Habits are what end up dictating the course of our days and can often contribute to the outcomes in our lives. We can change them and the best ways to achieve the goals that we set for ourselves are often related to changing and hopefully improving our habitual behaviors.
We can save money by breaking the habits of eating out and over shopping.
We can become healthier by developing the habits of working out and taking vitamins and other healthy goods instead of unhealthy ones.
It's straightforward, and terribly difficult. Living a life that is completely intentional instead of just doing what "seems natural" or what we habitually do is both hard to do and not how we are wired.
But if we can triumph over our nature and psychology, we can really achieve some amazing results.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Saturday, April 18, 2015
How to Save Money by Cooking Your Own Food
It might be worth your while to buy a set of freezer containers for individual portions. From there, identity and prepare batches of things that you like, like lasagna, tortilla soup, fajitas, or burritos and freeze them.
I'm planning a big cook for myself tomorrow, and I will make 2 kinds of soup, bread, and a pasta dish for the week to come.
The thing about free advice on the internet is that it might not fit you perfectly or be just right. In the end you have to decide what works for the two of you.
Also, if you decide to do a big cook tell people ahead of time so that they don't constantly try to use the other burner or whatever. And you might have to reserve fridge and freezer space.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Instant Win Games offer a chance to make a quick buck
I don't bother with a lot of contests. While popular sweepstakes can be a ticket to major winnings, they also have unearthly waiting times of six months or more between your entry and the time when the winner is selected and the prizes are awarded.
I like to play instant win games, especially as a substitute for the expensive alternative of scratch off tickets.
There are a lot of them available from innumerable sources, but the ones that I've been using lately are those featured on the websites for tobacco companies, the Kmart and Sears loyalty program Shop Your Way Rewards, the instant game to win an Amazon Gift Card on Survey Monkey Contribute, and the occasional contest on PayPal.
While my winnings have been meager, I don't have to wonder whether I'll win in some far off drawing, because I know that I've either won or not.
So far I've won a few prizes, including a wallet, a lighter, keychains, and some hot sauce, but I also enjoy winning cash, points towards rewards, and digital trophies to show off to my friends.
I like to play instant win games, especially as a substitute for the expensive alternative of scratch off tickets.
There are a lot of them available from innumerable sources, but the ones that I've been using lately are those featured on the websites for tobacco companies, the Kmart and Sears loyalty program Shop Your Way Rewards, the instant game to win an Amazon Gift Card on Survey Monkey Contribute, and the occasional contest on PayPal.
While my winnings have been meager, I don't have to wonder whether I'll win in some far off drawing, because I know that I've either won or not.
So far I've won a few prizes, including a wallet, a lighter, keychains, and some hot sauce, but I also enjoy winning cash, points towards rewards, and digital trophies to show off to my friends.
Prime Opportunities May be Available for Cheap Summer Living
If you are close to a college town, you might want to consider taking a summer sublet. Lots of them are supremely cheap, I have seen a few as low as 300 dollars a month plus utilities
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Looking to Save on Groceries? Try Shopping for Stores!
There are often a few major grocery stores in a given area, and the prices on individual items can vary pretty widely from tore to store. While some might say it all evens out, others argue that there must be a store that is "cheap" and a store that is "expensive".
Whether or not that is true, it is quite possible to identify which store will cost you less. It might take a couple of hours, but you could end up saving quite a bit over the course of your stay in your neighborhood by taking the time to look things over.
The method that I propose is the same one that the Feds use to determine inflation. You will have to critically look at your purchasing patterns for groceries and household supplies for whatever your major interval of purchasing is, whether that is by week, month, or year for you folks on the outskirts of civilization. Anyway, get a good idea of what you're buying and then visit the stores on your list.
Write down the numbers of each item you plan on buying, and the cost at the store. Once you get home, you can compare the total costs and the costs of each item. By doing so I found out that my local grocery chain has cheaper produce than Walmart, but the meats are more expensive, and Walmart has a better price for rice and wheat flour than the grocery store. But if I were to shop in only one place, I would get a better price at Walmart.
The neat thing is, the lower cost store will likely remain lower price for a while. Ideally you would reassess costs frequently, but I only do a price check with the market basket technique once a year or so.
If you are willing to visit multiple stores, however, you can buy the lower priced items at both places and save even more!
Whether or not that is true, it is quite possible to identify which store will cost you less. It might take a couple of hours, but you could end up saving quite a bit over the course of your stay in your neighborhood by taking the time to look things over.
The method that I propose is the same one that the Feds use to determine inflation. You will have to critically look at your purchasing patterns for groceries and household supplies for whatever your major interval of purchasing is, whether that is by week, month, or year for you folks on the outskirts of civilization. Anyway, get a good idea of what you're buying and then visit the stores on your list.
Write down the numbers of each item you plan on buying, and the cost at the store. Once you get home, you can compare the total costs and the costs of each item. By doing so I found out that my local grocery chain has cheaper produce than Walmart, but the meats are more expensive, and Walmart has a better price for rice and wheat flour than the grocery store. But if I were to shop in only one place, I would get a better price at Walmart.
The neat thing is, the lower cost store will likely remain lower price for a while. Ideally you would reassess costs frequently, but I only do a price check with the market basket technique once a year or so.
If you are willing to visit multiple stores, however, you can buy the lower priced items at both places and save even more!
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Going Shopping This Week?
I just looked through the circular for Target this week, and there are a few sales that I might take advantage of.
FYI, you can look at the mail circulars online these days by visiting the store websites. I went to Target.com for this one, and I was pretty satisfied.
Almond milk is selling for $2.50 per half gallon, so I might pick up a couple of cartons of that to go along with my morning oats. The nice thing about almond milk is that you don't need to refrigerate it, so you can save on fridge space.
Processed cheese is on sale as well at 5 dollars for two 10 piece packages, and a loaf of bread is usually less than 3 dollars for over 20 pieces, so even if I'm feeling lazy and don't cook my own bread this week, I could still make 20 cheese sandwiches for about 40 cents a sandwich. The circular was advertising gluten free bread, but I don't have a need to avoid gluten and glutinous bread is usually cheaper, so I might go with that.
Any big plans for your grocery this week?
Where do you usually shop?
Feel free to comment below, or share with your friends.
FYI, you can look at the mail circulars online these days by visiting the store websites. I went to Target.com for this one, and I was pretty satisfied.
Almond milk is selling for $2.50 per half gallon, so I might pick up a couple of cartons of that to go along with my morning oats. The nice thing about almond milk is that you don't need to refrigerate it, so you can save on fridge space.
Processed cheese is on sale as well at 5 dollars for two 10 piece packages, and a loaf of bread is usually less than 3 dollars for over 20 pieces, so even if I'm feeling lazy and don't cook my own bread this week, I could still make 20 cheese sandwiches for about 40 cents a sandwich. The circular was advertising gluten free bread, but I don't have a need to avoid gluten and glutinous bread is usually cheaper, so I might go with that.
Any big plans for your grocery this week?
Where do you usually shop?
Feel free to comment below, or share with your friends.
Friday, April 3, 2015
A New Use for Freezer Burned Foods
Apparently there are a whole host of households across America that throw out foods that have been chilling in the freezer for too long.
Corn, peas, whole grains, and even some frozen meats can become unappetizing over time in the freezer, and while you could always chop it up for stew, another use could be to replace bread when you go to the park to feed the ducks.
If you've been keeping your ear to the ground, you might have heard that bread isn't really all that good for ducks. The Guardian published an article in March about this, apparently excesses of bread have no value for the ducks nutritionally, can result in the development of "angel wing", a serious deformity for this kind of bird that prevents normal flight and can even hinder flight entirely, and the increases in algal blooms in freshwater and rats on dry land.
If you are interested, here is the author's list of Safe For Ducks and Not Safe For Ducks foods:
Corn, peas, whole grains, and even some frozen meats can become unappetizing over time in the freezer, and while you could always chop it up for stew, another use could be to replace bread when you go to the park to feed the ducks.
If you've been keeping your ear to the ground, you might have heard that bread isn't really all that good for ducks. The Guardian published an article in March about this, apparently excesses of bread have no value for the ducks nutritionally, can result in the development of "angel wing", a serious deformity for this kind of bird that prevents normal flight and can even hinder flight entirely, and the increases in algal blooms in freshwater and rats on dry land.
If you are interested, here is the author's list of Safe For Ducks and Not Safe For Ducks foods:
Sfd (Safe for ducks)
- Cracked corn
- Wheat, barley or similar grains
- Oats
- Rice (cooked or uncooked)
- Birdseed (any type or mix)
- Grapes (cut in half)
- Frozen peas or corn (defrosted, no need to cook)
- Earthworms
- Mealworms
- Chopped lettuce or other greens or salad mixes
- Chopped vegetable trimmings or peels
- Duck pellets
Nsfd (Not safe for ducks)
- Bread
- Chips
- Crackers and biscuits
- Popcorn
- Sugary food - sweets, chocolate
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