Need ideas for more frugal living!

[MLM77721]

As many of you know, I have just become unengaged and I am trying to start my life over. But I have accrued lots of debt and I need to pay it off ASAP.

Every month I will have little over $10 for groceries and $10 for other must have supplies such as personal/household stuff. Could you guys help me think of some things I can do to save money, especially in the grocery area? Thanks so much!

[rhea0717]

Do any stores in your area offer double coupons? This could really help out when trying to save $$ at the grocery store.

[rafala]

You can make a lot of your own cleaning supplies [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] has tons of recipes for cleaning supplies. althought these sometime require a big out of pocket start.

as for food, double coupons and do freezer cooking. you can make spaghetti sauce with meatballs for fairlly cheap and being one person have enough to freeze for two more meals at least.
make a list of what you have to buy each week: milk and toilet paper are the only two real essentials i can think of. then look to see what meats they have on sale and buy in bulk. to get a variety of meals you may have to settle for pb&j for a few nights but after a few weeks you should be able to vary your dinners.

best of luck.

[MLM77721]

The freezer cooking sounds great... but unfortunetly I live in a college dorm for another year and my freezer is no bigger than the size of a small shoebox. But that does sound good!

[rafala]

if you live in a college dorm do you need to make all your meals or do you get some of them in the cafe? also what other "supplies" would you need?

if you are looking at just dinner or lunch i would go with pb&j and the ramen noodles. also look for soups going on sale, and of course campbells has coupons frequently. chicken nuggets come in big bags but can be squeezed into small spaces so could fit in your freezer then you could have occassional meat. you could also still do spaghetti sauce. i freeze my extras in ziploc bags and if you lay them flat they dont take up tons of room.

i will be thinking of other things for you

[MLM77721]

Thanks so much for all your ideas!!!

Yes, I do get one meal a day at the school, so I don't need to worry about that. As far as toliet paper and cleaning supplies, I only need to provide that for another month. After that I am scott free! (pun intended!)

At the end of August I will be moving into another building and another room... so that will be nice to not have to clean and keep toliet paper, the school takes care of that. Basically just the basic self-care products. Whats awesome is that I stocked up on shampoo/conditioner a month back because it was on sale. SMART! And I have lots of deoderant... thanks to Mom selling Avon.

As far as the food goes... this is a good excuse to cut the pop out, it costs too much. Now I just keep water in my fridge and drink it anytime I feel hungry. Not only am I making myself do something healthy, but it can cut the hunger back!

I can do this.... I can do this!!

[Louann]

Check if any grocery stores offer a "freshness guarantee". In my area, Kroger and Farmer Jack give up to $5 free food/day if you find an expired item on their shelves. They give you a good one to replace it. I get yogurt and lunchmeat alot this way.
Look for dented canned items too.

[sdlee]

If you have a Rite Aid or Walgreens near you, watch for free with rebate items. If you clip coupons, sometimes you can even get money back. I get free or heavily discounted office supplies, toothbrushes, deoderant, hangers, etc. every month. After the first month or so, you can use your rebate check to buy more rebate items. I do the Rite Aid rebates online and usually get $6-$25 per month in discounts or free stuff.

[reford]

If you're looking for just basic self-care products, I'd suggest hitting dollar stores and also, if you have one nearby, Big Lots. May involve using off-brands but if you're on a really tight budget, they'll do. Definitely do the double-triple coupon thing, and if you're looking for specific coupons, post about them on any of the deal boards and people are great about helping you out.

Good luck!


Becky

[3tbear]

Maren, when I was in college I bought oatmeal that came in a box but were in individual packets. It was easy to store. Watch for sales. Sometimes the grocers will have their own brand so it's cheaper. I also lived on peanut butter! You can get it in the super size, it lasts a long time and is good for protein. Clothing for school, thrift stores of course, great for jeans, t-shirts.
Spaghetti is inexpensive. You can buy cans of tomato paste to use for sauce. They usually cost around 25 - 35 cents a can. You can usually find them on sale. Cento is a wonderful brand, not too acidic and cheap to buy. You can cut up hot dogs to add to the tomato paste if you like, they are usually relatively inexpensive.

[Darster]

Ramen noodles are also a good college staple...you can get about 8 packets for a dollar, sometimes they go on sale for 50 cents each bundle of 8 or so...

You can spruce up the chicken flavored one with chicken meat etc.

[DIVAGIRL]

I wish I knew what I know now when I was broke and in college-its good that you know this. I remember eating Mac& cheese from a box and tons of ramen. Too this day, I cant handle the look or smell of any of them-ha.

what I do is, I have a container that fits under my bed (like a sweater box) in it there is tons of free stuff that I got using coupons when they doubled and tripled. Here is what is in my box right now: toothpaste (8 tubes), several toothbrushes, lots of lotions and deoderants, lots of dental floss, extra razors, shaving creme, chapstick (about 9 of them). I couldnt have gotten any of it without coupons.

I dont let my husband know what is under the bed-ha. Also, I keep another container for all my trial size items that are shipped to me for free-it really comes in handy to go thru this as I am packing or a vacation!

I get lots of free food items by couponing too...It is not uncommong for me to go to 2 grocery stores in a week. Check out the sales ads from the grocery stores and buy things on sale.

Also, go out with a few guys (dates) for a few free meals-ha!
Get an entertainment passbook for your area-they have great coupons in them- then you can buy a meal and get one free-share the cost of the meal that you have to pay for with a friend or dorm mate-for those special times that you can eat out.

If you have a farmers market-check it out to see if they have any good deals on produce.

[Oshen]

$10 isn't much for food!
apply for food stamps through social services.
find out if food boxes are available in your area. Here they are available twice a month.
make friends with a farmer and help in the garden!

[tkkmasky]

Aldi's is a great place to grocery shop. Spaghetti sauce, spaghetti noodles, ramen noodles, canned goods, milk, etc. at great prices and great quality.

Also, try bakery outlet stores (ours is a Holsum outlet) they sell surplus bread, bagels, hot dog buns, etc. for really cheap (.39 cents at ours) and it's good stuff, not expired but surplus.

[MLM77721]

I just wanted to update everyone on my frugal living right now...

Things have gotten a lot better, still watching the money and still no job, but since I am selling a lot on ebay, that helps bring the money in. My mom also sent me home last weekend with a huge box of food... spaghetti noodles, sauce, oatmeal, mashed potatos, cereal, brownie mixes, etc. And the nearby Rainbow had a big sale on noodles and spaghetti sauce so I stocked up on them! I have a lot of non-perishable foods right now and am doing really well. I still don't have a job yet, so thats a bummer, but I should be hearing soon. The job is still listed and I know I am the only applicant.. I am overly qualified so I hope they just come to their senses and GIVE ME THE JOB!!

I will update more later... the shower is calling me!