Smart Savings - All Comments

re: Fuming about the petrol price hike?

Attie Claassens — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:14:30 GMT

Here is some food for thought. Put a couple of coins in your car's ash tray. If you can hear the coins moving, your are accelerating too fast and your foot is too hard on the breaks.

re: Eat Better on Less

Lee — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:39:50 GMT

Ugh - you guys are killing me - I'm starving!

* Agree - avoid takeaways and eat outs AND - no mater how wonderful the canteen - bring a packed lunch to work and save that cash.

* Lentils are a fantastic addition to every meal plan and if you miss your meat then try alternate sources like offal (kidneys, chicken hearts, liver etc)

* For those hunger attacks a great filling (and low cost) snack is air-popped popcorn!

*Look out for specials deals i.e. Discovery & PnP's 25% back on healthy foods, Fruit & Veg specials on Wednesdays and always low cost milk etc

Happy Eating all!

re: Eat Better on Less

Jenni — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:12:56 GMT

Sorry suggestions posted by Jenni my email address omitted - jnoall@fnb.co.za

re: Eat Better on Less

Jenni — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:04:23 GMT

Thanks for the great tips .

My tips to make meals stretch are :

Add lentils to your mince mix for cottage pie this makes the meal stretch for supper and leftovers for lunch the next day.

A cooked chicken can be used to chicken ala king for your evening meal and leftover chicken can be used for chicken mayo sandwiches/or add to pasta for a chicken pasta salad for the next day's lunch.

Bread that is not used gets frozen and we make toast and snackwhiches from it.

Cut the leftover spaghetti from your spaghetti balognaise the night before and add to the mince mix - makes great sandwiches for lunch !

I also agree with the "needs replacement "list - I keep it on the fridge so that when I run out off something I can add it to the list immediately , then this list goes shopping with me - so that I do not get tempted to get anything that is not on the list.

I have also learnt that not taking my husband along to do shopping is a great money saver - He loves to try any new product on the market and we end up with all these new products with barely anything that has run out.

I also buy the snowflake muffin/scone mixes ( costs approx R8 and make these for lunches or treats - you only add milk & oil and it makes 12 big muffins/scones.

I buy veggies in bulk and split the costs with my parents - this works out much cheaper !

re: Eat Better on Less

Marisa — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:42:28 GMT

Thank you for the tips.

My tip is to do a little effort and write down the items on your shopping list at home as soon as you realise you need something. Then when it's time to go buy those items, avoid browsing around in the shop for the other things you "might have forgot", but stick to the shopping list. Focus on going in the shop; buy the things on the list, and GET OUT. When browsing around, I always end up seeing something I like/ see specials and get tempted to buy those (mostly) unnecessary things too.

mliebenberg@fnb.co.za

re: Eat Better on Less

arendse — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:31:24 GMT

awesome pamela

my tip is avoid being tempted to eat out ever now and then, takeaways are unhealthy and really does damage to your budget over a long term.

Regards

zfrancis@fnb.co.za

re: Pamela's blog: back to school on a budget

Lee — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:46:52 GMT

Great post Pam - thanks.

It was also done in that way for us Dezi - uniform aside, we were told what packs we had to purchase and included stationery, suitcase, books etc. Took all that work from us.

Uniforms were a huge shock though! R1 000 alone for 2 summer dresses for each child! Pamela, for the first time this year our school allowed children to wear (specified) black sandals. Now if only their mom had received that memo she wouldn't be on the receiving end of so much flak from her kiddies :)

re: Pamela's blog: back to school on a budget

Pamela Kay — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:30:11 GMT

Great idea Dezi. Also, a lot of school uniforms seem incredibly impractical for the African summer climate. Who wants to wear bobby socks and a thick blazer and tie? Why not let all kids wear a standard issue golf shirt, with their own school's badge on it? At my niece's high school, they have to wear a longish, "koekige" dress down past their knees, with a tie. And knee socks. The best uniform ever was in my Grade 2 year - button-down, thin cotton frock with short sleeves and white ankle socks. If I had the vote, I would even substitute the socks and black shoes with plain old black or brown leather sandals. Much nicer for the kids. And easier on parents' pockets all round.

re: Pamela's blog: back to school on a budget

DEZI — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:45:20 GMT

My little sister has started grade R this year and at her school they had a stationary pack that they sold at the school for a reasonable price. It has all the goods she needs for two semesters from glue to pencils, crayons etc....

I think more schools should do this - it makes life easier and i reakon if the school buys in bulk they get a good discount on things

re: Pamela's blog: Lucky You!

Attie Claassens — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:36:25 GMT

Thanks Pamela. Very appropriate for a lot of us to start 2010 on a clean slate.

re: Pamela's blog - Going cheap: Post-Christmas sales

Helen K — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:57:39 GMT

Hey Pam - great tips - thanks.

I remember that CNA Fourways had a huge exciting sale on toys on 24 December last year and that kept me going for kiddie birthday party presents the rest of the year! Hoping for the same again this year...

We bought a trampoline for our girls (off the ground, with net) from bid or buy - perhaps they'll have some nice deals? Otherwise junkmail might have some more inexpensive second hand items?

re: Pamela's blog - Going cheap: Post-Christmas sales

Pamela Kay — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:38:55 GMT

Anyone know of other sales? I think I want to get my kids a huge trampoline with a net. I know about Game and Makro - can one buy them anywhere else?

re: Pamela: Budget Getaways

Margs — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:44:29 GMT

try the Cavern for a great family getaway at a reasonable price. the rate includes EVERYTHING - childcare during meals, all food including tea in the morning and afternoon, all walks (incl billy-can-tea & the best crunchies ever) and great accommodation. this place is the best and worth every penny - I can't recommend it highly enough! (http://www.cavern.co.za/)

another reasonable one is the Rhino and Lion Park - great for day trips and also has accommodation at reasonable prices. http://www.rhinolion.co.za/

re: Pamela's blog - How to feel rich (when you're being frugal!)

Naz786 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:01:17 GMT

An amazing article. myself and soon-to-be fiancee are still saving up for our engagement and wedding so we don't have the cash to splurge on luxury items... all the time. So we walk into the stores and do the same... feel rich while being frugal... it is not that hard. plus we're spending time together and still having loads of fun and laughing as a couple... it's great..

re: Pamela's blog - Deck the halls with plastic folly

Lee — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:34:57 GMT

Thanks Pamela.

I was having a similar discussion just last night about the fact that we're spoiling our kids and actually harming them by doing this. At the time we were dividing their toys quite literally in half to give away bags and bags of soft toys, small plastic toys and puzzles. It's so wasteful! But the kids have so much that they don't even know what they have any longer (and frankly their large playroom is busting at the seams). Birthdays and Christmas they're showered by gifts from well-meaning loving relatives and friends but it's all too much, and even us parents can't keep up any longer (Christmas's have become like those expensive weddings all brides want even though it puts them in debt!)

And yet, true meaning of Christmas aside, Christmas morning when our kids are still young is also for me about that super-excited squeal as they rush to their stocking in the morning. About little kids sitting under a Christmas tree with mountains of colourful paper around them. Father Christmas usually leaves them a bag of presents and if it's suddenly reduced to just one I suspect the joy will be zapped from their Christmas ;)

A family friend used to give her kids each a special piece of value when they were older (something antique, collectible) so it had long term meaning. Nice. But what about years 6 - 13? How do we transition from Woohoo! to calm appreciation?

My plan is to do it slowly, fewer gifts each year but with more substance. Perhaps it’ll be easier for them to understand when they also know it's out of mom's pocket and not Santa's workshop? Also, I think how we treat our kids the rest of the year impacts too. We never buy gifts unless it's for birthdays or Christmas, not just because we happen to walk past a toy store or ate all our vegetables. And finally true appreciation and value is also based on giving. When your child hands over food or one of their toys to someone who doesn't have - it makes an impression.

PS Also love your gift ideas. Something else you can do is make a donation through this site for a charity of your choice in that person's name: Greater Good SA - http://www.myggsa.co.za/