We Have Arrived!

We made it! Celebration is now in order. The official total is $178.10 that has been saved by not buying food (besides perishables) at the grocery store for the past 30 days. Instead, meals have been made by what was already in the pantry, but was passed over because we wanted something else. The surprising thing is that there is probably another month's worth out there in "pantry-land", but the updates will just be occassional. The funny thing is that one of our local grocery stores has a "no coupon" day today in which you get $10 off $50 purchase. That works out to be 20%. Of course the saving percent goes down as your bill grows.

That's why I shop with a list (and do the math as I go along) and keep it as close to $50 as I can. If there is ever an occassion to need more than $100, I will make two trips, one in the morning and one in the evening (it is a 24 hour store). Some people don't shop there because you bag the groceries yourself. I will bag my own to save a few cents on every item. Remember that pennies add up, especially when you are saving money to eliminate your credit card debt. Buckled with the interest that most people pay on their credit cards, it makes a HUGE difference in the bottom line.

One thing that I notice living in a strong union town is that people are unwilling to use a self check out for a small purchase. Their argument is that they don't want to put anybody out of a job. I usually keep my mouth shut because 1) the use of the self checker saves the store enough money to keep the prices as low as they are 2) a job is created to supervise the self checkouts and 3) if someone plans on making cashiering to be their career, perhaps some career counseling is in order. 'Nuff said.

Have a great day, and here is to YOUR success in eliminating your credit card debt.