Life gets crazy, and inflation is gong nowhere but up. Luckily, even in this economy you can be a smart saver. Whether it's shopping for food, gorcery shopping, or just filling up your tank, there are plenty of ways you can stretch your buck on a daily basis. I'm going to share with you just a few of my favorite tricks for making the most of my money.
No matter where you go, or how often, you're going to have to get there on some mode of transportation. For most of us, we get to where we need to go by car. According to virginiagasprices.com, by Gas Buddy Inc., $3.51 a gallon is the average price for a gallon of gas in Virginia. With the price of gas steadily increasing, we need to be smart about how we use it. When I know I have pending shopping trips for whatever needs buying, I make sure to plan my trips in an order that takes me in as much of a looped path as possible. Going back and forth, north ans south on 95, her and there and back here (and so on) is SUCH a waste of gas. Not only do I plan out the route, I also take note of which passing gas stations have the lowest prices. I make sure that if I'm passing my chosen gas station, I top off my tank, even if I stillhave half a tank less. In these tough times, every little penny counts!
We all need to eat. Bottom line, people get hungry, people buy food, rinse and repeat. There are a couple things I do every time I need to go grocery shopping. First, I go to the commissary. I know we can't all go here, but I'm fortunate enough to have a father who is a United States Marine, and because I'm his dependent I also get base privaleges. As a side note, if you're not aware of this, commissaries don't have sales tax on goods. That's alot of money in savings! To find out more about the nearest base, which happens to be Quantico Marine Corps. base, go to their website listed below.
For those of you who can't get into your local bases or forts, a BJ's, Costco, or Sam's Club will work just fine. The key thing to remember, no matter where you go) is to BUY IN BULK! Buying little bits at a time is like paying interest on your groceries for the amount of packaging your taking home, not the food. buying in bulk saves you trips to you grocer of choice, it saves money and resources on packaging, and really, you're going to use the product anyways so might as well get lots of it. Check back in soon for ways to save when it comes to one of my favorite pastimes, Shopping!
Sources:
http://www.virginiagasprices.com/
Virginia Gas Prices.Virginia: 2012. Gas Buddy Organization Inc., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.
http://www.commissaries.com/stores/html/store.cfm?dodaac=HQCNFJ
Commissaries.com. Virginia: 2012. United States Commissaries, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.
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