What is the best way to save money if I only make 900 dollars a month?
I want to save money to buy my own house without getting into debt.
I have a 300 dollar rent and a 200 dollar cable/internet bill.
Aside from too-expensive cable and internet, one of the things many people waste money on is food, because they don't plan ahead and don't know how to shop strategically. Eating out can seriously damage a budget; learn to make your own food (take leftovers to school and work), and be a smart shopper at the grocery store. Here are some tips:
1. Buy in bulk. Shop the bulk section of your least expensive grocery store first—then do the rest of your shopping. You WILL save money (and packaging) this way.
2. I religiously, religiously, check the per ounce or per pound price on the shelf stickers. If your store doesn’t provide this information, ask the store manager about it, or go to another store! By noting how much I’m paying per ounce, I know at a glance whether the 16 oz spaghetti sauce at $1.89 is cheaper than the 20 oz sauce for $2.05.
3. Apropos of the first two tips, create a price book. There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to determine that the “sale” price in a weekly circular is no less expensive than the regular price at a low-cost grocery store.
4. I purchase food that is inexpensive, long lasting, and can be used in many different recipes. Example? Potatoes! I also eat a lot of beans and rice, in different incarnations.
5. I don’t buy much meat or poultry.
6. I buy store brands (generics) when I can. This includes sauces, sugar, bread, frozen vegetables, and many other items.
7. I shop at a chain called the ‘Grocery Outlet’ for items like shampoo, conditioner, toilet paper, soaps, and cleaning supplies (sometime food, too). I rarely pay more than .99¢ or maybe $2.00 for these products. I’m also starting to use more natural cleaning supplies. White vinegar is a wonder product!
8. Check Rite Aid (or CVS, if you’re lucky enough to have one in your city) for ‘buy one get one free’ or even ‘free after rebate’ deals for household items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and shampoos.
9. I grew up in a home where dinners consisted of a meat or other protein dish, salad or cooked vegetables (or both!), and almost always bread of some kind. I don’t do that. Instead, I try to find recipes that include all of these items (usually a casserole, stir fry, or soup of some kind) in one dish.
10. Snacks for work and school consist of fruit (usually bananas), dried cranberries (from the bulk section), or crackers. Generally, I’m looking for snack food that is inexpensive, easy to carry in my bookbag, and not completely unhealthy.
11. Leftovers. I love them. I can eat the same thing for days and days if I’m craving it (like lasagne). Also, bringing food to work keeps me from spending $6.99 on a burrito at Chipotle every day.
12. “How can you afford to make lasagne”, you ask? I substitute expensive cheeses (like ricotta and mozzarella) with cottage and cheddar cheese. Also, I never, ever buy pre-shredded cheese.
13. Coffee. I love it. I brew it at home and bring it to work in a thermos and a travel cup, so I never run out.
14. Free food. Bring it on! I work at a university, where the free food is abundant. There are receptions and meetings where the muffins, bagels, coffee, tea, or even cold cuts and salad are available for those who are invited.
15. Grow your own! Last summer I feasted on the most amazing tomatoes grown in my yard.
16. I don’t drink much alcohol at home. This decreases my grocery budget substantially.
17. I also don’t drink much soda.
18. Top Ramen: not just for college students! This is a great, low cost base for other dishes. Lose the overly-salty seasoning packet and create your own chow mein using fresh vegetables and the protein of your choice!
Is that all? Probably not. There are so many ways to save money at the grocery store, if you’re willing to cook from scratch, buy in bulk, purchase store brands, and be creative.
http://finallyfrugal.blogspot.com
January 6th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
if you want to save money dont spend it on stupid things*
buy the things you only need such as food, & such.
and if you can but a few bucks in the bank to stop the
temptation of you spending it. (:
References :
January 6th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
900 a month..? Are you going to school or something? How much are you paying for rent? What are your monthly expenses? We need to know this before we can answer your question.
Okay thanks. Judging by the 300 dollar rent, the homes are relatively cheap in your area. Having said that, you can easily cut down on your expenses. Cable and internet $200? c'mon, get some ATT $15.99 DSL which is pretty fast. Get basic cable for like $15.00. That's $269 saved right there.
More tips: Eat out less – go out once a month (movie) – Walk more – Take advantage of free shit – Home cook all your meals
References :
January 6th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Move in with your parents and mooch off of them. Eat their food. Drink their wine. Use their cable. Take your mom out shopping and if she buys you a sweater sneak the receipt and return it, save the cash.
References :
January 6th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Don't be foolish. Eat in moderation. Save every penny. Use your saved money to get a better job or maybe a higher level of education. Don't spend so much on luxuries such as cable/internet. Ever heard of internet cafes or libraries? You can watch most shows online anyhow.
References :
January 6th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
In one point of my life, I felt a lot of pain. I didnt have a job and I didnt know what to do. I struggled a lot and the only way for me to get some money was to do crimes.
I thought I was gonna end up in jail, until I spoked with a friend of mine, she said that she was making 5000-6000$ a month on the Internet. I didnt belive her, so she asked me to come over and see for myself so I did.
She showed me all the moneytransfers to her paypal-account and I started to belive her and everything she told me seemed kind of realistic. So I was like, well.. Good for you, you made it. But she asked me to join and I wasnt familiar with computers at all so she teached me everything and it actually wasnt that hard.
All I do is typing in forms and make 5$ for each one of them. And it's up to myself how many i want to fill, but I gotta work for them, not just sit and type. But it's worth it, Way better than my past life.
So now that I'm making money from my home, I also want to give a chance for you to do it. Let's go from nothing to something.
Step 1: register at http://www.Bizze.org/?ix=1260
Step 2: Check your E-Mail directly and click on the link to get more information about this (Be sure to check your spam-post because you will only get this e-mail once!)
Step 3: Read through the site and get all the information that you need to become a homeworker.
This is not a Spam, virus or any kind of bullshitt that will harm you. You dont have to give up your personal register and you dont have to give up any creditcard numbers or stuff like that.
Once u signed up, you will get a 100$ signup bonus and you can see the proof right here:
http://img518.imageshack.us/my.php?image=proofqp1.jpg
But the best of all, you are your own boss! Good luck, peace and may god be with you.
References :
January 6th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
lose the cable and get cheaper internet – get a roomate.
it's all about sacrifice…
References :
January 6th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
get rid of cable
References :
January 6th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Aside from too-expensive cable and internet, one of the things many people waste money on is food, because they don't plan ahead and don't know how to shop strategically. Eating out can seriously damage a budget; learn to make your own food (take leftovers to school and work), and be a smart shopper at the grocery store. Here are some tips:
1. Buy in bulk. Shop the bulk section of your least expensive grocery store first—then do the rest of your shopping. You WILL save money (and packaging) this way.
2. I religiously, religiously, check the per ounce or per pound price on the shelf stickers. If your store doesn’t provide this information, ask the store manager about it, or go to another store! By noting how much I’m paying per ounce, I know at a glance whether the 16 oz spaghetti sauce at $1.89 is cheaper than the 20 oz sauce for $2.05.
3. Apropos of the first two tips, create a price book. There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to determine that the “sale” price in a weekly circular is no less expensive than the regular price at a low-cost grocery store.
4. I purchase food that is inexpensive, long lasting, and can be used in many different recipes. Example? Potatoes! I also eat a lot of beans and rice, in different incarnations.
5. I don’t buy much meat or poultry.
6. I buy store brands (generics) when I can. This includes sauces, sugar, bread, frozen vegetables, and many other items.
7. I shop at a chain called the ‘Grocery Outlet’ for items like shampoo, conditioner, toilet paper, soaps, and cleaning supplies (sometime food, too). I rarely pay more than .99¢ or maybe $2.00 for these products. I’m also starting to use more natural cleaning supplies. White vinegar is a wonder product!
8. Check Rite Aid (or CVS, if you’re lucky enough to have one in your city) for ‘buy one get one free’ or even ‘free after rebate’ deals for household items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and shampoos.
9. I grew up in a home where dinners consisted of a meat or other protein dish, salad or cooked vegetables (or both!), and almost always bread of some kind. I don’t do that. Instead, I try to find recipes that include all of these items (usually a casserole, stir fry, or soup of some kind) in one dish.
10. Snacks for work and school consist of fruit (usually bananas), dried cranberries (from the bulk section), or crackers. Generally, I’m looking for snack food that is inexpensive, easy to carry in my bookbag, and not completely unhealthy.
11. Leftovers. I love them. I can eat the same thing for days and days if I’m craving it (like lasagne). Also, bringing food to work keeps me from spending $6.99 on a burrito at Chipotle every day.
12. “How can you afford to make lasagne”, you ask? I substitute expensive cheeses (like ricotta and mozzarella) with cottage and cheddar cheese. Also, I never, ever buy pre-shredded cheese.
13. Coffee. I love it. I brew it at home and bring it to work in a thermos and a travel cup, so I never run out.
14. Free food. Bring it on! I work at a university, where the free food is abundant. There are receptions and meetings where the muffins, bagels, coffee, tea, or even cold cuts and salad are available for those who are invited.
15. Grow your own! Last summer I feasted on the most amazing tomatoes grown in my yard.
16. I don’t drink much alcohol at home. This decreases my grocery budget substantially.
17. I also don’t drink much soda.
18. Top Ramen: not just for college students! This is a great, low cost base for other dishes. Lose the overly-salty seasoning packet and create your own chow mein using fresh vegetables and the protein of your choice!
Is that all? Probably not. There are so many ways to save money at the grocery store, if you’re willing to cook from scratch, buy in bulk, purchase store brands, and be creative.
http://finallyfrugal.blogspot.com
References :
http://finallyfrugal.blogspot.com