Affluent but Frugal

Trader Joe's has long been one of my favorite places to grocery shop! Not only do they have staples but they have amazing frozen food and lots of unique items that other stores don't carry. It's basically a hippie paradise of alternative foods. It's also amazing when you don't have lot of time to cook or meal prep because they have so many great pre-made and frozen foods. We can't meal prep all the time now can we? The really annoying thing about my TJ's store is there is NO internet or cell reception! Which means I cannot check point values while I'm in the store. Thus, it has been challenging for me to shop there and took a lot of trips to put this list together. If there are other must-haves from TJs please comment and I will update! If you're looking to save a few bucks on more basic items, check out my Aldi shopping list here . Or if you are new to WW check out my tips for getting your kitchen ready. All point values below were upda...

I don't like to do Black Friday shopping, there are too many crowds and I don't want to get up early just to shop. It's only a deal if you need something, otherwise, you're wasting money no matter what the price is! Now, after Christmas shopping, that's my jam. Fewer people and better prices. But again, I will only buy something if it's something I wanted/needed anyway, even if it's 75% off. These are my favorite things to buy after the holidays! 1. Bath, body and hair care gift sets. I seriously stock up on all kinds of shampoo, soap, and deodorant every year. I will buy several sets for me and my husband and we will use it the whole year. He really likes Swagger by Old Spice and Wal-mart/Target will have sets that include some variation of a deodorant, shampoo, body spray for about $5. Normally we'd pay $3 for just a deodorant. I usually get him 3-4 sets of various combinations, depending on how many deodorants he has left from the year before. ...

It can be shocking to hear that 78 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Why are so many people in our country broke? Including many with high incomes? Understanding why you are poor is the first step to breaking the cycle of paycheck to paycheck living. Here are 5 reasons you're poor! You don't budget or track your spending. If you want to save more or spend less, you need to be aware of where your money goes. You might think you know but tracking your spending for a few months can be eye opening. I strongly recommend Mint.com  for tracking your spending, it's free and easy to setup. You can link all of your accounts and it will auto-categorize your credit and debit card transactions. It's nifty. You never eat at home. A lot has been written about the "latte factor" and how a daily trip to a certain green goddess impacts your finances but most people seem to still be unaware how much they eat out and the financial impact. We hav...

I avoid going to stores in person like the plague. If I walk into a Target I will spend $60 or more, so I avoid going to brick and mortar stores and do most of my shopping online. If I can’t browse at items I did not think to look for, I won’t buy them. For me, it’s that simple. If I have to walk past the Target dollar section on my way in the store, I’m going to look at it and I will probably buy something that I did not even think I “needed” 5 minutes before but after I see it and it’s only $2, it will be in my cart. So I only go to target a few times a year when I need several things that I could not buy online (usually this is because shipping was cost prohibitive so the items is twice as much on Amazon). As a frequent online shopper, this is how I look to save every step of the way. 1)     Use a cash back rebate After I’ve found something I want  to buy I always check Mr. Rebates and Ebates to see if the store offers cash back and which provider offer...