by Kelli B. Grant
Friday, March 20, 2009provided by
These days, keeping your budget in line isn’t measured by the amount you spend, but by how much you save.
Before you blame your daily jaunt to Starbucks or weekly trip to the movies for breaking your budget, take a good hard look at how much you’re paying for less obvious but much more expensive money wasters like overdraft fees and auto insurance.
Cut back on these seven items and you could save roughly $1,000 a year. 1) Bottled Water
Getting your recommended eight glasses of water a day by bottle instead of tap is a huge waste of cash, says Phil Lempert, founder of Supermarket Guru. That buck-a-bottle water you down on a regular basis can really add up. (Even more so now that cities like Chicago collect an additional tax of five cents per bottle.)
Potential Savings: Spend $37 to buy a 40-ounce Brita pitcher and filter ($13 at Bed, Bath and Beyond), plus a four-pack of replacement filters ($24), and you'll be able to filter 200 gallons of water. Buy that much water in 24-packs of 16.9-ounce Aquafina bottles at Shop Rite instead, and you’d spend $283.50. Your total savings: $246.50.
I must be doing something right! I don't buy bottled water unless I am on a trip and need a drink and the water is iffy. No extended warranties, I have a free gym at my apt complex (and I use it), I don't ever overdraft, rarely buy organic produce, I check insurance every year to make sure that I am getting the best deal (good discount through employer), and rarely buy music.
__________________ MAC
Before you criticize someone you should walk a mile in their shoes, that way when you criticize them you are a mile away and you have their shoes!
I never buy music online...don't really have a need/want. Organic produce when the item isn't available any other way. I have checked insurance rates and we get a great deal with current provider. Bottled water...yes, sometimes when I'm working out and forget to bring mine from home. Extended warranties? Nope.
Music is my only thing from this list. But I have an ipod and I have to buy from itunes... or at least I had to in the past. If there's an option now, I'll go with the best price.
I see people buying case after case of water every day, seems like such a waste of money and I bet a majority of those bottles don't get recycled.
I will stick with my Pur water filter, much cheaper and better for the environment. Our city water can be pretty putrid at times, often smells like potting soil with a very earthy taste.
__________________ MAC
Before you criticize someone you should walk a mile in their shoes, that way when you criticize them you are a mile away and you have their shoes!
The only thing on that list we buy is the insurance and we always shop for the best price.
The water here on Edisto is so bad almost everyone has a whole-house RO system. Because we are so low (the max. only a couple feet above sea level) and with all the salt water marshes, our well water taste like sea water. It corrodes everything, dries your skin out, and is terrible to drink. The only good thing it's good for is cooking grits in.
__________________ Most of all, cook from the heart, and you’ll never be lonely when the dinner bell rings! - Chef Robert Irvin
by Kelli B. Grant
Friday, March 20, 2009provided by
These days, keeping your budget in line isn’t measured by the amount you spend, but by how much you save.
Before you blame your daily jaunt to Starbucks or weekly trip to the movies for breaking your budget, take a good hard look at how much you’re paying for less obvious but much more expensive money wasters like overdraft fees and auto insurance.
Cut back on these seven items and you could save roughly $1,000 a year. 1) Bottled Water
Getting your recommended eight glasses of water a day by bottle instead of tap is a huge waste of cash, says Phil Lempert, founder of Supermarket Guru. That buck-a-bottle water you down on a regular basis can really add up. (Even more so now that cities like Chicago collect an additional tax of five cents per bottle.)
Potential Savings: Spend $37 to buy a 40-ounce Brita pitcher and filter ($13 at Bed, Bath and Beyond), plus a four-pack of replacement filters ($24), and you'll be able to filter 200 gallons of water. Buy that much water in 24-packs of 16.9-ounce Aquafina bottles at Shop Rite instead, and you’d spend $283.50. Your total savings: $246.50.
There was some speculation against that about a few months back.
A news report that came out not too long ago, that has said that when you buy bottled and supposedly spring water, you are just merely buying back the same water that comes from your faucet.
There is no real signifigance or difference in taste between that and the faucet water because to me, they both taste the same.
The better thing to do is to get one of those water purifying pichers by Brita. Or one of those filter thingies that fit on the kitchen sink's faucet.
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Also, do any of you know that you you can save some money over buying brown sugar by making it yourself? I learned this when I was in the culinary arts training course.
You probably already have these two items at home and use them for cooking and baking - regular sugar & molasses. All that you have to do is measure the amount of sugar for a recipe that calls for brown sugar, take some molasses and add it to the sugar, then blend it in and presto! The sugar smells, looks and tastes almost the same as regular brown sugar!! And it has the same texture as well.
I've gotten so sick & tired of buying brown sugar and then finding out later that it got so hard as a rock! I just made some Oatmeal Cookies and one of the ingredients it calls for is a cup of brown sugar. So that's what I did.
The brown sugar I have has already hardened and I was going to throw it away, but I thought that I'd save it for the next time I make candied yams. I'll just keep plenty of sugar and molasses on hand to MAKE brown sugar for cooking and baking. Neat trick, I think!
__________________ I'm a supreme Fan of Bentley Green & Aaron McCargo Jr.!!:appl:
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