Life on a Budget Archives - The Savings Sisters

Posted on October 1, 2021October 1, 2021 by srslysisters

Dollar Tree Dilemma

This week, our world was rocked – as were many worlds of fellow budget babes. Dollar Tree (Brianna’s favorite store) announced that they would need to meet the demands of the economy and would be increasing prices to more than a dollar. A moment of silence, please.

In all seriousness, this does mark a bit of a dilemma in our financial economy and brings to question – is this the end of the dollar store brand as we know it? Dollar stores and affordable variety stores of the like have been a part of American culture for over a century now. In 1879, Woolworth opened the first “5 and dime” variety store in Utica, New York called The Great Five Cent Store. This established his long living institution of five and ten cent stores, which over time has increased with inflation and economics to the Dollar Trees, Dollar Generals, and Family Dollars as we know them.

It is clear that our culture is able to adapt to variety stores even with price hikes, so why is this a big deal? Well, that’s what we’re here to tell you. First, Dollar Tree was the last store to truly offer everything for only $1. From sacks to home furnishings, frozen entrees to cleaning products – everything was just $1. This made it truly the place Brianna and I lived off of in college (and beyond – we still love it!) in order to get the move value for our $1. Competitors had begun to raise their prices, and with stores like Five Below, the value of products were similar to those in your larger big box stores, but at Dollar Tree everything was even, and it was perfect.

This price increase comes due to a number of factors including the one forcing a lot of businesses hand, and that is issues caused by supply chains. One of the many reasons Dollar Tree was able to keep their costs so low for so long was due to brandless items coming from oversees distributors. With the supply chain issues, items were running out of stock and stores are looking for higher-cost goods to fill the shelves of their stores. These wage increases on distributors, freight carriers, suppliers and also wage increases due to cost of living for employees all play a part into the decision to increase prices. These all play REASONABLE parts for prices to increase.

What is unreasonable – and in some parts a bit frightening – is that for months Wall Street has been badgering Dollar Tree to increase their prices. They have been in the ear of the board of Dollar Tree reminding them of the reasons listed above, letting them know that the American people are willing to pay more than a dollar for goods, that the economy is on a rebound, etc. And Dollar Tree gave in to the pressure of Wall Street, as many companies do. With the news of the price increases, they had their stock had their best day in 21 years.

Tell us – are you a loyal Dollar Tree customer, and will this change affect you? Or do you agree with Wall Street on this one? Let us know below!

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Posted on January 19, 2021February 7, 2021 by srslysisters

Let’s Talk About Collagen

You’ve probably seen a lot of advertising for collagen supplements recently. So what is collagen? And more importantly, does it have any health benefits you may be missing out on? Good news, we did the research and tried a bunch of products to make the answer as simple for you as possible. Read on for more of what we found!

FAST FACTS ABOUT COLLAGEN:

WHAT IS COLLAGEN? It’s a protein which helps hold many of the body’s tissues, like skin, tendons, and bones, together. When your body has more collagen, you can better support and protect your joints.
SO YOUR BODY NATURALLY PRODUCES COLLAGEN? Yes! But as you age, the amount of collagen your body produces naturally starts to decline (there are also some things like UV rays that expedite this process- stay out of the sun!). The effects of collagen deficiency can be seen by way of wrinkles or saggy skin.
SO DO COLLAGEN SUPPLEMENTS HELP? Maybe… the reality is there is little science to confirm if and how collagen supplements help the body. BUT, the science that does exist looks promising! The evidence shows that collagen, either from animal proteins in food or in the form of supplements, are processed and absorbed by the body in the same way and do assist in rebuilding tissues. And although the FDA does not regulate collagen (the FDA doesn’t regulate ANY dietary supplements, but that’s a conversation for a different day…), there’s plenty of more subjective evidence showing that those who increase their collagen intake, by food or supplements, have positive health effects such as more increased skin elasticity.
WHAT ARE THE NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS? Luckily, there really hasn’t been any severe negative side effects recorded! However, it is worth noting that taking a collagen supplement will need to be a lifelong commitment. There have been studies that show that once you increase your body’s collagen intake/production, your body begins to produce less naturally, so the effects of collagen deficiency will accelerate.

SO WHAT ARE OUR THOUGHTS?

Both of us have been adding collagen to our coffees regularly each morning for the past several months, and we’ve both noticed a difference! It has helped both of us with our skin/acne and our nails look and feel much stronger!

But after trying several different collagen supplements, we can confirm that not all collagens are created equal! Our favorites include Vital Protein Collagen Peptides, Orgain Collagen Peptides, and Sports Research Collagen Peptides because they’re flavorless and dissolve/mix easily.

Hopefully you’ve found this information to be helpful. If you take a collagen supplement, let us know what your thoughts are in the comments!

Written by Brianna

Posted on September 28, 2020September 27, 2020 by srslysisters

Meal Prep Monday

The beginning of the week calls for new beginnings, and sometimes that means recommitting to eating right. One of the best ways to do that is to meal prep for the week. However, meal prepping is so time consuming and…ain’t nobody got time for that.

That’s where Nala’s Kitchen in Wallingford, CT comes in. We love this little biz because its owned and operated by two bad ass women, who have been friends for over 20 years! Chef Becca curates a weekly menu of healthy, allergen friendly meals for you to choose from, and they get delivered to your door fresh, never frozen. Plus, if your in their service area in CT, they only have a $5 flat rate for delivery – way less than grub hub.

Meighan tried their chicken dish with rice and mixed veggies, as well as their Hungarian mushroom soup this weekend and it was delightful and delicious. The rub that is used is a collaboration with My Big Fat Greek Rub, and has no salt and no sugar, perfect if you are dieting and eating clean! Most of the meals are naturally gluten and dairy free, substituting coconut milk for many dairy products. Plus, you get all nutrition facts and calorie counts for your meals!

If you’re like us, working remotely has taken a toll on your meal schedule and you may be missing a lunch or two due to back-to-back calls. Instead of turning to Grubhub or Uber Eats, you can pop one of these full meals in the microwave for a minute or two and have a complete, healthy meal!

If you head to their website and decide to try them out, be sure to tell them we sent you 🙂

Posted on August 10, 2020August 9, 2020 by srslysisters

Save Money On Produce!

Do you hate buying fresh produce because you just know you are going to throw it out in a few days? That definitely has been us in the past. Throwing away fresh produce is the equivalent of tossing cash in the trash in our book.

One of the things we’ve tried working on is making sure we only buy the fresh produce we need, but also thoroughly washing our fruits and veggies. While we have been doing this for a little over 6 months know, we can honestly say that the little extra TLC we put in to the storage process has given us almost 14 days of fresh strawberries, cherries, peppers, etc.

Using a fruit and veggie soak, like the Thieves one, helps to get ALL of the dirt, grime, chemicals, and more OUT of your produce – whether you buy organic or not. If you are just tossing these items under the running tap water for a few moments and then tossing in your fridge – You. Are. Doing. This. Wrong. And you are just asking to throw out a moldy bunch of fruit in under 48 hours.

Here’s how we use the Thieves soak to clean our produce, but you can also do this with a 4:1 Water and Vinegar mixture!

Add your produce to a large bowl and cover with cool water.
Add a capful (tablespoon) of the soak and swirl the produce around the mixture until slight bubbles form at the top.
Let sit in the bowl for 15 minutes.
Rinse the produce by pouring the contents of the bowl in colander and top with rushing tap water for a few seconds.
Lay flat on a dish towel to dry. Cover fruits and veggies with another dish towel. Before topping with a second towel, I also spray the fruit with a water/soak mixture (16:1) for added cleanliness.
Let dry for 20 minutes then transfer for storage.

Have you ever done a fruit and veggie soak when washing your produce before?

Posted on August 7, 2020August 2, 2020 by srslysisters

Hydrate with Liquid IV

Recently, Brianna had the misfortune of needing an IV after not staying hydrated enough while working in the heat. She quickly learned how easy it is to become dehydrated, even when trying to drink plenty of water!

Because Brianna didn’t love having a needle in her arm for 30 minutes to help her get hydrated, she’s made some lifestyle changes to ensure it never happens again. One of those changes is drinking Liquid IV hydration multiplier packets regularly!

Brianna now starts most of her days by drinking a pack of Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier with 16oz of water. This provides the same benefit as drinking three 16oz bottles of water! Since Brianna usually works out early in the mornings, this is especially helpful in getting hydrated first-thing and maintaining that level of hydration all day

Haven’t tried Liquid IV yet? Now is your chance! We’ve partnered with them to give our followers 25% off with code SRSLY.SISTERS at the Liquid IV website so you can stay hydrated as the hot summer months wind down!

Be sure to tell us which flavor is your favorite! And be sure to check back as we review their new Energy multiplier!

Posted on July 19, 2020July 19, 2020 by srslysisters

Dollar Tree Dinner Party

One of the things we love doing the most is entertaining. However, The Q has really thrown a wrench in those plans. So while we dream of better days when we could all gather in a non-socially distanced manner, we are strategically planning our next themed event.

When browsing the weekly circulars, we noticed that our holy grail of budget stores – Dollar Tree – had the cutest Mediterranean Style dishes in a navy blue and aqua color palette, which is to die for. It also matches Meighan’s patio set so you know we are all about it.

From there, we ran with the Mediterranean inspo for our next summer get together, even if it is only with one another. The aqua galvanized tub which is perfect to pour ice in and keep your drinks cold. The colored tumblers for your iced teas or the blue stemmed glasses for your sangrias. Or our favorite – the ombre blue candle as a centerpiece for the table, to tie it all together.

Did we mention each piece is only $1 each? Right? At this price point we may just re-do our dinnerware with every themed party we throw! But seriously, Dollar Tree comes in clutch and is a great store to look at for some inexpensive home accents that pack a big punch.

You can shop all these pieces and more at your local Dollar Tree or online and have your own end-of-summer Mediterranean Inspired dinner party, too! It’s easy to be #bougieonabudget with the Dollar Tree!