One Hundred Dollars a Month

The very first time I shadowed Mrs. HB while she was doing her grocery shopping was pretty interesting. The main thing I wanted to do that day was to follow her around and watch how she shopped. Did she just grab an item off the shelf? Go for the lowest price? Go for the name brands? Was she able to stick to her list? Did she wander up and down the aisles? You know, that kind of stuff.

But I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut.

Coffee was on her list. She had a $1.00 off any $5.00 coffee coupon. She instinctively grabbed a can of Folgers off the shelf. Clearly, she’s not a coffee snob {because if she was she wouldn’t be drinking Folger’s}. 😉 Anywho, I asked her if she really liked the taste of Folger’s because at $8.49 for a 24 ounce can she could just be buying a 30 ounce can of Fred Meyer medium roast coffee for just $4.99.

“But I like how the Folger’s can has a handle and if I buy the Fred Meyer coffee I can’t use my coupon.”

The comment about the handle on the coffee can was HILARIOUS to me. I had no idea it could be a selling point for a can of coffee that is going to sit on a pantry shelf.. We had a good laugh about it right there in the coffee aisle.

So then I pointed out that even with her $1.00 off coffee coupon she’d be paying $7.49 for 24 ounces of coffee when she could be paying only $4.99 for 30 ounces. And if the Fred Meyer coffee was just as good {or better in the HH’s opinion} then wasn’t the Fred Meyer coffee a better deal?

“Ohhhhh, you’re right, it would be. But I really like the handle.” 😉

“But you’re paying more for something you are just going to throw away.”

Yada yada yada… she bought the less expensive coffee with no cute handle.

Mr. HB asked her to buy Allegra allergy tablets. She tossed a bottle in her cart and started walking away.

I made her go back and check the active ingredients.

Yada yada yada… Not only would she get TWICE as many tablets buying the generic version but she could save $6.80 + tax if she went with the less expensive brand.

She bought the less expensive brand.

A few things Mrs. HB bought during last weeks shopping trips that I wanted to talk about.

Costco samples can be dangerous. 🙂 Know your limits. Set aside a set amount of money in your grocery budget for splurge or luxury items.

Don’t forget to get your freebie items when stores offer them. Even if you can’t use it, you can always donate it to your local food bank.

Mrs. HB paid $6.99 for 6 peppers at Costco. Fred Meyer had bundles of 3 peppers for $0.99 in their quick sale produce section. Had she bought them at Fred Meyer instead of Costco she would have saved $4.99.

I didn’t know peppers were on her list so I forgot to point them out to her while we were in Fred Meyer. So let that be a lesson to you. ALWAYS check the quick sale items in the produce section. You never know… you could get lucky.

$26.99 for 14 razors? ARE YOU SERIOUS? When did spending ridiculous amounts of money on razors become a thing? Seriously? 20 years ago we were all buying the cheap disposable razors that were $1 for a 10 pack {and you still can today thank you very much}. Now for a guy, obviously the less expensive route is to buy an electric razor. But for us girls? Lather up! Seriously, you do not need to be spending that much money on disposable razors. It’s only in the last 5-10 years that society/marketing companies have told you you NEED this.

Jif Peanut Butter – 2 40 oz bottles for $7.49 at Costco is a great price!

If you are out of ketchup or mustard Fred Meyer/Kroger has an ecoupon available right now. See if you have it in your account. I remembered this while we were shopping but Mrs. HB couldn’t log into her account for some odd reason to take advantage of the offer.

And last but not least… Soda cans.

Save them! You can recycle the cans. The going rate for aluminum {if you don’t live in a state that collects can deposits} is between $0.25- $0.35 a pound. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but if you drink a lot of soda it does add up.

There are so many little things our parents and grandparents did to shave a little off their budgets that people don’t even bat an eye at today. Maybe I’m weird. But you earned your paycheck. So make it count. You’d be amazed at how just a few little tweaks to your way of thinking could change your bottom line.

~Mavis