Amoeba recently expressed surprise at how well I am able to feed us on so little money. I am a bargain shopper. For too many years of my life I had a set, microscopic budget, and I had to learn to survive on it. I became a pro at choosing the highest quality for the cheapest price. You can bet I am going to check out every easy saver program that comes my way.
I have even joined an ez saver program or two online. My favorite savings programs let me carry my coupons around in my cell phone. Of course I can still forget to use them, but I rarely get to the store without them.
Most of the time Amoeba is proud of how frugal I am, his biggest easysaver complaints have little to do with how much I spend. In fact, he has actually been known to suggest I spend more — usually on my clothing. I am generally content to dress myself at discount stores. He has instead directed me to the discount racks in the department stores. I get much better quality merchandise for marginally higher prices.
One of the most productive things I have learned about joining savings clubs is to make certain they fit my budget. We had a membership in one of those bulk purchasing chains, but our lifestyle doesn’t really benefit from buying foods in large quantities. We did save money with that membership the first year, because we moved to Hawaii with not much more than our suitcases and toothbrushes, and had to furnish an entire apartment from floor to ceiling. After that first year though, when we were pretty much only purchasing food, that membership no longer made sense. Be sure when you’re signing up to save that you really will save, and that you aren’t paying dues and not really getting your money’s worth.
All very good advice.
I confess to not being a great saver when it comes to the food budget. My husband is quite sure he’s going to cut quite a few expenses down when he retires. Of course, by then we will be down to only 2 teenage boys in the house.