Share your life hacks for saving money? My husband lost his job and is currently looking for work, b…

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Share your life hacks for saving money? My husband lost his job and is currently looking for work, but all the offers are for half the pay. I'm cutting back on expenses: - First, my self-care took a hit: goodbye gym membership, and I switched from Matrix shampoo back to drugstore brands. - Books: I used to buy 3-4 a month, plus books for the kids. The kids now go to the library themselves, and I'm pirating on Flibusta. - Movies, theaters, concerts, and my favorite cafes – I used to treat myself once or twice a week to sit in a cozy place with a delicious coffee and a pastry. Now it's just Kinopoisk and tea at home. - Hobbies and classes: My older son is giving up olympiad math, but he still has soccer – thankfully, it's free. I wanted to cut everything for my younger son, but his grandpa said he'd pay for his soccer and darts. - Food is the biggest expense, and I know I need to cut back, but I don't know how. I only buy on sale: I stock up on weekends, and during the week I go to Pyaterochka or Magnit for whatever's on sale and cheaper. We all eat at home three times a day. I make soups for lunch, homemade cutlets, dumplings, and meatballs. I've cut out cucumbers and tomatoes because they have no nutritional value out of season. Now we have carrot salad, vitamin cabbage salad, vinaigrette, grandma's pickles, and sauerkraut. But I can't cut out apples or red meat for the kids; I have two tall, active athletes who eat like there's no tomorrow and need protein, not just from chicken. They're also used to having tea/kompot with cookies after meals. I tried baking myself, but a batch of cookies costs about 100 rubles. Yesterday I made French toast: a loaf of bread was 58 rubles, half a liter of milk was 40 rubles, plus sugar and vegetable oil. For pancakes: a liter of milk was 78 rubles plus eggs and flour – it still came out to about 100 rubles, and I wasted my effort. What else can I save on? Share your tips!
I totally get it. I worked at a school for 10 years and studied at university myself. When it comes…
Comments
Irina
Yes, that's a pressing topic too. My work situation is very unstable, my earnings fluctuate.

Prices are rising, and so are utility bills.

I've stopped buying pre-made meals from delis and cafeterias for a year now.
I buy less clothing.
We won't be traveling anywhere during the New Year holidays.
We only managed to go to Georgia in the fall, and we can't postpone celebrating the New Year holidays to save money. But we used to be able to.

Honestly, it's a bit sad.
Yesterday, I ordered coffee beans on Ozon and even asked the seller for a 5% discount.
I saved 50 rubles, it's a small thing, but it warms my heart :))
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Elena
Don't cut back too much on what you want! Definitely treat yourself. But if that's how things are with the salary right now, maybe he can take on some extra work while looking for a better paying job.
Saving on food is the hardest with current prices (
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Irina
Irina I've been coloring my own hair for about 2 years now. Before that, I used to go to the salon
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Iglova Viktoriya
Yes, I think it should turn out well for you anyway.
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Oksana
I don't even know what I can save on, I'm already used to buying the cheapest things. I practically don't buy anything without discounts and sales.
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Natalya
Here's a little hack for you!) Buy a whole chicken, it's cheaper!) I actually calculated this once.) I bought 6 chickens and divided them all into parts: wings, thighs, drumsticks, breast, and soup kits. I weighed all the parts and estimated their cost based on how much those parts would cost individually in the store. It turned out to be exactly twice as expensive if I had bought all the parts separately, and that doesn't even include the soup kits (which I didn't count).
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Irina
Irina I'll add, yes, I also started making carrot salads)
Carrots were good at Pyaterochka for about 27 or 28 rubles, so I happily bought 3 kg
I never buy cucumbers and tomatoes out of season. They have no taste
And we eat enough in season, so we don't crave them in winter

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Elena
Elena Cook more calorie-dense meals, like grains + salads (not just veggie ones), whole chicken, and get protein from sources other than beef, like rabbit or fish.
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Agapitova Anya
You can do without cookies altogether. It's just a common eating habit. And without croutons either, which are completely useless. I wouldn't remove the sections or kids' activities. They're important for health and a good social circle for children. Besides my job, I'd look for a side hustle.
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Tanya
Your grocery prices are still reasonable. Everything is more expensive here, unless you go for the cheapest options (my kids don't even accept the cheap milk – they call it 'economy' milk). The only option left is to find wholesale deals. My husband recently found eggs for 40 rubles a dozen. They were small, of course, but it's still cheaper to fry two of those than one regular-sized egg.
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Mariya
Natalya How many kgs of wings and drumsticks did you get from six chickens? 12 wings and 12 drumsticks, how many meals is that?
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Elena
Elena I play a game in Magnit where I get coupons for cookies, sweets, and yogurts. Often, there are items for 1 ruble (like dumplings or nuggets), and discount coupons for orders. If I've collected bonuses from completing tasks, I use these coupons at Hyper for meat, fish, and seafood. I use SberSpasibo bonuses when ordering at Kupere.
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sadykova nastya
You won't save much if you weren't splurging before. I've read these tips in smart books, the main points are: don't spend money on wine, cigarettes, restaurants. We don't spend on that anyway. And you can't save much on food. Your husband should look for a job, and you too, if you're not working.
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Elmira
You've cleaned up everything, are you working yourself? As an option, on weekends, visit grandparents, saving 100% 😁
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Olesya
Elmira Yes, but my teacher's salary is nothing, this 30k doesn't make much of a difference 🤷️
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Marina Boldyreva
So, we've also found ourselves in a financial hole. We're slowly digging ourselves out, but we've been living very frugally for three months now.
My eldest's classes and medical care are still fully covered; I won't skimp on those.
Cafes, movies, and other entertainment will have to wait for better times. I don't buy anything on walks anymore, not even water or a snack – everything comes from home.
We've limited our eldest child's pocket money.
There are significant savings to be made on food.
I know I might get some backlash for this, but our family didn't eat beef even in good times. We stick to chicken, pork, and turkey.
For fish, we have pollock, hake, flounder, and sprat.
I buy a whole chicken, break it down, and use the back and breast (minus the fillet) to make soups. There's a little meat left, which is enough for the soup.
I grind the breast and thighs into mince. I use this to make "hedgehog" meatballs, lazy cabbage rolls, and cutlets with vegetables – it's more economical than just plain cutlets or meatballs.
I save the legs and wings for baking. I set aside a little thigh fillet for "plov" and "merchant's style" buckwheat.
I grind pork into mince too and use it the same way as chicken. I save some pieces for stews.
Butchers sell a "ragout" – pork and beef with minimal meat on the bones. It's great for soups; the broth is tasty, and there's enough meat for the soup.
I buy fruits and fermented dairy products, but not in huge amounts, strictly what we need or just a little for a salad.
Same goes for vegetables.
I plan all my shopping in advance, creating a menu for several days. No unnecessary or spoiled products, no snacks – just proper meals.
We can easily do without cookies and sweets altogether. And if you really crave them, you don't have to bake a whole loaf or pancakes. Especially if you have athletes – what do they need fried bread or pancakes for?
Bake some cottage cheese cookies instead; they cost about the same but are a bit healthier...
We don't have sweets, cookies, cold cuts, or sausages at home. They're not healthy and are too expensive right now.
And tell your husband to get a job. Earning half as much is still better than nothing.
Or he can watch the kids while you get a second job. You do have a job, right?
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Olesya
I'm working. In September, I specifically went to the school to ask how much my salary would be if I returned – it's 35 (after tax). I'm currently making 35-40 a month freelancing, so what's the point of switching from one thing to another? I can't work anywhere else besides the school because after-school care there ends at 3 PM. Who will pick up a first-grader, take them home, feed them lunch (they don't eat at school, by the way)?
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Olesya
Elena Thanks, I'll have to try it
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Elena
Marina Boldyreva Who throws shoes at those who don't eat beef? I only buy it twice a year for dolma, and even then, just 300g. We don't like it here, it's not because we can't afford it 🤷
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Olesya
sadykova nastya My husband is looking for work, and I'm freelancing from home. It's hard to get much done with a first-grader around. School daycare is until 3 PM, plus he doesn't eat anything there. He's also not used to daycare, so I'm not sure how he'll handle sick days.
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Elena
Elena And I play the magnet game on all the phones we have at home. But only I have the premium subscription.
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Ruzanna
Marina Boldyreva And we don't like... we really favor pork and chicken, but turn our noses up at beef...
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Marina Boldyreva
Marina Boldyreva I don't know, sometimes people here like to stir the pot 💩
Everyone here is rich.
I've never considered myself rich. It was good to have money, but I always remembered what it was like to have nothing and tried not to make impulsive purchases.
It's not that they don't like beef at all where I'm from, but they eat pork, turkey, and chicken just as well. So why pay more than double the price?
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Elena
Marina Boldyreva If a family's wealth is measured by beef 😂 then I'm not rich, I'm an oligarch 🤣 I love seafood and red fish, and they're more expensive than beef. I'd rather buy those, everyone eats and loves them, than beef
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Svetlana Kovshova
Marina Boldyreva And we're the same. Nobody eats beef here, it's not tasty. Nobody likes fish either, unless it's smoked salmon on a sandwich, but that's only twice a year for holidays.
We only eat chicken and pork.
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Ruzanna
Marina Boldyreva Oh well... can't hide poverty when it's in your pocket (((
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Ruzanna
Marina Boldyreva Yes, exactly, and our kids don't eat fish either – just my husband and me.
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Marina Boldyreva
Marina Boldyreva Who the heck knows what "well-being" means here. The last few days, all I can think about is not saying something that will go down in forum history as cringe 🤣
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Elena
Marina Boldyreva 😂😂😂
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Marina Boldyreva
Marina Boldyreva We appreciate red fish too ❤️
But you can easily do without it.
And in general, happiness isn't in food! It's not much joy to work for the toilet.
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Elena
Marina Boldyreva Oh yes, let them have fun 🤣
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Elena
Marina Boldyreva Not much happiness, but I always want to eat 😁
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Marina Boldyreva
Marina Boldyreva You think so?
I'm already a little scared of the locals sometimes 😂
You go to the bathroom, and someone's already watching you there 🤣
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Elena
Marina Boldyreva Oh no, if you're going to be scared here and get panic attacks from the forum too 😂, then it's really sad.
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Marina Boldyreva
Marina Boldyreva Our old city forum used to have a section called 'Love comes and goes, but you always want to eat' 😁
As they say, you can't live on love alone, but you also can't get full on borscht 🤣
We survived however we could 🤣
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Svetlana Kovshova
Marina Boldyreva Walking on thin ice 😂😂😂
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Anastasiya Soloveva
Elena So the rabbit is more expensive than beef).
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Elena
Elena Rabbit costs 650 rubles per kg if you buy it directly from a home seller, not from a store. Beef is more expensive.
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Anastasiya Soloveva
Elena There's definitely not a kilogram of pure rabbit meat for that 650 rubles.
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Elena
Elena Meat is healthy and full of protein
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Anastasiya Soloveva
Elena So it's not about the benefits. It's about saving money. Nobody disputes that it's useful.
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Natalya
Natalya I don't remember that anymore)) I calculated it a long time ago) it depends on the family and appetites of course😂 but in any case, it's cheaper to buy a whole chicken, divide it, and freeze it)
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Olga
Marina Boldyreva Sorry to butt in, but I just saw this 😂😂😂😂

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