Category: Frugality

Learn about a variety of ways to save money

Health, Insurance, More, Retirement

Could Your Medicare Premium Actually Cost Less Later This Year?

Those of us who get Medicare (and if it’s not already, one day that will be you too!) have just had to bear the largest single premium increase in dollars in any year for 2022, an increase of $23.00 a month. While it is true that we all also saw an increase in our total benefits (due to the high inflation adjustments of 5.9%), this Medicare premium increase puts a huge dent in that amount we get. But there just might be some good news coming down the pike when it comes to the Medicare increased costs.

Hand with intravenous line for treatment representing medical treatment covered under Medicare premium

Seniors and other recipients could see a cut in their monthly Medicare Part B premiums for 2022 after a controversial new drug’s price was just slashed. That good news makes Medicare of particular interest here at Super Saving Tips!

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Food, Shopping

Check Your Receipts to Save Money When You’re Checking Out

It’s so important to check your receipts every time you check out. Why? It’s shopping day and you’ve diligently planned your meals, scanned the weekly ads, carefully checked prices, crafted your shopping list, clipped and printed coupons or loaded them to your card, and checked your budget. You arrive at the store (not hungry, of course), efficiently navigate the aisles, avoid impulse buys, and check out. But when you get home and unpack, you look over the receipt and wham! all your diligence is undone by an error on your receipt. It’s so aggravating. Who wants to bother wasting the gas and time to go back to the store?

A grocery shopping receipt because you should always check your receipts

Mistakes on receipts are so very common. In fact, I find at least one mistake on almost every shopping trip! By catching them at the store, you have the opportunity to get it fixed quickly and easily without wasting your savings.

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Health, More, Retirement

2 Good Reasons Why the New 2022 Social Security Increase May Be a Bad Problem

You may not be concerned about the Social Security increase and Medicare right now, but there will come a day when you will. So when I say that there are only two reasons to be concerned, well, it’s because I don’t want to scare you out of your socks right here at the beginning of the year.

Senior woman being examined by doctor covered by Medicare and the Social Security increase

After all, if you are on Social Security or Disability right now, you are probably celebrating the largest increase in benefits in decades: a 5.9% increase is a substantial amount (the highest since 8.2% in 1982). On average, it will mean about a hundred bucks a month per person more than in 2021 will be arriving beginning this week to recipients. With inflation running rampant, it’s a welcome sigh of relief to help fight against it. But is it all high fives and smiles with Social Security or is it really just a bad problem?

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Frugality, More

Being a Smarter Shopper Should Be On Your New Year’s Resolution List

Yes, it’s that happy time again, New Year’s and the time everyone gets down to resolutions. We all think about doing it even though we may never actually get around to any of them or worse, start them up and then by Valentine’s Day we can’t even remember what or why we did any of it. I just hope that it doesn’t involve paying for something and wasting money when you do that, as many times it does.

Clock nearing midnight and fireworks for new year's represent a smarter shopper resolution

Whether it is losing some weight, getting a new job, giving more to charity, or just being a more kinder, gentler person in 2022, if you do decide to make a resolution, add one to your list this year, please. What is it?

It is to be a smarter shopper in 2022. Because this year, more perhaps than any in memory, you will really need to be!

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Food

18 Sneaky Supermarket Tricks They Use to Get Your Money

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Did you know that when you’re grocery shopping, they use some cunning supermarket tricks to make you spend more money? With inflation running at a 39 year high right now, that is definitely hitting you below the belt when you think about groceries (sorry for the pun).

Woman food shopping who is tired of supermarket tricks

I’m afraid to say that inflation is not likely to disappear soon. Be alert and look for these supermarket tricks when you are shopping.

I wrote in the past about the many “tricks” that general retailers use in your favorite shops, especially around the holidays to get you to dig deep and spend more. (If you’re interested, here’s part 1 and part 2.) But you actually are more influenced each week at the grocery store than anyplace else you shop! Don’t think that’s true? Take a look at this!

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Food

The Complete List of Best Ways to Save on Groceries

Please note this post contains affiliate links which help to fund this blog at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

With the inflation rate hitting a 39-year high this week (now at 6.8% on an annual basis), finding ways to save on groceries has become priority number one on steroids! According to the Consumer Expenditure Survey, a typical American household will spend at least $400 every month (conservatively speaking) on groceries. That can represent over 10% of a typical family’s total income in many cases. Just think about it for a second. That’s a lot of money for groceries, no matter how big or small your family is.

A grocery store aisle representing the best ways to save on groceries

But with some minor and clever changes, and yes, even insane tactics, you can actually spend a whole lot less. Because unlike some expenses, food spending is one of the few things that you can make major adjustments to. So here it is, my all-encompassing, super-duper, cleverly “insane” complete list of ways to save on your groceries.

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Budgeting, Frugality, More

Shop Smart or Everything Will Cost You More in 2022

The red flag has been raised and the bad news is right in front of us. The fact is that prices are a big issue and are going up! That means it’s time to shop smart or you’ll be paying through the nose.

Wallet with money showing that you need to shop smart

If you thought the past 12 months were rough on your wallet, then get ready to shell out even more for your favorite and necessary things in 2022. You can thank in(pan)flation, rising wages, shipping wars, labor shortages, and climate change for those and probably a few more reasons that some may not want to say out loud as to why.

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Food

Save 40% on Food Costs: Lunch and Dinner Savings – Part III

If you are shooting to save 40% off your food bill in 2022, then targeting about $4.00 a day for breakfast for a family of four is a really good start. That’s just $ 0.98 cents a person as I showed you in the last post. But saving more money on lunch and dinner for a family of four is right in front of you and can be accomplished if you try. Saving more right now on this important staple (food costs) can set your budget right and take off lots of the inflation pressures you may be feeling these days.

A sliced turkey sandwich representing money-saving lunch and dinner ideas

Numbers Spent on Food in the U.S.

If you spend on average as American families do now for four about $1,000 a month (spending averages between $890 and $1,062 per month according to the USDA for a moderate budget), then spending just $4.00 a day for breakfast (or $120 a month) is only about 12% of your monthly food bill! Even if you spend a total food budget of $600 a month (40% less than the average), you are only spending 20% on breakfast if you make some changes.

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