In our house we have something called 'Idiot Tax.' My husband read or saw somewhere that the average UK household wastes £1,000 a year on mistakes, and we call it 'Idiot Tax'. Yesterday I paid £2.30 in Idiot Tax to pay off a library fine, because I forgot to return the book! Speeding fines, buying useless things, wasted food - my personal goal for 2024 is to massively reduce my own 'Idiot Tax'!
A young woman friend, her husband and 2 children went to New Zealand on vacation. They researched, planned and budgeted. They rented a camper van so they did not have to use hotels and bought groceries to cook in their camper, they only went to a restaurant a couple of times. She said the grocery stores are quite different, not as much processed food, more fresh foods. It sounded like a dream vacation and I admire how wisely they did it.
As an independent contractor for a grocery shopping/delivery service company, I am amazed and appalled at the amount of convenience foods that some customers purchase for their families. Oftentimes, there is little to no produce, fresh meats or wholesome dairy products on the order. I’m not sure if this is because they are too busy to cook from scratch, lazy or just that they’ve bought into the trend of buying meals ready made. The cost of these items is often double or triple what it would be if you made it yourself. Another thing to take into consideration is the nutritional value of the food. It’s no wonder that we see more people with food allergies, obesity and diabetes.
Now everyone must worry about bugs or bug parts in prepared food. Oh, and people buy candy but not healthy foods. It's always an empty section on the weekend nights!
My wife and I purchased a Mazda CX-7 and we didn't realize it required premium gas. When we purchased it 8 years ago it wasn't a super big deal. But now with premium gas costing 4 dollars plus it's huge.
We quit buying paper towels, six months ago and got napkins like we used to have growing up. That saves us so much money. We make our own laundry soap, our own cleaner and we quit buying store-bought bread we make it instead.
Using paper towels as napkins is a waste. Paper napkins are cheaper, but inexpensive washcloths or handset towels make more "cents". Especially if you have children.
I don't necessarily have a meal plan when I shop. I have a decent stockpile of our regular ingredients. I shop the sales every week to stock up, then meal plan from what we have.
Drinking alcohol as a pleasure is great once in awhile. But people tend to overdo. Many when drunk are violent and may go home and abuse their wives as we have seen for decades. Being drunk means not on the wheel and hitting people on the road and usually kill them if not maim them. Did you know in Canada at Christmas time many sick people are given much needed organs due to people who died in car accidents due to booze. I know that because I used to work in the Canadian Children's Hospital. There are parents who will spend to drink but won't think their kids need milk and food. The person drinking says they don't have money. If you have money to drink you definitely have enough to buy food. It's time we realistically face the insane issue of drinking alcohol destroying our budgets, people and our health. 😢😢😢GREECE?
I get tons of free food as a flight attendant. And my colleagues still buy fast food at the airports! One of them once bought unhealthy fast food meals from three different restaurants in one day when we had four flights 🤯💸💸💸
Hi, new subbie here. I purchased a few things yesterday that I gave myself a week to think over before committing to the purchase. I'm glad I did because my cart started out with a lot more than what I actually purchased. Over the week I was able to really think about weather I truly needed or was going to use each item, got rid of about 30% of what I had in the cart. That is thanks to your tip I saw in another video of yours. Before I would've bought it all knowing I didn't need everything, so thank you.
I do not meal plan for the week. It doesn’t work for me. But we basically eat the same 14 meals over and over so I always have all of the ingredients in hand. I buy the same stuff at the grocery store every time. I guess that’s loosely meal planning. 😅
I usually agree with the name brand versus the off brand, but a tip for my fellow incontinent frugal people, Gain detergent is worth the splurge if you're dealing with body waste odor
@@plasek6309 I agree, personally we use the free/clear versions of most things, Sometimes though odors linger and Ill use rinse and refresh or vinegar in the fabric softener tray.
I felt so targeted right away, talking about good intentions from the start. I’m full of good exercise, craft, and journaling intentions, with the evidence sitting around to scold me. My response, unfortunately, is to claim that I’m going to do something with them soon. Even if I do, it’s generally just a few times overall. The money is wasted and isn’t coming back. I need to face the truth. Or actually change my ways.
Paper towels are a must for me (cat poop accidents (some runny), cat puke, occasionally infectious staph type drool, occasional blood, raw meat handling-cats again for a lot of that…etc). I have bamboo ones and cotton ones now tho so I buy a lot less and use those washable ones for many other things that aren’t quite as unsanitary as all of that. Lol. Lol. Snacks. I could prob do better. 😅😅 The waste money list is endless. Lol. Everything from lotto to retail therapy. I think you hit the nail on the head tho…Many times it’s just about not paying attention.
I had a friend who had the habit of stopping by at Starbucks every day for a cup of coffee. I did the math and told him that he was spending at least $100 a month . . . for a cup of coffee.
For the good intention stuff I wait until I can find it at goodwill..chances are someone else had the same issue. I've found stuff new in box.😂🎉 the snacks thing will be helpful with my diet too. Ty
Lots of people waste money by using paper towels regularly! You can invest in swedish dish cloths for many of the jobs people use paper towels for. They're a lot more fun, more sanitary, they absorb more and they are reusable many times over. Just throw them in the wash and let them air dry. They air dry pretty quickly on a dish/drying rack and you can reuse them again. They don't harbor nearly as much bacteria than a sponge either. You can use them either in place of a sponge or as a paper towel.
Speaking of subscriptions, make sure you're saving enough over a year to justify memberships like Costco and Amazon Prime. It can be quite difficult to keep track of,
Yes, if you drop your membership big box store but still wish to purchase items there, have someone with a membership purchase gift cards for you. I sent my sister a P.O. money order so she picks up a gift card for me each month. No membership fee for me! 😊 You need only show them the gift card and tell them where in the store you are going. 🎉
Hi there, I've used that brand in the past, and now we use the Costco brand. It works amazing and it is a lot less expensive. I also have heard from many people that they are making their own detergent or using alternative, less expensive brands that work really well.
So true. Oprah once had a show where she had I think it was Hillary Swank put her hair in a ponytail, then reach back and cut it below the hair band. It worked great! (They then sold her hair on eBay for charity). 😊 Now I do it. Cut my hubbies hair with a home hair cutting shaver, it really is not difficult to just eyeball it as you cut for short hair. Little trimming and good as gold.
I used to keep a “I forgot lunch bag” in my drawer at work. Something like a pouch tuna, a packet of mayo and an energy bar. My expensive grocery store has a special at the beginning of each month for Tide 141oz, Bounty and Charmin in super sizes. It comes to about $67. Buy 3 get $15 off. They accept competitors coupons $10 off $50 purchase. Store coupon $5 off $25. Manufacturers coupons $4, $3, 3=$11. Ibotta rebate $2.50. So it looks like this $67-$15-$10-$5-$11-$2.50=$23.50/3 items=$7.83 each. I’m happy with 16 mega rolls of Charmin @$8 or $0.50 roll. The tp will last about 2 months, the bounty paper towels about 3-4 months and the Tide about 8-12 months. I calculate how much it cost per load and I’m happy with the price of Tide. I have a front load washer and it only needs 1 tablespoon. One ounce is 2 tablespoons, so I get 282 loads. The price is $0.028 a load.
In our house we have something called 'Idiot Tax.' My husband read or saw somewhere that the average UK household wastes £1,000 a year on mistakes, and we call it 'Idiot Tax'. Yesterday I paid £2.30 in Idiot Tax to pay off a library fine, because I forgot to return the book! Speeding fines, buying useless things, wasted food - my personal goal for 2024 is to massively reduce my own 'Idiot Tax'!
A young woman friend, her husband and 2 children went to New Zealand on vacation. They researched, planned and budgeted. They rented a camper van so they did not have to use hotels and bought groceries to cook in their camper, they only went to a restaurant a couple of times. She said the grocery stores are quite different, not as much processed food, more fresh foods. It sounded like a dream vacation and I admire how wisely they did it.
I mostly buy generic but you can get some killer deals using coupons on brand name items. You just have to be strategic about it.
Ruby, great point! Hugs 🤗
As an independent contractor for a grocery shopping/delivery service company, I am amazed and appalled at the amount of convenience foods that some customers purchase for their families. Oftentimes, there is little to no produce, fresh meats or wholesome dairy products on the order. I’m not sure if this is because they are too busy to cook from scratch, lazy or just that they’ve bought into the trend of buying meals ready made. The cost of these items is often double or triple what it would be if you made it yourself. Another thing to take into consideration is the nutritional value of the food. It’s no wonder that we see more people with food allergies, obesity and diabetes.
Now everyone must worry about bugs or bug parts in prepared food. Oh, and people buy candy but not healthy foods. It's always an empty section on the weekend nights!
I think people frequently waste money by not thinking ahead and 'stacking' errands. They waste a lot of gas (and time!) by not consolidating trips.
... or driving all over town to save cents on a grocery product.
That is what I do I think ahead and combine my trips
Everyday after work I see a huge line of cars going through the drive-thru at In-and-Out burgers.
@@arturovillaluz2053😢
My wife and I purchased a Mazda CX-7 and we didn't realize it required premium gas. When we purchased it 8 years ago it wasn't a super big deal. But now with premium gas costing 4 dollars plus it's huge.
We quit buying paper towels, six months ago and got napkins like we used to have growing up. That saves us so much money. We make our own laundry soap, our own cleaner and we quit buying store-bought bread we make it instead.
Fantastic! 🤗
Where did you get the bread machine if you are using onr
I don't use a bread machine, I do no- knead Artisan breads ,so east recipes on CZcams
BUY MICROFIBER CLOTHS...
AND USE THEM OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER... YOU GET THE IDEA
Cotton towels do a better easy quick clean up so get those as well microfiber.
We only subscribe to one streaming service at a time. When we run out of things to watch, we rotate to a different platform.
Using paper towels as napkins is a waste. Paper napkins are cheaper, but inexpensive washcloths or handset towels make more "cents". Especially if you have children.
BUY MICROFIBER CLOTHS..
AND USE THEM OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER..
YOU GET THE IDEA
I don't necessarily have a meal plan when I shop. I have a decent stockpile of our regular ingredients. I shop the sales every week to stock up, then meal plan from what we have.
Love that!
Drinking alcohol as a pleasure is great once in awhile. But people tend to overdo. Many when drunk are violent and may go home and abuse their wives as we have seen for decades. Being drunk means not on the wheel and hitting people on the road and usually kill them if not maim them. Did you know in Canada at Christmas time many sick people are given much needed
organs due to people who died in car accidents due to booze.
I know that because I used to work in the Canadian Children's Hospital. There are parents who will spend to drink but won't think their kids need milk
and food. The person drinking says they don't have money. If you have money to drink you definitely have enough to buy food. It's time we realistically
face the insane issue of drinking alcohol destroying our budgets, people and our health. 😢😢😢GREECE?
I get tons of free food as a flight attendant. And my colleagues still buy fast food at the airports! One of them once bought unhealthy fast food meals from three different restaurants in one day when we had four flights 🤯💸💸💸
I go to used bookstores or thrift stores...saving lots of money.
Larry and Hope of Under the Median on CZcams talk about all of this too. I learn so much from you guys. Thank you Jennifer 🙂
Dora, you are very welcome! 🤗
My meetup ladies and I do wine tasting at Total Wine for only $20, usually 8 tastings & includes snacks, cheese & crackers, etc.
Hi, new subbie here. I purchased a few things yesterday that I gave myself a week to think over before committing to the purchase. I'm glad I did because my cart started out with a lot more than what I actually purchased. Over the week I was able to really think about weather I truly needed or was going to use each item, got rid of about 30% of what I had in the cart. That is thanks to your tip I saw in another video of yours. Before I would've bought it all knowing I didn't need everything, so thank you.
Danielle, that is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing this with me 🤗 Have a wonderful weekend!
I do not meal plan for the week. It doesn’t work for me. But we basically eat the same 14 meals over and over so I always have all of the ingredients in hand. I buy the same stuff at the grocery store every time. I guess that’s loosely meal planning. 😅
That's smart, automated meal planning!
I usually agree with the name brand versus the off brand, but a tip for my fellow incontinent frugal people, Gain detergent is worth the splurge if you're dealing with body waste odor
have to agree, the persil/tide/gain have more detergents and are just more effective... Using the proper label amount makes it last forever
Use arm and hammer or all fragrance-free. Gain etc. cause migraines and severe allergies. Please people!
@@plasek6309 I agree, personally we use the free/clear versions of most things, Sometimes though odors linger and Ill use rinse and refresh or vinegar in the fabric softener tray.
I am such a notebook junkie there are so many beautiful ones. Then I am afraid of messing them up so don't write in them. Yikes
Me too. Lol
Journals...you called me out!! Why are they so appealing?? Great video with lots of tips. Thanks!
Yes, journals, planners, and assorted gel pens! They attract me like magnets. They are my kryptonite!
Susan, I completely understand. They make some that are so pretty.
I think it’s all the possibilities.
I felt so targeted right away, talking about good intentions from the start. I’m full of good exercise, craft, and journaling intentions, with the evidence sitting around to scold me. My response, unfortunately, is to claim that I’m going to do something with them soon. Even if I do, it’s generally just a few times overall. The money is wasted and isn’t coming back. I need to face the truth. Or actually change my ways.
You have great intentions that you can turn into action. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead ❤️ hugs 🤗
Paper towels are a must for me (cat poop accidents (some runny), cat puke, occasionally infectious staph type drool, occasional blood, raw meat handling-cats again for a lot of that…etc). I have bamboo ones and cotton ones now tho so I buy a lot less and use those washable ones for many other things that aren’t quite as unsanitary as all of that. Lol.
Lol. Snacks. I could prob do better. 😅😅
The waste money list is endless. Lol. Everything from lotto to retail therapy. I think you hit the nail on the head tho…Many times it’s just about not paying attention.
I had a friend who had the habit of stopping by at Starbucks every day for a cup of coffee. I did the math and told him that he was spending at least $100 a month . . . for a cup of coffee.
Wow!
I bought a small battery power air pump for my car , I do not have to drive to the gas station to inflate my tires when cold
I think people spend a lot of $$$ on going to a coffee shop or out for lunch every day… like they’re drinking their child’s college fund.
Absolutely!
Or their retirement 😮
For the good intention stuff I wait until I can find it at goodwill..chances are someone else had the same issue. I've found stuff new in box.😂🎉 the snacks thing will be helpful with my diet too. Ty
My mom's car insurance went up $450 ..... 😮 She said time to find another company. It is outrageous!!!!!
Yep!
Oh my world!!! She's basically working just for the insurance company. That's crazy!
Lots of people waste money by using paper towels regularly! You can invest in swedish dish cloths for many of the jobs people use paper towels for. They're a lot more fun, more sanitary, they absorb more and they are reusable many times over. Just throw them in the wash and let them air dry. They air dry pretty quickly on a dish/drying rack and you can reuse them again. They don't harbor nearly as much bacteria than a sponge either. You can use them either in place of a sponge or as a paper towel.
Paper towels are good for removing grease/fat of pans .
Yes, and cleaning up puppy toilet training issues!
Thank you!
Great tips, love them all!
Thank you so much!
Great ideas!
Thanks Jennifer 😊
Shelby, thank you! 😊
Thank you Jennifer 👌
Thank you, Beatrice! Have a great week 🤗
It’s the snacks for us! 😅
🤗
Speaking of subscriptions, make sure you're saving enough over a year to justify memberships like Costco and Amazon Prime. It can be quite difficult to keep track of,
Great tip!
Yes, if you drop your membership big box store but still wish to purchase items there, have someone with a membership purchase gift cards for you. I sent my sister a P.O. money order so she picks up a gift card for me each month. No membership fee for me! 😊 You need only show them the gift card and tell them where in the store you are going. 🎉
I love your videos!❤
Tressa, thank you so much! Happy Saturday ❤️
❤ great channel
Totally off topic- where did your end table come from? I love it!
Hi Suzi, I found that at a store called Kirkland's. 🤗
❤❤❤😮😮😮😊😊😊Great job
Thank you! 🤗
Using paper napkins instead of cloth ones.
Jennifer, how do you compare detergents? Comparing ingredients when you dont know what it does, is hard.
Hi there, I've used that brand in the past, and now we use the Costco brand. It works amazing and it is a lot less expensive. I also have heard from many people that they are making their own detergent or using alternative, less expensive brands that work really well.
Let your wife (or husband) cut your hair. It s really not that difficult to learn and saves you a ton of money in the long run.
So true. Oprah once had a show where she had I think it was Hillary Swank put her hair in a ponytail, then reach back and cut it below the hair band. It worked great! (They then sold her hair on eBay for charity). 😊 Now I do it. Cut my hubbies hair with a home hair cutting shaver, it really is not difficult to just eyeball it as you cut for short hair. Little trimming and good as gold.
I used to keep a “I forgot lunch bag” in my drawer at work. Something like a pouch tuna, a packet of mayo and an energy bar.
My expensive grocery store has a special at the beginning of each month for Tide 141oz, Bounty and Charmin in super sizes. It comes to about $67. Buy 3 get $15 off. They accept competitors coupons $10 off $50 purchase. Store coupon $5 off $25. Manufacturers coupons $4, $3, 3=$11. Ibotta rebate $2.50. So it looks like this $67-$15-$10-$5-$11-$2.50=$23.50/3 items=$7.83 each. I’m happy with 16 mega rolls of Charmin @$8 or $0.50 roll. The tp will last about 2 months, the bounty paper towels about 3-4 months and the Tide about 8-12 months.
I calculate how much it cost per load and I’m happy with the price of Tide. I have a front load washer and it only needs 1 tablespoon. One ounce is 2 tablespoons, so I get 282 loads. The price is $0.028 a load.
It's fantastic that they have such great deals! I love that you have it all calculated out 🤗
Omg I’m 2 minutes in. And it’s like your speaking directly to me 🤣🤣. I got the exercise equipment and books. Yet to use them 🫣
It is absolutely ok 🤗 You are not alone in doing this ❤️ hugs!