I hope everyone was able to complete the worksheets I provided last week. If you missed it, you can view the post here. Was this an eye-opener for you? I was astounded at how much money we wasted each year on the ‘little stuff’. Here is an example of the spreadsheet I made for our basic yearly HBA purchases: HBA Expenses Item # Used per year Retail Cost Yearly Cost Stockpile price Yearly Cost Savings Toothpaste 12 $2.50 $30.00 $0.25 $3.00 $27.00 Toothbrushes 48 $1.50 $72.00 $0.00 $0.00 $72.00 Women’s shampoo 6 $4.50 $27.00 $0.00 $0.00 $27.00 Women’s Conditioner 6 $4.50 $27.00 $0.00 $0.00 $27.00 Men’s Shampoo 6 $6.50 $39.00 -$0.11 -$0.66 $39.66 Deodorant 36 $3.50 $126.00 $0.00 $0.00 $126.00 Bar Soap 24 $1.00 $24.00 $0.05 $1.20 $22.80 Hand Soap 6 $1.97 $11.82 $0.20 $1.20 $10.62 Toilet Paper 52 $2.50 $130.00 $0.00 $0.00 $130.00 Paper Towels 104 $1.25 $130.00 $0.00 $0.00 $130.00 Razors 104 $7.00 $728.00 $0.00 $0.00 $728.00 Shaving Cream 26 $2.75 $71.50 $0.24 $6.24 $65.26 Laundry Detergent 52 $6.99 $363.48 $0.66 $34.32 $329.16 Fabric Softener 20 $5.47 $109.40 $0.47 $9.40 $100.00 Shout 6 $3.00 $18.00 $0.15 $0.90 $17.10 Dishwasher Detergent 26 $4.97 $129.22 $0.24 $6.24 $122.98 Dish Soap 10 $2.50 $25.00 $0.75 $7.50 $17.50 Ziploc Baggies 24 $2.15 $51.60 $0.00 $0.00 $51.60 All Purpose Cleaner 5 $3.00 $15.00 $0.16 $0.80 $14.20 Pledge 1 $3.00 $3.00 $0.10 $0.10 $2.90 Dimetapp 12 $6.99 $83.88 $1.00 $12.00 $71.88 Robitussin 12 $5.99 $71.88 -$0.66 -$7.92 $79.80 Band-aids 10 $2.50 $25.00 -$1.00 -$10.00 $35.00 Neosporin 10 $5.50 $55.00 $0.25 $2.50 $52.50 Sunscreen 15 $0.97 $14.55 -$0.03 -$0.45 $15.00 Retail Cost $2,381.33 Stockpile Cost $66.37 Savings $2,314.96 97.14% The prices shown reflect our annual estimated cost of these items. The stockpile prices shown are prices I found suitable enough to stock up on each product. All of my savings were achieved with couponing, store sales, or a mixture of each. Now that you’ve determine where your money goes, you need to decide what steps you would like to take to reduce that spending. You can save money without couponing. If you think that saving 20% is a reasonable amount, you might do well with shopping at wholesale clubs, purchasing generic, or stocking up when items are on sale. If you’d like to cut those expenses by 30% or more, couponing is probably the best method for you. No matter how you choose to cut these costs, you will be saving money. The purpose of this was to increase awareness as to where your money is distributed, so you can work towards change. Remember, that money ALWAYS looks better in your pocket! What surprises did you find while filling out these worksheets? I can’t believe I spent $50 a year on Ziploc baggies!
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