EatCheapEatWell
  • Home
  • SHOP
  • Life/Budget/Household Stuff
  • Food and Meal Blog
  • About
  • Home
  • SHOP
  • Life/Budget/Household Stuff
  • Food and Meal Blog
  • About

7 Ways to Stay Cool and Still Save on Your Summertime Utility Bill

10/30/2015

 
Picture
Summertime Utility Bills Can Be Sky High

My Mom’s generation had no such thing as air conditioning. She talked about how she and friends would go to the movies (for a nickel) and watch a double feature whenever the heat was unbearable because the theater was one of the few “air-cooled” places in town.

From my understanding, air cooling consisted of a fan blowing across a huge piece of ice, but this rudimentary system did provide some relief from the stifling summers In Texas and Illinois where Mom spent her childhood.

 Even when I was growing up, AC was practically unheard of in the Northeast, and we certainly did not have it.

​It absolutely offended Mom’s environmental sensibilities. Way back before it was fashionable, she questioned the excessive use of electricity and the burning of fossil fuels to produce it.

​She was truly a woman ahead of her time.

And there’s no doubt that running air conditioning is also very expensive.  Heating and cooling our homes takes a big chunk out of household budgets. But there are ways to minimize our cooling costs, and Mom was a whiz at knowing and finding methods to do just that.

Here are some of her techniques, along with a few others I’ve learned about along the way. 

Read More

Budget Eating for Good Health

10/27/2015

 
Budget Eating - It Might Help You Avoid Cancer
There was a headline not too long ago from the World Health Organization (WHO) linking meat and cancer that created a lot of buzz.

The idea definitely supports my approach to dietary habits, but I have to say that the report was neither as sensational as many depicted it, nor did it even really state anything new that science has not already acknowledged for years. 

After all, by now it’s old news that plant-based foods should make up the bulk of our diets.

That’s the approach health-minded individuals have taken for years, and it’s also the mainstay of the highly touted Mediterranean diet with its proven long-term health benefits.


Read More

How to Save on Your Housing Budget

10/21/2015

 
Updated - March 2018
Crazy High Rents - A few years ago, an article went viral about a young man who worked for Google and lived in a box truck. He'd chosen to do that rather than continue to fork over $2000 per month for a shared room, which is what he was doing before he made the decision to take this dramatic step.

​That's crazy high rent. And let's not forget that rent is money that's gone for good - essentially money out the window. It is not money that helps us build financial independence or security in any way. 

​But this, in very stark terms, is one of those dilemmas facing people looking for work: 

​If you move to the areas with good jobs, often the cost of living is sky high and downright unaffordable.

Read More

Why You Might Want to Eat Like a Poor Grad Student, Even If You Can Afford Not To

10/19/2015

 
Picture
I get asked a lot what I think a reasonable food budget is. 

My answer is that I fed my family of 6, including 4 teenage boys, on a budget of $130-150 per week for years. We were focused on saving as much money as we could, given the looming costs of college and the bills we had to pay. 


​But even now, with only my husband and me at home, and our financial situation much more financially secure and comfortable than it was with four children in the household, I never spend more than around $30-$35 per person, and often less.

And that's including some indulgences that we never would have allowed ourselves in earlier days.​

Read More

2 Easy Travel Hacks to Save Money

10/18/2015

 
Airport Water Station
I recently traveled to be with one of my sons when he underwent surgery, and transited through three different airports on the trip there and back.

Along the way, I of course needed to eat and drink several times.

But as we all know, eating and drinking at airports can be an expensive proposition. 
If you’re a couple or a family traveling anywhere, the cost of meals and drinks on the way can easily add $100 or more to the round trip cost of a ticket.

And it’s hardly as if those meals are memorable ones – more like fast food for 2-3X the price you’d pay outside the airport.

So suffice it to say that I truly hate spending the inflated prices demanded for food and drink at airport restaurants or stores and try to avoid it as much as possible.

So this is what I do instead. ​

Read More

7 Proven Shopping Strategies That Save Money

10/15/2015

 
7 Simple Savings Strategies
Designer handbags - or designer anything, for that matter - are not exactly the type of thing I usually spend much time thinking about. But just recently I experienced not one, but two instances where these big name purses were very much the topic of conversation. 

​I felt that the it warranted a blog post because I suspect that many of us can relate to the circumstances in one way or another.

Read More

Magic Sinks

10/7/2015

 
Picture
I'm guessing I'm not the only who has this kind of sink in their house.  The kind that magically cleans any dishes we put there because we don't feel like taking care of them. 

I hear it's very common in households with teenagers. They manage to clear the table, but they can't quite bring themselves to wash any dishes, so they leave them in the sink to soak -- for hours and days.

Even when they don't need it. 

I have to say that I actually have more of a problem with this now that my sons are grown.

​I should mention that I raised all my sons to do chores on a daily basis. But when they come home to visit now, they seem to conveniently "forget" how to do most of everything I taught them when they were young.  

Sometimes I chase after the culprit who left the pot there, but all too often I must admit that I just end up carrying out the "magical" deed and washing the pan myself. 

Still, I  expect  that it will come back to them at some point, and I look forward to the day when I will be their guest for meals and otherwise. In the meantime, I have a feeling we'll continue to  go back and forth about who performs the "magic" in my house. 

Best Money-Saving Tip for Pets (That Will Make You Feel Good Besides)

10/4/2015

 
Picture
So you've decided that your budget and lifestyle can accommodate a lifelong fur companion.  It's a big decision and a subject that's very near and dear to my heart.  

With millions of unwanted animals euthanized every year in shelters, and with the horrendous conditions in the puppy mills around the country that serve as the supply chain for pet stores, it's a no-brainer to me that animal adoption is the way to go when you're looking to bring a pet into your family.  

It's certainly the most compassionate approach.  But it's also a choice that's saves money -- often substantial amounts. 

For a cost ranging from free to $200, you can have a fully neutered, loving (and I swear --- grateful) pet.

​Compare that to the cost of a pet store dog that runs into the hundreds and even thousands of dollars, and most likely came from one of those previously mentioned, horrific puppy mill besides. It just makes sense to adopt. 

My family has always adopted our dogs, ever since I was a small child.

Read More

Put Gas Money Back in Your Pocket

10/3/2015

 
Gas Pump Prices
​Savings Quick Tip
Nobody needs to tell me that people are driving more these days due to the cheaper gas prices. Traffic was so bad today that I could barely get out of the parking lot at the grocery store. And that's become a fairly common occurrence, even in my normally uncongested area. 

But instead of using lower gas prices as an excuse to needlessly drive more - as most Americans tend to do when gas prices fall -- here's the smart money thing to do:

Read More
    Follow Me
    Picture
    PictureMy "boys" and me

    The Author

    Hi, I'm Nancy Maje Gillis, and I hope to help you find ways to live more cheaply and mindfully to  help you get through this uncertain COVID-19 time  so that you have less stress and more money in your pocket.

    Archives

    November 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    Categories

    All
    -12 Kitchen Sanity Savers
    -20 No-Effort Ways To Save Big At The Grocery Store
    -2 Travel Hacks To Save Money
    -4 Basic Grocery Store Hints
    -4 Ways To Find More Savings In Your Budget
    -5 Basic Money-Saving Steps To Take Before Hitting The Grocery Store
    -5 Things To Consider In College Aid Offers
    -7 Simple Shopping Strategies That Save
    -8 Easy Ways Anyone Can Save At The Grocery Store
    -8 Tips For Budget Travel
    -9 Helpful DIY Hints
    -9 Steps To Finding A College
    -A College Degree For Less Time And Money
    -Adjusting To Life On A Budget
    -Benefits Of Eating Like You're Poor
    -Budget Basics
    -Budget Busting Bottled Water
    -Budget Eating For Good Health
    -Budgets And Peer Pressure
    -Budget Worksheet
    -Christmas Tree Watering Hack
    -Cleaning Products And The Environment
    -College Money Matters
    -Cooking In Quantity For Savings
    -Cooking Sprays - 4 Reasons To Avoid Them
    -Cooking Your Way To Health And Savings
    -Costco Savings Myth
    -Cut Utility Bills With This Easy Hack
    -Deli Department Savings
    -Dirty Dishes
    -DIY Yourself To Financial Independence
    -Eat Real Cheese And Save
    -Finding Ways To Pay For Your Next Vacation
    -Food Budget And Portion Size
    -Food Savings For Small Households
    -Frugality Pays Off
    -Gardening To Save Money
    -Healthcare And Our Budget
    -Helps For Getting Yourself Organized
    -Hot Weather Energy And Money Savings
    -Household Matters
    -How A Frugal Lifestyle Saved Us From Ruin
    -How To Build A Nest Egg
    -How To Choose A College Major
    -How To Save On Your Housing Budget
    -How To Stay Within A Food Budget
    -In Praise Of Peanut Butter
    -It's Not How Much You Earn That Matters
    -Keurig Coffee Pod Alternatives
    -Kitchen Gadgets Worth Owning
    -Laundry Savings
    -Lessons Learned From Mom And Dad
    Lessons Learned From Mom And Dad
    -Living Within Our Means Is Not Enough
    -Local Produce Bargains
    -Magic Sinks
    -Marketing Traps In Recipes
    -Microwave Hacks That Save Time And Money
    -Mom's Multivitamin
    -Myths That Contribute To Food Waste
    -On Gratitude And Humility
    -Organic Food As A Necessity
    -Parenting And Budgets
    -Pet Money Saving Tip
    -Pets And Your Budget
    -Pressure Cooker Introduction
    -Put Gas Money Back In Your Pocket
    -Romance On A Budget
    -Safe Food Handling
    -Save $668 Painlessly
    -Save On Your Wintertime Heating Bill
    -Saving BIG On Toilet Paper
    -Saving Money Is About Spending Choices
    -Saving Money On Wire Transfers
    -Savings And Opportunity
    -Saving Your Way To Financial Freedom
    -Savvy Grocery Shopping
    -Scams That Cost You Money
    -Snack Savings
    -Soap Savings
    -Starbucks Hacks
    -Successful Strategy For Meeting Personal Goals
    -Sugar In Our Food
    -Take-Out Food Alternative
    -Tax Savings
    -Tax Scams And How To Avoid Them
    -The 50-30-20 Budget Rule
    -The Real Cost Of Take-Out
    -Time To Rethink Those Holiday Traditions?
    -Tips For Sticking To A Holiday Gift Budget
    -Tips To Save On Fruits And Vegetables
    -Valentines' Day On A Budget
    -When We Have Too Much Stuff
    -YouTube Can Improve Your Bottom Line

    RSS Feed


Home

SHOP                              Life/Budget/Household Stuff               

              Food and Meal Blog             About                      

Copyright © Nancy Maje Gillis 2015-2025