The Best Ways to Save Money on Groceries

I'm seeing a lot of articles lately on "the 15 best tricks..." / "20 secret hacks..." / "10 killer ways to save money on groceries" / etc. And honestly they're all saying the same thing:

1. Use Ibotta or other rebate apps (yeah, they're cool, but not a magic bullet of savings)
2. Make a list & don't stray from it
3. Buy "loss leaders" (the really good deals on the front page of the grocery circular)
4. Use coupons
5. Buy on Sale
6. Yadda' yadda' yadda'

None of it is new, and there's no magic bullet of savings. You still have to do the work.

There are TONS of Plants That Will Grow In the Shade

I have this keen desire to turn my entire yard into a garden. Mostly because I hate mowing the grass, and my back yard has this killer slope—and while, at one point, fairly early on, I thought to myself, "this will be good, I'll be so buff from mowing my lawn every week..." that really lost footing after the first attempt at pushing the mower uphill. Instead, it became infested with invasive weeds and wildlife. To the point that I'm a little scared to go back there now.

A Little Rain Barrel DIY

As you might recall, last fall friends helped us put up a cute little greenhouse with cute little gutters and cute little down-spouts... and ever since then I've wanted to complete the picture with cute little rain barrels. But there were a couple of issues: 1. Rain barrels can be a bit expensive and B. there really weren't any smaller-sized rain barrels made for snap-together greenhouse gutters.

Replacing Disposable Items With Reusable to Save Money

It's no secret that I like lists. Lists are my wheelhouse. So when I'm trying to figure out how to save money on stuff that makes its way into our daily lives... I make a list.

I already know that after housing (& utility) expenses, my next biggest monthly expenditure is on consumables—primarily groceries—but there's the other side of that consumable coin: the non-food disposables. The things we use up and buy over and over. So I had to ask myself, are there ways to save money on that stuff, or things we can change so we don't have to buy the stuff at all?

I Don't Do Manicures

I Really Don't Do Manicures

I love it when penny-pinching bloggers post lists of the stuff they no longer spend money on—mostly because it reminds me that there are a PLETHORA of ways to save money for almost every lifestyle out there. That and I get the occasional chortle from some of the more ridiculous things people "give up."

This is Not Milk Reviews

In which I attempt to make nut, grass, and legume milks more tolerable by applying science-y bits in a very subjective manner.

Make Your Own Almond Butter

I've been contemplating the Whole30 diet for awhile—and to be honest, the main thing keeping me from diving in is the cost. I'm fine with giving up peanut butter, sweeteners, even dairy (although bread will be my achilles heal). But the cost, especially during winter, gives me pause.

One of the things we love, but stopped buying because it's gotten a bit pricey, is Almond butter. We'd buy it in 12 oz containers from our Whole-Foods-like store in town & it would put us back about $8. So, I decided I should price out almond butter around town, and then wondered what it might cost to make my own.

How on Earth are You Living on $1,800 a Month?

On my weekly Pinterest surf I came across a promising pin, "Living on $1,800 a month budget." It featured a picture of a woman holding a baby with the implication that $1,800 covered the budget for a young family. This, of course, made me click on it immediately because inquiring minds want to know. Just how *DO* you live on a budget of $1,800 a month? I mean clearly, you must not have many bills (and if that's the case I am seriously envious.)

Starting Avocados from Pits

Most of us, at some point in our elementary school education, started seeds on the window sill of our classroom. It was one of those "fun" lessons that almost always backfired on the teacher when the seeds didn't automatically sprout and grow into a magical bean stalks that rewarded us with gold coins. Damn you Super Mario Brothers.

Whether they were wrapped in wet paper towels and plopped into Ziploc baggies or pierced with toothpicks and balanced above a glass of water, we watched day after day, week after week, as they started to extend their gross little tendrils beyond their now failing husks. Of course, the avocado pits took so long to do anything that we got bored waiting and opted for kickball on the playground instead. Most of those pits ended up in the garbage can... because we were dumb kids and kickball was WAY more fun.

Here's the thing though, if second graders can do it without giving a flip about the results, you can do it to. because—hear me out on this—you're a grown up and kickball got way less fun.