Beating Broke

Personal Finance from the Broke Perspective

  • Home
  • About
  • Melissa Recommends
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Powered by Genesis

5 Things You Should Never Ignore (Even if You’re Broke!)

May 31, 2022 By Erin H Leave a Comment

The repair and maintenance efforts you make determine the functionality and relevance of your residence. As a homeowner, be keen on several factors that make the right home for your family. Effective inspection should help you identify the repair and maintenance you need to handle. The guide below explains what you should never ignore in your residence, even if you’re broke.

1. Leaks and Slow Drips

While it might start as a slow drip, turning into a costly leak is possible. Whether on the roof or your plumbing system, you should never ignore slow drips or leaks. It is important to inspect the source and cause of the leak and address the problem fast. Look for a plumber or a roofing expert to check for moisture damage and provide the services needed to handle the issues. Apart from the damage, drips and leaks can cause mold growth, putting your family’s health at risk. You should also understand that leaks and slow drips can increase utility bills and affect your financial plan.

2. Unfamiliar Sounds From Your Air Conditioner

Understand that any strange sound from your AC is an indication that everything is not well. You should be keen enough to notice the sounds as this can only lead to malfunctions. Understand that a malfunctioning AC system can increase utility bills and cause injuries to your family. It is crucial to address your AC’s repair and maintenance needs immediately. This also means looking for better versions of the appliance to improve your home’s functionality. The availability of the AirEx Air Cooled Complete Unit on the market should be an option. With a noise level of 94 decibels and a flow rate of 150 GPM, this AC system should meet your expectations. Understand that the sooner you handle the repair needs, the better the services you get.

3. Gas Leaks

That strong, pungent smell from your basement or kitchen should alarm you. The chances that there is a gas leak are higher. It is crucial to check your furnace or stove for a gas leak. Besides carbon monoxide, a gas leak puts your home at risk of a fire breakout. Even if you are broke, you should never ignore a gas leak. It is crucial to call a professional and paramedics once you detect the leak. You need to repair and handle the leaks on time and seek medical attention in case of carbon monoxide poisoning. You should also ensure that your family evacuates the premises and all systems get switched off to avoid further damage as you wait for professional help and guidance.

4. Malfunctioning Fire Detectors and Protection Systems

As you thrive on making your house smart, be keen on the alarm and fire protection systems. To a larger extent, the safety and protection of your premises depend on these systems’ functionality. As soon as you notice any functions, seek expert help. You should ensure that your fire protection systems get inspected at 5-year and 10-year intervals as per the NFPA25 Code and that they are up to date and working properly. This should include regular visual inspections and functional testing done monthly, semi-annually, or annually, depending on the system design. Handling the malfunctioning fire protection system keeps your family safe.

5. Family Dental Care Needs

You should note that running a family entails more physical aspects of the premises. Ensure you handle your family’s health needs on time to keep them functional. Handling dental health issues as soon as they arise should be on your list. Did you know that 1 in 5 (96%) adults ages 65 years and above have had or are suffering from untreated tooth decay or cavity? This emphasizes paying attention to your family’s dental care needs and handling them early. Understand that a healthy and happy family is comfortable and productive. Seek medical help and treatment from experts to meet your expectations.

Running a functional home can be a lot of work. You should be keen on several factors to maintain its relevance. Also, note that there are things on your premises you should never ignore, even if you are broke. The above guide explained the most crucial ones.

Filed Under: budget

5 Tips to Save on Groceries This Year

March 21, 2022 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

Tips to Save on Groceries

The price of groceries recently! Ouch. In the last few months, I’ve been shopping the same way I typically do, and yet, my grocery bill for my family of five has increased several hundred dollars, and my freezer and pantry are emptier. Enough is enough. The food prices are rising rapidly, but I’m utilizing these tips to save on groceries this year.

Prices Will Be High for Awhile

Prices will be high for a while because of supply chain issues due to the pandemic and the current war in Ukraine. However, if you’re willing to change your behavior and preferences, you can save on groceries this year, even with the market instability.

5 Tips to Save on Groceries This Year

Change Your Menu

Our family makes every meal at home, and we don’t eat extravagantly. However, I’m looking at changing our menu. We’re gluten-free and dairy-free. That means staples for most people, like bread, cost us significantly more to buy gluten-free. During this time, I’m limiting how much bread we use and instead am switching to naturally gluten-free carbs that are cheaper such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and rice.

I’ve also searched the Internet for low-cost meals. Many bean-based recipes appear, but my family doesn’t want to eat beans several times a week.

Instead, I look two different places.

Depression-Era Recipes

For Depression-era recipes, I love the YouTube channel, Great Depression Cooking. Clara, the host, shares stories about her life and frugal recipes her family ate during the Great Depression.

Frugal Recipes Around the World

Tips to Save on Groceries

To make meals more interesting, I’ve prepared frugal meals from different countries. Some of our favorites include Colcannon (Irish mashed potatoes with cabbage), Okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancake), and Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish omelet with potatoes and onions).

Use Less Meat & Fish

Part of our strategy to change the menu involves using less meat. Sometimes we have meat-based meals, but I’m currently trying to avoid having those regularly.

Find Meals with Reduced Meat

Instead of meat-based meals, I’m trying to make meals that center around vegetables and starches with some meat. When I do that, I can use less meat. For instance, when I make spaghetti, I add about six ounces of cooked ground beef. That half pound of meat is cheaper than using an entire pound for our family of five. I also look for soups and chilis that require a half-pound of meat or less.

Buy Cheaper Cuts

We enjoy roasts and steaks when we buy ¼ side of beef, but we haven’t purchased beef that way in over two years, so we’re only eating ground beef, which is the cheapest form of beef we can find.

Likewise, I still want to have fish in our diet, but I have found cheaper ways to buy it. I can buy cod pieces at Trader Joe’s for $4.49 per pound. Whole fillets cost approximately $10 a pound, so I buy cod pieces and make fish cakes instead of serving fillets to my family. We’re getting the benefits of eating fish at a much lower price.

Allocate Some Money to Stocking Up

One of the best ways to lower your grocery budget is to save some money each week to stock up on sales. Let’s say you have $150 a week to spend on groceries. You might use $120 to buy your weekly groceries and reserve the additional $30 to stock up on items that are on sale.

Maybe you find a clearance sale on ground beef marked down to $2.99 a pound instead of the regular price of $6.99 per pound. If there are ten packages available, you might buy all 10 for $29.99 total. (This is a deal I found two weeks ago, and I snatched up all ten. I promptly went home and made ten meals. Most of the meals are in the freezer now, so we can eat them in the next few months, saving us money on our upcoming grocery trips.)

Some weeks you may not find any good sales. That is okay. Let that $30 rollover, so the next week you have $60 to use for stock-up buys. Then, when you find a good sale, you can take advantage of it without wrecking your grocery budget.

Try Reverse Meal Planning

Some people carry this idea further by reverse meal planning. Instead of going to the grocery store with a list of items you need to buy, you go to the grocery store and look for food on sale or clearance and try to buy only those items.

Then, when you get home, you make a meal plan based on the items you already have. If you bought cheese at a discounted price, and you have ham from a sale two weeks ago, you might combine the two together with potatoes and milk to make scalloped potatoes for your family.

If you’re creative and can think of ways to use different foods, reverse meal planning can help you keep your budget low even when food prices are high.

I use this strategy, but only for a few meals a week. I’m not creative enough to plan all our meals this way, especially with our dietary restrictions.

Order Online

5 Tips to Save on Groceries

Another option is to order your groceries online. Some people love ordering this way because they limit their impulse buys. You only order what you need, so you can stick to your grocery budget.

I do sometimes place online orders, but our local grocery store is often out of the items that I order. Therefore, I only place online orders about twice a month. I like to go into the store to find discounted and clearance items, which I can’t do when I shop online.

However, by using both online shopping and going to the store on alternate weeks, I can save money.

Final Thoughts

The cost of groceries is high, but I’m hoping by regularly using these five tips to save on groceries this year, I can avoid going over budget.

How are you fighting the high price of groceries?

Read More

Save on Groceries by Limiting Junk Food

Living on a Tight Budget: Should Groceries Be the First Place You Cut?

Even More Ways to Save on Groceries

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: budget, Frugality, Saving Tagged With: food, frugal groceries, groceries, grocery budget, recipes

3 Things to Budget for Your Pet

March 11, 2022 By Susan Paige Leave a Comment

Recent insights from Statista reveal that between 2019 and 2022, there were 63.4 million dog-owning households and 42.7 million cat-owning households in the US. In fact, the pandemic has led 10% of Americans to acquire a new pet.

 

Naturally, being a pet parent can lead to many expenses. As we mentioned in our post entitled ‘What Will You Do with the Final Days of 2021?’, in an ideal world we can all stick to our budget and not get stuck in a hole from overspending. However, bringing a furry friend into your home involves a series of ongoing costs. Here are three major expenses you should adequately budget for:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: budget, Pets

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • …
  • 47
  • Next Page »
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Improve Your Credit Score

Money Blogs

  • Celebrating Financial Freedom
  • Christian PF
  • Dual Income No Kids
  • Financial Panther
  • Gajizmo.com
  • Lazy Man and Money
  • Make Money Your Way
  • Money Talks News
  • My Personal Finance Journey
  • Personal Profitability
  • PF Blogs
  • Reach Financial Independence
  • So Over Debt
  • The Savvy Scot
  • Yes, I am Cheap

Categories

Disclaimer

Please note that Beating Broke has financial relationships with some of the merchants mentioned here. Beating Broke may be compensated if consumers choose to utilize the links located throughout the content on this site and generate sales for the said merchant.

Visit Our Advertisers

Need to change careers? Consider an Accounting Certificate Program from WTI.