Here's an interesting fact:
I spent ten dollars on haircuts in 2005. In May I went
in for a haircut and came out looking like a tool. My
brother and I had a good laugh about it. I went back
and asked them to shave my head. They didn't charge
extra.
That was it. I trimmed it on my own for the remainder
of the year and my Aunt in Sweden gave me a haircut
when I went to visit last November.
Yesterday I came to the conclusion that I was going to
need to either:
1)Get a haircut; because its gotten to the "too long"
stage for swimming; or
2)Spend one dollar on a swim cap.
I bought a swim cap.
Later that day I found out that my buddy Tim has some
hair trimmers so I reckon I'll get by on the cheap
this year. Good thing too, because swimming with a cap
in the Florida sun is damn hot.
I imagine I can come through with a net savings of
nine dollars after my short-sighted investment on the
swim cap. Anything to reduce the yearly burn rate. I
imagine my father will certainly be proud of a son
that looks like a Marine and manages to be economical
at the same time.
Anyways, this all came about in regards to a
discussion on nutrition. Some people say that eating
well (healthy, not fancy in this sense) is expensive.
I suppose if you only look at the bottom line there
are cheaper ways to eat, but deciding where you want
to save your money is a choice. Some choose cheap
food, I choose cheap (read: no) haircuts. I think
making compromises on your health is a poor choice,
but that's just me. However, I'm not here to rant
because saving money on (good) food is always on my
mind as well. I've come up with a some ideas that can
(hopefully) help some folks save cash on the good
stuff.
1) Join Costco if it is in your area. Costco is great
for things like eggs, oatmeal, potatoes, rice,
walnuts, almonds, pecans, peanut butter, (lots of)
meats and fish, dried fruits, etc. Their produce is
good, but you need to be careful about purchasing here
because everything is pre-bagged. Now that might be
cheaper on paper, but if 25%+ of the produce is bad
then its a wash. For this reason, I suggest buying
from a local grocery store so that you can personally
pick each piece of fruit. Costco fruit and vegetables
are typically transported frozen and then defrosted
(in a room that is about 33 degrees F) at the store.
This doesn't apply to onions, avocados, bananas,
potatoes, etc.
2) Most grocery stores have a day in the week where
they try to clear their meat products. In college, the
HEB always marked a lot of meats up to 50% off on
Tuesdays and even more on Tuesday evening. In Florida,
Publix does this on Friday mornings. The meats have
usually met their "sell-by date" so you buy in bulk on
this day and freeze everything you don't use. And
don't confuse "sell by" with "eat by."
3) The more out-of-season a fruit or vegetable is, the
more expensive it is going to be (and it probably is
of lower quality because it may have traveled over an
ocean).
4) Find local produce stands whenever available. (Big)
Farmer's markets can be good, but its better to find
more of a Ma and Pa type place. People get to know you
at these locations and will start to hook you up with
extras from time to time. They also start to give you
the best of their products. Support local communities
and farmers and you will be rewarded (along with
saving a few bucks... ...everybody wins).
5) Eating out is the quickest way to have your food
bill skyrocket, so plan ahead. It might seem tedious
at first, but you will eventually become accustomed to
carrying fruit with you, and making extra at dinner
for leftovers will become natural.
all for now,
jd
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