Motivation for months of July and August

How do you keep up the motivation to save money even in the summer months?

This can be extremely challenging especially in times of a heat wave, because I don’t know about you, but I end up avoiding cooking. This leads to spoiled groceries in the fridge, resulting in loss of hard earned money. However, what is also true is no matter what you do you end up with some compost just because life is not perfect.

To keep motivation high I use my weekly meal plan and plan according to weather (hot). So on peak hot days/ weeks consider meals which use the cooktop and oven less. There are 3 ways to tackle the summer heat:

First, choosing to use the stovetop to make meals in short bursts. Second, avoiding the use of the oven by making sandwiches or salads for dinner. Third, sacrifice one day and use oven to cook several meals which will keep 2-3 days.

Also, one of the stovetop ideas I had this week was egg salad sandwiches. I actually boiled the eggs in the morning when it wasn’t too hot and made the meal to completion and placed in fridge.The other idea is what I call no 7 special it’s basically a combination of cold food you find in fridge, as an example cold cuts. This can also be prepared nicely ahead of time in fridge. Therefore, all of these strategies help me remind myself that every time I cook something of hubby cooks, we are really saving hundreds of dollars. You could even install a budget app that could reflect how much money you really save over just a few months.

Consider commenting on my blogs on questions on my menu or any hacks you’ve come up with for the summer. I’d love to hear from you!

Savings pennies at a time: Kitchen sponges & comparables

As the old adage goes those who look for money find them!

Although most people don’t carry physical pennies in our hands, saving pennies matters when you are striving you accumulate wealth. 

Kitchen

Katy's vision:

 

I buy sponges from 2 different stores for very different reasons:

Store #1:Dollar store:

Value: You can get a pack of 10 sponges for  $1.25 to 1.50.

Katy's Trick:

This is not for everyone (some may finds them too small and fiddly lol) but if you are able to pull off using a smaller sponge for your dishes and you have a smaller household then why not?

Method: I cut these in half so that you are able to get double the amount for the same price. So that means you are essentially getting 20 half size sponges for $1.25, over time you are saving and its cumulative. 

Reason: I use these for everyday dishwashing for plates, cutlery and mugs.

Store #2 Any brand name store Safeway, Walmart, Save on Foods, Save on, Thrifty (or similar in your area)

Value: You can buy a multi package of 6 sponges approximately, for usually $5.00 so that works out to about $1.50 each sponge. Of course there are different types of sponges (some have the scrubber attached, others are solo and some are non-scratch); I choose the scotch Brite or Vilida sponges (scratch resistant or regular) Alternatively, i also revert to the name brand store's sponges brand. Thus, for example Save on Foods would be Best Western; Walmart brand would be Best Value and so on.

Katy's Trick:

I usually select the heavy duty sponge, as I am looking to save on some elbow grease. I choose brand name sponges such as Scotch Brite or other similar brands and then I am able to actually cut the sponges into even more pieces. Perhaps I do go overboard but I cut them down to 4 pieces vertically.

Reason: I use these sponges for more delicate glasses (non-scratch sponge), or pots and pans that need a good scrubbing, with experience I found the brand name ones do perform a bit better. 

Method: I still cut them in half sometimes, but because they are for a bigger job I keep them whole so I can get a better clean and can save time that way

Advantages of dollar store sponge:

#1 you get 4 times as much usage out of the same money.

#2 you change your sponge more often to have a clean smelling sink without the guilty feeling of throwing away money.

Advantages of name brand sponges:

#1 you don't have to scrub as much

#2 They save you time in handwashing.

Happy New Year everyone!

Storage ideas to save $$$

As you know I've been always mindful of trying to avoid wasting money unnecessarily due to my background of my parents immigrating into Canada and starting from ground zero. It's funny because I am always thinking about how I can stretch our household dollars and my family and friends can attest to that. I have made it into a game, and forgive me but its my frugal obsession! Don't get me wrong there are days where I am lazy and go pick up some takeout locally.

So today I thought i'd talk about another way to save money around the house is to be mindful about what you buy and to make the food that you do buy go a little longer by using different storage methods and tactics.

The tips I'm about to share are some, that I've discovered over time, because I realized that this is another "department" where a lot of money can be wasted if one is careless.

1) Storing Fresh Herbs: Cilantro, Coriander

I personally take them out of the vegetable bag and place a paper towel around the bottom of the stem; also if you happen to know the different "cold zones" in the fridge, you could choose one that is not as cold (if that makes sense). Wrapping the cilantro/coriander in a paper towel helps by avoiding moisture buildup between the bag and Herb which quickens its deterioration.

I've tried putting them in a jar with a bit of water but they seem to not do so well-at least that has been my experience.

I avoid washing the herb and storing it in the fridge as this will also contribute to the herb going bad, which in the end causes a loss in money over time. 

It may not seem a lot of money as on average they cost anywhere from $0.99 on sale to $1.99 but overtime these dollars add up in the course of the week, and then year; especially if some end up in the compost. If you do have a garden, patio or balcony you could definitely grow your own herbs and this would save hundreds of $ over the years.

2) Storing Strawberries

- Buy less than you think you need because strawberries inevitably go bad.

- Also avoid washing them and storing them in the fridge as they may become moldy, or over ripe.

-Buy local, made in same province, city, or within 100km.

3) Salads

I am working on bringing up my Iron stores so I really try to make an effort to buy better quality lettuce/salad. Its a work in progress but eventually I would like to include more of a variety of salads in my diet.

I use to eat iceberg lettuce, and more simple vegies like carrots, broccoli. However, in the past few years I have switched to the boxed salads. I aim to buy boxed salads that either come in a mix (spring mix). and/or buy at least 2 packages of different ones. 

-I find that boxed salads lasts a bit longer rather than if you buy the fresh ones off the shelf not precut. I am not sure about the science behind it but my lettuce usually succumbs to fridge burn (getting too cold). It could also be that the boxed salads are already precut, ready to go, thus you end up wasting less over time.

4) Meat

If you are a meat lover (which I am) buying larger quantities make sense to a certain point. For example, you don't want to buy so much meat that you eventually can't fit in your freezer or fridge and end up wasting because you can't eat through it.

I personally don't believe in buying a second freezer (as it could contribute to a slightly higher electrical bill) to store excess meat products unless of course if you have a very large family. If you ball park cost of second freezer, electricity wise could be maybe 10 bucks a month more, so $120 a year more; 5 years means a whopping $600 more.

Thank you for reading my blog, I hope you have found at least one thing that could save you money.

I have some news for my next blog, so I will be happy to share it with you all.

Also, do share any ideas of your own (in comments), which could inspire some to save even more.

Happy Humble saving,

Katy

Savings around the house: Kitchen

The Kitchen is the biggest area where you can save money in; it does take patience, dedication, organization and careful reflection on items that you use the most.

Coffee or tea:

Tip #1 Know your prices and saving tolerance.

Strategy:

These days some stores have price per 100g. This helps you compare the price amongst items between name brands, no names and quantities. Here is where personal preference or tolerance for a cheap tasting tea comes in. To me tea and coffee are fairly important so I always choose a mid range product that has a fair balance between taste and price. 

To demonstrate, for instance, you could choose a second rate tasting tea such as an orange Pekoe tea for about 2.99 for 100 bags but the taste is second rate. In this case you might have a cheap tea but the taste is also that-cheap, and cardboard like. Alternatively, a mid range product even from a store brand orange pekoe ($3.50), Tetley (4.00-5.00 for 70 teas) or other would be a much better option. You not only get mid range value for the product but a great tasting cup of tea, which you will appreciate on days when you really need that cup.

Here are some strategies for getting the best value from coffee or tea when shopping:

#1 you can look at price per gram which some stores have in small (tiny writing) underneath the price. Look for the lowest price per 100g; this gives you a quick comparisons without having to do any thinking besides spotting the tags and comparing.

You can either choose amongst midrange teas/coffees you drink or check out the whole section and have the teas and coffees compete against each other.

You will be surprised these prices do sometimes differ between stores. For example a package of tea at one store like Thrifty foods might be less/more than one at superstore.

#2) Teabag packages: Compare packages by choosing midrange, then take the price of the product and divide by the number of teabags in it. This results in your price per teabag.

Example of a tea I recently bought for my husband. Tetley Naturally Decaffeinated Green tea. 80 count for $8.48. Therefore the answer rounded to nearest hundred would be $0.10. So, each tea bag costs $0.10. With this information I can compare to another package of tea. Thus Tazo tea bags 4.48 for 20 teas works out to (rounded off) to $0.22 each. The clear winner between the two teas would be the decaf green tea coming in only at 0.10 each.

#2 Check out the stores clearance section.

Often stores have clearance sections usually at the back of the stores or in lesser used spots where you can often find a bargain. One caveat don’t buy everything in this section even though you might see 50% off, you need to really study the price and know your prices to determine if a product is worth buying. Also, don’t forget to check expiry dates and decide if you can use a product before the expiry.

Scenario from about a month ago- I scored a bargain on coffee!

I wondered over to the clearance section and I couldn’t believe my eyes.  

I bought multiple packages of the same product within reason. I do this on occasion when the deal is too good to pass up. This is how you can save money over the long term, but I’ve never actually kept track of how much I actually saved over the years.

The price tag label said Limit of 12, it was of a brand that I haven’t heard of Azzuri coffee (so I was taking a bit of a gamble), but I thought worst came to worst I could mix it in with another better brand of coffee.

I got 4 packages of this coffee: 2 of them were Dark roast (beans), and 2 of them were Medium roast (grounded). One of the factors I consider is the expiry date being Sep of 2021. So I knew I had plenty of time to drink them. The cost was $6.41, with a price of 15.99 on Amazon. So although I paid $25.64 in one go on coffee I saved , it was well worth it. as I only paid $25.64 for 4 coffees which otherwise would have cost me $63.94!!, so cost savings of $38.30.

#3 Lets not forget about an everyday staple Sugar!

I use to buy packages of sugar between $3.50-4.50 for 2kg. I only bought smaller packages of sugar because we didn’t have a car to transport large bags of 10kg sugar. Now, because we do most of our shopping by delivery, I can buy a 10kg bag of sugar, which therefore lasts us several months at $12-14 per bag.

Math calculation: Buy 5 packages of 2kg bags over time: $3.50 5= 17.50 vs 1 package of 10kg bag of sugar at $12.00 (when you find them on sale).

Savings over time: $5.50 minimum when you buy the larger bag.

Things to consider: You need to have containers to store the sugar. What I do is I save up big empty pickle jars and use this as a container or use empty buckets after 4 L ice creams to store the sugar. I am not going for aesthetics when it comes to storing extra supplies as I have pretty containers which are on the counter for everyday use.

Thank you for reading!

Do comment on your favorite money saving hacks below or any topic suggestions you might have!