Posts Tagged ‘meal’

In my local town, most of the stores have set sales days. The closest grocery store has sales every Tuesday and Sunday. If you shop Sunday, you also get a coupon for 5% off valid on Tuesday. Now a lot of people tend not too worry about such small savings. But over time, these small consistent savings add up to large amounts of money. Not only the money we directly save on groceries, but also the money we save in gas and time.

As you can see, only being able to shop two days a week, or sometimes only once does take a little more planning. Not only planning out our meals, but also planning out where we will store it (our refrigerator is tiny). It will however, save you time overall since you will spend less time in the store and less time going back and forth. Creating a list of the items you need for a set period of time will also help you from buying things you don’t really need. Helping both your wallet and your diet.

Another great way to save money is to buy at the end of the season. If it is something you know you will be using again next season, then purchasing it at the end of the season is one of the best savings you can make. Most holiday items will go on sale from 50-70% off once the holiday is over. If we could make that kind of money in the stock market, we would all be rich by now. Sure you will need to store it for a while, but you also get to purchase it when everyone is already done with their buying.

Additional tips

• Keep records of the prices you are paying. Just because it says “SALE” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good buy
• When you find something you use on a regular basis really cheap, buy as much as you can store
• When possible and reasonable, buy in bulk to save extra.

Helpful links

• Recession Eating
• Saving Money Around The Holidays
• Save Money on Groceries
• Time Management

After a really cool June, we have finally had our first feel of summer here in Tokyo. And while we don’t have a 4th of July weekend like the US, I figured a would give 5 things you can do that will keep you out of the heat, on a small budget, and having fun. The big key is to get out of your own house so you don’t have to run the AC.

1. Go to Karaoke- Most of us love to sing, and if you search around you can even find great deals during the weekend. There is a place near me that costs about 1,000JPY (about $10) for all day on Saturday or sunday) and it comes with a free drink. It would cost that much to run your ac for a couple of hours.

2. Take a train to the Ocean- One of the nice things about living in Japan is you are always close to the ocean. Even if you don’t like to swim, you can get away from the city to relax and enjoy the cooler temperature near the ocean.

3. Activities in the park- Let’s face it, when it gets hot and muggy in Tokyo you are gonna sweat. So why not have some fun and get some exercise out of it.

4. Spend a day visiting art museums and other cultural spots- Most are cheap to enter, they have air conditioning, and is very relaxing. Many also have small cafes where you can have a meal or a cup of tea.

5. Visit the local mountains- Since Japan is made of mostly mountains, there is always one close. You can get to a cooler temperature, get some exercise, and have a great view.

Set a budget to make sure that you don’t overspend and stick to it.