Generic Food is not Bad!

Generic medication is widely accepted as being equal to brand names, as is generic paper towels, tissue, and much more. However, many people have issues with generic, or store brand, food and drink. However, if you compare ingredients, you'll often find that the brand name and the generic name have the exact same things in them!

Now, that's not always true. The taste, I'll admit, can be widely different. I recognize that Wal-Mart's Dr. Thunder drink is not at all the same as Dr. Pepper. However, I can't find any taste difference between the Wal-Mart version of the Oreo and the actual brand name cookie. The same goes for shredded cheese, sliced cheese, chicken breasts, and much more. Plus, these foods are (almost always) much cheaper than their brand name counterparts. Why not buy them?

There are some exceptions, of course. Target's store brand (Archer Farms) is usually about the same price as brand names. Honestly, though, if you're shopping on a budget, Target isn't the place to be, anyway. They're almost always more expensive.

Anyway, the bottom line here is that generic foods are not always nasty, but they are almost always cheaper. You don't have to give up all of your favorite brand names, but if you notice a significant price different between brand name and generic, give the generic product a chance. You may actually find that you like it as much or better than the brand name!

Control the Gas Budget

If you're on a tiny budget (less than $1000 a month), one of the best ways of saving money is to try and avoid using your car so often. I'm not suggeting selling your car or always taking public transportation because that can be just as expensive. However, there are some things you can do to save on gas, one of the biggest expenses.

If you live close to work, walk to work a few days a week. You don't have to do this every day, but if you don't have a lot of stuff to take with you and the weather is nice, why not walk? It's good exercise and you save gas.

When you have to go run errands, try to arrange it so you go out and do all the errands you need to for the week at once. Think about it: driving to the grocery store and back, then driving to the post office and back, and then driving to the dry cleaners and back makes up three seperate trips. The amount of gas (and time) you spend making three seperate trips is most likely more than you'd spend doing them all at once.

If you and your friends are going out to dinner or to an event, suggest that everyone ride together. This helps not only with gas but also with parking. If you drive, next time suggest you all take someone else's car.

Be smart when buying gas, too. If you know of a cheap gas station that isn't too far out of your way, go for it. However, if you have to drive 5 miles just to save a penny per gallon, it's not worth it.

Finally, keep your car tuned up. Make sure your tires are properly inflated and that you change your oil regularly. A car that is in good condition actually uses less gas, so it's worth it.

Living on $600 a month

While working on my graduate degree and in the first couple of years following, I managed to do what a lot of people thought was impossible: I lived on about $600 a month. But I wasn't living in a slum apartment, and I was able to spend money on luxuries like DVDs and eating out. Since the economy is in the crapper, I thought I would start a blog about how I was able to survive on so little. In fact, I still follow many of the practices I started then to save money. It really isn't that hard to live frugally and yet still have some play money. In the following weeks, I'll be sharing some of my money-saving tips with you, and in return, please feel free to leave comments on ways you've found to save a little cash.