For You

Hi, inspired and saving Moms! How was your second week so far? I figured I’ve got to track down my own spread-sheet of pennies saved and let you glimpse at mine, as a personal case study and a goal on my own as a frugal mom! (That is, by the end of the 4th week!) Now, as the full-time manager of our beloved crazy but sane home, an inspired mom who is saving for family travel goal after 365 days, and striving to make little memories the most unforgettable ones, let me tell you, dear allies, you are not alone as a trying hard mom who juggles it all. (wink!) So as we speak, I am also in the middle of my consuming-what-are-in-the-fridge stage. Lol.   Another realization struck, I tend to have my cravings for a particular dish, say a stew or something and it gets me dashing hastily into the grocery looking for all the ingredients just to cook the same within the day, but I must (oh, I must!) totally eradicate this habit! (Do you have these cravings too?) Last week, we have been through our mini tips for Day 8-14 in our challenge to 365-day money-saving habit and tips. This third week, let us enhance our grocery-shopping skills!   BEING A SMART SHOPPER Who does not love grocery shopping? But how do we exactly be a smart one?   Soak on with these no nonsense tips to start as a habit from DAY 15-21! DAY 15 MAKE A LIST First, make a weekly list of all ingredients that you need based on your weekly menu and stick to it no matter what. Once you listed them all, estimate how much you need, say $100 only for the first week of the month. Thaw what are left in the freezer and cook them first. Then decide to shop after you have defrosted your freezer and cleaned up for new batches. DAY 16 BRING EXACT CASH  If you can, bring only the exact $100 budgeted cash in your wallet and leave your atm card behind (but of course you can just leave it in the car just in case you lost your cash along the way or whatever happens). Why? It’s so easy to lose sight of your goal and go on impulse buying some more, not noticing the extra $5 or $10 here and there, but these little extras can sum up to $260-520 ($5-10 x 52 weeks) a year! (You could have used it for paying your family’s hotel accommodation!) DAY 17 LOOK OUT FOR SUPERMARKET TRAPS Avoid the supermarket traps that trick you into buying things not listed in your budget. These are the products nearest the cashier, especially if you are with your kids. They have been strategically placed in there to encourage you into adding them into your cart as they are right in front while you are about to pay! DAY 18  ITEMS’ LOCATION ALERT Sometimes, the items drastically reduced to clear are partially hidden from the shopper’s eyes too, not actually hidden per se, but again, often located at the end of the grocery line, so you tend to lay your hands first on the regular-priced equivalents. This is especially true with non-perishable products. So before buying anything, first try to scan where the location of the discounted goods are then proceed from there. Scan the shelves carefully from top to bottom, because the less expensive ones are strategically hidden (for the second time mentioning “strategically”). DAY 19 REWARDS POINTS If you haven’t signed up for a rewards card yet, register now. The loyalty card program will let you shop for free if you have gathered enough points. And be sure to consistently check your husband’s or your credit card reward points, you might be missing out the deals and gifts you can redeem out of them. This amazingly happened to me once! When I happened to check on our credit card points, (as my husband was not aware how valuable these points can be, oh, men!), I have surprisingly found out that we are entitled to 2 x $250-worth gift card in Coles! Geez, that was worth a month of subsistence already! DAY 20 GO FRESH AND NATURAL Go for fresh foods instead of pre-packed ones. Buy in bulk or by the box. You can also head off to the monthly farm market day which might be held regularly at the place nearest yours, that is, for fresh fruits and veggies. DAY 21 COMPARING TWO PRODUCTS If you have to calculate the difference to determine where you have the most advantage in two items, do not be ashamed to do so discreetly in public right there where you are! (I always do this!). Just be sure that you compare as far as the size, mass or volume is concerned. Say, there are two items as oil, comparing is based on volume say per ML or L. Some products are actually deceiving or confusing because you might have thought you have saved but only realizing at home that the product is actually a little smaller in weight than the other one. Try non-branded items for once and see if the quality is also at par with your brand, then continue buying them. At least you could have saved far more than what you think.   OUTSMARTING THE MARKET Retail markets know exactly where to tickle us so we would be delighted to impulsively buy out of whims. Of course, it’s always a business. But then, we can always outsmart them! Once you made your shopping this week, again, update your spreadsheet and see how much have you gotten into your savings account today. Say out of the normal $200 groceries a week, you are able to set aside $50 a week, multiply them by 52 weeks, you get $2,600 a year! Not bad for a week-long holiday somewhere or for a couple’s international flight back and forth in South-east Asia, Europe or America! We all have respective buying habits. Too often, we think that if it’s a bargain, we tend to justify that it is what we need, oftentimes realizing it’s a stuff that we only wanted not needed. But then again, it is not about letting go of the things we love eating or wanting, it is all about teaching ourselves the discipline on how we purchase some things if we have a goal in mind. Your conscious efforts and willingness to push through can be worth it.   There we go, another week to get by! What are your saving goals? Share us in the comments below! (For us, for 365 days, it’s a saving-for-travel goal!)   Yours, Megwyn F.      