CNA's Have to Be Thrifty......How Do You Stretch a Dollar?

azcna · Jun 25, 2009

I just live within my budget, it's something everyone should do. I plan out my expenses and hold to that. I also drive a used car. I drive a used BMW, and it is nicer than some newer GMs. If I don't have money, I don't spend it!

justme01 · Jun 25, 2009

You drive a used BMW, and I drive a used Acura. My car has sunroof, leather interior, a Bose stereo system, etc. I got this luxury car for 3,500, and I love it!

Taffey · Jun 26, 2009

I like to shop a the .99 store when ever I can. I also try to stick to a budget. When I see something on sale I think is this a want or a need.

Natny23 · Jun 26, 2009

I am just a CNA student right now, but totally know about having to be thrifty. I plan out our meals for the month at the beg. of each month. I use the store ads to see what is on sale and plan the meals from that. We also get food from angel food ministry. We get food to feed my family of four for a week for $30. I only buy my childrens (3 YR and 2 YR old) clothes at second hand stores or off the clearance racks. They grow to fast to buy brand new clothes. Just some of my secrets. :nuke:

justme01 · Jun 27, 2009

Good tips. Keep em coming. I love the old saying, "Use it up, wear it out, make it last, or do without."

littlenursingmommy · Jun 28, 2009

I am the budgeting queen. I don't know about you guys, but I have a 2-year-old daughter, so my money is VEEEERY tight. we buy boxes of correl plates, (cheap and cute) LOTS of tubaware, and everything non-perishable comes in bulk. (ESPECIALLY diapers.) We're also big fans of energy saving light bulbs and extension cords, so that we can quickly unplug everything as we leave the house; by avoiding excess room in our apartment, (it's veeery small) we save tons and tons on our utility bills. I even had my dad come in and insulate everything for me; it was well worth it. Food wise, we try and buy non-perishables such as hamburger helper, pasta sides and rice to go alongside whatever we're eating that night. Once again, buying in bulk pays off; a jumbo pack of chicken or a few extra lbs of hamburger can always go in the freezer, so I try and take advantage of any deals my local grocery store has. almost everything else comes from the dollar store...soap, shampoo, toilet paper/paper towels, baby wipes, some clothes, etc....scrubs are another story for me though, because I'm 5'1 and 100 lbs. The extra smalls are even a little too long for me, and I have ZERO luck finding them at any place besides uniform outlets.

Girl Scout · Jun 29, 2009

I can tell you some things I do to streeeeeetch the heck out of a dollar:

1. I eat sandwiches for about 80% of my meals. I put nutritious and tasty things on them, so they're healthy and not boring. When I pack lunch, I pack Sun Chips, sammich, low-fat yogurt, apples, vegetable juice, and a couple of diet cokes. Believe it or not, for the week my personal grocery bill comes to about $35. (see #2)

2. I buy off-brand stuff or use coupons for *everything*. Clothes, shoes, food, events, you name it.

3. I don't have cable TV - instead I watch movies and shows online if I can. Hulu is great! Apple's website has all the trailers for the upcoming movies, and they're always exciting to watch. Youtube provides a lot of entertainment of all kinds. I also have DVDs from some of my favorite shows, and a bunch of movies I've collected over the years, to watch on DVD.

4. Once a week, I indulge myself, I either eat out or fix myself a really great, tasty dinner once a week. How does this save money? It does because I'm less tempted to get tired of the same ol' at home, if I break the monotony and allow myself to indulge just a tiny bit.

5. I buy my clothes on sale... and I wash my unmentionables by hand in the sink with some Woolite.

6. I go as far as possible on the gas in the tank, and take a gamble that I can get it for 10 or 15 cents cheaper when it's time to fill up for the week. I also try to use a gas card, which gets me 3 cents off each gallon.

7. I do regular oil changes and tire rotation and fuel injector cleaner and wheel alignment and all that stuff. I save up in a piggy bank for this stuff, and I don't do it all at once (if I did, I'd be broke). I'm racking up big miles on the car with a 1 hr commute every day, so car care really counts. If you don't care for the car, your pocket book will take a hit when you least expect it, trust me!

8. Piggy banks! My piggy banks get fed with these rules: if there's change in my pocket at the end of the day, no matter if it's a $20 or .20 cents, it goes to the piggy; if I find money while I'm cleaning the house, or the car, it goes to the piggy. I made that agreement with myself years ago. You wouldn't believe how many times that piggy has saved me, because I made that agreement.

9. Library books! When you have a moment of quiet all to yourself, and nothing to do, grab a book from the library. It's cheap, and reading helps keep your sanity. I just recently checked out "Fried Green Tomatoes" (love that book & movie!) and "The Road" (will be my 2nd time to read).

10. Shop at the Dollar Tree as often as possible for stuff. For example, stuff I always get there: aluminum foil, zip-lock baggies, tupperware containers. Bandaids, aspirin, shampoo, soap, lotion. Also my first stop for Christmas wrapping paper.

tishirajan · Jun 29, 2009

Great thread and great responses! :w00t:

I stretch my dollar by getting Angel Food as well. Awesome meals for a fraction of the cost!

I clip coupons and use them on triple coupon days.

I love the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores.

I look through the newspaper for garage sales on the weekends to find things that we need, especially a big purchase like a washer or dryer. We got a great deal on a practically new GE washer and dryer set for $150!!

I love shopping for clothes at Goodwill and the local thrift store. They have designer jeans for $2 a pair.

I get my scrubs wherever I can find them on sale, be it online or in store.

I develop my own pictures on the computer.

I set a budget for each week for groceries.

I always put back 10% of my paycheck into savings for an emergency...that's been a real help many times over!

NurseNotRatched, ADN, BSN, CNA · Jul 1, 2009

I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. To help stretch a dollar in our household, we

1) Find free or really low cost family entertainment. Our local library has a summer reading extravaganza with arts & crafts or a free movie for little kids once per week. They also have storytime for toddlers and preschoolers every week with a different theme. My daughter loves it! The story lady is pretty funny too. We also have a childrens museum here that is interactive and on Sundays, it's 1/2 price ($3.00). We also check out what events Parks & Recreation have going on.

2) Aldi, Aldi, Aldi. Did I say ALDI!!! Love that store! My first stop is usually Aldi (if you shop there, you don't need coupons) followed by WalMart for food.

3) Dollar Tree for basic toiletries and household cleaning supplies (and little odds and ends, coloring books, etc for the kids)

4) Flowers bakery has fresh baked name brand bread that is waaay cheaper than any grocery store.

5) Farmer's Market for fresh fruits and veggies. Prices cannot be beat and the produce is locally grown.

6) Every now and then, I'll take $20 or so and blow it on used toys in the consignment shop for my kids. Doesn't make sense to spend a buttload of money on toys that they'll get bored with sooner than I'd like.

7) For their clothes, I go to WalMart, consignment or the Childrens Place when they have their clearance sales.

8) MYPOINTS.COM Love Love Love My points. You do surveys, read emails, or just shop online like you normally would and accumulate points which you can redeem for gas cards, restaurant cards, retail gift cards, etc. If anyone is interested in a referral, let me know...

9) BzzAgent.com You sign up to try products at no cost (or sometimes very little cost) to you and just spread the word to people giving your honest opinion. Some campaigns I've done and free stuff I've tried: Bic Soleil Bella razors, Palmolive pure+clear, Afrin Pure Sea Nasal rinse, cover girl lip stain, Gamewave family entertainment system (I accepted this offer and paid $29 for the game console, 6 remotes, and 4 games...system normally sells for upwards of $100) My cousin actually got on the Chili's guiltless grill campaign and received several Chili's meal vouchers. I'm still waiting to try a food campaign

chickapea · Jul 31, 2009

So aside from cutting coupons and looking for deals such as dollar store or sales I look for freebies. I have kids so the funnest thing is to find fun things to do together for free. Here are some ideas so far:

Free movies at the local theater in the am on weekdays and in the local parks on the weekends

Free family swim nights at our city pool

Free music in the park

Free crafts every weekend at lakeshore Learning

Free storytime at libraries and book stores

When we go out to eat we search "kids eat free" in our city and get a list to choose from for every night of the week

We also spends lots of time going for walks, to parks and even putting golf balls for free at the golf course which my kids love!!

foralltherightreason · Aug 1, 2009

I'm not in CNA school, but in college getting my pre-req's for ADN. I have 4 kids and we live on fluctuating commissions. We save money by:

1. Buying all clothing except socks, undies, and shoes at a local thrift store, everything's $1.75. My kids wear much nicer clothes than if I shopped at the mall.(Believe me, been there, done that. They went from Wal-mart, Target brands to A & F, Aero., Gap) On that note, have money saved to buy shoes when they are on clearance at Ross or Marshall's. It's much cheaper than waiting until they NEED a pair. I buy socks and undies at a local store geared towards Hispanics, it has a Hispanic name. I save 50-60% off Wal-mart prices.

2. I drive a used car, we bought a another used car this year, a 2007 Civic, and the only reason we bought it is because it get 31/38 mpg

3. We go to matinees once or twice a month, and sneak in our own candy

4. Go to the grocery store early the day after a holiday and stock up on marked down meats for the freezer. Also I price-match and go to 3 different grocery stores on shopping day. I go the store twice a month and Costco once a month.

5. We planted a large garden from seed this year, don't use pesticides, water with our well water and freeze or can whatever we can. We even got 12 watermelons out of it. Watermelons are $4-$5 each. Total cost-$35 for the whole garden

6. We don't have insurance, so swallowed our pride and signed up for state health insurance for our kids. Still has a copay, but we save $350 a month over private insurance

7. I go to garage sales and shop clearance sales and stock up on new items. They come in handy for surprise birthday, wedding, Christmas, etc.

8. Buy in bulk at Costco or Sam's. You would be amazed how many meals you can make with rice and beans.

9. I buy toiletries, razors, gift bags, and anything else that is cheaper (you have to know your prices) at Dollar Tree or Dollar Store.

10. We bought a house as a foreclosure and saved $40,000. We live in a nice neighborhood, and our house needs paint and carpet but have a much lower mortgage than our neighbors. As far as paint, Home Depot and Lowe's sell $5.00 gallons that have been mismatched. If you wait, you can find a great color for 25% of the original price. Buy home improvement items in December when clearanced. We never change a faucet or replace something on a whim. My SS sink with $130 faucet was purchased for $30 at Home Depot.

11. We pay cash. You really determine whether you need it our not when you pay with $100 bills instead of plastic.

12. Check around for the best deal on Electricity. We saved 5 cents a KW by not being loyal to the company we'd been with for 5 years. Same goes for car and homeowner's insurance

13. Buy all furniture secondhand or at a clearance center. Our 3 piece 100% leather living room group was $800 at RTG outlet. My daughter's bedroom set was an antique set from a garage sale that we painted black to match her lime green and pink bedroom. Total cost $100

14. Barter-we got 2 new recliners and 2 marble topped tables in exchange for my DH hanging a TV and running stereo wire for my sister. They didn't need the furniture and had no $, we needed the furniture. She also gave me my $800 teacup yorkie with kennel, food, and shots updated when she was 6 months old because she was too much trouble(Don't pay for pets, you can get them for free)

I'll think of more later, that's all I can think of right now.