Advice from a young bride
The Equuschick (our second girl) got married to her best friend, a man she's known since before they were in their teens) last November. Their first child is due sometime this month. Shasta took a massive pay cut to move here instead of taking the Equuschick away (we love Shasta), and they've had to learn and relearn some basic budgeting stuff. I asked the EC last night what she thought was most important for in keeping to their budget.
"Nothing earthshattering or really amazing," she said, "I just have to pay attention and use what I have."
I asked what she meant.
Mostly, she said, it's the groceries- she needs to be aware of what's in her refrigerator and remember what she buys, what leftovers she puts away so the food doesn't go to waste. And while shopping, don't buy something that's an amazing deal if you aren't going to have time to cook it or you already have too much other stuff in the fridge.
I thought guiltily of the luxury food I recently bought myself- artichokes- which I had forgotten about. Oops.
Paying attention is an important frugality tool in other ways, too- pay attention and turn out the unused lights.
Pay attention and fix things when they are small issues. Don't wait for a small problem to grow larger and more expensive.
Pay attention and notice time passing by, getting closer and closer to a birthday, a holiday, a new season- and lay up something towards that day before you have to run to the store and buy something right now because suddenly Christmas is in December and here it is December 23rd already or because for the first time ever the weather will change with the seasons and the kids have outgrown last year's clothes (who knew kids grew???).
Pay attention and return your library books and/or renew them to avoid fines (I am really bad at this)
Pay attention and don't miss the reduced speed limit sign (oops).
Pay attention and get the oil changed on your car in a timely fashion. It's penny wise and pound foolish to put this off so long the engine fries.
Pay attention to the small print.
What are some areas where you have found it pays off to pay attention?
Here's another one- pay attention to this post, read all the way to the end, and you could win a copy of
Here's how-
1. Share here some way you found paying attention saved you money.
OR
2. write a post linking back to my regular blog (email me or leave a comment to let me know) OR
3..leave a comment over at our other blog and we'll enter your name in a drawing for The Frugal Gazette II!
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25 Responses to “Advice from a young bride”
September 4th, 2009 at 5:57 am
I have to remind myself to actually pay attention to the prices of items I have been buying for a long time. Sometimes the price goes up and I don’t notice it because I’m so used to just grabbing that item off the shelf. Sometimes when that happens, another brand actually ends up being cheaper than the one I am used to buying.
September 4th, 2009 at 6:19 am
Just last night, we were at the grocery store to pick up some bread & other necessities. Wandering the bread aisle, the orange Manager’s Special stickers caught my eye, and we saved 50-75% of the price on the bread & buns. If I wasn’t paying attention and instead grabbed the first loaf I saw, I’d have paid a lot more. As it is, we were able to stock our freezer!
September 4th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Before I was married I simply didn’t pay attention to my food expenses at all; I assumed what I wanted was necessary as long as nothing was wasted. Once I was married I started watching prices, and cooking more simple but well-rounded dishes. I now feed my husband and myself generously for $125 a month! From that budget we’ve also been making jam and putting fresh berries away in the freezer to have in winter. No small feat in New England!
September 4th, 2009 at 7:07 am
I had to learn to pay attention to due dates on bills! Paying late fees or reconnection fees sucks. It was one of the first things I had to learn once I was on my own.
September 4th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Paying attention to the due dates on bills or setting up auto bill pay has saved us late fees!
September 4th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Pay attention to what is in the grocery bag when you get home. Let’s imagine you get home from the store at dinner time and know you need to was the veggies and fruit before you put it away(you saw some fruit flies near the fruit today). Life gets in the way and as you head up to bed late that evening, you remember the bag of fruit. Oh, it can wait you figure. In the morning, you wake up before the kids, go down and wash the fruit to find a package of ham in there. Sigh…the special trip 11 miles away to the cheap veggie store just cost you $4 more for everything when you had to toss the ham in the trash.
Not that this happened to me yesterday morning….
September 4th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Wow this post brings back some memories! I was once a young bride who had to watch every penny as well
It’s a great way to keep you in line when you think you NEED that new item, even though you already have two at home!
I pay attention to what bulk costs versus the cost of the regular bag. If the bulk is a better deal, that’s what i get. It costs more now, but pays off in the long run. This doesn’t always work, though, because sometimes the bulk is more costly!
September 4th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Pay attention to your receipt to save- several times I have found mistakes that would have cost me. Sometimes it’s just a little, but I have had things that were rung up twice. Computers make mistakes too,
.
September 4th, 2009 at 8:54 am
The other day, we went to get milk from our local grocery store. It was $1.99, a good price, and just after I had put two gallons in the cart, my husband pointed out that the half gallons were only .$50 each! He was paying attention, and I just looked at the big sign advertising the gallons.
So we got 10 half gallons for only $5.00, rather than 2 gallons for $3.98. I was glad Matt was along and paying attention!
September 4th, 2009 at 9:36 am
I have to pay attention to other grocery store ads besides shopping at Walmart for food. This week Weis had boneless chicken breast on sale for $1.40 a pound. I stocked up and bought about 30 pounds. Even though Walmart has the lowest regular prices sometimes others have even better sales. I also have to know my prices so that when I go to Costco I know if its really a deal or not.
September 4th, 2009 at 10:37 am
I pay attention to my credit card bill and bank statement – in the past, I have found errors on both that were NOT my fault!
September 4th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I have to pay attention to make enough dinner to have good leftovers for my husband to take to work. I also need to have it packaged up with carrots or celery sticks and any other extras the night before so all he has to do in the morning is put it in his bag. Otherwise he is off to the cafeteria or restaurant. That hurts not just our budget but his health.
September 4th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Ways we have learned to pay attention:
*is it light enough outside that instead of turning on a light, I can open the shades and use outdoor light?
*look at the cost per (ounce, lb, item), not just the price. Just because it is on sale, does not make it the cheapest price.
*be aware of how much toilet paper you are using – sometimes you just grab and go. Count the squares.
*think is this something I need a paper towel for, or can I use a rag instead?
*before throwing that t-shirt with holes in it away, think about cutting them up for rags to use instead of paper towels. especially if they are cotton.
*see if a friend is in need before just giving the thing to Goodwill or throwing it away or trying to sell it for money. I have been more blessed since I started doing this. You sow what you reap, and God has been so faithful to provide through others since we started blessing others with our stuff.
*be aware of a want verses a need. I LOVE books, but most of them are wants, and therefore I can wait for them. Paperback swap is GREAT because I can wait for those books that are wants rather than spending the money on them.
September 4th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Pay attention to medical bills! With son number 3 the doctor’s offices sent us multiple bills for the same procedure and I kept calling and telling them I paid it. It turned out that they had lost my first check and that’s why they kept billing me but they wouldn’t look into it until I pointed out that there was no way you could give a circumscision more than once to the same boy.
September 4th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I pay attention and keep track of how much I spend on food items. Just because something is on “sale” doesn’t mean its a good price and I forget what I paid for something last time I bought it.
September 4th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Pay attention to what is in season! Sometimes neighbors will have fruit trees that they have no time for. I did this with a raspberry patch once that I noticed my neighbor wasn’t picking, so I asked. They let me pick every morning because it turned out they couldn’t use the fruit due to medical problems (diverticulitis).
September 4th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
I have to pay attention to unit prices. Sometimes a sale is not a sale when the same brand in another size (usually larger, but not always) is actually cheaper at its regular price. This has happened to me numerous times lately with peanut butter, and most recently with butter.
September 4th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
I totally agree with what you mentioned! Another way that paying attention helps is when you are in the check out line at the store. Keep an eye on how things are ringing up because sometimes they don’t scan correctly.
Abbi
September 5th, 2009 at 8:28 am
If I pay attention to how many cloth diapers are left in my stash, I don’t end up using disposables for a day while the diapers are in the wash and on the line.
If I pay attention and keep a running grocery list, then when my husband has to stop at the store he can get everything we currently need, making it less likely I’ll have to make an extra trip. (This is especially important for us because we’re rural, and it is a drive for good prices.)
September 5th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Pay close attention to your satellite bills. I signed up for satellite for $45.00 a month. Over the following year, they slowly raised the price up to $60.00. When I found this out, I started looking at the channels, and found out they had moved some of the channels to the higher priced tier, and started charging me for it. I immediately called, and canceled the whole thing. Now we watch TV on the computer.
September 6th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
I used to think store brand items were the best deal. But now that I pay attention to ads and link coupons to sales, I get much better deals!
September 7th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Here’s a basic one–pay attention to the gas gauge in the car! Letting the tank get too low is very bad. You can have an unexpected problem, like getting caught in a traffic jam where you can’t get to the gas station and run out of gas on the road.
So embarrassing and expensive!
Letting your tank get low, if you live in the part of the country that gets frigid in the winter is also bad. The sediment and water in your tank settles to the bottom…and that is where you want it to stay. An almost empty tank will push that sediment in your gas through the line into your engine and cause engine problems, especially in cold temperatures, so keep your tank half full or more.
September 8th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Paying attention to sales–several times in the past month or so I’ve discovered name brands were actually cheaper than the store brands I usually buy b/c of a special going on. I wonder how many times I didn’t think to check and could have spent less.
September 9th, 2009 at 9:32 am
I pay attention to the small stuff by evaluating everything I buy. If I’m out and didn’t bring a snack, will I spend $2-3 on dollar-menu fast food to get me by? Usually not. It adds up fast, so I plan ahead and bring food with me.
I always order water in restaurants. Why pay $1.50 or more for a fountain drink? Bring a water bottle along for outings. Save the cash and grow a stash!
September 9th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
I’m too late for the contest, I know (and I already have the book, anyway), but I have a great tip.
I go to the Farmer’s Market every week at closing time. The farmers are glad to sell the produce that won’t save until another market for a very reduced price. It will go to waste if take home, anyway! I get enough produce to feed my large family fresh and I often have extra to can, as well, using this method.
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