Do you spend money everyday?

“Do you spend money everyday,” I asked my friend recently.  The reply was “Yes!”.

“How about myself?”  Well, I certainly do not spend money everyday.  I track my expenses everyday in my spreadsheet.  So I decided to count how many days I spend in a month.  On average, I end up spending money almost everyday as well.  20 days out of the month is a pretty high ratio!  I was surprised by this finding.  Since, I am not a big spender at heart!

Even though, I am spending 20 days out of the month.  My purchases are controlled and small.  I don’t really follow a budget.  If I see something I like or need, I will whip out my credit card to make my purchase.  I lead a simple life.  Most of my major purchases have been made, but there are always things that will pop into the picture which will make a dent in my savings.  I will worry about them later.

Food is my biggest daily expenditure.  Meal planning is an essential to keep costs down.  I try my best to cook in most of the time.  But sometimes, if I’m rushed for time or just plain lazy, I’ll go out to grab a bite.

Here are some tips:

When I do buy lunch/dinner, I try to make it last for another meal if the portion is large enough.

I always order water or tea.  It doesn’t cost you a thing, unless you ask for bottled water.

At Subway, I usually buy their 6″ pizza sub for $4.00.  Not too long ago, I discovered their $5 footlongs.  So now, I buy their $5 footlongs and split them up for two lunches making it $2.50 per lunch!

Tuesdays is a “slow” day of the week.  Most places have a deal to draw you into their eateries.  KFC have their Toonie Tuesdays (more like $2.99 + tax deal) with a chicken thigh and leg plus fries.  Fresh Slice have their $1.25 + tax per slice deal.  Movies at the theaters are usually a few bucks cheaper too!  I’m sure there are other deals on Tuesday around town, but those are the top ones I can think of.

Burger King have their daily King Deals.  $5 + tax combo.  You can even replace their fries for onion rings at no cost.

I am always on the lookout for coupons and deals.  Makes me happy when I get a big bang for my buck!

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Costco Run down in the States

Last Friday, I headed down to Bellingham with a friend after work.  The border line up was a 20 minute wait.  By the time we reached Costco, it was 7pm.  They close at 8:30pm, so we fought through the crowds and picked up some groceries in a jiffy.

Next on our list was to fill up my running empty tank, I had just enough to make it down there.  Gas is so much cheaper down in the states.  I paid $40 for the fill up versus the usual $60.

After a quick bite at Taco Bell and Arby’s for dinner, we headed to Ross. There, I found a cute top for myself and Hello Kitty dress for my niece for $10.99 a piece.   We also shopped at Walmart and Fred Meyers where I bought a few more things.  I picked up some cheap chicken breasts and Vitamin Water for 69 cents.  Apparently, you don’t have to pay deposit and recycling fee.

Just before midnight, we made our way back to the border.  The crossing took us 10 minutes or so.  It was a successful trip.  We both got what we wanted from crossing the border.

Deal of the night… A whole roasted chicken at Costco for $4.99.  This chicken provided many meals for my bf and myself.

Lunch#1- carved a few pieces and served it with fries

Dinner#1- chicken fajita with pepper, celery, onion and cheese

Lunch#2- scrambled egg with shredded chicken & onions and served it with hash browns

Dinner#2 & leftovers for lunch#3- macaroni with shredded chicken and mixed veggies in cream of mushroom

Dinner#3- shredded chicken with roasted potatoes and turnip

Deals

Lately, I’ve been frequenting sites like Red Flag Deals and Smart Canucks in search for deals!  If you keep your eye out, you can get really good discounts through coupons and special promotions that companies offer to attract consumers to their products.  I’m only at the beginning stages of learning how to use “stacking” to my advantage.  Apparently, you can stack the coupons together to get an item for free.  I’m not really a coupon clipper, but if it does save me money, I will do it.  Price matching is another option that many use to get another 10% off from the sale item listed.  But I believe that takes time and piss a lot of people off in the long line ups.  Always know your prices.. try not to pay for the full price for an item.  It’s bound to go on sale anytime!  Just wait for it… and you shall pocket the savings 🙂

Here’s the list of freebies I got so far:

-Free Taster’s Choice 6 instant packets
-Free sample of  All Bran bar
-Free MCD Large fries using Monopoly Money
-Free 414ml Coke from Mac’s (Picked up Oct 10th on expiry date)
-Free Maple Leaf Bacon (Have not used my coupon yet)
-Signed up for a free tub of Cottenelle
-Signed up for a free sample of Kotex