What's so fun about a budget?

[DisMN]

The last few years as our budget got tighter and tighter my husband and I started having fun trying to find our *favorite* items much cheaper than we could get them at the stores.

I absolutely LOVE the deep fried green beans from Yak and Yeti (and now other places as well) This week I found the Target brand deep fried green beens, regularly $7-10 at restaurants for $2.50 a box (sale price) at Target. I think they're regularly $2.79 but even at that price it's a bargain. LOL

Then I had had enough with my cell phone battery not staying charged so I started looking in the stores for a battery. OMG are you KIDDING ME??? Prices ranged from a low $25 to a high $52 for what I needed. Just for a stinkin' battery!!
No battery for ME...........until I remembered to check online. LOL
Found a seller online with a high customer rating and purchased a NEW battery for $3.79. I figured with a price that low the shipping would cost $10-15 or so. LOL Nope. $3.25 for shipping!

TA-DA.......paid just $7.04 for a new phone battery.

Now if I were smart I'd sock away the difference and save it for a Disney trip.


So what do you find fun about budgeting?

 

[MSSANDRA]

We love to see how much we can save at the grocery store. We are not big couponers (trying to start), but we eat what is on sale and in season. Today we save 20.00 off a 60.00 total.

 

[DisMN]

We love to see how much we can save at the grocery store. We are not big couponers (trying to start), but we eat what is on sale and in season. Today we save 20.00 off a 60.00 total.

I like trying to save at the grocery store too and like you, we're not big couponers. I'm envious of those who have stores that double coupon and stuff like that. So far the best I can do is about 10% off my total using coupons/store specials.
You did GREAT on your savings today!!!

 

[junebugs]

I love to buy off season. I always buy my DD winter coat in July. This year I got a great Columbia coat for her for $50 (regularly $100) and a Land's end coat for me for $47 (regularly $118). I totally don't care that they are last season's style as long as I save $ !

 

[vicki_c]

DH works @ Target - I have to ask him to look for the green beans. We don't have a Super Target though, just a regular one with some grocery aisles - wonder if they have those there? Thanks for the tip! Even my non-green bean eaters liked those Y&Y green beans.

We've been heavily couponing for a year, and have averaged 40% off our grocery and health & beauty and cleaning supplies. I love getting expensive H&B supplies for free or very close to free - that makes me happy.

 

[rszdtrvl]

Nothing!! Budgeting Stinks!!


I just spent $170 today on ONE WEEK'S worth of groceries (includes a few extra items and all HBA & cleaning stuff). So not cool.

My 2 week budget for groceries is $250, and $30 of that goes towards DS's lunches at school.

I am hoping I don't have to go into another area of the budget to come up with extra money for more groceries. However, if I do, I have over-budgeted other areas so that can go into the grocery fund.

This budgeting thing bites! Although I know it will get better. If we keep from going out to eat, this grocery thing will be worthwhile. I did purchase some quick easy stuff so that DH and I won't be tempted to go out to eat in the afternoon, and planned every meal for the next 2 weeks so there will be no guessing what will be for dinner.

 

[clutter]

The last few years as our budget got tighter and tighter my husband and I started having fun trying to find our *favorite* items much cheaper than we could get them at the stores.

I absolutely LOVE the deep fried green beans from Yak and Yeti (and now other places as well) This week I found the Target brand deep fried green beens, regularly $7-10 at restaurants for $2.50 a box (sale price) at Target. I think they're regularly $2.79 but even at that price it's a bargain. LOL

But do they come with the yummy chili-plum sauce?

My big bargain recently was a card reader for the computer to read SD and smaller cards. $3.29. Shipped.

 

[pixiewings71]

My favorite part is looking at my receipt and seeing that I paid $13 and saved $44! I did good today! Too bad I can't do that good at the grocery store. Our grocery stores don't do double coupons and they don't do store coupons either, it pretty much sucks.

 

[DisMN]

DH works @ Target - I have to ask him to look for the green beans. We don't have a Super Target though, just a regular one with some grocery aisles - wonder if they have those there? Thanks for the tip! Even my non-green bean eaters liked those Y&Y green beans.

We've been heavily couponing for a year, and have averaged 40% off our grocery and health & beauty and cleaning supplies. I love getting expensive H&B supplies for free or very close to free - that makes me happy.

My Target is like yours, just a regular store with maybe 6 aisles of groceries. They had the beans in two locations and I cleaned out one spot entirely.

But do they come with the yummy chili-plum sauce?

My big bargain recently was a card reader for the computer to read SD and smaller cards. $3.29. Shipped.

Regular grocery store had it in the oriental foods aisle. It's called Sweet Chili Sauce....looks and tastes exactly like the stuff at Yak and Yeti!

My favorite part is looking at my receipt and seeing that I paid $13 and saved $44! I did good today! Too bad I can't do that good at the grocery store. Our grocery stores don't do double coupons and they don't do store coupons either, it pretty much sucks.

You did GREAT today! Wow!! I hear you....maybe if the stores doubled coupons we could both do much much better on our grocery purchases. I wonder why some do and some don't? I'm in Minnesota and I've never seen double coupons........but maybe I'm just not seeing them. *duh obviously* LOL

 

[hsmamato2]

to Op's question....knowing EXACTLY what we have to spend after all bills are paid,no worries! for the last month,it's been tight,no extras (just groceries) and it's such a nice feeling knowing what we have,and also knowing when we have enough to get a couple of extras (hello Marshalls)
even if we don't have a lot of extra $$$,it is such a difference,knowing without guessing!

 

[usnuzuloose]

Well budget went out the window this month, cost for car is terrible! 500 for altenator, 140 for battery, 370 to replace a module, and the rest of the estimate well over 2 grand. I guess we wont be eating for a while. Budgeting sucks, especially stuff you dont count on. Oh well, what to do.

 

[StephMK]

I love to buy off season. I always buy my DD winter coat in July. This year I got a great Columbia coat for her for $50 (regularly $100) and a Land's end coat for me for $47 (regularly $118). I totally don't care that they are last season's style as long as I save $ !

We don't get double coupons either so I do the best I can with the time I have to at least use them if I know I have them.

I LOVE off season shopping too! It's harder now that the kids are older but still fun. DD16 has gotten all of her homecoming & prom dresses at least 6mo in advance but she doesn't care. We buy the next year's dress at the end of season sales & got a lovely full length prom dress for $58, down from $200. Bonus is that usually she doesn't have to worry about anyone else in the same dress since it's last season. She loves to shop but at least she knows how to appreciate a good deal.

I have never tried those green beans but now you're making them sound like something we need to try!

 

[Beckypooh1972]

I get tickled when I can find a bargain on consumable items like paper products, HBA, etc and buy enough last year the rest of the year... I figure I can shave that item off my weekly grocery store trip for awhile. Plus it is convenient to be able to get it from my home "stash" when we need it. This is funny but when I get a great deal at CVS, Rite Aid, etc. I assemble all my items on the dining room table and take a picture of my "haul", list how little I spent, and text it to my hubby, hee hee. I know I'm such a nerd for savings

 

[Beckypooh1972]

Well budget went out the window this month, cost for car is terrible! 500 for altenator, 140 for battery, 370 to replace a module, and the rest of the estimate well over 2 grand. I guess we wont be eating for a while. Budgeting sucks, especially stuff you dont count on. Oh well, what to do.

I feel for ya! We just got an estimate of 5600.00 for a new transmission for a Honda Odyssey from the dealer. There goes any thought we might of had of a Disney trip this year!

 

[ilovepete]

Trying to see how little I can spend on food each month while still eating quality stuff (no food dyes, HFCS, hydrogenated oils, etc). My goal this month is $150. We'll see if I make it!

 

[AK_Christina]

90% of the kids' clothes are bought at Old Navy when they have their big clearance sales. Never pay more than $3 for a piece of their clothes during the sale =)

 

[kejowe28]

I just bought $350.00 of stuff for 90% off at CVS. Ha!!! My total was 35.00 bucks. Have they lost their minds!!!

 

[kejowe28]

‎4 Febreeze candles were .80 // 7 spray cans of 45 spf fancy sunscreen .75 //3 Giant *** jugs of ALL sensitive detergent 1.00 each// 12 4oz cans of doritos/cheetos .12 //12 Dawn dish detergent 24 oz bottle .34 cents, air...wick refills for... plug ins .25c each, fancy "facelift" under eye patches 2.00, a bunch of other random stuff. I wanted to buy more but I started to feel crazy. They had 3 shopping carts full of beauty and cleaning supplies and a bunch of febreeze candles/plug in stuff. I sifted through and bought 1 cart load. She actually overcharged me by 20.00 so I had to go back and get 20 back from the 55 I spent so it came out to 35.oo. Had it rung up 35.oo in the first place I would have bought more

 

[kejowe28]

‎2 bottles of stain remover .25 each/i could go on forever. They had loads of European facial stuff but I stuck with Olay products. The stuff that is usually way over my budget was 2.00 instead of 20.00. The sunscreen is normally a...lmost 8 bucksgot it for .80c I got everything for 10% of not off of the original price. Nothing was priced so I had to ask the cashier to check the prices for me. No one else was interested in any of the stuff because nothing was priced at all-not even an original price. Whatever, gave me time to look at my lesiure and go through the carts. Once I was done, I was telling peeps that were walking by that the stuff was all .20-.80 cents and I started a frenzy. It was like sharks on a whale carcass

 

[kejowe28]

they always have some shopping carts by the front of the store with stuff like 50% off not 90%. I almost had a heart attack. I had 10 bucks in CVS bucks so I used that to help pay for the stuff. I think I'll go by there more often and check the cart sales