom and dad to help.
We did the same. Moved to rural. Commuted 75+miles to work. Many other things, such as: > Stop doing DIY projects at home. Have the patience to use that money to pay off your mortgage; then do projects. We paid our mortgage off in three-and-a-half years. We did give up more than DIY projects, but that was a surprising amount of money. > Another big surprise was hiring a lawn mowing service; it equaled the amount we spent maintaining and paying to repair our equipment. We saved ourselves time and effort. > One more word on mortgages. Once you have 20% equity in your home, tell your bank you want to stop paying Personal Insurance Protection. My bank tried to persuade us that it was a lot of trouble for a little bit of money. But I was firm! Instead of the $50-$75 a month they said it would be, we saved about $250 a month. PIP is insurance to protect the bank in case you default your loan, it does not go towards your principle or interest. When multiplied by 360 months, you can see the amount you save.
Ask for what you really want for gifts! My mother in law pays our Costco membership for our Xmas gift yearly. My mom buys me canning jars for birthday. I buy my kids fishing licenses for Xmas/birthday gift yearly.
I would add a tip for those of us on disability pay all your bills when you get paid. Even if they are not due for a couple weeks pay it when you get paid. So all bills are paid first then what is left you budget for the rest of your monthly expenses
I buy groceries on the walmart app. A practice I picked up during the pandemic. I save thousands $$$ a year by not buying those cute whimsical unneeded things in the isles I don’t need. Seriously, no kidding thousands. I was terrible. And I shop once a week. I buy sale items but only if I will use it that week. Picking up my groceries saves hours in the store. Also I hate self check out. Truest way to save thousands I have ever experienced. 😎😎😎
Getting a house is still a good idea, even tho you have to pay mortgage, rent is just going to your landlord and you will never see that money again, but you can still resell a house, just make sure you get a house you can actually pay off with your allowance in 10-20 years 😊
As a hardcore minimalist I only bought a home where I used every room…have owned it outright for years, and it’s maintenance and utilities are very manageable…👍🏽
I went through my budget years ago. I took each bill and shrank it or eliminated it! Cable plus internet cost 230.00 together! I learned how to watch steaming tv and got ACP ( a program for seniors) to pay for my internet. Reduced combined bill to $10.00. Yay. I got over $500.00 dollars off the budget just by asking and doing some homework. It sure pays off every month!
@@saraconklinfrozenpennies I don’t know! Crazy huh? It’s dropping now because of streaming tv stations are taking their audience away. No one needs cable anymore. They keep sending me offers to come back! Hahahahaha
@@SusanHarrell530he ACP is a program that also pays majority of your cell phone no matter who your cell phone carrier is. It’s a application you can do on line. AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM. - ACP provides laptops internet for almost free. Jus google & that program will giv you more information 👍I’m in the U.S
I never buy in bulk. I don't to want to manage piles of food. But I always buy 6 eggs per week. Scrumbled eggs on a slice of bread. Or eggs and slice of cheese on a bagel. Delicous and quick meals.
I see what you mean. Sometimes I look in my cupboard and/or freezer and feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff, much of which I don’t end up using. I’m trying to get better ☺️
Depending on the budget--beauty schools for hair and nail treatments, libraries for entertainment, and some memberships are worth it. I have a movie membership at a local theater $10 a month and the tickets dont expire. Also check playhouses and museums for free and low cost tickets. I want to save but I want to live. 😂❤❤❤
I am subbed after watching this video. You advice speaks to me so much. I got a huge promotion and I do not want to ruin this wonderful opportunity by thinking I can now go crazy with spending.
Freeze foods glass (jam) jars. LEAVE AT LEAST ONE AND A HALF INCHES BELOW THE LID as liquids in foods expand slightly in the freezing process. This avoids all forms of plastic containers.
I’m fixing up a room in my house to rent out by downsizing my craft room into a smaller bedroom and doing short term rental to traveling nurses. Starting next year it will pay most of my bills because my home is paid off and so is my new vehicle.
@@bernieoconnell5515 most of them work 12 hour shifts and then sleep so I really don’t think it’s going to be a problem for me. I like meeting new people, it should be interesting.
I spent some of my younger years backpacking around the world and living in various countries so I had to move a lot. Having a lot of belongings was not really an option. Traveling light was a priority. That mentality stuck with me as I feel much freer in every sense without being weighed down by a lot of material junk.
I would have to challenge the idea of grocery shopping every few days and using up everything that you buy as you buy it. Thats fine for things like produce and perishables, but we live in some VERY different days now. Make sure you have shelf stable, pantry items to get you through a crisis. What are you going to do if something happens to our "just in time" grocery stores when they have a glitch and shelves become bare? We have already seen what its like when there are shortages. Dont be foolish with thinking "its always going to be there".
We're a household of two and food use to go bad before we could eat it. Now I freeze just about everything and take out only what we'll eat for the day. It has saved us so much money. I'm a fan of making a batch of homemade soup and freezing it in one cup glass serving bowls and freezing it for lunches through the week.
I lowered my food bill from 300 -330 a week to 200-230 dollars Canadian, how one may ask.... Well my 22 year old son just moved into a home he purchased 2 weeks ago with his girlfriend. Instant drop in our food bill by a hundred dollars, hubby is using the difference to put even more into our retirement savings. I recently coloured my own hair cost 6.99 for nice n easy so much cheaper then a salon. Being frugal is my middle name
After my daughter was killed, i started shopping a lot for stuff i didn't need. I caught myself one night and looked at my full cart, picked one item, paid for it because i NEEDED it. I left the full cart there. Amazing!!! I "shopped" and enjoyed it, leaving all the junk behind. Someone got paid a few hours to put it all back!!! Lllol I do this at difficult times emotionally 😢❤😊🎉
I'm sorry! 😪 Shopping is a common way to "deal" with grief because it's easy. I did the same thing after the sudden death of my husband. And, I don't even enjoy shopping but it allowed me to ignore my grief and all that goes with realizations of a changed life. Like you, I started to get my feet under me, I put things back, walked off from a full cart, deleted items in my Amazon cart, or returned items. I know myself much better now which is a good thing! I know if I'm trying make a want, a need, I'm stressed about something, so I back up, again.
I got a new car and got Sirius radio free for a year. It expired so I did not renew around $29. They wanted to go as low as $15. I said no. A month later they went from $10 to $6. I renewed at $6. For a year.
I am thinking about a few things my husband and I have cut back or cut out. After retiring and moving into our forever home we had to make a new budget. Our income was about 1/2 of our working income. We cut going out at night and watched movies at home. Eating out reduced to special occasions only. Groceries are purchased once a week with a strict budget online. I keep the bottom line easily when adding and subtracting items on our cart is a click away. I never go over unless it’s a holiday. Or a birthday. But generally budgeting is easy but takes effort. It’s a full time job! 😂🎉😂🎉
I find it interesting that it's called reverse meal planning to plan based off what you have. Isn't that the way meal planning used to be before people had access to credit cards?
We cut our food bill almost in half.......yes, even during these times of high inflation. I analyzed how we eat, what we eat, and decided a very simple, but healthy diet would be just fine. And we got our portions under control.
I follow almost all of these! I have known that retirement was creeping up for quite awhile, but health determined when that happened. Thankfully I had socked away as much money as I possibly could. And NO debt-yay! But, in the last 7 months I have been hospitalized three times for 3-4 days each time, so some bills have come in from that, but not huge amounts, so that's good. They let you set up monthly amounts, and for the most part I have enough money left from my Social Security check to pay those amounts, so thankful for that. Also, the "stockpile" tip is great. The pandemic shutdown made me a true believer in that! Not to an excess amount, but enough to feel safe. Thanks, as always, Sarah, for a great video and good info!
The only debt I have are medical bills. I spent 2 weeks in the hospital in 2021 with 6 days in life support, and 32 days in hospital in 2022 with 11 days in life support. My daughter wanted a copy of my hospital report. It's 10 inches high. 😂
I love Amazon Prime for the free book every month (2 books twice a year), movies, and music, as well as same-day and overnight delivery. Thanks so much for all your tips.
Love your videos, so relatable. Lately when i make chili mac I'll only use 1/2 the beef and double the noodles then freeze the beef for the same meal in two weeks. We're a small family and noone noticed 😁
I do this with meat sauce (for spaghetti) too. And cabbage rolls, stuffed peppers, lasagna … basically just about anything that uses ground beef as an ingredient.
I gotta say all of these points hit! We live super frugally. We dont have a car (live in a city). I bike often unless it's raining badly or really cold (which is rare we live in the south). We invest. It only makes about 130 a month but that's better than 0. We are debt free. We have taken 3 vacations and are still positive about 12k this year. I do laso only buy my fruit at whole foods as it is better quality and lasts longer. Do a side by side comparison. We could afford a better apartment, or even a bigger space but we make it work. Is it cramped? Yes lol but it is saving us plenty.
With the prices on food its cheaper to hit the Mennonite stores and buy bulk yes I have 5 gallon buckets of oats, flour, rice , beans, mashed potato flakes, popcorn kernels etc. When theres a sale on chicken, or any meat buy bulk and spend a couple days canning it.
@@saraconklinfrozenpennies. I learned how to reverse plan from Amy Dacyzyn’s Newletter in 1992/3 and has probably saved me a 100k+ over the last 30 years. I thank her in my heart weekly. I really hope you do a video to pass on this powerful money saving method.
Your videos are always so helpful. i have followed your advice and was successful in reducing a hospital bill and negotiated the monthly payments. Thank you so much for taking the time to keep us well informed.
I do my spending tracking old school. Budget book. Pen and paper. Calculator. Lol. It’s not that bad tho. Errands batched 3 or 4 times a month. Autoship cat food. Auto pay utilities with notifs. No credit cards. So what I record is usually very simple to keep up with. I like it also Bcuz I have room to track major inventory as well and make notes on actual usage of consumables. This helps me also see how much I actually use up in a month. (Usually on major things or things we use a lot of). Or what I use or what I don’t actually use etc. So needless to say, analyzing all of it at the end of the month helps me tweak it where I need to. Reverse meal planning. Freak yes. Lol. I just use YT most times. No subs. (We have some relative sharing on some things like Netflix, but I usually wind up on YT anyways. I told them I don’t use but they included me anyways so I don’t pay for it lol). I like true crime and there is really no shortage of that right here…for free. It’s been years I guess. And I rarely ever get bored. Lol. Also a couple of free phone games I do for fun. Lol. Also same games. Years on end. Great idea also. No grocery shopping for a month. I’ve been thinking of trying that.
I had a couple of peach trees come up in my yard from pits. Also had wild strawberries and red and black raspberries come up in my yard. Free food! If I walked every place I needed to go, I would get there at about the time I'd need to leave. The closest place I normally go is church. It's 5 miles away. The farm where I have my horses, 11 miles away. (I go twice a day.) So I think I'll skip the walking. 😂
8. Cooking from scratch I would add here one should convert cooking time into $/hour say 10$/h. If you spend 3 hours cooking every day that's 900$/month worth of your time. Try picking dishes that take 30 minutes or less to prepare, that's the sweet spot
Our electric co-op recently began sending us an email to let us know that the autopay had gone through. The folks there don't just turn off your electricity; they warn you first.
Just a little info about roadside vendors. If they are on the corner of the street and not in front of a certified farm or shed you should pass them by. I worked for a local Ag Dept and learned a lot about how they get dropped off on corners(basically by a Coyote) they do not have access to restrooms, they do not have permits and are mot certified which means they can bring in potentially crop devastating bugs from their county. They have been known to steal from farmers or their warehouses. They can use any type of pesticide and back in the 80's people died from a toxic pesticide on watermelons. Certified Farmers Markets may be a bit pricier but you know what you are eating. As long as it is a Certified market. A local farmer went out of business here recently but more people were buying from illegal roadside vendors than their farm. And they were reasonably priced. And roadside vending is a form of trafficking. Anyone can look it up on Ag Dept sites. Not everyone knows the health and safety factors of non local vendors. There are street vendors that sell food but have to get permits. Not the ones on corners selling strawberries or other things. Even flowers that they put a powder on to make them red. This is just a pet peeve of mine that more people should learn about. 😊
We save, and rescue lots of change from the ground-its out there! It takes about 9 months to reach about $100 the time when I'm due for a fancy dinner.
I agree with all except lowering the food budget by buying cheaper meats. I am a great grocery bargain shopper, but I won’t compromise health with cheaper meats. Since I eat meat, which isn’t likely the healthiest choice, I’m going to eat healthier cuts. I buy my beef locally. The rest comes from the half price mark down bin usually. I wait for chicken sales at 69 to 99 cents per pound. Have considered raising my own, but don’t want to do the processing. Pay the grocer now or the doctor later. Keep up the good work.
Our work has 2 crab apple trees, in the back yard. We usually pick them in late August,and have made AppleCrisp. We also have stand up square gardens.(Don’t forget to weed.) We at home also have a couple of box garden. This year,I saw a sale on garnishes,like dill. We also have squash which I haven’t tried before. I was also at a Family event at our Exhibition Center,a group gave us each 🍅 s that were already starting to grow. Sharen
#21 I disagree with, I use my credit card for everything and get the rewards. I understand not everyone is disciplined enough to do this. I earn 2% on my rewards, I earn $250 to $300 per year in rewards. This money is directly deposited into a separate savings account and it’s my gift fund for birthday’s and Christmas. I haven’t bought a gift out of pocket since 2017.
Wow that's awesome 🎉. I'm right there with you there but I realized that most people aren't great with their finances. The rewards are great but if you can't pay it off like you and me it drowns others. Be blessed and safe my new friend in my head 🙏🎉.
@@jeanettewilliams8898 in 2018 I was one of those people. I was married then (now divorced)and we had thousands of dollars in debt. I’ve been 100% debt free since January of 2020. I have an emergency fund, 4 months of expenses and some money invested making me money and everything I own is paid for.
I love your idea of putting the rewards in a separate savings account for gifts. My husband gets the cash rewards and my card gets frequent flier miles. We are good at paying off the cards at the end of each month and have had some nice trips where we got to fly free. I can use the card to accumulate hotel points as well.
Im stock piling cat sand and toilet paper. Six months worth. I’m semi retiring and those prices are going up. It will be right until July 24 when I go to Medicare.
@@czarina7786 diversity your stockpile. For sure stock up the things that are getting expensive, but be sure to have some of everything. Food, hygiene supplies, pet supplies (if you have a pet) cleaning supplies, everything. Do an inventory of your supplies and fill in the empty items. With my stock pile I’m good for about 8 months, except for dairy, fresh fruit and veggies.
Very helpful advice. I'm on a fixed income and I'm looking for a side hustle. You said your husband is an artist, so am I. I'm really short and finding something I can do at my height is a challenge. I did Uber and Doordash found it very hard to do. I need something that is not so physically demanding. You look nicer with shoulder length hair. Blessings, from Kingsville, Ohio 🎉 😀 ❤
I bought Amazon prime for 1 week for $1.99 and immediately cancelled. Got my small item in 2 days and got to binge watch Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in that week :) I cancelled my annual membership with Amazon. $139 got to be too much for me. Don't miss it at all.
Me too. I also do Receipt Hog. I have a grocery store that frequently offers $10/$70 and $15/$150 purchase. I check the grocery store where I usually shop and they will accept a competitor’s coupon. I try to buy on sale with coupons and rebates, I love stacking my savings. I like the savings and for me it’s fun.
This is exactly how I meal plan. I only shop loss leaders and stock up and of course the occasional junk food. We try to eat meals mostly at home and I make a lot of things from scratch. We have a low house payment on our mini farm and plan on being here for the future. We are retirees so property taxes and insurance costs rising is affecting our budget. I am always thinking of ways to bring in more income. We have a guest rental on our property and in the future I'm planning on renting out our basement as an efficiency apartment. Im also going to do a No Spend/Low Spend 2024.
Also seniors ,askmfor senior discounts it helps wednesdays koehles fifeteen percent off teusdays rosses ten percent off i hop has senior discounts we have shoprite store tuesdays ,senior discount ,i am senior yardsale thirty years i haggle in stores lol
I also just googled that you can use subscribe and save even if you’re not in Prime member! That is what I mostly order and it’s always over $25 a month as it’s typically pet food and hair care products.
For the past year or so, AI makes it difficult to contact amazon. Also, foreign countries take our phone calls and they are not easy to understand. Ordering from them if one needs to return, ask a question, and especially, an item is missing, is a challenge. I do not want to keep Amazon Prime, but my husband says it is convenient. I am a great customer and they do not care. AI tech does not work well.
Turn lights off when leaving every room,wear clothes according to temperature, limit laundry days,eat before going for groceries,gardening,social nights at home,delayed impulse shopping. Check your wallet before you make a bank trip. Lights off,blinds up when reading. Movie,or game nights at home. Sharen
Shop less often is a very US way. I live in SEA and the markets are always fresh, less expensive and usually very close by. So I buy them more often, fresh, when I am out off what I need. Also, make more money .... I work from 7-5 sometimes 7-7, please tell me how I can make more money? On the one or two days I am actually not working? Besides as a foreigner I get paid better than the locals already, and while I am wealthy for my environment, I am way below poverty level for people in the west.
The west coast, especially the Pacific Northwest is a more expensive place to live than many parts of the country. We live in Oregon so we know. The most common side hustles are signing up with Doordash, driving for Uber or Lyft, signing up with one of two ways to be an Instacart shopper, being a delivery person for a restaurant. If you work Monday-Friday, one of those might work for you, but you need to have a car, of course. A bike would probably work if you deliver food from a single restaurant or become a messenger delivery person. If you're in tech, can you be a part time remote CSR?
“Invest in real estate!” yeah not a great point when I’m watching this video because my rent is outrageous and the housing market is a nightmare right now. Maybe read the room.
I hate silicone bags. I hate the thought of washing a bag, I rather just put it in Rubbermaid, or Tupperware and it’s a lot easier to get out instead of dealing with a Stupid zipper.
I have heard that people do indeed throw change away. That baffles me! Here in the UK there are often charity collection boxes where people can put change they don't want. To me, money is money whether it be coins or notes!
I save on three bills or 4. First one i save money but not using the light when using the bathroom. Second...I dont flush when i pee i only flush when it is brown. Like when it is yellpw let it mellow n when it is brown let it drown. I also dont use the AC or heat. That cuts down on those two bills. So there you go. I save all around all those bills...all year round.
I hate when people don't flush when pee 😮😮 Here in Europe we have WC kettles with small and big buttons. I release less water for a small need than for a big one. No flushing is disgusting.
@flatteringkitchen that's yr opinion. Everyone has a right to their opinion. But for me that saves me alot of money n since I live alone I can do what I want to do when I pee. So there u go...
My husband and I were approved for double the amount we paid for our home. We decided to buy a house that if one of us lost our job or became disabled we could still afford to pay the monthly mortgage. I have always been financially responsible and frugal.
Same we wanted to make sure we could afford all our bills on one of our salaries
That’s wisdom 🙏 👏
That’s smart
Not sure when you bought your house but this is extremely hard to do these days with mortgage rates or home prices. If you want to own a home right now that is not totally realistic for most people. But rent is about the same and that’s throwing money away. Right now…you need a side hustle if you aren’t wealthy or have mom and dad to help.
We did the same. Moved to rural. Commuted 75+miles to work. Many other things, such as:
> Stop doing DIY projects at home. Have the patience to use that money to pay off your mortgage; then do projects. We paid our mortgage off in three-and-a-half years. We did give up more than DIY projects, but that was a surprising amount of money.
> Another big surprise was hiring a lawn mowing service; it equaled the amount we spent maintaining and paying to repair our equipment. We saved ourselves time and effort.
> One more word on mortgages. Once you have 20% equity in your home, tell your bank you want to stop paying Personal Insurance Protection. My bank tried to persuade us that it was a lot of trouble for a little bit of money. But I was firm! Instead of the $50-$75 a month they said it would be, we saved about $250 a month. PIP is insurance to protect the bank in case you default your loan, it does not go towards your principle or interest. When multiplied by 360 months, you can see the amount you save.
Ask for what you really want for gifts! My mother in law pays our Costco membership for our Xmas gift yearly. My mom buys me canning jars for birthday. I buy my kids fishing licenses for Xmas/birthday gift yearly.
Love that!
A good gift is annual family pass to swimming pool or park. I use to buy annually pass to the zoo as a gift.
I would add a tip for those of us on disability pay all your bills when you get paid. Even if they are not due for a couple weeks pay it when you get paid. So all bills are paid first then what is left you budget for the rest of your monthly expenses
Money saving tips are good.Spell check needed.
I buy groceries on the walmart app. A practice I picked up during the pandemic. I save thousands $$$ a year by not buying those cute whimsical unneeded things in the isles I don’t need. Seriously, no kidding thousands. I was terrible. And I shop once a week. I buy sale items but only if I will use it that week. Picking up my groceries saves hours in the store. Also I hate self check out. Truest way to save thousands I have ever experienced. 😎😎😎
I love doing that also. I have the Walmart credit card and buying the grocery pickup on the app gets 5% cash back on my purchases too.
Getting a house is still a good idea, even tho you have to pay mortgage, rent is just going to your landlord and you will never see that money again, but you can still resell a house, just make sure you get a house you can actually pay off with your allowance in 10-20 years 😊
Yes please. A video about reverse meal planning would be great. It’s what I try to do but I think I could improve on it. 🙏
As a hardcore minimalist I only bought a home where I used every room…have owned it outright for years, and it’s maintenance and utilities are very manageable…👍🏽
I went through my budget years ago. I took each bill and shrank it or eliminated it! Cable plus internet cost 230.00 together! I learned how to watch steaming tv and got ACP ( a program for seniors) to pay for my internet. Reduced combined bill to $10.00. Yay. I got over $500.00 dollars off the budget just by asking and doing some homework. It sure pays off every month!
I love this!!! Why is cable SOOO expensive?!?
@@saraconklinfrozenpennies I don’t know! Crazy huh? It’s dropping now because of streaming tv stations are taking their audience away. No one needs cable anymore. They keep sending me offers to come back! Hahahahaha
What's ACP? Are you in the US? Ty!
@@SusanHarrell530he ACP is a program that also pays majority of your cell phone no matter who your cell phone carrier is. It’s a application you can do on line. AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM. - ACP provides laptops internet for almost free. Jus google & that program will giv you more information 👍I’m in the U.S
I never buy in bulk. I don't to want to manage piles of food. But I always buy 6 eggs per week. Scrumbled eggs on a slice of bread. Or eggs and slice of cheese on a bagel. Delicous and quick meals.
Thanks for sharing!
Add some sautéed spinach to your toast and eggs, Yummy!
@@SMetz-cw6qjoh my! Spinach with eggs is so perfect, isn't it?!
I see what you mean. Sometimes I look in my cupboard and/or freezer and feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff, much of which I don’t end up using. I’m trying to get better ☺️
Depending on the budget--beauty schools for hair and nail treatments, libraries for entertainment, and some memberships are worth it. I have a movie membership at a local theater $10 a month and the tickets dont expire. Also check playhouses and museums for free and low cost tickets. I want to save but I want to live. 😂❤❤❤
I am subbed after watching this video. You advice speaks to me so much. I got a huge promotion and I do not want to ruin this wonderful opportunity by thinking I can now go crazy with spending.
Freeze foods glass (jam) jars. LEAVE AT LEAST ONE AND A HALF INCHES BELOW THE LID as liquids in foods expand slightly in the freezing process. This avoids all forms of plastic containers.
I’m fixing up a room in my house to rent out by downsizing my craft room into a smaller bedroom and doing short term rental to traveling nurses. Starting next year it will pay most of my bills because my home is paid off and so is my new vehicle.
This is such a great idea! Good for you!!!
That’s a great plan!
But you will
Sacrifice your privacy. It sucks I’ve tried it. Having strangers in your home is a terrible nuisance.
@@bernieoconnell5515 Maybe she could try flight attendants as well. They’re not around as often!
@@bernieoconnell5515 most of them work 12 hour shifts and then sleep so I really don’t think it’s going to be a problem for me. I like meeting new people, it should be interesting.
I spent some of my younger years backpacking around the world and living in various countries so I had to move a lot. Having a lot of belongings was not really an option. Traveling light was a priority. That mentality stuck with me as I feel much freer in every sense without being weighed down by a lot of material junk.
I would have to challenge the idea of grocery shopping every few days and using up everything that you buy as you buy it. Thats fine for things like produce and perishables, but we live in some VERY different days now. Make sure you have shelf stable, pantry items to get you through a crisis. What are you going to do if something happens to our "just in time" grocery stores when they have a glitch and shelves become bare? We have already seen what its like when there are shortages. Dont be foolish with thinking "its always going to be there".
We're a household of two and food use to go bad before we could eat it. Now I freeze just about everything and take out only what we'll eat for the day. It has saved us so much money. I'm a fan of making a batch of homemade soup and freezing it in one cup glass serving bowls and freezing it for lunches through the week.
i also buy family size meat chicken pork chops ribs ground beef and break them up in zipper bags I don’t buy small portions
Yes please do reverse meal planning
Tips are great. Misspellings are driving me nuts though
Agree. Very unprofessional. It’s not hard to check spelling while editing the video.
How rude!!!! If it bothers you that much, just listen and not watch!
Also, GROW UP!!!!!!!!
@@songbirds3712 constructive criticism is not rude or immature.
@@songbirds3712 Constructive criticism is not rude, especially since it can help the person be their best selves.
@@doubles1545 but it wasn’t constructive criticism.
I lowered my food bill from 300 -330 a week to 200-230 dollars Canadian, how one may ask....
Well my 22 year old son just moved into a home he purchased 2 weeks ago with his girlfriend.
Instant drop in our food bill by a hundred dollars, hubby is using the difference to put even more into our retirement savings.
I recently coloured my own hair cost 6.99 for nice n easy so much cheaper then a salon. Being frugal is my middle name
I spend 5 minutes a day tracking spending. So beneficial as I am now debt free and calm.
Good video. I think having a budget is the best thing I’ve done! I have more money now than before even though my fixed income is the same.
After my daughter was killed, i started shopping a lot for stuff i didn't need. I caught myself one night and looked at my full cart, picked one item, paid for it because i NEEDED it. I left the full cart there. Amazing!!! I "shopped" and enjoyed it, leaving all the junk behind. Someone got paid a few hours to put it all back!!! Lllol
I do this at difficult times emotionally
😢❤😊🎉
I'm sorry! 😪
Shopping is a common way to "deal" with grief because it's easy. I did the same thing after the sudden death of my husband. And, I don't even enjoy shopping but it allowed me to ignore my grief and all that goes with realizations of a changed life. Like you, I started to get my feet under me, I put things back, walked off from a full cart, deleted items in my Amazon cart, or returned items.
I know myself much better now which is a good thing! I know if I'm trying make a want, a need, I'm stressed about something, so I back up, again.
I can relate. 😢 When I see people buying everything I know it might be something deeper. ❤❤❤
I got a new car and got Sirius radio free for a year. It expired so I did not renew around $29. They wanted to go as low as $15. I said no. A month later they went from $10 to $6. I renewed at $6. For a year.
I am thinking about a few
things my husband and I have cut back or cut out. After retiring and moving into our forever home we had to make a new budget. Our income was about 1/2 of our working income. We cut going out at night and watched movies at home. Eating out reduced to special occasions only. Groceries are purchased once a week with a strict budget online. I keep the bottom line easily when adding and subtracting items on our cart is a click away. I never go over unless it’s a holiday. Or a birthday. But generally budgeting is easy but takes effort. It’s a full time job! 😂🎉😂🎉
I find it interesting that it's called reverse meal planning to plan based off what you have. Isn't that the way meal planning used to be before people had access to credit cards?
We cut our food bill almost in half.......yes, even during these times of high inflation. I analyzed how we eat, what we eat, and decided a very simple, but healthy diet would be just fine. And we got our portions under control.
I follow almost all of these! I have known that retirement was creeping up for quite awhile, but health determined when that happened. Thankfully I had socked away as much money as I possibly could. And NO debt-yay! But, in the last 7 months I have been hospitalized three times for 3-4 days each time, so some bills have come in from that, but not huge amounts, so that's good. They let you set up monthly amounts, and for the most part I have enough money left from my Social Security check to pay those amounts, so thankful for that.
Also, the "stockpile" tip is great. The pandemic shutdown made me a true believer in that! Not to an excess amount, but enough to feel safe. Thanks, as always, Sarah, for a great video and good info!
Thanks so much! And thanks for watching!!
I hope you are feeling better now
@@Jane5720 Oh, how kind of you! I have continuing heart problems, but am doing the best that I can. Thank you!
The only debt I have are medical bills. I spent 2 weeks in the hospital in 2021 with 6 days in life support, and 32 days in hospital in 2022 with 11 days in life support. My daughter wanted a copy of my hospital report. It's 10 inches high. 😂
I love Amazon Prime for the free book every month (2 books twice a year), movies, and music, as well as same-day and overnight delivery. Thanks so much for all your tips.
I had no idea this was a thing! I just got my free book!
I don’t know this?
How do you get the free book?
Love your videos, so relatable. Lately when i make chili mac I'll only use 1/2 the beef and double the noodles then freeze the beef for the same meal in two weeks. We're a small family and noone noticed 😁
Thanks so much and thanks for watching. This is a really great tip!
I do this with meat sauce (for spaghetti) too. And cabbage rolls, stuffed peppers, lasagna … basically just about anything that uses ground beef as an ingredient.
Ooo....your hair looks fabulous!
Thank you so much
I gotta say all of these points hit! We live super frugally. We dont have a car (live in a city). I bike often unless it's raining badly or really cold (which is rare we live in the south). We invest. It only makes about 130 a month but that's better than 0. We are debt free. We have taken 3 vacations and are still positive about 12k this year. I do laso only buy my fruit at whole foods as it is better quality and lasts longer. Do a side by side comparison. We could afford a better apartment, or even a bigger space but we make it work. Is it cramped? Yes lol but it is saving us plenty.
With the prices on food its cheaper to hit the Mennonite stores and buy bulk yes I have 5 gallon buckets of oats, flour, rice , beans, mashed potato flakes, popcorn kernels etc. When theres a sale on chicken, or any meat buy bulk and spend a couple days canning it.
A video about reverse meal planning, please!!! 🥰🫶🏼
I’ll work on that for ya!!
@@saraconklinfrozenpennies thank you lovely!
@@saraconklinfrozenpennies. I learned how to reverse plan from Amy Dacyzyn’s Newletter in 1992/3 and has probably saved me a 100k+ over the last 30 years. I thank her in my heart weekly. I really hope you do a video to pass on this powerful money saving method.
Your videos are always so helpful. i have followed your advice and was successful in reducing a hospital bill and negotiated the monthly payments. Thank you so much for taking the time to keep us well informed.
I do my spending tracking old school. Budget book. Pen and paper. Calculator. Lol. It’s not that bad tho. Errands batched 3 or 4 times a month. Autoship cat food. Auto pay utilities with notifs. No credit cards. So what I record is usually very simple to keep up with. I like it also Bcuz I have room to track major inventory as well and make notes on actual usage of consumables. This helps me also see how much I actually use up in a month. (Usually on major things or things we use a lot of). Or what I use or what I don’t actually use etc. So needless to say, analyzing all of it at the end of the month helps me tweak it where I need to.
Reverse meal planning. Freak yes. Lol.
I just use YT most times. No subs. (We have some relative sharing on some things like Netflix, but I usually wind up on YT anyways. I told them I don’t use but they included me anyways so I don’t pay for it lol). I like true crime and there is really no shortage of that right here…for free. It’s been years I guess. And I rarely ever get bored. Lol. Also a couple of free phone games I do for fun. Lol. Also same games. Years on end.
Great idea also. No grocery shopping for a month. I’ve been thinking of trying that.
I had a couple of peach trees come up in my yard from pits. Also had wild strawberries and red and black raspberries come up in my yard. Free food!
If I walked every place I needed to go, I would get there at about the time I'd need to leave. The closest place I normally go is church. It's 5 miles away. The farm where I have my horses, 11 miles away. (I go twice a day.) So I think I'll skip the walking. 😂
Mmm. Blessings. Enjoy. Make some homemade pies and give as gifts. You'll be so popular😊
*Negotiate. Love your channel. Great tips.
Please make a video about reverse meal planning
8. Cooking from scratch
I would add here one should convert cooking time into $/hour say 10$/h. If you spend 3 hours cooking every day that's 900$/month worth of your time. Try picking dishes that take 30 minutes or less to prepare, that's the sweet spot
Only if you would be doing something that made you money if you weren’t cooking for those 90 hours.
Our electric co-op recently began sending us an email to let us know that the autopay had gone through. The folks there don't just turn off your electricity; they warn you first.
Just a little info about roadside vendors. If they are on the corner of the street and not in front of a certified farm or shed you should pass them by. I worked for a local Ag Dept and learned a lot about how they get dropped off on corners(basically by a Coyote) they do not have access to restrooms, they do not have permits and are mot certified which means they can bring in potentially crop devastating bugs from their county. They have been known to steal from farmers or their warehouses. They can use any type of pesticide and back in the 80's people died from a toxic pesticide on watermelons. Certified Farmers Markets may be a bit pricier but you know what you are eating. As long as it is a Certified market. A local farmer went out of business here recently but more people were buying from illegal roadside vendors than their farm. And they were reasonably priced. And roadside vending is a form of trafficking. Anyone can look it up on Ag Dept sites. Not everyone knows the health and safety factors of non local vendors. There are street vendors that sell food but have to get permits. Not the ones on corners selling strawberries or other things. Even flowers that they put a powder on to make them red. This is just a pet peeve of mine that more people should learn about. 😊
Also look for USDA Certified organic not just organic or all natural.
I didn't know about vendors. I rarely stop for roadside vendors but glad to have info
Most our roadside seller buy from the same farm, lol.
Good to know
These are really great tips, thank you!
Ditto, dear! Love listening to you. I've done the things you mentioned for about 50 years. I'm a saver.
Reverse meal plan sounds good please😊
We save, and rescue lots of change from the ground-its out there! It takes about 9 months to reach about $100 the time when I'm due for a fancy dinner.
wow, this is very comprehensive! ❤
I agree with all except lowering the food budget by buying cheaper meats. I am a great grocery bargain shopper, but I won’t compromise health with cheaper meats. Since I eat meat, which isn’t likely the healthiest choice, I’m going to eat healthier cuts. I buy my beef locally. The rest comes from the half price mark down bin usually. I wait for chicken sales at 69 to 99 cents per pound. Have considered raising my own, but don’t want to do the processing. Pay the grocer now or the doctor later. Keep up the good work.
Cheaper cuts of meat aren’t less healthy than more expensive ones.
If you’re talking roast beef vs. hot dogs, that’s a different story.
Truly great advice. Many thanks 😊
Our work has 2 crab apple trees, in the back yard. We usually pick them in late August,and have made AppleCrisp.
We also have stand up square gardens.(Don’t forget to weed.)
We at home also have a couple of box garden. This year,I saw a sale on garnishes,like dill. We also have squash which I haven’t tried before.
I was also at a Family event at our Exhibition Center,a group gave us each 🍅 s that were already starting to grow.
Sharen
Won't crab apples give an upset stomach
#21 I disagree with, I use my credit card for everything and get the rewards. I understand not everyone is disciplined enough to do this. I earn 2% on my rewards, I earn $250 to $300 per year in rewards. This money is directly deposited into a separate savings account and it’s my gift fund for birthday’s and Christmas. I haven’t bought a gift out of pocket since 2017.
Wow that's awesome 🎉. I'm right there with you there but I realized that most people aren't great with their finances. The rewards are great but if you can't pay it off like you and me it drowns others. Be blessed and safe my new friend in my head 🙏🎉.
@@jeanettewilliams8898 in 2018 I was one of those people. I was married then (now divorced)and we had thousands of dollars in debt. I’ve been 100% debt free since January of 2020. I have an emergency fund, 4 months of expenses and some money invested making me money and everything I own is paid for.
I love your idea of putting the rewards in a separate savings account for gifts. My husband gets the cash rewards and my card gets frequent flier miles. We are good at paying off the cards at the end of each month and have had some nice trips where we got to fly free. I can use the card to accumulate hotel points as well.
Im stock piling cat sand and toilet paper. Six months worth. I’m semi retiring and those prices are going up. It will be right until July 24 when I go to Medicare.
@@czarina7786 diversity your stockpile. For sure stock up the things that are getting expensive, but be sure to have some of everything. Food, hygiene supplies, pet supplies (if you have a pet) cleaning supplies, everything. Do an inventory of your supplies and fill in the empty items. With my stock pile I’m good for about 8 months, except for dairy, fresh fruit and veggies.
I believe the spelling is negotiate - no “c”
The actual water in your hot water system, however, needs to be stored at a minimum of 60°C in order to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria ..
In the US the recommendation from the CDC is 120°F as the safe temperature. That's 49°C.
It also needs to be 120f for your dishwasher to be efficient.
This!
I’d rather wrap my hot water heater in a blanket - don’t forget the top! - than deal with inadequately washed dishes; that drives me nuts!
Very helpful advice.
I'm on a fixed income and I'm looking for a side hustle. You said your husband is an artist, so am I. I'm really short and finding something I can do at my height is a challenge. I did Uber and Doordash found it very hard to do. I need something that is not so physically demanding.
You look nicer with shoulder length hair.
Blessings, from Kingsville, Ohio 🎉 😀 ❤
Were we live you can average electric and natural gas bill after a year. So it never varies more than a few dollars.
I bought Amazon prime for 1 week for $1.99 and immediately cancelled. Got my small item in 2 days and got to binge watch Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in that week :) I cancelled my annual membership with Amazon. $139 got to be too much for me. Don't miss it at all.
Great idea to get it on a limited basis - especially if there's a show you want to watch!
You mentioned ibotta and fetch in your coupon tips, I use Ibotta as well as shopmium
Me too. I also do Receipt Hog. I have a grocery store that frequently offers $10/$70 and $15/$150 purchase. I check the grocery store where I usually shop and they will accept a competitor’s coupon. I try to buy on sale with coupons and rebates, I love stacking my savings. I like the savings and for me it’s fun.
Just an FYI it's negotiate, not negociate. Also membership not memebership.
This is exactly how I meal plan. I only shop loss leaders and stock up and of course the occasional junk food. We try to eat meals mostly at home and I make a lot of things from scratch. We have a low house payment on our mini farm and plan on being here for the future. We are retirees so property taxes and insurance costs rising is affecting our budget. I am always thinking of ways to bring in more income. We have a guest rental on our property and in the future I'm planning on renting out our basement as an efficiency apartment. Im also going to do a No Spend/Low Spend 2024.
I would hope an auto pay receiver would text or email a courtesy message
Also seniors ,askmfor senior discounts it helps wednesdays koehles fifeteen percent off teusdays rosses ten percent off i hop has senior discounts we have shoprite store tuesdays ,senior discount ,i am senior yardsale thirty years i haggle in stores lol
Thank you! Cancelling my prime membership today !
I also just googled that you can use subscribe and save even if you’re not in Prime member! That is what I mostly order and it’s always over $25 a month as it’s typically pet food and hair care products.
Hi! This video came up in my feed twice. So the 2nd time, I watched the video and was sold! New sub - Thank you; great content. 🎉
I use can beans tin soup frozen vegies store bought bread freeze left overs we only pay $25 percent of our income
Nice!!!
Memberships
For the past year or so, AI makes it difficult to contact amazon. Also, foreign countries take our phone calls and they are not easy to understand. Ordering from them if one needs to return, ask a question, and especially, an item is missing, is a challenge. I do not want to keep Amazon Prime, but my husband says it is convenient. I am a great customer and they do not care. AI tech does not work well.
Wow never thought of helping someone in social media tfs
Turn lights off when leaving every room,wear clothes according to temperature, limit laundry days,eat
before going for groceries,gardening,social nights at home,delayed impulse shopping.
Check your wallet before you make a bank trip. Lights off,blinds up when reading. Movie,or game nights at home.
Sharen
Shop less often is a very US way. I live in SEA and the markets are always fresh, less expensive and usually very close by. So I buy them more often, fresh, when I am out off what I need.
Also, make more money .... I work from 7-5 sometimes 7-7, please tell me how I can make more money? On the one or two days I am actually not working? Besides as a foreigner I get paid better than the locals already, and while I am wealthy for my environment, I am way below poverty level for people in the west.
The west coast, especially the Pacific Northwest is a more expensive place to live than many parts of the country. We live in Oregon so we know.
The most common side hustles are signing up with Doordash, driving for Uber or Lyft, signing up with one of two ways to be an Instacart shopper, being a delivery person for a restaurant. If you work Monday-Friday, one of those might work for you, but you need to have a car, of course. A bike would probably work if you deliver food from a single restaurant or become a messenger delivery person. If you're in tech, can you be a part time remote CSR?
Checking on autopay. Thank you
We found that shopping every few days, has saved us money, by reducing our food waste to near $0.
I can hear okay.
That's a no on the hot water.
“Invest in real estate!” yeah not a great point when I’m watching this video because my rent is outrageous and the housing market is a nightmare right now. Maybe read the room.
Everyone is on their own journey. Maybe one or ten of the other 34 might be able to help. Thanks for the feedback and thanks for watching!!
Not meaning to be rude, but their is no C in negoiate
@janeparent9178 Good point, but negoiate doesn’t not spell negotiate.
@@shelahogletree7711 omg so true !
If this is a spelling discussion can we talk about “their” and “there”!
And unnecessary
Spelling mistakes bug me, too. Not nearly as much as the armchair spelling police however!
👍👍👍
2day delivery is MORE than a little sketchy
#6 enjoy those legionellae you ' ll breed in your luke warm water supply. Your approach suggested here is quite hazardous.
Reverse technique meal plan 🙂
I hate silicone bags. I hate the thought of washing a bag, I rather just put it in Rubbermaid, or Tupperware and it’s a lot easier to get out instead of dealing with a Stupid zipper.
I bought some and found out they are a pain.
@@vickiterry1877 I thought they would a pain.
I wondered about that too. I don’t want another thing to wash but I hate plastic waste. Ugh.
I love them. I never have a problem with the zipper.
Goodness, must people be dramatic about small things?!
*negotiate
Try these things even disabled
I dont understand no 16. What would people do with it otherwise? Throw them in the trash? 🧐
I have heard that people do indeed throw change away. That baffles me! Here in the UK there are often charity collection boxes where people can put change they don't want. To me, money is money whether it be coins or notes!
@@coraclouden2506 wow, never heard of people who do that. 😳
I save on three bills or 4. First one i save money but not using the light when using the bathroom. Second...I dont flush when i pee i only flush when it is brown. Like when it is yellpw let it mellow n when it is brown let it drown. I also dont use the AC or heat. That cuts down on those two bills. So there you go. I save all around all those bills...all year round.
You’re doing great! Keep up the good work!
I hate when people don't flush when pee 😮😮 Here in Europe we have WC kettles with small and big buttons. I release less water for a small need than for a big one. No flushing is disgusting.
@flatteringkitchen that's yr opinion. Everyone has a right to their opinion. But for me that saves me alot of money n since I live alone I can do what I want to do when I pee. So there u go...
@@arthurmantzouris4413 no hard feelings 🙂🙂 your choice indeed ...
Collecting rainwater and use it
Hi
Hi! Thanks for watching!!
This video has no sound
Thanks for letting me know. I can hear ok on my end.
It's working fine now must've been my phone sorry about the mix up😮
@@suzannesmith5240it didn't work on mine either. I had to close all the way out of RUclips and then go back in
Separate
Which is better if you're single, buying a house vs Renting a apartment.
You need to use spell check!
🤔😒
Negotiate not negociate
Thanks!
Also, unnecessary not unnessesary
Payant cash to avoid taxes is both illegal and unethical.
Yes, want to see the reverse meal planning!!1