Category: Frugality

Learn about a variety of ways to save money

Food, Shopping

Is Joining a Wholesale Club Like Costco Right for You?

I get asked about wholesale clubs all the time, mainly because saving on the cost of food and household supplies is such a big part of your everyday budget and of course you hear that joining a wholesale club will save you money. But is it always true?

Joining a wholesale club might be able to save you money, or it just might cost you. Here's how to tell if a wholesale club is right for you.

Back In the late 1970s, wholesale clubs (also known as warehouse clubs) started popping up and became popular all over the U.S. Then eventually they expanded internationally.

The idea of people getting an “exclusive” club membership that was offering groceries and consumers goods at significant discounts had great appeal to the then-primetime baby boomers raising families during that challenging economic era. It was a perfect storm back then. But is it still that way today? Is joining a wholesale club really for you in 2021?

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Budgeting, Food

Your Grocery Budget: How to Make It and Stick to It

Do you have a grocery budget that’s working for you? To me, it’s super basic, but to so many, making any kind of budget is like speaking a foreign language. Setting a budget goal for food will help you save money, period.

Whether you're making a grocery budget for the first time, or simply trying to save more, these tips will help you reach your goals.

Without a budget or a plan, your spending habits and your control over your money are doomed to fail. And it doesn’t matter how much money you may have, it still happens. But I can help you find your budget and stick to it.

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Health, Shopping

Drugstore Savings: Best Ways to Save at the Pharmacy

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Even though I have written so much in this blog about “saving at the supermarket” over the past 7 years, saving money at the drugstore has become just as big a deal. So today, let’s take a look at what savings at your pharmacy can really mean to you and how much it affects your budget and life!

Drugstores offer all kinds of merchandise these days and so it's important to know how to save at the pharmacy. Check out these 5 tips to save money.

Pharmacy Sticker Shock

Drugstore sticker shock seems as if it is on everything from prescriptions to toilet paper. If you look around the store, it seems like it is a very real thing if we even attempt to shop for convenience when we are already there for actual prescriptions or other medical necessities. We have all been in that position, haven’t we? But there are plenty of ways you can actually save big at your favorite drugstore. Here are a few important things to know and do when it comes to you and your pharmacy right now!

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Travel

Planning Travel for 2021 the Smart Way

Does booking a vacation and planning travel for 2021 seem like a gamble to you? If you are like most people, you can’t not think about a vacation for you and/or your family after what we all have been going through now for the past year plus. Like most sensible people have been doing, being locked down and staying put, winter, summer, fall, and spring has been really difficult. Just how many movies and videos can you watch each week before your head explodes?

Despite (and because of) the pandemic, many people are ready for a vacation. Planning travel for 2021 may be tricky, so be sure to do it the smart way.

So now, the weather is starting to warm up and you are venturing a little bit more outside. That is especially true since the pandemic is at least starting to feel like we’ve made a bit of a dent in it—there’s a vaccine being administered, workplaces are gearing back up, and even such things as sports and entertainment seem to be moving forward, albeit just a bit too fast for some and definitely for me.

So here’s the really big question for 2021: “Can you plan a vacation this year?”

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Health

What You Need To Know About a Lump Sum Disability Buyout Offer

For those receiving long term disability benefits from a private insurer, at some point you may receive a lump sum buyout offer. Whether or not to accept the offer is a big decision with lasting consequences. Because so many factors can affect the decision, it is wise to involve professionals such as an attorney, accountant, and/or financial advisor to help you decide about your particular circumstances. But here are the basics you need to know.

If you receive a lump sum disability buyout offer, there are a few things you should know. Check out these pros and cons before making a decision.

What Is a Lump Sum Disability Buyout Offer

If you are receiving private long term disability benefits, the insurer pays you a set benefit amount each month for as long as you remain disabled, until the end of your policy. A lump sum buyout offer is a one-time sum of money that the insurer is willing to pay you at once to end the policy now. If you accept the offer, you relinquish your rights to your monthly benefits.

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Food

How to Stretch Your Money on Food for Your Family

When I first started writing Super Saving Tips almost seven years ago, I had a specific goal in mind. It was simple, I wanted to use my 40+ years as an adult and share what I had done in order to save my money and have enough left over to enjoy life and plan my retirement. There are always a few (or more) bumps in the road to getting there and I have had my share for sure, but somehow I did make it. You can, too. And it helps if you know how to stretch your money.

When looking at how to stretch your money, it's a good idea to concentrate on your food budget. Here are some tips to save on feeding your family.

Some Things Never Change

These days, little has changed from when I started my plan way back when. It seems like everyone’s looking for ways to cut costs and stretch their income further. If you’re not, that can put you into deep trouble that is yet to come!

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Credit, Family & Relationships, Food, Home, More, Personal Finance

How 10 Productive Minutes Can Change Your World

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Sometimes you need to just stop your work and take a deep breath. Like when you have a problem that’s pretty serious. It could be a job problem or it could be a family problem. It could be a money problem or a health problem, or any combination of these that are causing you to just stress out and feel like nothing is going right. That’s why taking a deep breath and taking even just a few minutes out can really help boost your productivity. How about taking ten minutes?

Ten minutes isn't much time, but by spending them wisely, you can leverage them into a more productive day. Try some of these ideas to jumpstart your life.

Ten minutes isn’t really a very long time. It’s less time than it takes to play a quarter in a pro football game. You can listen to 2½ songs on the radio in 10 minutes. It’s even less time than it takes you to read your daily e-mails. In other words, it’s just a few minutes, but oh how great it is to have such an opportunity to increase your productivity, save money, build relationships, and move forward in that brief time period. And most importantly, feel better!

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Cars, Food, Home

Money Saving Tips to Combat Inflation in 2021

I keep seeing it more and more every day. The inflation factor is out there and I am amazed that not many seem to be talking about it as being a problem. It may not be across the board, but food inflation and energy inflation will be making a dent in your finances if they haven’t already.

Food inflation and energy inflation are rising in 2021. Here are money saving tips to combat inflation and get the most from your money.

Food seems to be at the top of my inflation list but it’s more than that. It’s a huge chunk of your annual budget. The average U.S. household spends $7,800 a year on food!

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