Looking to cut our budget again. Save more. Would love your ideas.

Quote from bonkman : http://www.walmart.com/browse/cel...lusivePlan

Bonkman is right. Walmart and Costco are good places to check on. Thanks for the link, bonkman

Do you think we could ask for the nerp button back? I have to be careful, might be used on me

Quote from happyhunting : To save water I recommend getting lots of buckets and waiting for rain water (use this sparingly as you never know when it will rain next). For electricity just go ahead and have them turn that off. I know its a modern convenience, but for the sake of saving money it can be cut off. I saved tons of money by not purchasing a washer and dryer. I do all of my laundry on a washboard, with said rain water. instead of wasting money on things like a toilet you could also build a nice outhouse. It saves the money on water, that you no longer use, and it works as a fertilizer for the lawn (which also saves money). No need for cable or internet since there is no power. Another big expense will be gas. There are a few ways to approach this, but the most economical solution would definitely be to just walk everywhere. By following this guide and cutting out all "unneeded" expensese you will save thousands of dollars in your lifetime. Of course all these savings may be negated when you lose your job due to poor hygiene.

so are you using star bucks free wifi? since you cut off your internet connection and taking showers at mc d?

Quote from StarNova : We have a regular drip coffee maker - not bad but I wonder if it's worth getting a nicer one for Christmas. I a good cup of coffee. What do you use?

http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm

Bought mine used on eBay with some fliters for under $20.

Drip machines don't even make coffee, they make coffee-like band-aid, cigarette butt and tractor truck tire flavored water.

But I do have over $1k in espresso gear and roast my own, so take that. Hey, all that $ching saved on other stuff gets diverted into a few finer things in life, so sue me!

Quote from barnz008 : http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm Bought mine used on eBay with some fliters for under $20. Drip machines don't even make coffee, they make coffee-like band-aid, cigarette butt and tractor truck tire flavored water. But I do have over $1k in espresso gear and roast my own, so take that. Hey, all that $ching saved on other stuff gets diverted into a few finer things in life, so sue me!

Ohh, I want one. My friend has a french press - she can make some great coffee. I think I need to learn a bit more about good coffee making.

Quote from StarNova : Ohh, I want one. My friend has a french press - she can make some great coffee. I think I need to learn a bit more about good coffee making.

Get one and show her up. The Aeropress makes a "cleaner" cup than a FP, but it ultimately comes down to personal preference, quality of the coffee and the grind consistency.

Quote from jackbauer24 : so are you using star bucks free wifi? since you cut off your internet connection and taking showers at mc d?

I thought the sarcasm was obvious :\

We buy produce from costco/sams club. 3 lb bags of spinach or brocolli for about 2.50-3.00$ thats about 1$ per pound. Most are already washed (saving $ on water). For 2 people, my wife and I actually finish all our produce. Its a great way to make sure we eat our greens. Club stores are only wasteful when you are not careful.

When cleaning fruits and veggies, we wash them in a pan/basin and pour the water outside. We also save all the veggie scraps for composting.

To cut down on heating costs, I usually bake and make soups during winter. It helps to heat up the house.

Quote from jaqnabox : We buy produce from costco/sams club. 3 lb bags of spinach or brocolli for about 2.50-3.00$ thats about 1$ per pound. Most are already washed (saving $ on water). For 2 people, my wife and I actually finish all our produce. Its a great way to make sure we eat our greens. Club stores are only wasteful when you are not careful. When cleaning fruits and veggies, we wash them in a pan/basin and pour the water outside. We also save all the veggie scraps for composting. To cut down on heating costs, I usually bake and make soups during winter. It helps to heat up the house.

I am collecting more recipes for soups and stews this fall. We have a Costco membership but I use it sparingly. We've been getting most of the produce at Meijer and a local farm co-op. I'll have to look into getting more Costco produce. Thanks

Quote from StarNova : I am collecting more recipes for soups and stews this fall. We have a Costco membership but I use it sparingly. We've been getting most of the produce at Meijer and a local farm co-op. I'll have to look into getting more Costco produce. Thanks

no recipes...everything into the pot... Dinner is served...

A typical week for my wife and i at costco.

3-4lb roasted chicken - 5$
10 lb bag of carrots - 5$
3 lb bag of spinach - 3$
3 lb bag of celery - 3$
10 lb bag of onions - 4$
5 heads of romaine lettuce - 2.50$

Day 1 - 1/2 chicken with sautéed spinach & rice & salad
Day 2 - 1/2 chicken stir fry w carrots, celery, onions w/ rice
or
Salad with chicken and other veggies
Day 3 - Sautee carrots, celery, onion, garlic - Boil remaining chicken w carcass (basic chicken soup or stock) - add noodles, pasta, rice
Day 4 - left over soup.

At this point you should have used up your chicken and half of your veggies. Time to mix in other Costco veggies (bell peppers, spring salad mix, potatoes)

This will run about 20$ per week once you figure out your veggie rotation. There will be occasional "hits" or increased costs when you throw in garlic (3lbs for 2.50$) or some corn tortilla's (chicken enchiladas) but you can always freeze and eat.

Also 1.5 gallon of vinegar is 3.50$ - great way to pickle/preserve some veggies. pickled peppers, onions, cucumbers, carrots etc. Keeps them longer and also great in salads.

This may not be the “epicureans” menu, but learning to cook with what you have can save TONS of money. Don’t cook what you want to eat, cook with what you have. Be creative, experiment, and learn from other cultures.

I can cook Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Indian, Traditional American, and Thai food with most of what I have in my fridge. Its about rotating and finding the right seasonings to make what you have work. I often do chinese mex fusion because alot of the same base ingredients - garlic, onions, which then lends itself to italian as well. Left over italian pasta mixed with chicken brooth - Chicken noodle soup.

Remove noodles. use rice, cumin, garic, onions, brooth, add tomatoes/tomato paste = spanish rice.
Take spanish rice add chorizo and some seafood = paella

Costco may not work for everyone. But for my wife and i, we can make the volume work for us and save us money. And in one week we would have consumed 2-5 lbs of carrots, 3 lbs of spinach, 3 heads of lettuce, and other various veggies. I believe thats more than most americans.

I still do the occasional ethnic market, farmers market shopping to pick up other veggies i normally cant find at costco (kale, beets, bok choi, etc) but you will be surprised at what costco offers now and what is organic.

Quote from StarNova : I am collecting more recipes for soups and stews this fall. We have a Costco membership but I use it sparingly. We've been getting most of the produce at Meijer and a local farm co-op. I'll have to look into getting more Costco produce. Thanks

1. buy foods
2. put in crock pot
3. wait.
4. profit?

seriously -- crockpots are like witches cauldrons. except what comes out tends to be delicious.

Quote from bonkman : 1. buy foods 2. put in crock pot 3. wait. 4. profit? seriously -- crockpots are like witches cauldrons. except what comes out tends to be delicious.

Very true. We just got a new crock pot. I really like it. It's nice to get it set up in the morning and go.

Quote from StarNova : Seriously, my grandfather had one of those at his house when I was a kid. It was brutal but you got a good workout. We were thinking about a gym membership - but they are outrageously expensive. I'm looking into the local YMCA instead. Not as fancy but reasonable and I would feel good taking the kids there with us.

i dont mind a good workout as long as it will actually cut the grass.

Quote from eddiehaskell : i'm thinking about trying one of those reel lawnmowers. it sounds good with barely any maintenance, no gas and no parts to break, but im not sure if they work well.

Quote from nizzy1115 : Prepare to cut your membership to the local gym. You wont need it with one of those. Its a workout.

Not if you cut it very regularly. If you have a small to moderate sized yard, you can mow the whole thing in short order twice a week in about 10 min. Hose it off, dry and oil the blades, set it back in its corner.

Quote from eddiehaskell : i dont mind a good workout as long as it will actually cut the grass.

It will do a good job but it is a little more maintenance. You will need to get the blades sharpened occasionally so you don't tear up your grass. Travathian is right, you need to keep it hosed off, cleaned.