Penny Pinching 101

I’m not very good at this whole penny pinching thing considering I’m going out of the country. One of my goals for the year was to leave the country twice. It didn't happen in the first six months and I didn't know if I would get anywhere the rest of the year. So the trip fufills half of that goal.

Yesterday I took it upon myself to try to save money at the grocery store. The first step was seeing what I already had; tuna, ground turkey, chicken breast, pasta and a can of clams. That translates into tuna salad, turkey tacos or burgers, chicken parmesan and linguine and clams. You all know I can cook but I am often lazy. This inspired me to “bust out” some of my tried and true meals. The second step was passing by Whole (Paycheck) Foods and going to Giant since many things are cheaper at the chain grocery store. For the most part I just bought what ever I needed to complete the meals I listed above. I wanted also to buy my favorite summer snack Jell-O. I see the six pack of Jell-O jiggling in my face and I grab it. Something told me to look at the price and that is something I rarely do. It cost $2.29 for six small cups of Jell-O. Sugar, gelatin and some water that’s all it is. So I took a gander down the desert aisle in search of a box of Jell-O. A box of Jell-O cost 80 cents. I was proud of myself for investigating and going with the deal. Now most of the time I am a fan for paying for convenience but, making Jell-O takes 3 minutes. I’m also saving the environment since I am not throwing away 20 Jell-O cups a month. Okay well I just thought of that added benefit right now.

Well that is $1.50 I saved is a one day tip for housekeeping at the resort. Also my coin jar was full so I cashed that in at the Coin Star. It was a good bit of money so it should cover my extra spending cash in the DR. The way it's looking I won't have to take any money out of my checking account for this trip. Well not until September that is.