The "Free Money" thread....

[ScoopKona]

Lots of financial info here lately. I thought it might be nice to swap tips on how to live more frugally. I'm hoping for tips that don't include "replace your lights with bulbs that are so dim you can't see to read" and "spend $30,000 on a hybrid car to save $1,000 a year on gas." (Or "Buy a $20K Timeshare and think of all the money you'll save on hotels!)

Just "here's some free money" tips. (That don't include SWITCHING TO GEICO!!!!!)

I'll start:

Aluminum foil and plastic wrap are best purchased at a restaurant supply store like Smart and Final or Gordon Food Service. A 1,000 foot by 12 inch roll goes for approximately $15. That's one and one half cents per square foot. (Such a roll lasts me a couple years.)

My local grocery stores sell Reynolds Foil, 50 foot by 12 inch for $4.50. That's nine cents per square foot. (Such a roll lasts me a couple months.) Even the store brands are in the five-to-eight cent range.

Assuming one roll of foil every two months, by the time I've used up the 1K roll, I've spent $54 on grocery store foil. Since aluminum doesn't have a "sell by" date, this is one area that saves me some money with no inconvenience whatsoever.

The numbers are even better for 2,000 foot rolls of plastic wrap at the restaurant supply stores. I figure we save about five bucks a month just from plastic wrap and foil. That's basically free money.

Bottom line: Convert consumable purchases to price per square foot or price per ounce or some other convenient metric to comparison shop.

 

[DeniseM]

Where do you store the commercial sized boxes?

 

[ScoopKona]

Where do you store the commercial sized boxes?

The commercial-sized boxes are 4"x4", the grocery store boxes are 1.5"x1.5". There simply aren't any storage issues. There's really no downside -- the restaurant store box is roughly 10 times heavier than a supermarket box, but that's it.

Think about that -- four boxes of Reynolds Foil takes up almost the same space as a restaurant supply box (EDIT - And costs $3 more), yet only yields one-fifth of the foil.

Check it out, it's free money.


EDIT -- This trick also works for pizzas. Remember when our algebra teachers said, "It's good to know this stuff?" They were right.

A 12" pizza has 113 square inches (3.14 multiplied by 36) and costs $5 at most of the pizza joints around my house. Price per square inch? Four and a half cents.

A 20" pizza has 314 square inches (3.14 multiplied by 100) and costs $10 at most of the pizza joints around my house. Price per square inch? Three cents.

Sales, coupons and toppings will skew the results. But for the most part, the large pies cost less than the small ones. Even if it's just one person, it makes sense to buy a large and wrap the leftovers in restaurant supply store plastic wrap for another meal or two. And, yes, I do "pi R squared" in my head every time I order a pizza. Usually I'll multiply the square of the radius by three and divide by the price, rounded to an easy number. Close enough.

Or carry a calculator around. Be ESPECIALLY sure to carry a calculator around in banks, car dealerships, realty offices, and anyplace else that works with compound interest.

I have similarly worked out the numbers for what size shrimp gives me the most meat with the least amount of shell for the best price (generally the second-largest the store sells). And I have run numbers for just about everything I buy in any quantity.

Corporations hire people who are good at math to devise ways of separating consumers from their money as effectively as possible (leasing cars, for instance). Fight back with a calculator.

 

[pjrose]

. . . And, yes, I do "pi R squared" in my head every time I order a pizza. Usually I'll multiply the square of the radius by three and divide by the price, rounded to an easy number. Close enough. . . .

OMG, I do that too! When I do math in my head and then mention whatever it is out loud (e.g. price after discount + tax) people look at me like I'm an alien.

 

[swift]

I am always interested in good tips like the Scoop. Hope we get more.

I like using the restaurant supply places. For instance. I make a lot of flavored coffee drinks, iced and hot, as well as shakes. The DaVinci flavored syrups are $7 at a place like WalMart for a small container. I buy the 25 oz bottles for $3 at a place called Cash & Carry and they have every flavor imaginable. Sipping on my Kahlua flavored coffee as I am typing this. MUCH cheaper to make my own rather than $4 a pop at Starbucks.

 

[DebBrown]

I don't use much foil or plastic wrap so that one doesn't do much for me. But I understand the principle. I started buying cleaning supplies the same way. It started when I found out that OfficeMax sold giant cans of Pledge and delivers for free.

My biggest money saver is just avoiding impulse buying. I grocery shop once a week with a list. I will occasionally stock up on non-perishables that are on sale but only if it is something we always use - not a maybe. I'll hit Target once every month or so with a list, of course, and stay out of other stores all together.

Deb

 

[cerralee]

I am always interested in good tips like the Scoop. Hope we get more.

I like using the restaurant supply places. For instance. I make a lot of flavored coffee drinks, iced and hot, as well as shakes. The DaVinci flavored syrups are $7 at a place like WalMart for a small container. I buy the 25 oz bottles for $3 at a place called Cash & Carry and they have every flavor imaginable. Sipping on my Kahlua flavored coffee as I am typing this. MUCH cheaper to make my own rather than $4 a pop at Starbucks.

For a frothy creamy latte get a milk frother, they are hard to find but can be found in some restuarant supply stores and on amazon. I have had both stainless steel which last half of forever or glass, go with the ss. It makes your coffee creamy and smooth. Just froth your milk, pour it into your coffee cup and heat it in the microwave for 20 or so seconds. I even use 2% milk and its still very tasty.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Money For Nothing.

My biggest money saver is just avoiding impulse buying.

My biggest money saver is buying practically everything used except underwear & toothbrushes.

Also, not getting swept into costly eBay bidding wars -- just enter a ridiculously low maximum amount via eSnipe Dot Com & let the chips fall where they may.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[ScoopKona]

I am always interested in good tips like the Scoop. Hope we get more.

I like using the restaurant supply places. For instance. I make a lot of flavored coffee drinks, iced and hot, as well as shakes. The DaVinci flavored syrups are $7 at a place like WalMart for a small container. I buy the 25 oz bottles for $3 at a place called Cash & Carry and they have every flavor imaginable. Sipping on my Kahlua flavored coffee as I am typing this. MUCH cheaper to make my own rather than $4 a pop at Starbucks.

My local Russian grocery store sells whole bean coffee at $5/pound. It's not the Kenya AA that I prefer, but it's good coffee at $5/pound. That saves us about $10/month compared to buying grocery-store whole bean.

Best thing about it is it makes a good espresso as well. I never visit Starbucks. If I'm on the go and want a coffee (and have $1.50 in my pocket), I'll sometimes hit a fast food joint. But never Starbucks. I can pull a pretty good shot of espresso on my own and save $$$ compared to froo-froo coffee "cocktails" from CoffeeBorg.

 

[ctreelmom]

If impulse buying at the grocery store is an issue, try one of the home delivery services. I have used Peapod by Stop & Shop a couple of times and have found that I order only those items on my list and am not tempted by attractive displays or in-store promotions. Yes, you pay a delivery fee, but I've never paid more than $5 (and often have a coupon for free delivery) and what that saves me in time and gas alone (the nearest brick and mortar Stop & Shop is 20 minutes from my house) is worth it. You can use coupons just like when you shop in-store.

 

[Elan]

I just purchased a vacuum sealer, so I don't know that it will save me any money, but that's the intent (along with the convenience/savings of not having to run to the store as often). Buy things in bulk when they're on sale and freeze them in useful sized packages. We'll see how it goes.....

 

[AwayWeGo]

McDonald's Coffee For Old Folks.

If I'm on the go and want a coffee (and have $1.50 in my pocket), I'll sometimes hit a fast food joint.

Sr. citz. coffee at McDonald's is way less than $1.50 -- usually in the 50¢ - 75¢ range.

The weenie is you've got to be sr. citz.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Stricky]

Good info but Scoop that font is killing my eyes.

 

[donnaval]

Coupons!

I never pay more than 50 cents to a dollar for stuff like name-brand shampoo, deodorant, body wash, soap, laundry supplies, etc. You need to learn how to work the system at Walgreen's, CVS, etc. It's a bit tricky to learn but once you do it becomes second nature and you'll never ever pay retail or even "sale" prices again.

 

[Passepartout]

At many supermarkets, there is an area in each department, meat, produce, deli, dairy, etc. for close-dated merchandise at deep discount. It's all perfectly good, but approaching it's sell-by date. If one is going to prepare it that day or the next anyway, one can save lot$.

Yesterday I got baby back ribs for $1.35 a serving and a roast to carve into Jerky (I'm giving bundles of smoked meats for Xmas). My smoker was going to be fired up anyway so the ribs went in when I got home.

I've found one advantage of not working gainfully is being able to do grocery shopping about 10 a.m. when the discounted stuff hits the bargain bin. You store's schedule may be different.

Jim Ricks

 

[Kay H]

It takes me so long to shop now reading labels for low fat, low salt and low sugar. If I had to add the math calculations (considering I'm math challenged), I'd never get out of the stores.

 

[easyrider]

Lots of financial info here lately. I thought it might be nice to swap tips on how to live more frugally. I'm hoping for tips that don't include "replace your lights with bulbs that are so dim you can't see to read" and "spend $30,000 on a hybrid car to save $1,000 a year on gas." (Or "Buy a $20K Timeshare and think of all the money you'll save on hotels!)

Just "here's some free money" tips. (That don't include SWITCHING TO GEICO!!!!!)

I'll start:

Aluminum foil and plastic wrap are best purchased at a restaurant supply store like Smart and Final or Gordon Food Service. A 1,000 foot by 12 inch roll goes for approximately $15. That's one and one half cents per square foot. (Such a roll lasts me a couple years.)

My local grocery stores sell Reynolds Foil, 50 foot by 12 inch for $4.50. That's nine cents per square foot. (Such a roll lasts me a couple months.) Even the store brands are in the five-to-eight cent range.

Assuming one roll of foil every two months, by the time I've used up the 1K roll, I've spent $54 on grocery store foil. Since aluminum doesn't have a "sell by" date, this is one area that saves me some money with no inconvenience whatsoever.

www.zapatopi.net/afdb I had a feeling.... A great way to save on mood altering pharmaceuticals.

 

[pjrose]

BOGOs, twice-cooked chicken broth, and leftovers

My grocery store does a lot of Buy One Get One free sales on food and other products we'd buy anyway. I've been shopping there long enough to have a feel for what comes up on BOGO every so often, so I don't buy it when it's at regular price When it's on BOGO we stock up and freeze or put the food in the pantry. (We are fortunately to have a huge walk-in pantry.)

One of my favorite freebies (ok, maybe a bit of electricity for the stove and a few veggies already in the fridge) is what I call "twice cooked" chicken stock. (Technically I suppose it's thrice-cooked). We get rotisserie chicken (often on sale for $5-6 and feeds four with leftovers). All the bones (unless chewed on ) and skin go in the pot with carrot, celery, and onion, and get cooked for awhile. Then I dump it in a colander, put the chicken and vegs back in the pot, cover with water, and cook it again to get even more broth. My freezer is full of broth ready to add to whatever I'm making, or ready for some noodles or rice and cut up vegs, or matzoh balls, etc.

We get freebies by saving leftovers. Leftovers provide free lunch, and at least once a week we have a basically free dinner buffet with lots of choices of whatever was left over from the last 3-4 nights.

 

[falmouth3]

I get teased all the time about being frugal. I also get admiring comments on how well I can sniff out a deal. But it saves me money - and my company because I try to save money all the time, not just for myself.

For lunch, of course the best thing is to bring a lunch from home. But I like to get out of the office for a bit. One of the local sub shops always has coupons - either on their website or in the Sunday paper. But I've found the best deal is to sign up for their email. Each week or so I get a new coupon. My co-workers are happy to get these emailed coupons too. Often I'll get a large sub and eat 1/2 one day and the other 1/2 the next day. Wrapped well, it's 90% as fresh on the next day. My boss is now doing the same thing.

I also signed up for the email club for a local place that we like for dinner. They routinely send out coupons for $5 off a $25 food purchase. Another place that we like has a club with a card. Each month they send us an electronic coupon for 50% off, up to $10 - and we get points on every dollar spent there. Every so often we get an additional $25 off based on the points earned and during the month of your birthday, they send another $10 off that can be combined with the monthly $10 off.

Use your cards for CVS, grocery stores etc. Stock up when something you use often is on sale.

 

[pjrose]

www.zapatopi.net/afdb I had a feeling.... A great way to save on mood altering pharmaceuticals.

OMG, that's so funny :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical:

Are you suggesting that's why Scoop's so - well - unusual? I mean who else writes about mummified deer feti and goose esophagi and rants about Costco? The Scoop is ready for SNL, and Easy - maybe you ought to audition with him!

:hysterical: :hysterical:

 

[falmouth3]

Based on the post about getting coffee at a Russian store, I remembered this...it drives me nuts to spend nearly $4 on a little jar of spices. We have an Indian store near us called Spiceland. I decided to go in to see if they had dry mustard. They had a 1 pound bag for about $3. I use the mustard in one of my favorite marinades so I bought the bag. Even if I only use a jar full, I've still saved money. I also found good deals on a couple of other spices that I use frequently.

 

[Jestjoan]

I bought plastic film (wrap) at Costco or Sam's that is 18" by 3000 feet. I put the start date on it which was 5/18/06.
I guess I should check inside the box to see what's left.

 

[nicklinneh]

ethnic food stores are always a cheap spot for bulk goods, like spices; careful that there isn't a greedy middleman between the product and the store.
to save on coffee, consider coffee-and-chicory (sometimes called Creole blend or N.O. blend). we love it and drink a pot (12 c.) each morning. but many say "oh, that's too strong; I don't like it"; that's because they make it with 1 scoop (.36 oz. or 2 Tablespoons) per cup, we use 2 scoops per pot. we get 17 pots per pkg.
another way to save is with toilet paper: buy 1000 sheet rolls (Scott Marcal and store-brands); look for advertised specials here to get it down to 50-60 cts/roll. you do have a storage problem here because you're buying 12 roll bundles.
good idea for a thread. -ken

 

[pgnewarkboy]

Coupons R Us

My wife and I are coupon clippers and rarely shop without using at least 4. We also stock up big on items that go on a very good sale at the supermarket. I estimate that we save a minimum of 80 dollars per month on grocery items that we would buy anyway.

Additionally, we rarely buy items that are not on sale. Most items go on sale periodically - we consider the "sale" price the legitimate price and will only pay that amount.

 

[frenchieinme]

My wife and I are coupon clippers and rarely shop without using at least 4. We also stock up big on items that go on a very good sale at the supermarket. I estimate that we save a minimum of 80 dollars per month on grocery items that we would buy anyway.

Additionally, we rarely buy items that are not on sale. Most items go on sale periodically - we consider the "sale" price the legitimate price and will only pay that amount.

That may be OK providing one reads those nutritional labels well otherwise the grocery chain controls your diet. Fish, which is very good for you, rarely comes on sale. Canned goods have high salt contents. Boxed food goods may tend to have use high sugar and low fibe flour. Add all this up and the foods many americans consume leads to higher weight concerns and when more serious into Type 2 diabetes. Using coupons however on nutritional items is a win-win situation.

We in the USA are know better for an obese style diet than nutrional one. I heard on the news the other day over 60% of the USA are considered obese by today's standards. We can argue this ad infinitum but next time you are at a mall, sit down and look at the people passing by.

frenchieinme