Ahhh— the Good Old Days
When shrimp was thought of as the poor man’s lobster. When 36 cents got you a can of Del Monte Corn, Peas and beans. When you could purchase a really nice London broil for a couple of bucks. Freshly ground hamburger was 88 cents a pound and if you had a freezer or an upcoming Bar-B Que, you could get a 50 pound box of frozen beef ribs for a little over 30 dollars or approx 66 cents a pound. Gas was 28 cents a gallon. You could rent a nice 3 bedroom house in southern California for somewhere between four and five hundred a month. I could go on and on but I believe you get my drift. Life was a whole lot cheaper back then. Some of you might be thinking… well, that was 1000 years ago but for me, it wasn’t. One of the worst parts with getting older is that you remember what you used to pay for things. I literally cringe when I see the prices at the grocery store these days and it has nothing to do with whether or not I can afford them. Well, little to do. For me, it’s like… damn! Nope! I’m not paying that price and simply refuse to purchase it. Eight dollars for a pound of bacon? And that’s a sale price? Not on your life. I’ll do without thank you very much. And I love bacon. Used to buy it regularly— but that was when it sold for somewhere around $2.75 so let’s just say I haven’t eaten bacon in years. For me, it’s more about the principle than it is the money. So, do we just complain about it all and do nothing or do we become smart and come up with ways to begin saving a ton of money. That is what this article will endeavor to accomplish.
It’s All Relative
Some also make the argument that it’s all relative. Everyone made less money back then hence consumer products and grocery prices were set accordingly and to an extent— that’s true, however. In order to have the same purchasing power one had a few decades ago, you’d have to be earning at least three times what you’re earning now. And that’s it in a nutshell. American’s earnings have not kept up with the rising cost of living. Call it inflation, call it supply and demand, call it shortages from one reason or another, call it whatever you like and the simple fact is, our wallets are being hit daily with the rising costs of just about everything. In fact, prices at the grocery store now fluctuate just about as often as a gallon of gas. Ten cents here, twenty cents there, fifty cents and upwards of two dollars somewhere else. Have you seen the price of eggs lately? (We’ll get to them in the next segment.) Needless to say, consumer frustration is an understatement.
Inflation Up 8%? 20%?— My Ass It Is
Before we begin, think about it. 10% is ten cents on the dollar. Meaning, if the price of something costing $9.00 goes up by 10%, the new price is $9.90. Now look at what you’ve been purchasing over the last four years. What things cost back then compared to what you’re paying now. Do you honestly believe the difference is 10%? 20%? Nah… I didn’t think so. It goes without saying the cost of living depends on where you live. A gallon of gas or a pack of cigarettes are great examples of this. Taxes, fees, energy and shipping play large roles in the amount you pay for items we use on a regular basis. The keywords here are; “items we use on a regular basis.” For better context, I reside in a medium sized city in what one would consider a red state meaning for the most part, we have our shit together. With that said, here are a few examples of now and just four short years ago.
Eggs— What can you say about eggs, right? One of the most versatile foods on the planet. Fried, poached, hard boiled and used in baking and hundreds of other scrumptious dishes. Definitely need eggs. All throughout Trump’s term in office, I could buy an 18 count of eggs for $1.25 and sometimes less if they were on sale. I bought five packages at a time. (You can’t kill eggs.) They seem to never go bad (at least for as long as I’ve eaten them) and you couldn’t beat the price.
Different story with the emergence of Joe Biden. The price of eggs became mind-boggling high. That same 18 count of eggs appeared to skyrocket overnight reaching heights of $8.00 and in some places— even higher. We’d hear one reason after another as if it was supposed to make us feel better about shelling out an arm and a leg just to buy eggs. Fortunately for me, I knew a place that kept the price of my 18 eggs relatively the same for an extra 3 months but when everyone found out about it— that ended that. While eggs remained (and still remain) unbelievably high, there was another discount grocer who did their best to keep the price somewhat reasonable. Still high comparatively speaking but no where near the price of the majors. Then they to began fluctuating and came in dozens instead of my normal 18 counts. Up until recently, I continued to purchase them but I have placed a hold when I saw the price double basically overnight. So, no more eggs for awhile while I wait for the price to go back down.
Beef— You think eggs are bad? Have you seen the price of beef lately? Of course you have. Anything beyond hamburger is now considered a treat. No one can afford it on a regular basis. Gone are the days of our mothers and/or grandmothers (depending on your age) thick, juicy, mouthwatering pot roasts that actually took up so much space in the covered roasting pan, there was hardly room for the potatoes and carrots. And steaks? Forget it. No one can afford it unless you’re making at the very least 80K annually. Wait— that’s not exactly true. There is one other particular segment of society who can afford these now expensive cuts of beef.
Awhile back, I was talking to the manager of the meat section of my local market. Humorously complaining about the price of beef. I asked him commenting on the prices, “who can afford these prices?” He looked me square in the eyes and replied. “You know who buys most of the expensive cuts of beef?” I responded, “I’d sure like to know.” Rearranging the rib eyes, he said, “food stamps. People on food stamps purchase these cuts of beef.” I had never thought of that but it made sense. Why not, right? Free money and all. Do all food stamp recipients do this? I have no idea but it appears enough do where I live for the meat manager to mention it.
Suffice to say the prices on many items we purchase on a regular basis have risen far above 8 or 20%. Truth be told, it’s most likely somewhere between 40 and 200% depending on what you buy. Not only that, have you had to take your car in for repairs lately? The thought of this eventual necessity makes one shudder seeing as the cost to repair your car is now somewhere between 120.00 to 150.00 PER HOUR! DAMN! And that doesn’t include the parts. We’ll tackle this in a few minutes.
Choices
My Dad used to say… “If you had a few million in the bank, you wouldn’t be worrying about the rise in prices.” And he was absolutely correct. But seeing as most of us don’t have a few million in the bank— not very helpful. My brother on the other hand said it better saying… you have two choices. Either earn enough money to pay for car repairs or services from others we have to break out our checkbook for or, learn to do it yourself. And while most of us may not earn enough to pay for the life we want, there are ways to save enough money from certain areas which allow us to spend it on others.
With that in mind, let’s start saving some money, shall we?
The BOF Guide to Saving Money
I have two what I feel are important statements to make before we begin:
Statement One: If you really want to save money across the entire financial spectrum then I strongly suggest voting for Donald Trump for President. I know, I may have just triggered all the weak minds out there to quit reading, but it’s the God’s honest truth. Trump wants to get prices down through lower energy costs (the main reason for inflation) resulting in higher production (by virtue of less expensive production costs) and by extension, lower prices. Harris want’s to do it through price controls, increased government spending and creating more and more government programs handing out money to all who meet their government defined qualifications and are willing to jump through all the hoops to get it.
Statement two: In essence, it’s all about time and money. How long will something last. How long do we reap benefits of what we purchase? Whether it’s a loaf of bread, a car battery, a pair of shoes, a can of corn or a dozen eggs. How long will all this last us? A few minutes? A week? A few years? Knowing what these benefits are, how much they cost us and at what point will we have to replenish these products or services determines our cost of living.
Groceries
I absolutely hate (with a passion) throwing away food. I can say with confidence that I have to throw out maybe (and that’s a big maybe) one half of one percent of the food I purchase. So…
Rule 1— If you bought it, eat it! If you know you only have two days left on milk, drink it. If you still have vegetables? Use them in something. That’s what having food in the fridge is for. Time. It keeps you alive. With milk, make a bowl of cereal. That will satisfy your need for some other food you might have eaten saving that food for another time. It saves you money by not having to purchase that particular item for a few more days and trust me, those days add up. Before I go grocery shopping, I always look in my freezer. How much food is in there to make dinners with. Most times I have enough for a week. You know, chicken— other meats we’ve frozen because we knew we wouldn’t be able to eat it all by the expiration date. You’d be surprised how many days of dinners you have in your freezer. If you aren’t, keep reading. But if you’re short of cash one week, it’s comforting to know there’s still plenty of food to eat. Speaking of freezers…
Rule 2— Your freezer is your friend. Whether it’s the one above or below your refrigerator or the big chest freezer in the garage, as I said above, nothing is more comforting than a well stocked freezer. Why? Because it represents time. Holds just as true whether you’re single or a family of five. The question is, how much did it cost you to stock it?
Rule 3— Never pay full price. If it’s not on sale, don’t buy it. If it is, buy extra to cover the times when it’s not. Remember, only do this when the sales are few and far between. If you know a certain item is on sale regularly, then why fill up your freezer with that item? Waste of space. Being an old fart now who lives alone (by choice, sorry ladies— he said sarcastically), I have no need for a chest freezer so I have to be careful with what I fill up the limited space I have in my freezer. Here’s two examples:
Ham and Turkey: Generally speaking, there are only two times a year when ham and turkey are at rock bottom prices. Christmas and Thanksgiving. You might be able to throw in Easter but that’s hit and miss. While I have found most turkeys are for the most part the same no matter what brand you buy. You can’t say the same about ham. I’ve bought some that were great while others turned out to be really salty. Either way, you still won’t find them cheaper than on those two holidays. Time to pig out! And if you’re smart, you can have those two meats for breakfast, lunch and dinner well beyond Thanksgiving and Christmas thanks to our friend, the freezer.
Some might say— “I have no room in my freezer for a huge turkey. It’s not worth the amount of space they take up,” and that would be true if you were stupid enough to place a huge frozen turkey in your freezer. For me, during those two holidays, I purchase three (3)- eight to twelve pound turkeys and three (3)- packaged hams usually the same weight as the turkeys) with the least weight in bones (I can’t remember which one it is, you know what I mean.) And always feel where and how large the bone is. Also, take notice of how much fat you see around the edges of the large flat side. Purchase the ones with the least amount of fat. You’d be amazed how much white fat there is on some. Less fat equals more meat for you. OK, you have three turkeys and 3 hams now in your fridge as you’ve moved everything around to accommodate them. What’s the first thing you do? First, we’ll focus on the turkey. Why? Look at the expiration date on hams packaged in that really thick plastic and you’ll find it’s somewhere between one and two months in the future. If you bought them for Thanksgiving, you’ll see they last in the fridge until Christmas, but that shouldn’t stop you from buying two or three more at Christmas.. So, you’re more than safe for the time being and they take up a lot less room.
It can take four to six days to defrost a frozen turkey in the fridge. Let’s assume you purchased said turkeys within this time-frame. Save one out for Thanksgiving dinner and cook the other two. Why? Because they’re bound for the freezer. Want to defrost the bird quicker? Place the turkey in a container large enough that once filled with water, it covers the entire turkey. Let sit overnight and by the next morning or so, you have a turkey ready for the oven. Tip: want the meat to literally fall off the bones after cooking? Slather a layer of mayonnaise over the bird before adding spices. Don’t drown the bird in it but not so thin it won’t be able to do it’s job. If you’ve never done this before, prepare to be amazed. And no, the mayo adds no additional flavor to the meat.
Once fully cooked, it’s time to break out the quart size freezer bags. Let the turkey cool down so you can dig right in with your hands and fill up each bag with enough delicious meat to last a day or two then in the freezer they go. For me, one medium size turkey gives me eight to twelve bags of meat I can defrost anytime I desire for dinner or sandwiches. Therefore, two turkeys gives me potentially sixteen to twenty-four full meals. Not bad considering the price. Obviously, if you’re a family of five you’ll get less but you’ll still be saving the same money.
Ham is slightly different. Some hams are better than others because of their salt content. For the holiday, buy what you like. For the freezer, different story. Remember, you’ll end up frying most of the freezer ham. For breakfast or fried ham sandwiches, the extra salt adds a little flavor. It tends to taste more like bacon and you get the crispy edges from frying so go as cheap as you want in this regard. Also remember, these hams are already fully cooked so you can take them right out of the bag and place them on the chopping block. Again, I can only speak for myself but a ten or twelve pound ham gets me nine to twelve quart size bags of meat. Two hams and the left-overs from the first gets me somewhere around twenty-five to thirty. All easily stored in the freezer next to the turkey. Tip: What you can’t cut away from the ham bone(s) can be boiled. The meat will fall away from the bone and makes for a very filling ham dinner for one or an excellent soup.
For someone like me who lives alone, I can continue eating ham and turkey well into March or even April depending on how often I eat them and by doing so, saves me hundreds of dollars each year. Though the same money saving results for a family of five apply, to get the same length of time just means you’ll have to up the quantity. You may purchase six of each or more but you won’t find it cheaper throughout the rest of the year. Think of the money and time you’ll be saving.
To return to the topic of never paying full price for anything, keep an eye out for BOGO’s (buy one get one free) and other sales. Like I said, if it’s not on sale, wait until it is. Let’s say you love a brand of peanut butter. These days, it’s rather expensive so if there’s a BOGO (buy one get one free) and you can swing it, buy a case of them. You can’t kill peanut butter. It lasts a long time. So, if the normal price for one is $8.00, the BOGO makes it $4.00 with a savings of $4.00. Don’t get just two because you have no idea when it will be on sale again and NEVER buy the small cans, even if they are on BOGO. Get the 40 oz ones and if you can, get eight. You not only save $32.00— you won’t have to purchase peanut butter for quite some time. Remember, it’s not just saving money, it’s the fact that a peanut butter sandwich replaces some other sandwich you’d be making otherwise. Most times costing you more money to make. Tip: Ever had a grilled peanut butter sandwich? Same as a grilled cheese. Make a regular peanut butter sandwich, butter both outsides and grill it like you would a grilled cheese. Trust me— you will LOVE it!
The bottom line is, if there’s a way you can swing it. If you come across an item you use on a regular basis on a great sale or BOGO, buy more than you normally would. One thing about BOGO’s you may not notice. Some stores will increase the price separately so when you get the second one for free, the deal isn’t quite as great as you thought it would be. I call it, the out-the-door price and you can use this on virtually anything. What will it cost you “out-the-door.” After everything is said and done, how much are you actually paying? In many instances, it’s not the price you expected. It’s like the cost of shipping items you buy online. The item might be a great price until you add the cost of shipping. Membership fees are the same. If you have Amazon Prime and costs you $15.00 a month to join to get free shipping on items eligible for prime and you only have three orders per month, then you have to divide the cost of prime by three then add $5.00 to the total of each order. For every month you don’t place an order, it adds up because you’re still paying that $15.00. If you have a membership, make damn sure the money you’re saving at the very least, covers the cost of the membership.
When I was married (about 763 years ago,) my wife did all her shopping out of the garage. We had both agreed when it came to household shopping, it was better that I do it. I built shelving on one side and included a chest freezer. If she needed anything from food to laundry detergent, she just went to the garage and pulled what she needed off the shelf. I’m not saying you have to do the same and you don’t have to spend a fortune doing this all at once. One step at a time and only when you have a few extra bucks. Don’t go overboard. If laundry detergent lasts you a month or two and you see it on a BOGO, get it whether you need to or not. Hell, get four of them and you’ll only have to purchase detergent once or twice a year.
Rule 4— Prices rarely go down, they just go on sale. Or they get repackaged as JUMBO SIZE. Cereal is a great example of this. For argument sake, let’s say cereal used to come in 14 oz boxes for four dollars a box. Production prices soar so instead of raising the price, they put 10 or 11 ounces in a smaller box and raise the price modestly. Next thing you know, they come out with a JUMBO or family size box with perhaps 16 to 18 ounces and sell it for eight or nine dollars when just a few years earlier, it sold for a little more than half. Everybody’s happy, right? Again, this is why you never by anything at full price. Wait for the BOGO. Cut the price in half and that’s what you would have spent those few years ago. Perhaps even less. Now remember, make a mental note on how often your favorite brand of cereal goes on BOGO and purchase accordingly so what you purchase lasts until the next sale. Trust me, it’s not just cereal that has suffered shrink-flation. Again, work the sales and you can save hundreds if not thousands a year in food costs.
Have a few extra bucks in your wallet? Buy a few extra toothbrushes, shampoo, soap, etc. Have 12 bars of soap? You won’t have to buy soap for a year. All this will eventually add up to the point that you’ll find yourself having to buy less and less at the market. Again— it’s about time and money. There may be a time when you’re short of cash but you know you’ll have plenty of the daily necessities. The only things you’ll need to buy are perishable items and the occasional bag of chips. How cool and comforting is that?
Shoes and Apparel:
I haven’t had to purchase shoes or clothes for over ten years. I know, sounds crazy but it’s true. Why? Because ten years ago, there was a huge sale on shoes at the store I normally purchased shoes. Could have been a clearance sale, I can’t remember. In any event, the shoes were cheap. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about leather dress shoes, more like everyday run of the mill shoes. I bought ten pairs and a few pairs of house slippers. Also one pair of steel-toed work boots. Let me check, I still have two pairs of house slippers, the work boots (rarely use them) and one pair of everyday shoes remaining although I’ll be using that last pair shortly.
The clothes? Goodwill. Not at the prices they sell their apparel now mind you. Also remember, I’m a shorts and t-shirt guy. That’s the uniform. Never wore a suit in my life. Thank God. Shorts at Goodwill back then were $2.00 a pair and t-shirts were $1.50 so I bought 15 pairs of shorts and somewhere around 15 to 20 t-shirts. I will admit, I may have to go back and purchase more in the near future as even the shirts that have turned into work shirts are looking a tad tattered. But think about that, no shoes or clothes for over ten years? Damn.
That being said, I do have to add the following. Holding on to new pairs of shoes comes with a possible risk. I’ve personally not had the experience but my brother told me about some shoes he purchased once. He also bought a few pairs. Unlike me, after a few years he noticed the last pair he had yet to use— the glue used in the bonding process had disintegrated to the point where said shoes began to fall apart. He had to toss them. I never had that problem and I’ve had my shoes for much longer. Lucky me.
Disclaimer: This segment was for the guys out there and perhaps a few women. I would never make the attempt to offer clothing suggestions to women.
Rule 5— If you can’t afford it, you have three choices. People living paycheck to paycheck, having something go wrong with your car is the very last thing you want to deal with. Your car breaks down, what the hell do you do now? Most times it’s either a sensor, relay switch or some external part like a radiator, starter or alternator. Part costs are fairly reasonable but at $120.00 to $150.00 per hour, the cost to have someone remove and install the new part can be devastating. So, you have three choices. (1) Find a way to cough up the money for the repair. (2) Have someone you know and trust do it for you. (3) Do it yourself. We’ll focus on choices 2 and 3.
(2) Have someone you know and trust do it for you: The keyword here is “trust”. I can’t tell you the number of stories I’ve heard about friends fixing things for people only to find out they made the problem worse and potentially more expensive to get it right. I don’t care if it’s your car, computer, plumbing… etc. If you’re going to have a friend do the work for you make damn sure they know what they’re doing. And make double sure if they screw something up in the process, they’ll fix it and not just leave you hanging. I’ve always been one of those jack of all trades, master of many kinda guys but there are things I won’t do for friends for the sole reason that if something goes wrong, I don’t want to be held liable or lose a friendship over it.
(3) Do it yourself: If you don’t know how— learn. Believe it or not, in most instances, it’s not as difficult as you think. There are YouTube videos (be careful with those) that will show you how to do most anything. Replace your car’s radiator, you just saved three to five hundred dollars. Starter? Three hundred dollars. The list goes on. Blown engine or transmission? You’re shit out of luck. Perhaps it’s time for another car. (see next paragraph.) Again, it’s not just auto repair, it could be anything you believe would require someone else to do it for you. The money you would save could be thousands. Even at my age, I still try to do everything myself. If I need some help with something, I call my son. That way he learns as well. And let me be clear, I was never a professional anything regarding home and auto repairs. I simply took the time and learned.
Networking: In a small way, this is connected to choice 2. The only difference is this individual helping you is a professional. Don’t know anyone like that? Well, get to know a few. We all have skills we use from time to time bartering for skills we don’t have. Or, we run into professionals willing to do side work for a greatly reduced cost. It never hurts to strike up a conversation and ask. If and when the occasion presents itself, it always helps to be charming. Ohhh, the stories I could tell you.
Rule 6— Energy: What’s the largest part of your energy bill? Most times it’s heating and air conditioning. Those two little things make your energy bill soar during the heat of summer and the cold of winter. If you’re a family with kids? I don’t know what to tell you other than set your thermometer five degrees higher or lower depending on the time of year and do your best to live with it. Much easier if you live alone or a couple without children. The suggestions below are more for the latter but if you are more than one or two, feel free to consider them.
Air conditioning: Have you noticed that even when your thermometer says your house is 74 degrees, it really doesn’t feel that cool? That’s because it’s a static cool. It’s just “there,” if that makes any sense. It’s like outside temperatures have a real temp and a “feels like” temp. Same for your house. The temp could be 74 degrees but it could feel like 78 degrees so the AC goes back on so your house “feels like temp” is 74 degrees.
Common sense tells us when we’re outside and it’s hot, we fan ourselves to cool off. Why? Because we can feel the air on our skin. If you have your AC set at 74 degrees and the temp on the thermometer says 74 degrees— find something to fan yourself with and begin. Feels cooler, right? Setup a floor fan and point it towards you. I guarantee you’ll begin to feel uncomfortably cold. That’s because you actually feel that 74 degree air instead of simply being surrounded by it. You have ceiling fans? That’s fine but unless you feel the air circulation they produce, they’re not much help. Floor fans are a whole lot cheaper to run than your AC. With a fan circulating the air around you where you can feel it, you can set your AC to come on at 78 degrees, or perhaps 80.
I work from home and during the day, I turn on my AC when the temp in my house hits 87 degrees. Right before bedtime, I cool the house down to 80 degrees then turn the AC off. The fan keeps me cool for the rest of the night. My kids think I’m nuts but it works for me and I get to rub in the fact that my energy bills are a fraction of theirs. Heat or AC, I do it all manually.
Heat: This is a tough one especially for people with children so I will only speak for myself. If you can make this work for you, you’ll save a lot of money. Again, I work primarily from home and I absolutely hate cold weather. But I hate expensive heating bills more. I’ve used the same small space heater for at least the last twelve years and it still works fine. Be right back and I’ll get the model. Got it— LASKO model 5141 ceramic air heater. I highly doubt they sell it any longer but I’m sure they sell something comparable. See the link so you can have an idea of the kind of heater you might want to get. This thing does everything, at least everything I require from a space heater and it wasn’t expensive. LASKO makes long lasting products. I highly recommend them. Space heaters can take the morning chill off a room in no time and are cheaper to run (for short periods of time) than central heating. If you don’t mind putting on a sweater, it will save you money.
Rule 7— The Back-up. I’m not saying you have to be a hoarder but— wouldn’t it be nice if your computer took a dump, all you had to do was go into the bedroom and grab another one? Microwave oven bit the dust? No problem, there’s another one in the garage. Shoes? Same thing. Monitor? Stereo tuner? Speakers? Sure! Why not. Let’s see… I think I have two extra desktop computers, 3 extra laptops, 2 extra 50″ monitors, 2 extra tuners, a few extra small appliances. Suffice to say, anything breaks in my house, I’m set. No money required. And I didn’t have to pay for any of the extra things I have. Most I picked up along the way from friends, family or people I did some work for who decided to upgrade or had extras themselves and no longer wanted them. Perhaps I’m just fortunate but again, being resourceful does have it’s rewards.
And that’s really it, isn’t it? Being resourceful. Sadly lacking these days. It’s not just knowing, it’s knowing how to go about knowing. In most of my articles, I always recommend doing your own research especially if you find anything I say questionable. Do your own research. Same goes with life. Certain things we have to figure out on our own along the way. Being resourceful makes the journey a little easier. I’ll leave you with a parting very old but meaningful metaphor.
A guy walks into a lawyers office with a difficult question. Upon hearing the question, the lawyer ushers the man into his extensive law library. “WOW!” said the man with an astonished look on his face. “You have a lot of books!” “You’re right” replied the lawyer with his back to the man as he peered through all the titles. After a few minutes, the lawyer reached down and pulled a book from one of the shelves, flipped through the pages and answered the man’s question. “That will be two-hundred dollars” said the lawyer. The man responded, “you’re kidding me! You’re charging me two-hundred dollars just to pull a book from a shelf?” “Not at all,” replied the lawyer, looking at his beautiful library containing thousands of books.
“You’re paying me two-hundred dollars for knowing which book to pull”.
