Ellen Phillips Want more money in your wallet or billfold for that special trip or occasion? If readers haven’t yet taken advantage of one or more recent suggestions, try those and then, also, select methods from today’s column. (Please let me know which ones work for you.)
1. Buy an insulated coffee container, a durable, sealable, thermos-like container for less than $15-$20 online. Lots of people buy Yeti coffee “mugs,” but for a good bit less money, my RTIC 30-ounce tankard keeps beverages very hot and cold ones very cold (even with ice not melting) for 24 hours. Secondly, along with coffee-savings plans, stop visiting Starbucks (or your local equivalent) on your way to work, shop, or travel. Renouncing your latte-a-day habit is worth a $20-to-$25 bottom-line bump each week! Set that extra hundred bucks aside for vacationing.
2. Trim your grocery budget with some of the following tips and see how many more you can figure out. For instance, cheaper produce is just as tasty, such as substituting Gala apples over Honeycrisp or shitake mushrooms over buttons. When you are grocery shopping also:
A) Never shop when hungry. Following a full meal is the best time so as to avoid the candy aisle and the New York strip steaks.
B) Use coupons. If you like to clip, go for it; otherwise, visit coupon clipping apps, including RedPlum or Ibotta. If you’ll use what you purchase and not allow items to go to waste, shop in bulk. Costco or Sam’s Club, along with other super-saver chains, can conserve bunches of cash, especially with bulk items like toilet tissue or soft drinks.