• Buying to save

    Posted on December 9th, 2008 Saver Queen 12 comments

    Although the best way to save money is to stay out of the stores, there are a few products you can buy that will actually help you to save money.  Here are a few of my own personal favourites.  They are also great ideas for Christmas gifts for the frugal shopper on your list!

    1. A battery charger.  There’s no reason not to own one.  They are cheap! And you will never have to buy batteries again. I bought a pack of four and found it more than enough, since you rarely need more than four at a time.  It’s better for the environment and it means you can permanently cross one annoying purchase of your list.

    2. Good tupperware.  It keeps your food fresher longer and it means you can buy in bulk.  It also means you can take your leftovers to work or school. 

    3. A beard trimmer or electric razor for your man. Eliminate the cost of razors and razor blades (they are expensive these days!)  Another way to cut back, if he uses a razor, is to buy shaving soap and a shaving brush and quit buying expensive shaving cream.  I bought this nice shaving soap over a year ago and he is still using it!  It only costs $4.99 at the Rocky Mountain Soap Company – worth every penny.  It’s also better for the environment!

    4. A heavy ceramic baking dish. You can throw all kinds of veggies and/or meat in there and roast them in the oven.  Putting an entire meal in one dish means you save on energy.

    5. A crock-pot.  A crock-pot makes it easy to put together cheap meals like soups, stews and casseroles. 

    6. A travel mug. I use mine all the time to transport coffee to work in the morning and save $25 every month.

    7. A good quality water bottle. Forget buying bottles of water, just refill your own!

    What are your favourite purchases that have saved you money?

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    12 responses to “Buying to save”

    1. jpkittie December 9th, 2008 at 08:03

      We have had the same travel coffee mugs for the past 7 years! they were $25 a piece, but looking back now – totally worth every penny! Also with our water bottles – we use the Kleen Kanteen (they have a bigger opening then the sigg for ice to fit through) and we have had those for 8 months now (completely paid for themselves already, we were buying water bottles) and like you said – totally better for the environment!!!

    2. Kate December 9th, 2008 at 08:04

      The boots from my original comment here on SaverQueen :) Have saved me a fortune already in clothes-horsing, not to mention kept me happy and comfortable.

      My MIL-to-be bought us an ice cream maker last year (the price was too rich for our blood at the time) and we use that thing like nobody’s business. Turns out ice cream is really overpriced? It’s also helpful because SO is deathly allergic to nuts, so he either misses out, buys unfortunate tasting ice cream, and/or overpriced ice cream.

      And, given the discussion on Gail’s blog yesterday, I have to give a shout-out to my education. Did it cost me a fortune? Yes (although not nearly as much as in the USA). Am I still paying it off? Yes. Has it been worth it? Yes, yes, and yes. I have a great job and good job mobility, in a large part because of the education I now have.

    3. jill December 9th, 2008 at 08:11

      Plenty of good tips there!! We recently just bought ourselves the heavy duty water bottle for work. Enough of wasting money on mineral water bottles every few weeks!!

    4. Money Minder December 9th, 2008 at 08:48

      a bike. Great for running errands and getting exercise (though not this time of year!) Saves gas, and even time (no parking and we can usually use backstreets to avoid traffic lights.)

    5. frugal dreamer December 9th, 2008 at 11:07

      Great ideas!

      I never thought of purchasing a battery charger, but I really should! :)

      Water bottles and travel mugs are definitely must haves!

    6. Andrea December 9th, 2008 at 13:13

      Good ideas, SQ. I haven’t done #3 or #4, but yes to the rest. We have an insulated coffee pot that keeps it hot all day(until it’s gone anyway). Initially it costs more than glass-pot coffeemakers, but if you’ve bought a $3-4 coffee and often, this is justified. I love this so much compared to glass coffee pots that soon go cold. Hot coffee is always on hand and if I have to run out the house I just grab the travel mug when I need it. This has eliminated ANY temptation for an instant, hot coffee out(T.H.,S*bucks,or 2ndcup).

    7. Miss M December 9th, 2008 at 13:30

      I need more tupperware, I don’t know how pieces keep walking off! I’ve tried to get Mr M to switch to an electric razor but he says he doesn’t like them. The cost of blades for reusables is unbelievable. He is starting to come around, maybe he’ll change his mind soon.

    8. celia December 9th, 2008 at 18:53

      Mmmm, I must confess I am not good saving money… lol… But one thing I uss at home is like you said, buying big bottles of water and refilling a jar each day in the fridge. lol…
      Thanks so much also for your sweet comment in my blog, thanks!!!!

    9. Saver Queen December 10th, 2008 at 01:26

      Miss M – maybe you should tell Mr M to grow a beard, haha! The cheapest solution yet! ;)

    10. Middle Way December 10th, 2008 at 09:09

      I’ve been working on the shaving rasor issue with my husband. They are SO expensive. I’ve been using an electric ladyshaver for years but he just won’t switch.

      Finally this year we found a reasonable solution. In the travel section of our Shoppers Drug Mart, were multipackage triple blade travel rasors that seriously cost 1/4 the price of replacement blades made by the same manufacturers. He is satisfied enough with the results.

      I do realize the increase garbage part…I’ll keep working on him…

    11. livingmyrichlife December 10th, 2008 at 20:57

      We have every one of those items you mentioned and they sure save us money. I also feel like I’m doing my bit for the environment by using the travel mug and water bottle instead of using disposable containers.

      Hubby just bought a sewing machine on Craigslist yesterday. He’s been searching for a while and finally found a brand new one (retail $300+) for $70. Bargain. I sure think it will save money in the long run as he’s pretty handy at making and repairing things.

    12. Valerie Deneen December 14th, 2008 at 00:41

      One of the best things we purchased that ended up saving us a lot of money in the long run was a breadmaker. It is so simple to use and makes the house smell sooooooo good!

      Valerie
      Frugal Family Fun Blog
      Good times on a budget!
      http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com

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