There was an article in the Des Moines Register today that
confirmed what everyone already knows, prices have gone up. The premise of the article was that many
people have not recovered from the Great Recession because prices have gone up
and wages have gone down. Okay, I
already knew that, but the article gave statistical information which I found
quite interesting.
In Iowa the median household income in 2007 was $52,371 and
in 2012 was $50,957. In the U.S. as a
whole the median household income in 2007 was $56,189 and in 2012 was
$51,371. Americans are paying about
12.5% more for household goods. In 2007
a pound of ground beef cost $2.40 and in August of this year a pound cost
$3.46. A loaf of whole wheat bread in
2007 cost $1.71 while in August of this year a loaf cost $2.04. A pound of coffee was $3.50 in 2007 and in
August of this year a pound was $5.21.
Gasoline has consistently fluctuated over the past few years and has increased
to the point that it was not uncommon in Iowa to pay an average of $3.37 by the
end of August this year. Fortunately as
of today, the price of a gallon of gas in our area is $2.97.
Many Americans continue to feel the pinch as they are still
cutting back, have tried to adjust to lower wages, higher costs, have lost
their homes, jobs, are having problems paying their mortgage and have increased
credit card debt in order to pay basic bills.
The recent fiasco in Congress created more financial
problems for many people which has led me to believe this: we are on our own people. I have stated this recently on this blog. While thankfully there are programs that can
be helpful for families, many people don’t want to have to need these programs.
It is comforting that they are there to
help but when the government shut down occurred some of these resource programs
were suspended such as the W.I.C. program (Women, Infants and Children).
I believe it is becoming the responsibility of each of us to
take care of each other. If you have a
little extra and you have a neighbor in need, it is up to us to take care of
our neighbors. Sometimes we may not have
a lot, but a loaf of bread or a half a gallon of milk can go a long way for someone
who does not have much.
Recently I had an individual comment and ask what I am doing
to combat higher prices. I cut out some
frills in our budget such as getting my nails done and working out at Curves to
help our budget, but there is more that I can do. I have become a little lax, but with
retirement only 13 years away and the desire to continue to be a stay at home
wife and grandmother, there is more I need to do.
You know what it is like, you
sacrifice for such a long time, you need a vacation from the sacrificing. You get tired of counting pennies and you
just want to go out to a restaurant and spend some money on a great meal. I have been there. Funny thing is this: I can buy a 16 oz. steak on sale for $6.99
(recently $4.99), cut it in two, grill it, add a potato, small salad and a
homemade dessert for a lot less than I will spend for the two of us at a great
restaurant and it tastes better. The
same is true if I marinate some inexpensive chicken breasts and grill them with
some vegetables. The point is that
sometimes you need to take a break from the scrimping but you don’t need to
throw the budget out the window.
Sometimes it is creating a special meal and serve it by candle light OR
as we did when our kids were little, having pizza on a blanket on the living room
floor in the winter - our version of a
winter picnic.
When it comes to scrimping and
getting the most out of your hard earned money, there is one thing that will
save you a lot: being aware of what you
are doing daily. I know it sounds weird,
but think about it. Are you aware when
you run the water for a shower or bath how much water you are using? When you squirt dish soap into the dish pan
to wash dishes, are you using too much soap, the same being true for dishwasher
detergent? When you cook a casserole could you get by with using less meat and
more vegetables or pasta and rice? Instead of purchasing ice cream bars and cones
as a treat, buy a half gallon of ice cream on sale and put it in your own
cones. Sprinkle a few inexpensive
sprinkles on top and you have a cheap treat for your kids. Treats are great to keep us going during hard
times.
One thing I know is a fact, you
can still get great results in cleaning products by using less. You can save even more money by making your
own products or by using plain water to clean extremely dirty windows and then
spritzing on the cleaner to finish them off.
The same is for dirty services of any kind. Get the dirt or grime off as much as possible
with warm or hot water and then spritz on the cleaner at the end to finish the
cleaning process.
Be aware of what you are doing
throughout the day and you will find ways to save money.
As far as combating food prices,
my main tool is my freezer and a storage space for pantry items. Buying meat and frozen vegetables when they
are on sale is a great tool. If you only
have the freezer above your fridge to use, then use it for expensive food items
that go on sale such as meat.
I am a believer in Ivory bar
soap. I can get it on sale with coupons
all the time for about 15 cents a bar. I
am steering myself away from the shower gels which are costly. I don’t need the fragrance as I spritz on a
very light amount of perfume after I dress.
No need for the scents of a shampoo with a shower gel and then a lotion
along with perfume. Don’t buy into all
of the hype and instead find a bar soap that is cheaper that you like.
When I am at the store if I need
a product and don’t have a coupon, I always give the store brand a try. This is true for many items. I am not brand loyal and I am always looking
for a cheaper alternative. For basic
items such as canned tomatoes, pork n beans, and such I can virtually not see or
taste a difference especially when these items are going into soup, chili and
casseroles. I have always added my own ingredients
to pork n beans (ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and vinegar). Why would I care if they are name brand, store
brand or generic? The same is true of
laundry detergent. If I get a name brand
on sale at a really great deal, I buy it (during the summer I can get a great
deal on Tide). I reserve a bottle of Tide, Wisk, Oxydol or other name brand for
those wicked stains that won’t come out.
Then I mix the rest half and half with a store brand that I get on
sale. Once a year a store here in town
has their store brand detergent on sale for $1.00 or less for a 29 load
size. I have also done the same with
mixing sale bought name brand powdered detergent with the Fels Naptha powdered
laundry soap recipe.
I use ivory bar soap (rub it into
the stain and let it sit) or a small amount of liquid Dawn dish detergent for
pretreating stains. And since we are on the discussion of laundry,
does each family need a ton of clothes in their closets?
If you have children in the home
and you are working, you will have a much more difficult time in saving money
because you are busy and you may not have the time to do some money saving
tasks. I am going to address this in
another post this week as I have been there and I am also there a little bit
now with watching my grandson 4 days a week.
What questions do you have about saving money in general or in a
specific area? What help or ideas do you
have or need? Where are you at in your
household budget? Are you discouraged
and struggling? We may be facing a
different America than was there 20 or 40 years ago, but if you are willing to
put forth effort and keep a smile on your face, you can make it. It is sometimes about attitude and the
willingness to not give up.
Leave a comment and I will
address them.
.png)