After being out of work since when, June, I’m nearly at the end of my first months work. Actually this month I’ve only worked three weeks so after paying back what I’ve borrowed to get me through the month and putting aside a slightly larger amount to get me through the month ahead there won’t be any wiggle room in a pay check for some months to come once I come to catching up the bills.
So, monthly paid people, what are the items you buy in bulk, what are the absolute sure fire money savers?
Rice and lentils. Buy both in bulk and use them as your primary protein source. Meat is exensive.
Also soaps. I go to the Mom&Pop hardware store and get a gallon of janitorial strength ammonia about twice per year. It cleans everything and lasts forever. $3 per gallon and a tablespoon + quart of water = window cleaner.
Shampoo - the local beaty salon supply store. $8 gallon for the good stuff, and I also use it to refill my foamy hand soap dispensers. (about 1 tsp shampoo per bottle of water.)
TP. It is far less expensive in bulk, and not something you want to run out of.
Congrats, and good luck!
[ul]
[li]Find out if you qualify for food stamps with your income.[/li][li] Go to a food pantry and pick up a box of food–they don’t means-test, afaik. You may have to exchange a couple hours of time volunteering to get one. It’s worth it.[/li][li] Shop at Aldi if there is one near you. This would probably have the biggest effect on your monthly food budget. People are complaining about how expensive food is lately, but Aldi is still extremely cheap. 2 liters for 67 cents, whipped margarine that tastes and acts like butter for 99 cents a tub. Antacids and otc painkillers for a dollar or two a bottle. Cheap shampoo and tp and feminine products (if you need those).[/li][li] If there are no Aldis near you, become a coupon fiend. But only get coupons for stuff you would buy anyway. Otherwise it’s not a net savings.[/li][li]Frozen fryer chickens are a good deal. Make soup stock with the carcasses after eating all the meat.[/li][li]A crock pot is a good investment because it turns cheap, tough cuts of meat into something tender and edible.[/li][li]If all else fails, get a roommate.[/li][/ul]
I buy few things in bulk, but then, I live alone and the nature of my job involves moving often… buying in bulk isn’t really worth it for me.
Still:
When I’m in a new place, I track my expenses obsessively for 2-3 months to make sure I’m budgetting correctly. You may want to do that, sometimes I’ve been surprised at how much I was dropping on something that didn’t look like much.
I’m not paid monthly, but I’m self-employed and don’t get income on any sort of schedule.
Ditto on the TP in bulk.
Back in another city, I would buy things like rice, couscous, beans, lentils and so on through a food coop. Really, a fraction of the price of store-bought small boxes or bags, if you eat these sorts of things much.
As suggested, big pots of soup are nutritious, cheap to make and freeze well.
Several churches around here do food giveaways; a neighbor of mine gets boxes of groceries once or twice a month. He gets really good stuff, too.
I have a Kroger card (midwestern grocery store chain) and depending how much I spend on groceries, usually get 20-30 cents off per gallon of gas. When gas is cheap I fill up both vehicles.
Sale and clearance displays draw me like a moth to a flame.
When I was still coloring my hair, I bartered (painting) with a hairdresser. Cut and color can get spendy if you get it professionally done.
I redid my budgeting as I always run short at the end of the month. The most helpful idea I’ve had so far was to buy myself a WalMart gift card early in the month when I get my big check. It comes in awfully handy near the end of the month when I realize I need gas or a few groceries but am low on cash. I also get 10 cents off when I use it to buy gas.
This may not be helpful if you’re good at keeping a stash of money on hand. I’m not–if I have cash it gets doled out bit by bit–so it’s been really helpful to me.
Watch for the loss-leaders at the grocery store, and stock up on items you can use. For meats, this might mean repackaging the “FAMILY SIZE” stuff into meal-size portions. You can also look in the meat department for stuff that’s expiring that day - our grocery often has “2.00 off this package” stickers. You have to use it within a day or so, obviously.
Use store-brand vs brand-name unless you have a VERY good reason.
Take lunch vs. buying if you’re not already doing that.
I shop at Safeway and will buy up stuff if it’s on serious sale and I actually use it. Bread is something that can be frozen and thawed easily.
I also agree with shampoo & TP. Also, buy the $1 toothpaste at the Dollar Tree. It’s the same damned thing.
That’s one I wouldn’t go for without being fairly careful - the stuff they sell there might come from anywhere, be outdated, have unsafe levels of flouride, and/or be contaminated: Dollar Store Toothpaste | Snopes.com.
Toothpaste is not a high cost item unless you’re using a couple tablespoons per session; I find a tube lasts many months.
I assume the OP checks labels.
Thanks for all the tips. I don’t live in the US though so groceries are challenging even at the best of times. One thing I’m going to get is a big jug of vinegar and give it a try as hair conditioner/laundry softener.
True <Checks toothpaste label> It’s crimped 2010, and good for three years. 90grams. It will last quite a while. I bought this one because it was cheap also a Jamaican brand - Lasco - as it’s good to buy local, but now I look at the small print I see it’s distributed by Lasco, but made in … India.
TruCelt I put my dish liquid in a pump dispenser, I find I use much less of it, also water it down, but I can’t stand the fumes of ammonia.
One of my friends has an ever bearing lime tree. I collect a big bag full now and again and I’m quite proud of myself for squeezing them all and freezing them in ice cube trays … prior to that I would end up letting a portion of them spoil.
Look at the “Match-ups” in the header here and dumpster-dive for Sunday coupon inserts. There are a handful of personal care products you can get free at CVS or Walgreens every week. Razors, OTC medications and oral care products are popular.
If you want to learn how to coupon without wasting your time (or buying stuff you don’t really need), go here:
With just minimal effort you can stock up on shampoo/soap/toothpaste/deodorant at drugstores for nearly nothing. You do have to watch the sales and time things correctly, though, but it’s worth the effort.
Congrats on the new job!
OP is in the UK.
If you can get down Aldi, Lidl or Iceland, stock up on a couplee of BIG cheap tins of tomatoes and bulk bags of pasta. You could make a couple of litres of ragout and freeze it then use in various pasta/rice/lentil combinations, or if you have any flour in the house make your own pizza base and use it as a pizza topping. Iceland has frozen junk foods for £1 a go - buy a few for a weekend treat. Also McDonald’s is doing really cheap deals on simple burgers (no drink no fries) if you are craving anything.
Another principle I used when I was skint: after you’ve gone shopping, paid rent etc., work through the rest of the month with cash only. If you’ve only got £20 left after you’ve bought everything, split it into four fivers and allocate them one a week. There’s something about having the money in front of you in a tangible way that makes it easier to deal with and ration, for me at least.
Also join your local Freecycle. Can be very handy if you check it once a day (though if it’s anything like the one I joined, you may want to filter it/put it into a different email account as the number of messages was extremely irritating).
And I forgot to say - congrats on getting work.
For staples, purchase rice, lentils, beans (black and garbanzo), eggs, milk, bread, peanut butter, jelly, crushed tomatos, and flour (if you bake). Add ons: Cheese, frozen veggies (last longer), sweet potatoes, and spices. Depending on what is available in your local market, add on with fruits and veggies. Allrecipes has lots of great dishes. Use cooked lentils in case of ground beef. The cheese and bread can be put in the freezer and then thawed when you want to use.
Avoid: Pop, bottled water or other drinks, snack foods, anything individually packed.
For cleaning, I just use white vinegar and rags (old socks and things or those cheap washcloths). Mix with water and it will go far. I’ve used half a roll of paper towels in two months.
I’m in the West Indies so some of the suggestions can’t work for me. jjimm That’s a good idea with the big tin of tomatoes to season and freeze, much cheaper, definitely going to do that one. Sadly I’ve only got a stove top right now, I did bake and make pizza when I had one, hopefully one will show up at the second hand shop soon. Unfortunately cheese has become a luxury now - since we import a lot of food stuffs the fuel price hikes have really added up.
Thanks everyone for congratulations on getting a job.
While a lot of suggestions (including mine) will help with eating etc. on a strict budget, relatively few address the OP’s question about managing on a monthly paycheck and stretching out the money. I like jjimm’s suggestion about paying all the bills, then what’s left over take in cash and ration THAT, as it’s easier to visualize what you have. Similarly the “buy a gift card” - that gets the cash out of your hands but leaves it accessible for emergency purposes. If that’s an option where the OP is, obviously.
Funny about the lime tree: around here (near Washington DC) limes are a bit of a luxury. Of course we can get them at the grocery store but nobody buys more than they need for a specific recipe, basically, and they’re not an “everyday” kind of fruit. At least we know you won’t get scurvy :D.
Some more general hints: try to put away a few dollars (or whatever your currency is) in cash if needed, and have it for an emergency. Even 5-10 bucks might be the difference between eating, and/or getting to work, and/or buying needed medicine or something.
This is just a one-off situation while the OP ‘catches up’; the OP would still have the catch-up issue even with two paychecks a month instead of one.
There is zero difference in getting paid monthly vs twice a month. None.