No changes really. When DS finishes private Kindergarten next year and moves to public school, I will get a large chunk of money back into my budget after 9 years of daycare. I may have to pull some money from savings to make my annual retirement contribution but I also had a very spend-heavy year at work so I wasn't saving as much from my earnings at work. I don't feel we (myself, DS and DD) live terribly lavish lives.
We are putting off replacing our car and I'm trying to get my husband to get a new job. (I like my job and I'm relatively well compensated in my field IMO.)
We have a 10-month-old, and she's our first, so clothes, food, daycare, formula, etc are a lot more than I thought, though some of that is my own fault because clothes are cute.
Has anyone switched their phone plan from a major carrier to something like Boost or Mint Mobile? I live in a large metro area, but my parents live in a semi-rural area. Over the past few years my T-Mobile has finally reached them, lol. T-Mobile also gives us free Netflix and a few other benefits, but Mint Mobile is SO cheap, like $30/month for 2 lines for the first 9 months. You just have to pay upfront.
Ugh, I spoke too soon. I was laid off today, so now *I* am the one looking for a new job. This sucks.
That really sucks, I'm sorry.
I don't have phone advice from the American system, but I do have budget phone plan in Canada. Look at the tower system the budget carrier uses. We chose ours because they rent tower service from a major phone provider and it's the same coverage for 1/3rd the cost.
DD2 is in her last year of daycare. So I’m also counting down the months until that payment drops off. I always dreamed of when we will finally be done with daycare but I feel like the savings won’t feel as significant by the time it happens. Aftercare keeps going up too so the savings will likely be only around $600 a month, which will probably go right into a new car payment.
OMG, my twins are in their last year of daycare. I am counting down the days, but also feel like we won't feel as "rich" as we are hoping to.
I started buying store brand soda. We don't drink a ton but the store brand Dr Perky(Dr Pepper) is 3.25 a 12 pack vs. 6.99 for the real deal. My ds drinks it a couple time a week and doesn't mind that flavor. We tried the root beer, but he doesn't like the flavor as much.
Post by verycontrary247 on Oct 10, 2023 7:11:29 GMT -5
We buy in bulk. Even if it calculates to being the same price as getting smaller quantities, having more readily on hand means fewer trips to the store with less impulse purchases. We got a chest freezer and a vacuum sealer to store meat.
I also try to do grocery store orders online with curbside pickup so I can shop sales and, again, avoid impulse purchases.
I've been doing more "which is cheaper per oz" math which I often am lazy about. I have an app that does it, or I do the math with my phone calculator.
I've been doing more "which is cheaper per oz" math which I often am lazy about. I have an app that does it, or I do the math with my phone calculator.
I really appreciate the stores that put this right on the price tag that's on the shelf!
I've been doing more "which is cheaper per oz" math which I often am lazy about. I have an app that does it, or I do the math with my phone calculator.
I really appreciate the stores that put this right on the price tag that's on the shelf!
Definitely! One of my grocery stores does it and I only this week noticed that the cartons of fresh spinach are wildly cheaper than the bags of fresh spinach. We prefer bags b/c they fit better in the freezer, so I bought cartons and then bagged it myself at home into a ziplock.
We are putting off replacing our car and I'm trying to get my husband to get a new job. (I like my job and I'm relatively well compensated in my field IMO.)
We have a 10-month-old, and she's our first, so clothes, food, daycare, formula, etc are a lot more than I thought, though some of that is my own fault because clothes are cute.
Has anyone switched their phone plan from a major carrier to something like Boost or Mint Mobile? I live in a large metro area, but my parents live in a semi-rural area. Over the past few years my T-Mobile has finally reached them, lol. T-Mobile also gives us free Netflix and a few other benefits, but Mint Mobile is SO cheap, like $30/month for 2 lines for the first 9 months. You just have to pay upfront.
Ugh, I spoke too soon. I was laid off today, so now *I* am the one looking for a new job. This sucks.
I'm so sorry about your job.
I've had cricket mobile for over a decade and I've been happy with it. I pay $80/month for 2 lines unlimited talk/text/data (I think it's $45/month standard per line, and a discount with auto-pay). Cricket uses the AT&T network so the coverage is the same. Neither H or I really care about having the newest phones, and we usually buy unlocked used phones every 3-4 years.
Def shop sales for meat. I do grocery pick ups from Walmart which helps a ton because I'm not browsing and grabbing items 'while I'm there'. Way easier to stick to a menu and grocery list when doing it online, not based on what looks good. As much as I don't want to shop at Walmart it's impossible to stay local. When the grocery store has something like mayonaise for $10.99, on sale for $7.99 and I can get it at Walmart for $5.49, sorry local stores, I have to do what I have to do.
Our house heats with oil with a forced air wood stove as well (I live in a frozen world about 6-7 months out of the year). The first few years we were there we didn't use the wood stove, then started to when the temps really got bad, like negative double digits. We have been putting in the physical effort to make wood for the entire winter for the last two years using trees cut on our property. It's hard work and you handle that piece of wood many times before it brings you heat but it's basically free heat all winter long and that has been huge for saving money. This last weekend we made wood for 8 hours on Saturday and 10 on Sunday, got enough done for the entire winter and I just keep telling my aching back it's worth it.
Post by starburst604 on Oct 10, 2023 14:39:06 GMT -5
I can't say that we are really feeling the impact of inflation at the moment, because all of our home-related bills are more anyway from moving to a larger house this summer and we were prepared for that. But interestingly, electric was not as bad as I thought it would be for a very hot summer, perhaps because it's a new house so it's better insulated and more energy efficient. When it comes to groceries, I exclusively do our big weekly shop by curbside pickup and that eliminates impulse purchases. I have a set amount that I spend each week and shopping in the app lets me see my total easily. So while things have gotten more expensive, I still don't spend more each week because sticking to the limit forces me to either eliminate/postpone or find cheaper versions of what's in my cart. I've switched to more store brand items to keep under budget. For household goods like paper, cleaning supplies, supplements etc., I frequently check if those items are cheaper on my subscribe and save or through Costco. When I joined Costco, I had hoped to switch to the Kirkland brand TP but everytime I check, there really aren't any savings from what I'm buying now. I did switch all of our pet food to the Kirkland brand since it's well rated and that was a pretty decent savings.
Post by onomatopoeia on Oct 10, 2023 15:08:41 GMT -5
We've had Mint Mobile for a while and I've been very pleased. DS still has Verizon (he has a company phone) and his service is a slight bit better but for me and the kids it's well worth the savings.
Otherwise, pretty much the same as everyone else - cut back on expensive "wants" at the grocery store (ie. chips and soda), less eating out (Pizza Fridays has turned into frozen pizza, not delivery), cutting back on streaming services, etc. I use coupon apps a lot more, and if I go to the store for milk I try to leave with just milk, not $50 worth of stuff that was on sale but that we don't really need that week. Unless it's a crazy good bargain.
I unfollowed a lot of fashion influencers on Facebook so I'm not tempted to impulse buy.
My kids both have jobs so they're now paying for some of their own expenses (half their cell phone bill, most entertainment, etc).
We also got solar panels a few years ago, not directly because of inflation but it's definitely helped.
We're fortunate and while we're definitely feeling pinched, we can still afford basics. I know it's hitting others a lot harder.
I have unsubscribed from a lot of retailers' promo emails to reduce temptation to shop.
Sort of on the other side, I have tried to be especially generous on Buy Nothing lately. I'm a frequent giver, and have recently given away a lot of "good gives" that I totally could have sold. For example, this fall I gave away my BOB running stroller in very good condition, a 2-camera baby monitor, etc. For somebody else who needs those things (and others) those are some really nice cost savings.
We have been treading water, because while prices are going up, our son moved out of the house so many of our expenses are down. We go out 1-2x a month (well, get carry out) instead of 3x, and we have cut out all alcohol. All of those things are softening the blow.
We are putting off replacing our car and I'm trying to get my husband to get a new job. (I like my job and I'm relatively well compensated in my field IMO.)
We have a 10-month-old, and she's our first, so clothes, food, daycare, formula, etc are a lot more than I thought, though some of that is my own fault because clothes are cute.
Has anyone switched their phone plan from a major carrier to something like Boost or Mint Mobile? I live in a large metro area, but my parents live in a semi-rural area. Over the past few years my T-Mobile has finally reached them, lol. T-Mobile also gives us free Netflix and a few other benefits, but Mint Mobile is SO cheap, like $30/month for 2 lines for the first 9 months. You just have to pay upfront.
Both kids and I switched to Boost over the summer when we could get an iPhone 12 for $200. We each pay $40 a month for unlimited talk and text and have been very happy with the service. DH stuck with ATT and I think I have more consistent service than he does.we just got back from Mexico and I paid $5 for the entire trip and my service was great. My dad has Cricket and lives in small town rural Texas and hasn’t had any issues. My son’s previous phone with Mint had some issues but nothing worse than other major carriers.
We are putting off replacing our car and I'm trying to get my husband to get a new job. (I like my job and I'm relatively well compensated in my field IMO.)
We have a 10-month-old, and she's our first, so clothes, food, daycare, formula, etc are a lot more than I thought, though some of that is my own fault because clothes are cute.
Has anyone switched their phone plan from a major carrier to something like Boost or Mint Mobile? I live in a large metro area, but my parents live in a semi-rural area. Over the past few years my T-Mobile has finally reached them, lol. T-Mobile also gives us free Netflix and a few other benefits, but Mint Mobile is SO cheap, like $30/month for 2 lines for the first 9 months. You just have to pay upfront.
We switched last month from Verizon to Mint Mobile. Verizon has terrible coverage in our direct area/town and we originally planned to switch to T-Mobile but then my H learned Mint uses the T-Mobile network so we went with them instead. No issues at all so far.
Post by fluffycookie on Oct 11, 2023 10:37:57 GMT -5
Starting next week we are cutting back. My plan is to stick to my meal plans, shop sales when I can and start buying certain things in bulk at Costco and BJs. I think I am going to challenge us to no eating out in November/December unless it's unavoidable. I have never shopped at Aldi, but they opened one near us recently so I may go this weekend and see how it is.
I'm so proud of myself, I haven't bought anything for Prime Day yet. I may kick myself when it comes time to Xmas shop, but I haven't made a list yet and I always impulse buy for deals/FOMO and often regret it.
I'm so proud of myself, I haven't bought anything for Prime Day yet. I may kick myself when it comes time to Xmas shop, but I haven't made a list yet and I always impulse buy for deals/FOMO and often regret it.
Post by starburst604 on Oct 11, 2023 15:02:24 GMT -5
re: Aldi - what do people buy there at a discount? I popped into the one near us a while ago and left quickly, but I was looking for something very specific that they didn't have. Is it the produce? I usually buy ours at Trader Joe's but am curious about Aldi though it's not as convenient for me as TJ's.
re: Aldi - what do people buy there at a discount? I popped into the one near us a while ago and left quickly, but I was looking for something very specific that they didn't have. Is it the produce? I usually buy ours at Trader Joe's but am curious about Aldi though it's not as convenient for me as TJ's.
Milk, eggs, butter, bagged salad, some fruit, canned and frozen veggies, cereal, yogurt, pasta & pasta sauce, baking supplies (like flour and sugar) are typically in our regular rotation. We used to get meats there but now we get from a local farmer but we never had any issues with meat from there. Typically I shop at Aldi first and then if there is something I couldn't get there or if I prefer a name brand (like PB actually HAS to be Jif for me LOL) then I get it at another store.
starburst604, I get similar things as bex1973, also sliced cheese, shredded cheese, lunchmeat, pork loins, bratwurst (imported from Germany). THeir take and bake pizzas are really good too. Basically most things. As said above, some things they just don't have and I make a small trip to a big grocery store once in a while for those.
starburst604 , I get similar things as bex1973 , also sliced cheese, shredded cheese, lunchmeat, pork loins, bratwurst (imported from Germany). THeir take and bake pizzas are really good too. Basically most things. As said above, some things they just don't have and I make a small trip to a big grocery store once in a while for those.
We used to love the take and bakes but now the crust is different and I don't care for it anymore
starburst604 , I get similar things as bex1973 , also sliced cheese, shredded cheese, lunchmeat, pork loins, bratwurst (imported from Germany). THeir take and bake pizzas are really good too. Basically most things. As said above, some things they just don't have and I make a small trip to a big grocery store once in a while for those.
We used to love the take and bakes but now the crust is different and I don't care for it anymore
They have a couple different crusts. We only like the thin crust. I accidently got the traditional once and we did not like it. Now I know to make sure to find the thin!
For phones, we've been using non-major carriers for years now and currently using ATT Prepaid. It's only $50 for both of us, but I might look at Mint though because that seems like a better deal. Phone service seems like one area that is actually getting cheaper over time, so that's kind of nice.
I'm so proud of myself, I haven't bought anything for Prime Day yet. I may kick myself when it comes time to Xmas shop, but I haven't made a list yet and I always impulse buy for deals/FOMO and often regret it.
Every single thing in my Amazon cart is more expensive right now so you aren’t missing anything.
This PepsiCo info is bonkers - nearly 2 straight years of double digit increases, 14% jump in profit last quarter. Sigh.
PepsiCo has already raised prices by double-digit percentages for seven consecutive quarters. Hugh Johnston, the company’s finance chief, said on Tuesday that prices would continue to rise next year “roughly in line with inflation,” which he expected to run higher than the typical prepandemic rates of 2 to 3 percent.
Higher prices helped PepsiCo generate a 7 percent rise in revenue and 14 percent jump in profit last quarter. The company also upgraded its annual profit forecast for the third time this year, even as shoppers have pulled back on purchases of Pepsi products, with sales volumes falling for four quarters in a row.
Post by EvieEthelGarland on Oct 12, 2023 10:53:12 GMT -5
So Pepsi is now taking a strategy from Hermes/LV/etc and focusing on fewer, high buying customers? Soda isn't a need, but I don't think I'd ever have called it a luxury good. What's next? Cheerios?