Just to round things out, let's talk about things I could, and probably should do to save a little bit of money, that don't involve me being lazy and/or neglecting my health, car, or social obligations.
Potential Savings: $200/year
Potential Savings: $260/year
Potential Savings: $195/year
In an attempt to figure out the potential savings, I googled price comparisons and I'm really glad I did! Evidently the best savings are with dry goods, frozen, and dairy. I made up a bunch of numbers to estimate our savings, but it was starting to feel too bogus and baseless, so I'll just give you the number for the fish.
Potential Savings: A Chunk
Potential Savings on Frozen Fish: $120/year (if we bough the 6-pack once a month)
1. Groom My Own Dog
Ryan and I recently agreed to start taking Luke to the groomers every 3 months. It's awesome, because they trim his nails (which I'm chicken about), and we don't get dog hair all over the bathroom, or have to feel guilty for putting our pup through what he considers to be torture. Buuut... it costs upwards of $50 each time. Multiply that by 4 and we'd save $200 just by sucking it up and bathing him at home.Potential Savings: $200/year
2. Remember to Use Coupons
I always forget. And it's so easy now! Most of the applicable coupons are on the Safeway app, so all I have to do is spend 10 minutes flipping through before going to the grocery store each week. It's not a ton of savings, but say $5 per weekly shopping trip, times 52 weeks for $260 a year.Potential Savings: $260/year
3. Stick to a Shopping List
I buy a lot of silly, random things for home organization, or just whatever. These splurges usually start with a few products I've had my eye on for a while, but have been fighting the urge to purchase, and then, once the purse strings have loosened, a bunch of other, not-well-though-out things fall into my basket as well. A splurge around Christmas time got us an extra bowl (clicked twice by accident), napkin holder, hot plate, and dish sponge holder, none of which are all that useful. Another splurge got me a manicure set (which I haven't even attempted to use) and a handful of random cosmetics. The splurges are usually around $200, with anywhere from $50 to $80 consisting of impulse add-ons. So say I cave and "splurge" every 4 months or so (3 times a year), with an average of $65 of extra junk. By only buying the things I've been eyeballing for a while, I'd save $195 per year.Potential Savings: $195/year
4. Strategize Groceries
We've got a Costco membership and I think we validate the money it costs with the savings on dog food alone. But just the other day Ryan pointed out that the frozen pre-prepared fish fillets at Safeway are $10 for 2, while Costco has a similar (and equally tasty) product for $20 for 6. The only thing that's iffy about Costco is that we rarely seem to go in with a list, which means lots of impulse purchases. But if we were able to follow #3, we could save a good chunk this way.In an attempt to figure out the potential savings, I googled price comparisons and I'm really glad I did! Evidently the best savings are with dry goods, frozen, and dairy. I made up a bunch of numbers to estimate our savings, but it was starting to feel too bogus and baseless, so I'll just give you the number for the fish.
Potential Savings: A Chunk
Potential Savings on Frozen Fish: $120/year (if we bough the 6-pack once a month)
5. Nope, I Only Have 4
I love odd numbers, but it was not to be.
What else should I do to save money? In what ways are you thrifty?
