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I think that is a horrible way to live unless one has to to survive. I think you are taking this saving thing too far. I have a friend who is OCD about money and when she goes to extremes I say well there is another whole $20 saved for your son to blow when he inherits it!
Live a little, just let the $100 you can't shave go.
Hmmm... you an I may be friends offline. haha.
I don't know why, but I get a degree of joy out of trimming costs. I suppose it is an obsession of sorts. I am starting to think my best bet for now is just do the cuts I did and see how things go. I can always adjust my savings rate if need be. As much as I loath to do it, it might be my only option. But I am saving an unusually high amount of my income.
I didn’t save past receipts. I have no reason to. The only receipt I have is from this weekend but that’s when I tried the “buy what’s on sale and and plan around that” vs. “plan meals and make a list.” That was $100 but I also only bought food (no cleaners, toiletries, detergents, etc).
Vegetarian dishes tend to have exotic ingredients. I skipped a recipe that callled for avocado oil and sesame oil because I know both are really pricey. But sometimes, for the sake of variety I give in. Feta and goat cheese are examples of something I find pricy that is in a lot of veg dishes. I try to buy it on sale though.
I know that, where I live, prices are higher than where I am moving next year. My mom and I both mainly shop at Giant and Aldi and we compare prices. Of course, she also has a Walmart too. She tells me thinks like milk and a dollar cheaper at Walmart. I don’t have that option.
I'm not sure how confident you and your daughter are as cooks (or how refined your tastes are ) but recipes are guidelines, not unbreakable rules. For example, sesame oil does have a distinct flavor, and I can usually tell the difference if a dish is made with it. However, I can't think of any dishes which taste amazing with sesame oil which wouldn't also taste pretty good with canola or vegetable (corn or soy) oil.
If exactly following recipes with exotic ingredients is something you really enjoy, it may not be worth cutting just to save a few bucks. But a little flexibility and experimentation could be worth trying.
I'm not sure how confident you and your daughter are as cooks (or how refined your tastes are ) but recipes are guidelines, not unbreakable rules. For example, sesame oil does have a distinct flavor, and I can usually tell the difference if a dish is made with it. However, I can't think of any dishes which taste amazing with sesame oil which wouldn't also taste pretty good with canola or vegetable (corn or soy) oil.
If exactly following recipes with exotic ingredients is something you really enjoy, it may not be worth cutting just to save a few bucks. But a little flexibility and experimentation could be worth trying.
I can substitute. I was just pointing out why my bill is high as it is even if I don’t buy meat. Some of the ingredients recipes call for a more expensive than meat. I haven’t been substituting, Ive been buying the ingredients recipes call for which can be expensive.
Doing substitutions will be a great way to save money! You are right. And I suppose I need that too, but it’s a little bit easier just to follow the recipe. So I’ve been lazy.
I was wondering what you usually spend per month on groceries. It sounds like you have to cook for two....just trying to get an idea of how much more can be shaved off.
I was wondering what you usually spend per month on groceries. It sounds like you have to cook for two....just trying to get an idea of how much more can be shaved off.
$570 a month, on average (I ran a Quicken report for the last quarter and dived the total by 3 months). That $570 includes food, cleaners, toiletries, basically anything you can buy at a grocery store. I used to spend half that much so it's gone up and I am sure I can shave off at least $100 a month. I already got some good ideas from this thread including going to the store and seeing what's on sale and planning meals around that (I will add that seems to double my shopping times--but it's worth it). And substitute when I can. Although I am no longer finding recipes and making lists of what is needed before shopping. I am making up "recipes" in my head in the store based on what's on sale or cheapest. So maybe I won't have to substitute as much. Like I said, since I posted this I've had one grocery store trip and it was just at $100. Usually it's $120 or $130 per trip. But that's only one trip. I need to do that consistently.
I haven't read through the entire thread but what comes to mind beyond what I've seen are:
1. Cut streaming media to only one (Netflix, Prime Video, etc.)
2. Cut out all alcohol.
3. If you have a cleaning service, consider doing it all yourself for the year you're targeting.
4. Drop any gym memberships.
5. NO IMPULSE PURCHASES! This is my Achilles Heel. Just this morning I had to literally CLOSE the laptop to make myself not buy a beautiful quilt I saw online. And it was on sale, a fact that I often use to delude myself that I am SAVING money by buying it! Aauuggh.
I saw one study that said that at times, 30% of our grocery bill is impulse items. I would have said that was not me. I only buy from my list. But I found curbside pickup during COVID proved me wrong. My grocery bill went down significantly even though prices have gone up during the pandemic, all because those temptations that I didn't even remember buying and was not missing were no longer in my basket. It is such a huge savings in the time and money, I am going to permanently stick with curbside pickup. I go through the weekly sales circulars, choose which two stores are offering the most savings on the foods I like, decide on meals based on the highest savings, put in my order, and then do pickups.
Is your thermostat on a timer so it automatically turns the heat down at night or my favorite was it automatically turned the a/c down during the day because the teens kept jacking it up.
Turn off heat or a/c and open windows when appropriate.
Line dry your clothes, I love clean crisp sheets and towels especially. Most HOAs will allow a foldable umbrella clothesline.
Do you unplug chargers and adapters that are not being used (savings $150 a year on average)
Does your utility offer off-peak savings, if so run dishwashers, washing machines, sprinkler systems, etc. during off-peak times
Cut one-and-throw items like water bottles completely out of your budget.
PS: Not all low-mileage discounts require a monitoring device. With Safeco, I go online once a year and put in my odometer reading. I received a 15% discount last year and 10% for the safe driving course. Should be noted most people got low-mileage discounts from their auto insurers last year even if not signed up for the program due to COVID.
I have no reason to budget in retirement but I understand the joy attained in the budgeting process and the analyzing the best use of the dollar while not denying myself that which makes my life easier or more enjoyable.
My biggest expense was teenage boys! I have loved every stage of my life but must say, the high school years was one of the better ones. Enjoy her senior year!
.........including going to the store and seeing what's on sale and planning meals around that (I will add that seems to double my shopping times--but it's worth it). ........
Perhaps this will be useful for you: Grocery ads come out online on Wednesday, except for the restaurant supply that comes out on Monday. I check the ads when they come out and I keep a pad and pen next to the computer and I write down any sales items that I might want to buy.
While I do keep an eye out for unadvertised bargains, I do a lot of my meal planning around the advertised specials. That way, I am not trying to plan menus on the fly. I know what is on sale before I head to the market.
My favorite market does not do grocery ads. So, when I do my shopping, I go there first and I have a list of the advertised prices at other stores. I can easily see whether to buy the item there or to go to the next store and get it there.
I check the pantry before I go shopping to make sure I have all the ingredients for meals and I take a shopping list with me to make sure I don't forget anything.
Also, in my head, I know which store has the better quality items. If that store doesn't sell good meat or good produce, I don't care what the sale price is, I will buy the item elsewhere.
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haha. 
