The Rachel Cruze Show - Tips for Saving Money on Everyday Items

Episode Date: April 29, 2019

Is saving money on everyday items a struggle? You work too hard for the money you have for one trip to the store to eat it all up! So in this episode, I’m going to help you shop smarter. You’ll learn: The shopping hack almost no one knows about Budget-friendly meals with healthy ingredients (that taste amazing too!) My money-saving tips to budgeting, spending and shopping for clothes Resources (everything mentioned in this episode):    The Contentment Journal      Get Jenna's Recipes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all work hard for the money that we spend. I want you guys to be able to spend it wisely. I brought Jenna Waters back if we do want to buy name brand things or ingredients that are more expensive. Staples are a great place to spend that extra money. Saving your like $3, four dollars here or there doesn't seem like a lot, but it adds up over time. We need to do it over multiple things. So finding creative ways to find that middle of the road I think is really essential to balancing the health budget at home. Hey guys, welcome to another episode of the Rachel Cruz Show podcast. I am so glad you're here, so glad that you are listening.

This episode is going to be all about tips for saving money on everyday items. So when you save money, that means you will be spending some money in order to save it, right? That happens. And so you have to realize in our world today, like you do. You have to spend money to survive. That's part of living, whether you're buying food or clothes, whatever it is, Spending money is a reality. So we're going to answer all the questions, like should you buy quality over quantity, should you buy name brand or generic, all of these questions about when you go

shopping and how to save that money. And also, my friend Jenna, is coming on to tell us how to save money on groceries. Yes, please, Jesus, hallelujah, all the things. This is like the biggest budget buster for everyone, including the cruises. Spending money on groceries is always a place to save, but, man, it can be so hard. So she has some incredible, incredible tips. Now, all of these things, ultimately, these things we're going to be talking about throughout the episode,

they are going to save you money so that you can put that money towards paying off debt, saving up for your emergency fund, putting this money to good work and to good use for your future. So what I always think about is like, man, we all work hard for the money that we spends, right? Think about all the traffic that you sit in

to get to work, how many hours you work, even all the times you think about work or are working that are not at work. Like, there is so much effort put into this part of our lives to actually make money. So I want you guys to be able to spend it wisely. And as a bonus, I love this episode because I am a spender. Yes, we talk about it on here a lot, but you're either naturally a saver or a spender, and I am a natural spender. I do. I love to spend money. So this is a really fun episode for me personally. And if you're a saver out there, you're going to love it too. Don't Now, one of the things that I personally love to spend money on that I enjoy is clothes. Yes, I love to go shopping. But this is one part of my life I've realized that the question of buying quality or quantity is an important question to ask. So we're going to dive in deep next on my shopping philosophy.

Okay, this is a category, though, people, that is super easy to cut out when you are getting out of debt. So listen, ladies and gentlemen, you'll love to spend money on things like a nice bag or maybe some great shoes, but your retirement and your kid's future are more important. So remember that. You have to have your value system in place. But when you're thinking through buying clothes, I always think about, do I want to buy quality or quantity?

And over the three decades of my life here on Earth, I've realized the older that I've gotten, the older and wiser, I've actually enjoyed having a lot more quality pieces than quantity. Like, I would rather have just a couple of pairs of jeans versus, like, all these jeans. And after you wash them three times, they don't fit anymore, and you have to, like, give them away. So I really do. I like to invest in things. And so a couple of things that I do invest money in when it comes to my clothes. are jackets, shoes, and jeans. So, jackets, I do. I love jackets. I mean, you can find a good winter jackets.

It's amazing because it'll last you for seasons. And one jacket that I did have a little bit of an investment in. Took me a little bit to save, but I saved is my leather moto jacket. Yes. It's from Zara. But, oh, it is so fun. But again, I spent a little bit of money on it, but I was like, you know, I'm going to wear it. Like, I love it.

And I've had it for five years, and it has been old trusty for me. It makes me feel a whole lot cooler than I actually am. And then the other thing, I will spend money on are shoes. Listen, I love Tarje. Don't get me wrong, but I used to buy so many pairs of shoes from there. And after a while, like, after like a year or even two in the best world possible, they'd be done. Like, they just wouldn't fit anymore. They would be tearing.

And I was like, oh, so I've just learned if I'm going to buy a pair of shoes, I'd rather have a few pairs, but that are nicer and that I can invest in. And in my world, heels are like a part of the gig. Like, I wear heels when I speak. Usually I wear them here on the show. If I'm doing a media hit. And so this is a part of my wardrobe. I'm like, okay, I'm going to put some money in and get some comfortable heels.

So if you follow me on Instagram, you know my love for Mr. Sam Edelman. Yes. He is wonderful. We love Sam. but they do run a little bit more, and they're not like crazy, they're not like $900. It's an absolute insane. But they do run a little bit more than what I would think I would normally pay, but again, they last and they last and they last and they are comfortable.

So, heels may not be part of your everyday wardrobe, but if you are a stay-at-home mom or maybe you're home a lot, like one of my girlfriends, she, like, lives in yoga pants, and she loves her yoga pants, and she's like, you know what, I've invested in two nice pairs of Lula lemons, and it's all she wears, because they, last forever. So find the things that are part of your wardrobe that you wear every day and invest in them. And then the last, but not least for me, are jeans. I wear jeans like all the time. I love a good pair of jeans. So I've invested in like a few pairs of nice blue jeans. Now, I will get an Ann Taylor Loft sale every now and then and buy some trendy jeans, but for just some classic blue jeans,

I have invested some money in. So those are some pieces that I do. I invest it. Now, if you do have some investment pieces. Remember a couple things. Number one, still wait on the sales. Okay, Sam Edelman, he's got some good sales. Sometimes he'll have 30% off. And then I will buy it then. So, don't be afraid to look for the sale. And then number two, depending on the price point, have a price point in mind. And if you're married, you and your spouse agree on it. But wait overnight. And this is true if it's a more expensive item. If you just see it, you're like, oh my gosh, I want to buy it. Wait overnight, see if the emotion dies down. And then you'll know, okay, I really do want to purchase this.

Now, for me, the quantity pieces, the pieces that I won't spend as much money on are things like trendy things. Like I told you, like jeans, like there was like a thing with like a flare or something at the end of jeans. Like that, I'm like, I'm not going to buy a really nice pair of that because next season, that's probably not going to be in style. So I'll go buy something like on sale, you know, at like a loft or something like that. So trendy pieces, I buy more inexpensive and jewelry. I don't have very expensive jewelry. Most of my jewelry is very important. inexpensive because I like to trade it out, change some stuff up. And so that's where I like to have more quantity over quality. Now, this was one area of my life that in my early 20s especially, I was like always

compare how I looked in my clothes with other people. Like I'd see other people at work or maybe at church or out and about or on Instagram. And I'm like, oh my gosh, they always have cute clothes. And I just never felt like, man, I just want to be like them. And it's funny because the older I've gotten, the less I care about that. Like I enjoy it more for myself. And I have learned to be content in this area of my life. And so I do it because I enjoy it personally, and I really have stopped comparing my life to other people's when it comes to this part of my life, which I'm so thankful that I have found that part of contentment. And so if contentment is something you struggle with, maybe it's closed, maybe it's other things. It's a daily decision

that we have to make to be content. It's really hard. And so if you are on that journey or you want to start that journey, I have a new contentment journal out that walks you through 90 days of prompts every day taking you through on how to be content. And so it's so fun. It's been out for a little bit now. We've gotten such great feedback because it really is helping people. And my heart and my soul is in that, like, it is so, so good. And it's challenging and it's encouraging.

So all the things, if you want to find contentment, make sure to check that out. All right, coming up next, I'm really excited to share with you some secret shopping tips that not a lot of people know about. All right, the next question I asked myself, why shopping? is, should I buy generic or name brands? Now, according to the Wall Street Journal, overall, generic products cost 29% less than name brand products. You guys, that's an easy way to save 30% of your money, like right there without ever having to cut back. It's amazing. Now, if you're wondering if generic is really as good as the name brand, I will tell you, doctors and professional

chefs think so. When surveyed, chefs are more likely to buy generic over name brand, especially when comes to things like baking ingredients, soup, and dips. And doctors and pharmacists are more likely to do the same. 90% by generic over-name brand medicine. I couldn't believe that. All right, one of my favorite stores in the world is Costco. You walk into Costco and you're just like, all good things happen here. Like, it's just fantastic. Now, Costco has a generic line called Kirkland Signature, and some of the items that are Kirkland Signature items, are actually the exact same as some name brand items. So, Kirkland's signature batteries, you guys, are made by DuraCell.

That's right. But you buy the generic and save money. Kirkland's signature coffee, you won't believe it, but it's true. Roasted by Starbucks. Kirkland's pet food is made by diamonds. And if you've ever bought Diamond Dog Food, you know it's great quality, but it's really pricey, but Kirkland's is 30% cheaper. And the last one, that absolutely shocked me, but rumor has it, that Kirkland's professional salon formula, moisturizer, shampoo, and conditioner are made by

purology. Ladies, I use purology, and I love it. In Costco's products, they're like $9.99, and Purology cost like $65. Okay, I will say, I couldn't find definite proof anywhere on Purology or Costco to admit this, but the ingredients are exactly the same and everywhere on the internet says that it's true. So it must be right, right? Okay, but I really want to know. If you've tried the whole shampoo thing, tell me about it. I want to know if it's true or not. I'll say this. It does not smell the same, but all the ingredients are, I couldn't believe it. Amazing. All right, I went into my Facebook community to ask you guys, what you save money on and got some really great ideas. Ashley said that she swapped Girl Scout

cookies for all these cookies. I will admit when I read this, I was like, no way, is that true? And like half the people on my team were like, yes, we've tried it and it's so good. So Ashley props to you. Gretchen said, I switched from bounty paper towels to Kirkland's brand from Costco. Amid said all these brand, Berman's Mayo is identical to Hellman's. And Tyler said that they swapped all of their household items from Walmart to Dollar Tree, and our monthly expense went from $150 a month to less than $25. Absolutely amazing. I love that. Ways to spend money wisely, guys. I love it. Now, the last place that we can save a lot of money is at the grocery store, and for some smart shopping tips, Jenna Waters is back. All right, you guys, we talk all the time

about how food busts our budget. I know it does mine. It does so many. people. So I brought Jenna Waters back. You're back. It's so fun to be back. Thanks for having. And we're going to walk through multiple ways that you can save money at the groceries, depending on what you're buying. And then at the end, we're actually going to make a meal together that's really budget-friendly. So I'm really excited. And Jenna, you're a mom of three. Expecting number four. Expecting number four. Food is important in our house, so it has to be good and healthy, but definitely within the budget. I love it. Lots of hungry mouths. Yes. Okay. So starting off, some great places to So starting off, I always find that we want to find this balance between health and budget.

I feel like those are the major variables, but yet still for it to be convenient. And so there are a lot of different brands that we could go to, but a lot of the health food brands, even though they're great, they're really expensive. So finding creative ways to find that middle of the road, I think, is really essential to balancing the health budget at home. So good. So one place I love to think about in the grocery store is that middle section, things like sauces, condiments, marinades.

Which is my favorite. I love a good condiment. That's right. Lots of flavor. Yes. And those are essential for good cooking, right? Yes. So we want the good stuff, but at the right price.

So one great example of that is salad dressings. So just a generic brand name salad dressing can be upwards of $350 to $4 for like a 16-ounce bottle. But oftentimes, pretty much every salad dressing in the grocery store is going to be made with things like canola oil and soybean oil, which are not the healthiest oils for us. So to find a good quality dressing that has olive oil or avocado oil in it, you're going to pay a lot of money. And so making our own blend at home, which is literally just olive oil, balsamic vinegar, our homemade herb blend, and some water is less than $2. And it takes 30 seconds just to whip it up really, really fast.

So quick. Okay, so you know this about me because I've told you, like cooking always is a little intimidating and not like naturally the best. Sure. And so making salad dressing people would say that. And I kind of was intimidated. I'm not going to lie. I'm like, oh my gosh, how you do that?

Yeah. And I found one easy thing. And now I don't even use measuring cups. I just let the spirit lead. And I can shake. And it's so good. So, like, that's the one place. I literally, I'm like, it was a little intimidating, but it works.

So $2, you guys, $2 for salad dressing versus like eight. And I find the same things with myself. Like when people started mentioning making your own almond milk, I was like, I don't have time for that. Yes. But then once we started doing it, and it takes literally 30 seconds after that first initial try, it makes so much difference. So some other categories in that middle of the grocery store would be things like peanut butter.

A good organic brand of peanut butter for 16 ounces can be upwards of $4, which isn't so bad. But knowing that that also has things in it additives and such, there's a great brand at Costco for $5. Their brand is just Valencia peanuts, which is the best peanuts that we can buy. And also just salt. And so some really clean sources out there. So finding what works in the middle of the road. Okay, I'm spying a little kids. Yeah, so we know that whole carrots have more vitamin A, more magnesium, more minerals,

vitamin K even than the baby carrots. So again, a few extra seconds, peeling, chopping can be a great addition to a kid's lunch. Guacamole packets are also really good because we go through a lot of wasted rotten avocados in our house. You were just at my house. Literally, literally last night, I put five in. And one of them was growing something on the side. And I was like, my gosh. And, like, Winston hates to waste food.

I'm a little bit more like, listen, my heart was good when I bought them. Like, I was meaning to, you know, he always is like, we throw away so much. Like, it's been in this, like, conversation in our house because it happens all the time. So, all that to say. Things that go bad so quickly, like avocado, that's great. Yes. And you may spend, what, a little bit more, obviously, to get it pre-packaged. Sure.

But that's a choice that you can make to say, you know what, I'd rather it be healthy or, or I'd rather have it fresh, pay a little bit more for the convenience aspect. Absolutely. Because I find an avocado is about, on average, a dollar per avocado. So even, I mean, there are ways to find things that are brand name and packaged at the right places. So, and we'll have a list of all those things. So if we were to find a really good brand turkey breast at the grocery store in the deli, it can be $10 to $11 a pound, easy.

Totally. Versus the whole turkey breast. And I just take it home and chop it myself, stick some in the freezer, but it's $3.99 a pound. And that's the thing is, like, saving your like three, four dollars here or there. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it adds up over the time. We do that over multiple things. Okay, so frozen fruits. I've heard rumors.

Yes. All about the frozen fruit. So tell me the truth, Jenna. Yes. Good, cheap, bad. What is it? Frozen fruits can be awesome, particularly when a fruit is not in season, like strawberries in the fall and winter, obviously not in season.

So you're going to pay a premium for the fresh version of those. And they're not really that good. You know, if you've never had a store-bought strawberry in January. they're kind of hard and sour. Whereas if you buy the freezer version, most of the time these are picked at peak rightness, so they're optimal nutrition. This is like the one place.

It ends up being strawberries in our house. I don't know why. So we end up throwing out because the girls have not, the last few months, I've not been loving them, but I still buy them. I keep them on my grocery list. And it kills me. I'm like, oh my gosh, but the frozen.

Yes. Right? Just pull out what you need. I know. Absolutely. And we love these for like on top of waffles or pancakes. It's kind of like a mock syrup. And it's less expensive when they're not in season.

Absolutely. Okay, so you mentioned almond milk earlier. I'm intimidated. Like when you said homemade almond milk, I was like, what? Okay, so. Yeah, it can feel daunting for sure, but it's literally the easiest thing ever. So an organic kind of unsweetened almond milk is upwards of $3 to $4 for 64 ounces. But I just buy a huge bag of raw almonds from the store and you soak them overnight and then blend them.

Okay. 64 ounces is $2. And it has no gums, additives, which a lot of even your best almond milks will have. Even your brand name almond milks will have a lot of that stuff. So pure, yep. Yeah. So it's literally the best kind you could add a date to it to sweeten it up, some vanilla flavoring if you want that.

So that's one example of a staple item that you can easily make yourself. Okay, guys, don't be intimidated. No, it's a little intimidating. Don't be. Wait till the end of the show. And we're going to have a place that you can get all these recipes that we're talking about. Homemade. Oh, it's so good. I love it. I'm really excited about it. I might make homemade almond milk. It might be a thing. You never know. You never know. Yeah. So I often say that if we do want to buy

name brand things or ingredients that are more expensive, staples are a great place to spend that extra money because those are things that we're using all the time and literally are staples in our kitchen. So things like salt. Homemade herb blends are another place that we can save money. A lot of those organic herbs in the single containers can be very expensive, but when we buy herbs, dried herbs, we can do that. And fresh herbs, I'm not exactly a plant lady, but if you can just throw some little plants in a pot, you're going to have more. It's a couple dollars and it keeps growing for you. Yes, so good. Okay, I'm going to interrupt you guys. So everything Jen has talked about so far is so great. Everything from making things versus just buying them, how that can save you money,

to looking at where you're actually buying things, like looking at Costco, versus the grocery store. I mean, those kind of things really do add up. So coming up next, we're going to be cooking a meal. And we did this on the Rachel Cruz show, the video version. So you can go check that out on YouTube and Facebook to actually watch us do it. But we'll be talking through it. And again, keep listening because it's just some great information. And I said it earlier, but it's true. This recipe and others like the almond milk are going to be recipes that we will have in the show notes. So I hope you enjoy us making the Greek kebabs. Again, you can't smell it or see it via the podcast, but trust me, it looks and smells and tastes delicious. So here it is. So we're going to make Greek chicken kebabs. This is one of our all-time favorite summer foods. And this is made out of an avocado oil marinade. So avocado oil is a really great high-heat cooking oil. And so something that's made with avocado oil, if you're buying a ready-made marinade, it's going to be super expensive, particularly.

for the amount that we need. Yes. But ultimately because we're making it, again, a high-quality staple item, we can make it much more cost efficiently. Yes. So avocado oil. So we have two cups of avocado oil,

a cup of white vinegar, two tablespoons of minced garlic, dried mint, and then we're going to do lemon juice. Lemon is the acidic component, which is going to help tenderize the chicken. Okay. And then chives, garlic powder,

onion powder, kind of mix it up, let it marinate. up to overnight, but a few hours would be fine. And then we'll put it on skewers and grill it. And it makes the most tender, juicy, flavorful chicken kebab. So, yeah. It's delicious.

Oh, that's so good. Jenna, thank you. You seriously bring so much wisdom to this far of our lives. We're so thankful for you. Where can everyone find you? So on my website is jena waters.com. My Instagram is Jenna Waters Nutrition. So I'm usually on there in some way, shape, or form.

You're cooking, doing good stories. Cooking with the kids on your legs, one on the hip. You know that life. That's right. That's right. It's so great. Well, you guys, I'm so pumped because everything that we said homemade, we're going to have the recipes for you. So click the link in the show notes to make sure that you get all these great recipes.

Jenna, your lifesaver. Thanks so much. Thanks for coming back on. Thank you. Thanks, Rachel. I appreciate it. Guys, check out that recipe and all that stuff. I mean, again, so many great ways to save money.

So I hope this episode helped you a lot because next time you're shopping, you can think, okay, do I need quality or quantity? Should I buy name brand or go generic? What should I do? Hopefully this guided you some in your shopping experience. Because again, even if it just saves, you know, 10, 15 bucks here or there, that adds up over time. And it just gets you in the habit of being intentional and actually planning and thinking through your purchases versus everything just being spontaneous.

Because when that's your mindset, you end up spending more money. So I hope we can all be smart shoppers because of this episode. Thanks again for Jenna for coming on and all the great tips that she had. And if you guys want to check out my contentment journal, make sure to click the link in the show notes. Information will be there. And I'm actually in the middle of going through the 90 days with you guys via Instagram. So if you've not checked out my Instagram, you can check that out. It's in my stories and in my highlights.

And so if you are even just going from day one, you can kind of walk through some of those days and weeks with all of us. It's been a really, really fun journey. So I hope you guys doing it. Have enjoyed it. And yeah, I'm pumped. It's been a great response. So I love it. Well, thank you guys so much for listening. Seriously, this is such a fun thing that I get to do. And I really appreciate all the listeners out there. If you've not hit that subscribe button, make sure you do that. So these episodes automatically come right to where you listen to your podcast. You don't have to think about it. And as always, if the spirit leads, you can leave a review or you can hit the five star, you know, whatever, whatever you feel like, you guys. Well, thanks again for listening. And as always, remember to take control of your money.

and create a life you love.