June 17th, 2009
When shopping at the grocery store, there is a quck way to find the lowest price that you pay per unit in a few quick seconds that doesn’t involve any manual calculations. By simply comparing the unit price label (should be in most grocery stores) you can easily see which product has the best price per unit.
Below, you’ll see that there are many different choices of ketchup to choose from.
By taking a few seconds to scan the unit price (price in the orange box in the picture below), I was able to find the lowest price per a pound of ketchup. The best deal was only $0.66/pound!
Price per unit is just one factor to consider when buying a product. Other factors to consider are nutritional value, size and personal taste.
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tim
Categories: Frugal Living, Saving Money
June 10th, 2009
There are probably lots of bills that you pay monthly without giving a second thought to. If you take a few minutes to take study them, you may find that you can cut back on your expenses.
Cable
Do you have a cable package with premium channels that you don’t watch? Trade down to a cheaper package or consider cutting off cable completely and install an antenna instead if you only watch TV sparingly.
Phone
If you are paying for a land line and a cell phone, consider switching to just just a cell phone or take a look cheaper options such as a VOIP line.
Gym Membership
If you only go to the gym once or twice a month, cancel your montly membership. Many gyms give you the option of paying for each visit, instead of on a monthly basis.
TV/Magazines
Do you have piles of unread newspapers or magazines? Don’t renew your magazine/newspaper subscriptions at the renewal date. If you only read the newspaper on the weekend, consider subscribing to the weekend edition.
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tim
Categories: Frugal Living, Saving Money
June 3rd, 2009
You should almost never take the first offer given to you. There’s a good chance that a better offer will be given to you after you turn down the first offer. If there isn’t, you can almost always go back and accept the original offer.
When I was offered my first job out of college, I was able to get about a 5% increase over what I would have gotten by turning down the initial offer. I told the hiring manager that I was expecting more given the current market rate. I showed him the going rate for my position and location according to Salary.com.
Turning down the first offer works in most situations where there is a list price, asking price or an offer given to you.
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tim
Categories: Career, Frugal Living, Misc, Work
May 27th, 2009
What is the difference between being cheap, being frugal and being wasteful?
Cheap: You’re only concerned about spending the least amount of money.
Frugal: You are financially resourceful and seek the best value.
Wasteful: You buy more than what is necessary and typically buy things on impulse without prior planning.
Toilet Paper Analogy
1 Sheet vs. 3-4 Sheets vs. Big Wadfuls
If you only use 1 sheet you may be considered cheap in your TP usage.
If you use 3-4 sheets you may be considred frugal in your TP usage.
If you use big wadfuls you may be considred wasteful in your TP usage.
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tim
Categories: Frugal Living, Misc
May 20th, 2009
As recently as the 1990′s you had to pay for many things that you can get for free on the internet today. Switching to free online sources will decrease your monthly spend as well as increase convenience and timeliness.
Magazines/Newspapers
Most magazines and newspapers (such as Time Magazine and The New York Times) have free online editions.
TV/Movies
Sites such as Hulu and YouTube offer a broad selection of TV shows and movies to watch.
Classifieds
Craigs List offers a free service for posting your classified ad in front of potential prospects.
Medical Advice
Instead of going to a doctor for medical advice, for minor medical aliments, sites such as WebMD can be a good source for medical information.
Invitations
Evite is a good nice alternative to sending out an invitation through snail mail.
The above are examples of just a few free sites/services, there are probably thousands of other sites that offer free services and information that will be useful to you.
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tim
Categories: Frugal Living, Saving Money