Action Items for Low-Spend 2025

 Decluttering my house and taking stock of my possessions has revealed a few ways I can save money during my low-spend year.

  • Return bottles and cans.
    • This is something I had stopped doing for a number of years, primarily due to my own laziness. I hated bringing the bag of empty recyclables to the store with me and potentially waiting for a recycling machine to free up. Now the deposit charge in my state is 10 cents per container, so I started returning them during the last few months of 2024. I'll continue the habit in the new year.
  • Try using my SodaStream
    • I bought my SodaStream machine in 2023 at a thrift store when it was on sale for $12. It seemed like a steal because it came with multiple sealed flavors of syrup and a carbonation cylinder. I do drink a lot of seltzer water, so I thought this could help save on a recurring expense. However, I have never taken it out of the box. In 2025, I will give it a try and give the machine away if I don't find it useful.
My SodaStream is still in the box - but not for long!

  • Shop at Aldi more often
    • I have been shopping at BJs 90% of the time since about 2020. It offered a relatively stable supply of groceries when there were shortages in the supply chain, and I find the prices are less volatile than my regional grocery store chains. However, I always had to pick up some items like plain rolled oats at Aldi because BJs doesn't sell plain oats. Aldi does seem to offer lower prices on a number of pantry items and dry goods, so I will be going there for those staples.
    • Try out the single-origin coffee at Aldi. I've been treating myself to delicious flavored coffee from Bones Coffee Company since buying some on Black Friday 2023. It is high in quality but also in price, so I want to try the Aldi offering that is ~50% less expensive.
  • Use up pantry items
    • I bought a few nonperishables in 2024 that are still living in my cabinets. Keep an eye out for recipe using these items, including buckwheat soba noodles and a jar of roasted red peppers.

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