Are you trying to save money, or maybe break free from debt? If so, you’ll love this series!
Over the course of 2018, I’ll be sharing one thing each week or so that you can do to save at least $100 each year. Start doing them all and that’s $5,200 a year! Nice!
Looking for others in the series? I’ll link them in the bottom of the post as soon as they go live.
Why 52 Ways to Save $100 a Year (Or More)?
I’m tired of trying to make huge changes, that last only as long as my motivation.
I want to break the cycle. If big changes don’t last, what about small ones?
That’s what this series is all about: small changes that add up to a big payoff over time!
Let’s get saving:
Grocery Budget Breakdown
Last time we looked at your grocery budget.
Chances are you’ll have noticed something…
Some of the biggest differences in price are between higher welfare animal products and those that are… not.
Uh oh.
That brings up an ethical question…
Is it ‘worth it’ to pay more for higher welfare animal products?
One of the biggest examples of savings I found going through my grocery order was on eggs. I normally buy a dozen a week… and I usually buy free range. The best kind of free range – I did my research a while back and found the brand that doesn’t overcrowd the chickens.
But they’re expensive.
$7AUD.
Whereas the store-brand cage eggs are only $3. That’s $4 difference and a saving of $208 over the course of a year.
Cue moral dilemma.
The Ethics of Eating
I fully understand that people respond to the ethical question of what we eat in different ways. Some will fall on the side of ‘it’s all food, and I’ll take whatever savings I can get to support my family in other ways’. Others will be strictly in the higher welfare camp and refuse to buy anything that isn’t.
Here’s my thoughts (and no judgment intended if you think differently):
It bothers me that there are animals that are basically plugged into a machine and never see the sun, feel the air, or move freely. (Without even the benefit of the Matrix! o.O) That’s no kind of a life.
So, I asked myself the question:
“Forget about what the product is – would you donate money to this cause?”
Now, I’ve never seen anyone taking a collection for higher welfare chicken farming… but when you buy something you’re voting with your money.
If you want things to change, you have to support that change with your wallet.
So, for now, I’m going to continue buying the free range chicken eggs. At least, most of the time. But, if we do hit a rough patch financially, I know that I can cut at least $208 from my yearly grocery spend with one tiny change.
52 Weeks of Savings