Be clever, look carefully, there is often a way to find what you need for less.

Chicken braai

When trying to work out which is the best ‘value for money’ option for a product, use the R/kg or R/litre information on the price tag, or shelf label.

For example, when shopping for a chicken braai, thighs may cost R85.00/kg and marinated thighs R158.00/kg. In the marinated option you will be paying R73.00 for the marinade – seems a bit steep! Actually you could whip up a quick marinade from ingredients you already have at home – like curry powder, olive oil, lemon juice and chutney.

Then the next choice is whether you want thighs at R85.00kg, or wings at R70.00/kg, or even drumsticks at R72.00/kg? Although drumsticks are not the cheapest per kg, you may be getting more meat than on the wings. So drumsticks maybe a good ‘value for money’ option.

Although doing your own marinating may take a little time, and you may have a preference for thighs over drumsticks, with this knowledge you can make a clear decision of how you want to part with your hard-earned cash.

Upcycling

Just a little creativity can go a long way in updating your clothes.

Before you set out to buy new clothes on your credit or store card, pause to consider how you can bring renewed life to old items. Sometimes it can be as simple as updating a jacket with bright, bold, trendy buttons, or adding a layer of lace to the bottom of a shirt. You can also add sequins and sparkles, or even a few stylish rips to an old pair of jeans. Pinterest has some wonderful ideas. Click here to see more.

If you are new to sewing, start small; trying something like changing buttons and then progressing to more challenging updates as your confidence grows.

Really want a new car but…?

So you want that car, but you know that included in the price tag is also the monthly anxiety of not having enough cash to easily pay for all your expenses. How about trying what a friend of mine did.

He took his car for a full valet and high quality wax polish to get the paintwork looking almost new. Then he committed to washing his car every week so he could feel proud of its neat and clean appearance. Next he did a magical thing; he gave his 10 year old Mazda a new name – ‘Mazdarati’ and started frequently talking in an appreciative way about his car as if it had a personality of its own. So, instead of rejecting his car because it was old, he nurtured it like an old friend that he was proud to be associated with. At the same time each month he saved up to accumulate a bigger deposit so he would eventually be able to retire Mazdarati and buy a new car. The bigger deposit would ensure that his monthly repayments would be stress free.

Make Meals from Scratch

Pre-prepared meals cost so much more than homemade food. Also, homemade is usually better for you as it does not have any of the preservatives, colorants and flavourings that manufacturers add to keep the product fresh and appetising. If you prepare more than you need for a single meal you can freeze the extra, it does not really take so much more time to do. Also, when you cook more than you need for the meal, the extra can become your lunch for the next day.

Don’t shop when you are hungry, or with children

If you are really hungry when you arrive at the shops, buy an apple or yogurt and eat that before starting your shop. Otherwise you may be tempted to buy all sorts of things you do not need but look appetising due to your hunger.

When shopping rather leave the kids at home. They are likely to ask for all the appealing things, and you may be tempted to give in, pushing up the bill to beyond what you had planned.

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