Update on Buy Nothing Campaign, and Once a Month shopping

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It just did not work for me!!! The longest I have gone is 8 days... It just seems like my life is geared to going once a week, to pickup the good deals. Recently Kroger's had real butter for $1.49 a pound, and the next week, it was $3.69 a pound. I just could not pass up a deal like that!!! Also the loss leaders for the produce are just too good each week to pass up. I like to get out at least once a week. I go to the library, get feed, visit my Grandma, and check out the sales and odds and ends. So once a week is the best method for me!!!

How is it working out for you??? Let eveyone know!!

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 18, 2002

Answers

I shop about every two months. I hate the drive (2 hours round trip) and I hate to shop. I usually spend about $500 when I go, but that includes all our food, paper products, and cleaning supplies. It does not include milk, which I buy from a woman that milks her own cows. I prefer raw milk. I make yoghurt, bread, cheese, and many other things, so I only need the raw materials for these when I do shop.

-- Gayle in KY (gayleannesmith@yahoo.com), April 18, 2002.

I could see if it were 2 hours!!! For me it is about 20 minutes, so that is not too bad...

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 18, 2002.

I think the distance is a lot of my problem - I drive right past one store (Albertson's, which I don't like), and within half a mile of another (Wal-Mart Market, which is less expensive, but slow!) twice a day, five days a week when I take Mitchell to school. And that doesn't count taking them to swim lessons, taking Nick to mother's day out, etc.. It's real easy to stop in and just pick up what you KNOW you need, and you always forget something when you do that.

I'm working on doing menus - I did okay for the month of March, but April has just fallen apart on me! I figure if I can get the menu down, then I just have to pick up the ingredients! "Flylady" has a link to a menu service (menumailer), but Lance doesn't like a lot of casseroles, and I just can't see paying for someone else to do my menus for me!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@mmcable.com), April 18, 2002.


I have a Kroger's and two Super Value grocery stores all within ten minutes so I probably go too much for groceries. I'm not proud of this but I'll bet I'm in one of them at least three times a week for something. If I'm more than two miles from home I can't get here without passing one of them so it's not much of an effort to stop.

I'm not participating in the 'buy nothing' portion as I believe that if the economy is going to swing out of it's doldrums money has to be circulated in it. Well... that and the fact I need some stuff like a tooth bar for my loader bucket, a box blade and a brush hog to use to clean up my place. A few dozen ton of stone would be nice, too. ;o)

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), April 18, 2002.


I like the idea of menu's but can never seem to stick to them. I am afraid to say that I was once a once a month shopper but now, I am a twice a week shopper. I do my shopping once a week then go with Heather when she does her shopping and always find something that I want or need. I think we go shopping more often because it gives us a chance to get out of the house and can leave all the boys with her husband and just take the girls. If I get off work early I can sneak out without taking any of my kids.

-- Melinda (speciallady104@hotmail.com), April 18, 2002.


the "buy nothing" was not to say to NEVER buy anything, but mostly just to "think" about your purchases and to see of you could go without or substitute something you already have. We have made 2 big purchases lately, including a used truck and a log-splitter. But in order to have the CASH to pay for these items, we had to not spend on a lot of little things...

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 18, 2002.

We shop once a week. That includes remodeling stuff, groceries and clothing. I do make out a menu list for the week or two and make certain I have all the ingredients for it, but it's flexible. If we don't feel like one recipe, we can always have pizza. To do our shopping takes a 40 minute drive to the city. The stores there are cheaper than the local ones.

-- Ardie/WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), April 18, 2002.

MILK - that's what causes me to stop so often! Gary, I bet you don't go through 3 to 5 gallons a week, do you? I wish I didn't! If Lance sits down to eat milk and cookies, he'll drink probably a quart and a half in one sitting - not to count me, and the boys both drink milk twice a day whether they like it or not - they need the calcium! I'd buy it all at once, but I just can't bring myself to put 5 gallons in my basket at once! And they just don't sell it in 5 gallon buckets with a spigot on it!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@mmcable.com), April 18, 2002.

My habits have changed considerably over the years and need to change back again. I used to be a once a month shopper (always lived far out of town). Now we live just over a couple miles from town, and dh is always having me run errands for him which makes it too easy to stop at stores! I hate running into a store for "one item", because it's too easy to buy extras & takes up precious time. It's much more efficient to spend an hour or two doing major shopping for the month than to shop for a few items several times a week.

However, like Melissa I hate passing up weekly loss leaders! That's where I save enough $ that I am able to stock up on other things on sale, taking advantage of the "snowball" principle. Also, I tend to hole up at home so shopping provides a good excuse for me to get out. This has been a rough week for me so after chores are done this morning, I'm taking the morning off! I'm going to town to pick up a few necessary groceries, take my dh some muffins for his break, purchase a few vet supplies at the feed store, stop by the post office, check out the thrift store and visit the library. I can do all that and not put much over 5 miles on the car. :) And I'll still be home in time to fix a simple lunch for dh.

I don't worry about slowing down the economy as I figure I spend about the same whether I go to town once a month or twice a week. But I tend to make wiser purchases when I shop less frequently since I stick to my list, which prevents me from buying unnecessary items or forgetting the necessary ones. Plus saving on time and gas. With dh's upcoming retirement I'm going to need to be more careful with finances. Fortunately I'm a born tightwad and have had enough lean years that I have substantial experience at making every penny count.

When I find myself slipping into bad spending habits, I start doing things like washing and reusing sandwich bags. Which doesn't really save all that much money but it is a good reminder of days when reusing sandwich bags (or not buying them at all!) was a necessity. It truly is the little things that make or break a budget, and paying attention to the little things helps me get back on track. BTW, have any of you noticed that when your life gets too busy and you start hurrying everything, is when you're most likely to blow your budget? At least that's the way it is with me.

-- Lenette (kigervixen@nospam.com), April 18, 2002.


I shop once a month, but we are 110 miles round trip, I go to Sams club. And buy big stuff. My laundry soap is so heavy, use liquid down here cause of humidity. But will last six months. I buy flour in 50 pd sacks, freeze first, then put in air tight containers. I spend probably 250 a month, but that includes dog food, and cat food. Toilet paper etc. I do buy milk once a week at a tiny little store here in country, I have all my salad greens in garden. We are able to grow all winter here. I have been doing this for so long, I do not use a menu. I have two freezers full. Also have Generator in case of Hurricane, would hate to loose all that food. I think I could probably last 6 months and feed the kids too, If there was a reason to.

-- Irene texas (tkorsborn@cs.com), April 18, 2002.


Well, I cheat. Tom goes passed the supermarkets, twice a day on work days, and Hey, he works in a market, too. He's the one getting the loss leaders from every store in town. Saves money, saves gas, and I don't have to go in the store, which I hate doing. I'm more of an estate auction person, anyway. Hey Melissa, we got butter at Meijer's for $.99 a lb. a few weeks ago. Limit was 4, but as I said, Tom goes passed the store twice a day. You should see the freezer.

-- vicki in NW OH (thga76@aol.com), April 18, 2002.

$.99!!!?????? I haven't seen butter that cheap for 10 years around here!!! Believe me $1.49 was rock bottom for our area. What makes me mad is the change in prices... It doesn't cost them $1.49 one week and $3.69 the next. Just put a fair price on the groceries and quit playing games with the consumers!!!

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 18, 2002.

I go once a month . I hate shopping. I have a menu for the month and all birthdays,events, etc that I need to buy for. It usually takes me several hours to get everything, but I don't mind. I find if I don't take my list or if I stop for anything else I end up in the fabrics or craft isle and spend money on something I want. So once a month works for me. When it was just my son and I , I would go every three months.Sometimes I do have to ask my mother to stop and get milk but I usually get 8 gallons for the month(just for my family!), but somehow always need more !!!!!!!We are actually kicking around the idea of getting our own milk cow! I am ready!God Bless

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), April 18, 2002.

I bought a pound of stick real butter for 88 cents at wally world a couple of weeks ago. I guess I should have bought more.

-- Melinda (speciallady104@hotmail.com), April 18, 2002.

I have been blessed with an "I hate to shop" gene..I actually cannot think of anything I truly hate more than shopping and try to avoid it any way I can..I always go only once a month or less if I can get away with it..recently, my daughter-in-law took me to a huge Walmart store for the afternoon..I am still recuperating..LOL...we figured out it had been two and a half years since I had been in one of those..I don't know how you girls do it..so many people, all that waiting in line, all those signs saying BUY ME, no BUY ME!!! ..gives me a headache...I was so happy when the internet came along. I love to order things online. The only time I like to shop is locally at the little stores at Christmas time..they have cool displays and often choral groups or kids from the high school playing orchestra pieces, etc..it's more relaxing to me. There is a local dairy where I buy milk, and a local butcher shop for meat....we go once a month to the supermarket (reluctantly) LOL...I stock up[ on canned goods so I can go even longer without the trip..when the garden is in, I hope to be able to skip it altogether..now THAT will be a treat!

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), April 18, 2002.


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