Show & Tell Tuesday – Save or Splurge
Where I save…
Hitting Sam’s Club once every two months is also a way we save. While not all prices are better, I do find the meat, vegetables and fruit more reasonable. The meat is definitely in much larger portions but I immediately separate and wrap in freezer paper to store in the deep freeze. Other items I’ve found to be cost effective are coffee, snack items in bulk such as goldfish, pretzels and crackers, nuts, chocolate chips and cheese. The kids love when I make homemade trail mix and it is much cheaper than the store bought. We make it a family affair to sort the items into snack size bags perfect for the kids lunches. Having a stocked freezer and pantry definitely limits the number of times I’m wandering the aisles of the grocery store possibly grabbing items I really do not need.
and while it was a splurge, it has saved me so much in dry cleaning fees. I despise ironing and was sending items to the dry cleaner that were not necessarily dry clean only but I didn’t want to iron. The steamer is quick and removes wrinkles so well on lightweight fabrics.
It has become so easy to download books to read and one area I would really love to save is by reserving library books instead. Is it sad that I really do not even know where to start with this one and am a tad bit lazy?
Where I splurge…
Definitely have splurged on having a regular housecleaner. Working outside of the home and chasing the kids from one activity to another really left me at wits end so many times. I just could not keep up with the house and hated spending my entire weekend catching up instead of having fun with my family. Two years ago we were finally in a spot where this became an option again and it is such a huge blessing.
One of my biggest splurges is on my dog, Dutch. When he was a puppy I hated leaving him alone for extended periods of time and worried about him like crazy. I found a local vet clinic which also operates both daycare and playcare for dogs. Even though he is fine staying alone during the day outside of his crate now, I still splurge and take him once or twice a week to doggy daycare. He loves it and I love knowing he’s getting some exercise and socialization.
So, where do you find the biggest savings in your household and how do you balance that with the items you feel are worth the splurge?
I love that you said one of your splurges is shoes! I feel the same way! I want to take care of my feet so I'm only going to buy the best shoes–that may mean I have 1/3 the amount of shoes as my friend, but my shoes are going to outlast hers by years! We also save big time on coffee with our new bunn! My husband has a major coffee habit so he has cut down to having coffee out once a week versus every day which has saved a ton!
MeetTheShaneyfelts
I definitely agree that shoes, jeans and office items are splurges! Usually the quality is better and lasts forever!
The older I get the more I realize how important investing in good shoes is! And you're right about the TP – my younger son always complains when we visit my sister. He says her TP is horrible! LOL
I have made the mistake of buying cheap toilet paper once….definitely not a good idea !
We definitely don't like cheap toilet paper! Ugh!
lol- same with cheap toilet paper but also the no brand ketchup is a no-no in our house…Heinz all the way.
Love to hear how other people save money! I hit up Costco and stock up on necessities and then really try to stick to a list when I'm at HEB, as well as planning meals ahead of time. I love the idea of the steamer as I am the one that irons all my husband's dress shirts and pants for work, this may save time!! My splurges are definitely those trendy items that I also hope will last a few seasons at least, like shoes!
Such a fun post! I agree that toilet paper is definitely not something you need to save on. Neither is cheese or a few other foods… I know from experience lol
Liz
http://Www.lizzieinlace.com
Oh heck yes….we have to have name brand ketchup fo sho!
It's the worst….no thanks.
Yep….it's definitely one of those mistakes you make once!
I seriously can tell the difference in quality shoes Kellyann. Worth the splurge for me.
I seriously have had some of my suit jackets for 10 years before finally retiring them. Of course…I probably only had to get rid of them because of my size changing and not them wearing out. 🙂
Totally agree Sarah! I actually probably have more shoes now than ever but definitely have invested in quality shoes that are lasting longer. Coffee is a killer….it can really add up quickly.
Our HEB has curbside now and I've been amazed at how much it's helped me stay on track because I'm not wandering around adding things (like mostly wine :)) that I don't really need.
Yeah….if I'm going to eat cheese it's probably NOT going to be the cheap kind….and it's probably going to have some wine with it!
hahah, I can totally relate to the toilet paper one! And we bought a costco size pack, so it took a while to go through it, we were slowly dying in inside, definitely not exaggerating at all, hehe.
Date nights are one of our big splurges, too. B and I LOVE to try new restaurants and we love good food and good wine, so we spare no expense in that department. We look at is as an investment as well, because it's something that we love to do together and we're making memories in the process. :o)
Sarah….you always make me laugh!!! That's hilarious
And the funny thing was it was Charmin, the one we usually get, but it was the ultra strong… which never, ever get! Ever! It was awful, back to the other so soft Charmin, man those Bears lied, it is not soft! Maybe compared to leaves or something…you know the bears in the commercial? Do people watch commercials any more?
We splurge on date night every other month and the months between we go fairly inexpensive. We still are paying for a sitter so that's always a factor. But we had a really amazing date night Saturday, which we both needed so badly, and it was costly but oh so worth it.
I love that you said date night was an investment rather than an expense! Yes!!
Three things I never buy generic: toilet paper, granola bars and Dr. Pepper!! Ha!!
My hair is my personal splurge! Every six weeks, like clockwork! I also want a housecleaner once we're not paying for preschool…but then Kendall will be in college!! Oh, the struggle of raising kids with huge age gaps!!
Loved your graphic! I left out TP…what the heck. I wish I drank black coffee, but 😝. I ❤️ Costco for all those things too.
Definitely splurge on toilet paper too! Good quality shoes and some clothes are worth the price. They last forever. I do splurge on my coffee addiction. I love Starbucks and have my card set up on Auto renewal so when it drops below $15 it automatically reloads to $50 on my credit card. Love Costco but with just 2 in our house now, I get the paper towels, kleenex and toilet paper. Oh and dishwasher soap and laundry soap there but that is about it.
Ditto on the toilet paper. I used to buy the other kinds, but at a certain point in life, you just say I deserve this! 🙂 Also, I agree about the Costco/Sam's shopping. As long as I can limit my trips there to once a month, I think it really saves money on meat, snacks etc. We drink our own coffee too. And it's just killer when the kids outgrow kids' meals, isn't it?!
I laughed about the toilet paper. I live in a house of men, but they are very particular about toilet paper! I have a weekly housekeeper and it's definitely a splurge, but makes life so much easier. I love that you take your dog to daycare sometimes. I need to check into that!
I can't imagine working and being a busy mama like you are without a house-cleaner. I would TOTALLY splurge on that one too. Heck, some days I feel like I need on :P.
Love this post, Shelly! Can I ask what kind of coffee maker you bought? I am a huge coffee drinker as well, we have a Keriug and a Cuisinart, but I'm looking for something a bit better.
I print out recipes for the month and try very hard to prepare each of those before heading back to the grocery store for more food. Our cleaning lady moved shortly after I retired. I thought I would save us money by doing the cleaning and ironing (I miss that most) myself. But now that I am working full time again, my Prince insisted we hire a new housekeeper. I am sad to think we are spending that money on something I feel is my responsibility to do. But there aren't enough hours in the day/week.
It really is the best Leslie. I don't necessarily mind cleaning but just having the time to keep up. Every weekend I would be spending all my time catching up on housework while the rest of my family was having fun and I was always just a tad bitter about it. 🙂
Amy we actually do have a Cuisinart coffee maker too. I think we are actually on the 3rd one as they have seemed to poop out randomly after a few years. It fits nicely under my counter but I do think I may look around again next time.
I think all moms deserve a break on this one Beth! I don't necessarily hate cleaning…in fact I kind of enjoy it but I was just missing out on quality time with the family. I only have her come every other week…and she's a college girl so I feel like I'm helping her cause too.
Lana….doggy daycare is so worth the splurge to me. Of course my husband thinks it's ridiculous but I just love seeing how happy he is and he is so well socialized and behaves when we take him along to baseball games and such.
Seriously…it has gotten so much more expensive to go out to eat these days. We are really bad, too, about having a drink at dinner and that is just such a waste.
My newest addiction is Amazon pantry…..I really need to do some price checking to see if it's really worth it or not. 🙂
Lisa, black coffee was definitely an acquired taste. I have never liked sweet coffee but boy did I love some cream! When I do splurge on Starbucks I always add a splash of steamed coconut milk.
Lol….I definitely think "real" soft drinks are worth the splurge even though I try not to keep them at the house. And my kids would agree with you on the granola bars! I didn't have a housekeeper from the time Carly was born until two years ago. I finally just decided I could not do it and have any real time with my family. I wish I could have her come ever single week AND do laundry. 🙂
We are so fortunate Stephanie as I can count on one hand how many times I had to hire a sitter. With Keith's mom and sister living right here in town and having older kids that could help it was never a huge factor. I do realize what a blessing this is!
Our only issue right now, Lindsay, is we both have put on some weight! I told him recently we were going to have to find restaurants we could walk to or find some other physical activity we could do on date nights. 🙂
Lol…I'm cracking up over this! Those bears did lie!
I havent tried that yet. However, a friend uses it and she loves it. I don't know if it will be worth it for just Tony and I!