
Source: newretirement.com
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Source: newretirement.com
This story originally appeared on NewRetirement. They say that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The bad news is that the last 50 years have seen five major financial, market or economic crises. The good news is that each crisis has lessons that you can apply today to help you build more wealth and feel more secure about your future. Each of the following crises left its…
Source: moneytalksnews.com
If youâre a gardener, chances are you know how rewarding growing your own food can be. Whether you run an at-home farm, tend to a small patch of blueberry bushes, or have an apartment window herb garden, you know how satisfying that harvest of something youâve grown is. Gardening has been linked to some serious health benefits, tooâeven significantly lowering levels of cortisol and feelings of stress.
Turns out, growing your own food at home offers much more than a chance to get outside and get your hands dirty. Growing your food can be an incredibly cost-effective hobby, with a 600 square-foot garden producing about 300 pounds of fresh produce worth around $600 annually. When packs of seeds cost around $3 each, the opportunity to grow your investment, literally and figuratively, is clear. Â
Just by planting and tending to tomatoes, lettuce, or potatoes, you could save some serious money as a result. The average American spends close to $6,800 a year on food, which equals 12.6 percent of their total spending. Of that, $760 is spent on fruits and vegetables. By spending under $100 to build up your own plot of fruits and veggies, you could save around $800 a yearâmoney that you could then save or invest in more seeds to save even more at the grocery store!
You donât need a green thumb to see how that math adds up. If youâre worried about a black thumb ruining your chances of saving some serious green yearly, learn more about gardening tips that will turn even the smallest of garden plots into a bountiful harvest. Plus, read up on the many benefits of gardening on your health and overall happinessâyouâll be grabbing gardening gloves and mulch before you know it!
Sources: Country Living | An Oregon Cottage | Balcony Garden Web | The Penny Hoarder | Earth Easy | PSECU | Good Housekeeping | AARP | MoneyÂ
The post Gardening Tips That Save You Green appeared first on MintLife Blog.
Source: mint.intuit.com
Source: moneytalksnews.com
Want to give the perfect gift? Give something that will last a lifetime: the gift of understanding money. There are few things more important than financial knowledge, because it’s something that can alter the path of your life. It can make the difference between getting rich and just getting by. Hyperbole? Not at all. For example, if you save $500 a month over your 40-year working life and earn 5%
Source: moneytalksnews.com
Itâs no secret that you can be healthy on a budget, but the real secret lies in how you can stay healthy and on budget. Just like adapting to a new diet, staying on budget is all about behavior change. In my previous article, I shared tips on eating healthy on a budget, and this time around, Iâm digging a little deeper into how to stay on budget on a shopping trip. Since I get groceries at least once per week, both for work projects and for my personal family shopping, I consider myself an expert in saving money at the grocery store. Here are my top 10 tips for shopping at the grocery store on a budget, and donât be surprised- some of these tips start even BEFORE you hit the store!
Cutting coupons may seem like a blast from the past, but if cutting out little pieces of paper can save $5 for my future, then Iâll be clipping away! Each week, your mail includes ads from local grocery stores and coupons from major brands, so tossing that mail out is like throwing away money. Instead, look through that mail to find deals on your frequently used items, and anything special coming up. Shopping ads especially help me to plan food for holidays, like for this budget-friendly spread for Fourth of July.
I suggest planning out weekly meals and making a grocery list for it. This not only saves a lot of money, but will also save time in the grocery store and help reduce food waste (which is basically wasted money). Going into the store with a list makes me feel more prepared and in control of what I spend. Itâs pretty easy to say no to those extra treats in the cart if theyâre not on my list.
If you have a grocery store in town where you bag your own groceries, chances are that store has the best prices since the savings on staff can be reflected on your receipt. Plus, I like to bag my own groceries, as it gives me a final run-through of my purchase to make sure I didnât forget anything, and I get to bag them exactly how I want.
The biggest mistake in overspending at the grocery store is going shopping when your stomachâs growling. That extra bag of chips gets half-way eaten before check-out at the register, and guess what?!?! It wasnât on your grocery list, in your budget, OR on your meal plan. Prevent that mistake by eating before a trip to the grocery store and it will be easier to stick to your plan.
There are so many reasons why eating seasonally is better- less impact on the environment, more nutrients, and better taste- but buying produce in season is actually a great way to save money and eat healthy. â¯You donât have to spend extra on foods that are imported from different regions when itâs growing in season in your area. When produce is in season, itâs in abundance so farmers are able to give a better deal.
While I stress that fresh is best, there are some times when it just makes sense to buy frozen veggies. One reason would be because of cost. If there is a good sale on organic frozen peas, Iâll go ahead and purchase some ahead of time since I can store it in my freezer. Another reason to buy frozen is because of seasonality. There is plenty of fresh and juicy corn available in the summer, but when it comes to winter months, I like to pull corn straight from my freezer.
There is so much emphasis on how pre-packaged foods are more convenient, but these foods are not convenient on my wallet or my diet. When you buy foods that are already packaged, youâre paying for that extra packaging and all the costs that go along with that (from advertising, to transportation, to even stocking it on the shelves). On top of that, buying food already packaged up can mean you end up wasting some of that food if you donât use it.
That being said, I am all for soliciting the various departments of the grocery store and getting exactly how much I need, which means I pay for only that. I get my sandwich meat and cheese from the deli and what I love is that I can tell them how much to slice, how many slices, and even how thick to make my slices. Gone are the days of moldy cheese because I ran out of bread- now I know to shop for exactly what I need.
Speaking of bread, I also buy baked goods at the bakery. Not only are these items usually made fresh in stores, they also skip all the fancy packaging and trickle all those savings to you. If youâre seriously on a budget, some bakeries even sell day-old goods for a fraction of the cost.
While youâre visiting the different departments of the grocery store, donât forget to make a stop to the butcher. I like to buy meat in bulk and cut it to freeze for later. Itâs so much cheaper to buy meat like this, and I love the convenience of having options to use in my freezer. My biggest tip is if youâre going to make chicken, get the whole chicken because thatâs considerably cheaper than one thatâs cut. Aside from using just the meat, you can also make a delicious chicken broth with the carcass, which is a great way to use the whole animal and also save money even more!
You know those bulk bins at the grocery store? That section is like gold to me since every time I visit it, Iâm saving money! Since Iâm usually developing recipes, itâs just easier to purchase the exact quantity of something, that way I know exactly how much something costs. Whatâs even better is that I only have the amount needed for the recipe, and that leaves me with less food to waste each month. I absolutely dread throwing away food, because itâs like throwing away money, so by buying some ingredients in bulk, I know Iâm using up what I need.
Using ingredients from bulk bins, Iâm going to make aebleskiver, or Danish Pancakes. Ever since I got a special pan, Iâve been obsessed with making these fun-size pancakes. I usually donât purchase separate pans for specialty foods, but I really got my moneyâs worth for this pan since I use it a few times each month. Yes, I could buy these ingredients packaged up ahead of time, but itâs happened where I think I have enough flour for a recipe (usually after I already mixed up the other ingredients), but I donât have enough so I have to waste my time with an emergency trip to the store. But ever since I started using bulk bins, I know I have enough for my recipes every time, and when it comes to eating healthy on a budget, everything adds up!
The post Best Tips for Shopping at the Grocery Store on a Budget appeared first on MintLife Blog.
Source: mint.intuit.com