Secrets of a thrifty housewife: how to spend less on food

The advent of the financial crisis, which resulted in a decrease in income and an increase in prices in stores, reminded us of the need to save money; just how to do it right? It is simply impossible to refuse to purchase essential goods, among which food, detergents and hygiene products come to the fore, and without buying new clothes and shoes, any woman will lose her attractiveness within a few years.

So what can you save on without unpleasant consequences for yourself and your family? After all, free money will never become superfluous - it can be directed in another direction, for example, organizing a joint trip to an ice skating rink or an entertainment center. What are they, the secrets of a thrifty housewife? Maybe in the matter of rational family budget planning, like in cooking, there are special recipes? Let's try to find out this right now, and try to understand what exactly will allow us to become more thrifty and economical.

Basic principles of saving at home

To get started, get a special notebook, similar to the one where family culinary recipes are kept. It is in it that you, as a zealous housewife, will begin to record all family income and even the smallest expenses. Within a few months you will have a complete picture of all costs. This will undoubtedly make it easier to identify the main points for further savings. After all, entries in a notebook will immediately indicate those expenses that were made without a specific need.

Many tips that will not only allow a woman to become a thrifty housewife, but also involve all family members in the process of saving, relate to everyday issues. After all, a considerable part of the money is spent on maintaining the apartment and the mandatory payments associated with this. Therefore, you can save money here too, while receiving certain benefits.

So, if among the main expenses of the family a significant amount is allocated to pay for utilities, every thrifty housewife will decide to install gas and water meters so as not to overpay the utility companies. To save on payments, do not waste resources, do not leave taps open, repair leaking plumbing fixtures in a timely manner, turn off the lights in rooms where no one is, install energy-saving light bulbs in the apartment. If you are going to buy new household appliances, you should pay attention to the class of this equipment, because the higher it is, the more economical the costs of using electricity and water.

If cell phone and internet costs are becoming a strain on your family budget, it may be time to change providers or upgrade to more cost-effective packages that will allow you to reduce costs in the future.

Some tips for saving money at home

Have you ever wondered why some people don’t have enough decent money to live on, while others manage, despite their modest salaries, to eat well, dress decently, go on vacation abroad, and buy expensive things?

The answer is simple. In addition to the ability to earn money, you need to be able to spend it correctly, namely, correctly draw up your budget and be able to save. Only if you know how to save, your money will not go to nowhere, like water through your fingers.

Saving in everyday life is not a complicated science, but at the same time, not everyone is given the ability to save correctly. After all, saving does not mean denying yourself everything. Only by following the system can you save and increase your money. Creating your own system is not so simple; it is better to first read more various articles about saving. But this will happen later if this topic interests you. And right now I’ll give you a few simple rules that will certainly help you save some of your budget. So, here are these simple tips for saving:

Control your expenses and income. Create your own ledger or use a special program for recording your income and expenses, of which there are now plenty on the Internet, and write down all your expenses and income, even the smallest ones, every day. Only having some kind of statistics base in hand will you be able to correctly analyze your financial policy. This is the only way you can find weaknesses in your spending system and fill in these gaps through which your money is leaking away from you.

Always save some of your income. Make yourself a rule according to which you will save a certain percentage of any of your income. I recommend saving 10%. This is the most suitable percentage, by putting it aside, you will be able to save money for something significant without any damage to your life. However, everyone must choose this percentage independently, depending on their income, expenses and desires for future acquisitions.

Your money should work for you. If you manage to save some money, then do not keep it at home, in a stocking or under the mattress. This is both dangerous and unprofitable, because no one has abolished apartment theft and inflation and will not abolish it. Even the simplest deposit will help you protect your savings from these two threats. And when the money is kept away from you, there will be less temptation to reach into the box and take it out for unexpected expenses.

Don't spend money spontaneously. Returning to the previous point, I would advise you to always carefully consider your upcoming expenses and not make impulsive purchases. Then there will be no unexpected expenses at all. This is very easy to achieve with simple planning. I will give an example for clarity. You are going to the grocery store to replenish supplies. Look at the condition of the refrigerator and storage bins to see what you need, make a list and only then go to the store. In the store, buy goods strictly according to the list, without purchasing anything unnecessary. This is the only way you can save money . And one more piece of advice regarding shops: try not to go there if you feel hungry. A hungry person is the most desirable customer of supermarkets, since he can buy everything he needs and doesn’t need, spending every last penny.

Avoid buying well-known brands. The quality is the same as most products in this group, but the price is higher, because in order for the brand to be widely known, you need to spend a lot of money on advertising. It is for this advertising that you pay extra when buying “branded” items and products.

Don't take out loans. It is better to do without taking out a loan at all, because on a loan you will overpay a lot of money to the bank. Maintaining and servicing a credit account, interest on the loan itself, and sometimes loan insurance - all these expenses, in addition to the purchase amount itself, will fall on your shoulders. It is much better to wait a little and save up for what you want.

Always be aware of new tariffs. We all use cellular communications, the Internet, and utilities. How often do you study new offers from your mobile operators and Internet provider? Did you know that electric meters have long been available that take into account electricity consumption on weekdays and weekends, during the day and in the evening? You can easily save money by installing such a counter and, for example, doing laundry on weekends rather than on weekdays. And cellular communications and the provision of Internet access are generally very competitive markets, so various new tariffs are always introduced there, promotions are held and everything is done to the maximum to lure customers away from competitors. In general, look at the latest offers, and perhaps you will find a cheaper opportunity to use a mobile phone and the Internet.

Don't lend money. Well, everything is simple here, debts are very often not repaid or they are delayed in repaying them, which is also bad for us. After all, money returned after a month of staying with someone is already less valuable than the amount given. Some of the money was eaten up by inflation. And, in general, our ancestors also said: “If you want to lose a friend, lend him money.”

Well, that's probably all. In this article you learned the basics of saving. I hope you find them useful. And remember, saving is a lifestyle, but not momentary greed and stinginess. Saving is the road to financial independence. Only by learning to live within your means, fit your expenses into your income and at the same time save something, will you be able to breathe freely financially.

How to save on food?

Many useful tips for thrifty housewives mainly include only recipes for dishes, the preparation of which is not expensive for the family budget, but the main savings lie not so much in the composition of the ingredients, but in home cooking. Our compatriots have long been accustomed to buying chopped salads, pizza in supermarkets, which you just need to heat in the microwave, packs of dumplings and dumplings, and other semi-finished products.

But thrifty housewives know very well that such products are expensive and are unlikely to benefit the body. Therefore, it is better to go to the market or, at worst, to a hypermarket on a weekend. Buy fresh vegetables, dairy products, meat and chicken, all kinds of greens, and then for a week prepare healthy dishes from these products, using old and inventing new recipes. Therefore, any economical and thrifty housewife needs to learn the first rule of rational shopping: high-quality natural food is not more expensive than health!

In order not to spend a lot of time preparing dinner after work, tinker with the meat in advance, cutting it into pieces, make semi-finished meatballs, which then you just have to fry. It’s also a good idea to learn how to create an approximate menu for the week, taking into account recipes for those dishes that will not be difficult to prepare even after a busy day at work. Turn to the experience of more mature housewives and listen carefully to advice, for example, from your mother. She probably knows many tricks related to the issue of saving.

Remember that a truly economical housewife does not waste anything, so there is no need to prepare huge pots of food, the remains of which will then be thrown away, and also fill the refrigerator to the top, since most foods spoil during long-term storage. This is the second rule of becoming more frugal: buy foods with a limited shelf life only in quantities that your family can consume in a timely manner.

The properties of flour and sugar depend on the storage conditions of bulk products, so if you buy such products in bags in order to save money, ensure their safety. To do this, you need to create ideal conditions in the room, for example, in a pantry, where there is no dampness. But you shouldn’t buy sunflower oil in packages - you can always choose it in any store. Here is the third rule that any thrifty young housewife needs to remember: shelf-stable products are indeed more profitable to purchase in bulk, but subject to a reasonable approach and the availability of suitable storage conditions.

To become more rational in your spending, teach yourself and the rest of your family not to go shopping without first having breakfast or lunch. Of course, there are force majeure circumstances when you need to go to the store after work. But at this time you are usually in a hurry, so you will quickly take only what you need and go home. Advice against shopping on an empty stomach applies to weekly trips to the supermarket, which are often done with the whole family.

If someone is hungry, especially children, then the variety of food temptations will quickly move into your cart, leaving no room for the truly important goods. And how surprised you will be when you sort out your purchases and discover that the amount of money spent does not correspond to the fullness of your refrigerator! Rule five: having a full meal before going to the store can be a good deterrent in trying to buy too much.

Personal budget inspection

First, you need to decide on the amount you want to allocate from your budget to the “Free money” column. You don’t need to think that you can start saving and only then will you see how much money is freed up. In practice, nothing good will come of this idea.

So, the first thing you do is determine the amount. For example, I want to set aside 5 thousand rubles from my monthly budget. That is, you can allocate 60 thousand as free money during the year.

Over ten years, this amount will amount to 600 thousand rubles. If you invest correctly and increase your funds, then in ten years you can increase this amount 4 times, and, as a result, you will have 2.4 million rubles.

And it all started, as you see above, with savings of 5,000 rubles.

Next, it's worth looking at each line in the left column where your expenses are indicated.

If you set a goal to save a certain amount of money, then there is always the opportunity to cut some budget item or abandon some expenses altogether.

There is no need to save on health or education - this is your own investment in yourself. But expenses on food, clothing or transportation can be reduced. Entertainment expenses can be greatly reduced or this item can be completely closed for a limited period.

There is no need to give up entertainment completely; you need to look for more economical ways to entertain yourself.

Thus, with the right approach, even putting aside only 5 thousand rubles in free money, you can collect a fairly decent amount for certain purposes.

Where you spend this money is your business. Now you know how to save your personal budget and can afford to have free money.

Economical housekeeping is accessible to everyone