by Kate
We've long been collecting money-saving tips and tricks and working on ways to build our frugal muscle and stick close to our values. I love a lot of different life hacks, but I am a fanatical evangelist about three things that have helped us save money and have a better life - alternative cell phone plans, Aldi, and the Instant Pot (honorable mention goes to the public library). If Oprah can have a list of favorite things going into the holiday season - then so can I!
Alternative Cell Phone Plans
We use Google Fi cell phone service. On a four-person plan, we pay $27 a month per person ($17 for calls and texts, and $10 per GB of data used). Or if you are my dad and somehow manage to only use 0.15 GB data during October then you pay even less because of all the data you didn't use. We used to use Republic Wireless and really liked it, but switched to Google Fi to get free international texting and cheaper international calls.
It is 2019. There is no need to pay hundreds of dollars a month on a cell phone plan. There are a multitude of companies that essentially rent space on the big telecommunications towers so they can offer cell phone plans for WAY CHEAPER. And because of this, the big companies (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and TMobile) are also lowering prices. It's a great time for cheaper cell phone plans, folks. It's worth a look to see if your communication needs can be met in a simpler and more cost effective way.
Why We Love It: It's really cheap for very similar services and coverage and we only pay for the data we use. There are no long term contracts - it's a month to month renewable service and you can easily quit any time. You don't have to deal with pushy salespeople because there are no "deals" and the price never changes. There are also relatively frequent sales on phones through Google Fi, so when the inevitable happens its easy to get a new phone. The customer service is also clear and helpful and initial setup is generally really smooth.
Cons: You are limited to the brand of cell phone you can use on the plan, although this is changing quickly. Google Fi is currently in beta with Apple phones, but it's getting there. Also, not every alternative cell phone service goes everywhere in the US, so it's good to check which provider works the best in your area.
Personal Anecdote: Whenever you enter a new country with Google Fi a little note pops up welcoming you to that country when you cross the border. Even if you are in the air. It's friendly (and a little creepy of course, since it's Google).
Also, we use AT&T for our internet service, and when the technician was here he gave a clearly canned and lackluster sales pitch for phone service. When we said, "no thanks, we use Google Fi" he said "oh yeah, I can't give you a better deal than that" and left.
My two favorite Aldi products. Both of these are only available in the winter so I recommend stocking up when you can. And yes, these are both items I’ve been hoarding from last season….
Aldi
In Germany in 1948, there were two brothers who owned a grocery store. After a disagreement, the two brothers went their separate ways: one running Aldi Nord and one running Aldi Sud. They both flourished and made their way over to America. In America, Aldi Nord bought Trader Joe's and Aldi Sud became Aldi. Both stores doubled-down on the joy of private-label food brands.
Growing up in my rural midwestern town, my stereotype about Aldi was that it was a discount store (read: not-as-nice). It always seemed a little dingier than the flashy Kroger and looked like a discount store with all the wares still in their boxes. As a fan of discounts this never really bothered me, but when I grew up and started buying groceries on my own I discovered a universal truth. Aldi is now the greatest grocery store ever conceived by humankind (seriously, I will fight you on this). So throw away your pre-conceived notions about Aldi and go to the store that is faster, cheaper, and has fewer options (in a good way).
Why We Love It:
Cheaper - Aldi food is often (but not always) notably cheaper than the same products at other stores. Aldi can keep costs low by enacting other cost savings measures throughout the store. They don't pay baggers (you bag groceries yourself), they don't pay people to put away carts (you use a quarter to "check out" a cart and then get your quarter back when you neatly return the cart to the line), and they don't shelve items (you get your small box of crackers out of a large box). The effort I put in to bagging and tidying my cart is WELL WORTH the savings. This guy has a great price comparison of Aldi, Wal-Mart, and Kroger. On my own shopping list, I find cheese, produce, and baking supplies to be the best deals.
Faster - Aldi stores are always much smaller than other grocery stores so it is much faster to make it all the way around the store in a reasonable time. Also, the cashiers at Aldi have hands as fast as cheetahs. Probably because they are allowed to sit down and they don't have to bag anything for you. It's seriously impressive. And all the Aldi products are designed with huge bar codes on every side of the item so scanning is way easy. Time is money, folks. And time spent at the grocery store is the worst. (I really hate giant, freezing cold, overwhelming grocery stores.)
Fewer Choices - Instead of an entire row of cereal, Aldi has about 10 varieties. There are two types of peanut butter and three types of maple syrup. But as we know - less choice can actually be really good for you. I find it far more relaxing to shop at Aldi because I don't have to make as many decisions and I can find the product I want so much faster because the shelf of choices isn't as overwhelming.
Aldi is also increasingly more organic and healthier, pays workers more, and is working on being less wasteful than other grocery stores.
Favorite Aldi Products: Really cheap fancy cheese (honey goat cheese, smoked gouda); Frozen meatless meatballs; Black bean burgers; Pumpkin/butternut squash and pumpkin chipotle spaghetti sauce (when it's in season); chocolate brioche bread; and the most amazing cheese snacks (pictured here).
Cons: It doesn't have a wide range of specialty items. I can get milled flax seed and tofu, but I have to buy my coconut milk, sweet pickles, tahini (what is tahini, anyway?), and microwave kettle corn elsewhere. You also have to bag and haul everything yourself, although I don't mind this because I can pack my bags to my own preferences.
Personal Anecdote: One time I went to Aldi and purchased 15 items. The entire check-out transaction (scanning, putting items in the cart, and paying) took 15 seconds. I timed it. I tried this again for a different transaction with more items and it took way longer - 40 seconds.
Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is a magical device that functions as, in turn, a rice cooker, a slow cooker, and a pressure cooker. You can saute in it. You can steam in it. You can even make yogurt in it. It's an elegant, efficient, and amazingly convenient tool to simplify your kitchen. And it eliminates the need for a large number of other small kitchen appliances.
Why We Love It: It's transformed our cooking. We're lazy cooks who want tasty food that doesn't take a lot of effort to make. We like to batch cook, and with the Instant Pot we can cook dry beans or lentils in 20 minutes (no overnight soaking required). We freeze the beans and lentils and then pull out a container every couple weeks and we have an instant protein option. We also no longer have to own both a rice cooker and a pressure cooker. If we are feeling adventurous we can try a new setting (yogurt anyone?). It's the perfect tool for average cooks with small kitchens.
Cons: If you are a foodie, you may want more cooking tools for your fancy recipes.
You also have to be careful not to get your hand or face in the jet of steam that comes out of the top when releasing from pressure cooking mode.
Personal Anecdote: We put pasta and spaghetti sauce in the Instant Pot, turn it on for 15 minutes, and then eat dinner (but make sure you lower the cook time if you prefer al dente pasta). You can also add fresh veggies at the beginning to cook or frozen veggies at the end to warm up. One pot to wash, no straining, no timing different items - just a meal in a pot.
What are your favorite things this year that help you save money and have a better life?
