Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Some New Frugal/Healthy Tips

As a seminary family, you quickly find a weird pleasure in saving money. While some tips take a lot of time, these are a few we've discovered can really help out. These are our favorites from the summer:

1. Buy off-brand coffee and then put cinnamon in it (in the filter). With some creamer and sugar, it's great and much cheaper.
2. Go to Q-Doba (if you have one) for a date. Split a burrito, get water with lemon and split an order of bottomless chips. $8 and a full and happy stomach... At Panera, you can get the price about that low. We sometimes order just sandwiches to go and then eat chips at home.
3. Carpool!!
4. Check the unit prices on things.
5. Once (or twice) a week, go vegetarian. I recently checked out a 5-ingredient Simple Vegetarian Cookbook.
6. Try to eat less. It's usually healthier and you save money.
7. Save the extra portions for leftovers before you even start. (Even at restaurants!)
8. Ask for a Sams/Costco card for your birthday or go in with a friend!
9. Eat dessert at home. Make your own. Or buy it at the grocery store.
10. Watch your cell phone minutes and turn off the lights.
11. Eat at places where you don't have to tip.
12. Have the "envelope system" at least for dinners out. Stick with it!

5 comments:

Heather said...

Thanks for the tip. I try to buy in bulk, use coupons, and watch for sales (only when purchasing something I would already buy..not something extra). Enjoy school!

Laura said...

love you! i miss you. we have been putting the hymnal you made us for wyatt alot as we sing him to sleep at nap time. thanks! great tips!

Matt and Sarah Pitts said...

Thanks Jamie! As we transition to "non-seminary family" (exciting) we're still trying to do money saving things!!

Something else I do is (pretty often) prepare a whole chicken to cook. I cook it in the crockpot and we have some for dinner one night, then there is always leftover to use in either enchiladas, or homemade chicken noodle soup, etc. It is much cheaper than boneless skinless chicken breasts.

We got to see the Peeks last week, it was good to see them and we talked about you!! I hope you're doing well!

Sarah

Jay Scott said...

we've also started to bake our own bread... Mere already had a machine, but its supposed to save you tons!

http://mnscott.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

This is so funny! I think Mark and I totally do all of these things... except the vegetarian thing. We even put our cell phones on my parents plan b/c it is only $10 a month for each of our phones! Well I hope school is going well. I know you are enjoying Kathlyn being in Kentucky!