Saving Money on Groceries, Exterior Color Help 101, I'm A Hypocrite...

On Today's EpisodeGroceries (and everything else) are getting extremely expensive. Today, we talk briefly about some of our tried-and-true money-saving tips when it comes to stocking the pantries. We'll also be taking a deep dive into some color theory and talk about how to choose exterior colors like a pro! Finally . . . we need to address an elephant in the room: Dan's a hypocrite. But chances are, he's not the only one . . . .Saving Money on Groceries [00:00 - 05:31]When it comes to saving money at the grocery register, the best thing you can do is plan those meals! Yes, it's work. No, it's not fun . . . but when you sit down and plan out the meals for the week, working out all the ingredients necessary, and then make your purchases based on that plan . . . you dramatically cut down on the unnecessary purchases. Before doing this, I was always buying one-off items that made sense as I stood in the store trying to imagine what the meals would be. But later, when they sit in my pantry, I realize they're not a meal. And they're not a part of any of the meals I actually made. They're just extra. Maybe I'll use them eventually . . . but I don't want to spend money on food I'm maybe going to use eventually. Along these same lines, another easy way to save money is to make use of your local grocery store's online order and curbside pick-up system. If your store offers this, it's a crazy simple way to save money. I order online, arrange a time to pick up the items, and then am in and out in 5 minutes. I never set foot in the store and I'm never buying the extra add-ons that I don't really need. Yes, I sometimes miss out on some special prices, but I'll trade that for the savings on ridiculously unnecessary trinkets and gadgets that I'm currently enjoying! Another idea that's counter to common thought on this regard is to avoid buying in bulk. I'm sure it works for some people. Maybe it works for most people. But for me, when I do it . . . all it means is that my kids eat in bulk. The most recent example is a box of 38 granola bars. Normally we buy the box that has 10 of them in it. And it lasts a week. But recently, I found the big box. The Bulk Box. The Box of the gods. And so I snagged it, knowing that now we would have granola bars for weeks and weeks. Yes, I knew the kids might tend to want to eat them quickly, but I also knew that with a quick conversation and some reasoning, they would see that by limiting their intake, we would save money as a family. So I put the box in the cupboard, explained the situation to the kids, and then, amidst much nodding and agreeing, we went our separate ways. Two days later the box was empty. Even I hadn't listened to myself. The lure of 38 granola bars was too enticing. I think I ate 14 of them myself. Bottom line . . . when we have an abundance of something . . . we treat it like we're rolling in cash. That we'll never run out. And we eat it faster than when we have a smaller amount we need to stretch. There are tons of other ways to save money. We're not experts. We know what works for us, but if you've got a system that's utterly brilliant and you'd like to share it with the world (or at least with us) please reach out: [email protected]!Exterior Color Help 101 [05:32 - 33:12]Choosing colors for the exterior of your home (or for an outbuilding of any kind) is stressful! You want to get it right because it's a big area to paint and a big investment . . . but also because everyone in your neighborhood is watching to see your results. Here is a quick look at some of the details we cover in the podcast: COLORS WILL LOOK LIGHTER OUTSIDE. Lighting and scale dramatically affect the appearance of colors outside. Because the sun is the ultimate light source and because colors outside are usually painted on much larger areas, they end up