Money, you'd look good on my arm!

Since May is my month of money (saving more, making more, investing more, banking more), thought I might continue the financial focus with more tips that I've discovered and adopted in my quest to make my money work better for me.

Check it out!

1. I've started (GASP) shopping in the suburbs. I went, last night, for the first time, deliberately, to do my shopping in grocery store in the suburbs. The Polar Bear lives about 20 minutes outside of the city, and so I accompanied him to the nearest shop and stock up. I was shocked at how us urbanites allow grocers to literally take the food off our plate with their extra exhorbitant prices. My essentials (frozen fruit, milk, eggs, etc.) cost half as much in the suburbs than in downtown. Shocker to some, invitation to me!
2. My grandmother always taught me to buy the best. "You only want to buy it once, so buy the best that money can buy," she'd say. In my elder years, I've learned that this need not apply to foil, plastic bags, and other daily disposables. I'm used to buying the name brand version of everything - from meds to chips to makeup. It's taking time, but replacing name brand versions with less expensive product lines really adds to my cash reserve :)
3. I've started recording every impulse buy. All (at least most) of my expenses can be planned: rent, bills, food, travel, etc. So....for those days when I crave a smoothie (that I lazily don't want to make myself), bottled juice (that I didn't get on sale during my trip to the suburban grocery store), or beauty must have (the day after Ballet Tropical, I HAD to get a pedicure. Feeling my rough heels almost tear through my sheets was TOO much!), I make sure I record it - often, it helps me think through whether the purchase is really essential or not. Puts money in the bank!

Ciao for now!

a