Mint & Money Management

The Topic: Spending and Saving

The Dish: I like to think that all of the little things I do, whether it's making coffee at home, thrifting, or dining out less, have a positive impact on my bank account. A lot of my daily choices are more affordable than they could be, but is it really helping me save? Or am I just spending the extra dollars on frivolous purchases? A few weeks ago, I couldn't tell you for sure (although I have a sneaking suspicion that I was). Now, I'm singing the praises of Mint and changing my ways.

To prevent myself from overindulging, I signed up for the free, web-based, money-management software Mint. It's been all over my radar lately, from friends becoming dedicated users to blogs and newsletters featuring rave reviews. "Why not?" I thought. Once I felt comfortable with its security precautions (I mean, entering all of my bank information did feel a little risky), I gave it a try. First revelation: Over the course of eight months, taking out money for San Francisco's notorious cash-only restaurants and bars has cost me $50 in fees. FIFTY DOLLARS? Just because I'm too lazy to plan a trip to my bank ATM ahead of time? Ouch. I mean, vegan Thai fried rice is good, but not that good.

In addition to pointing out nasty hidden fees and late charges, Mint provides a helpful breakdown of my spending, tracking transactions into categories. I can also set goals—pay off that debt, take a veg vacation—and come up with a real strategy for reaching them. Mint also sends weekly email updates to warn me of upcoming bills, low account balances, and all sorts of other sobering grown-up information that I may not want, but certainly need to know.

The Final Word: There are tons of features to help control spending, build up savings, and stay financially afloat. It may not be for everyone, but when it comes to balancing my penchant for on-the-fly spending and weak justifications ("Well, I didn't buy Starbucks this morning so I'll get a happy-hour special"), it's just what I need.

Discount Groceries

The Topic: Smart Shoppers Go Salvaging

The Dish: What if I told you about a magical place where you can buy entire boxes of Luna bars for $1, snag fruit leather for a dime, and stock up on Cherrybrook Kitchen baking mixes for a couple bucks? Would you go there and buy up all of the amazing vegan products before my next trip? Because if so, forget it.

Just kidding! These wonderful places are discount and salvage grocery stores, hiding in a town near you. My particular secret shack is tucked away on a remote road in Southeast Missouri, and it's a must-stop every time I visit my hometown. Luckily, there are similar stores spread across the US, waiting for the savviest of shoppers to discover them. In my lexicon, they're referred to as "dented-can stores," mainly due to the dirt-cheap prices I pay for slight cosmetic flaws. Let's say you come across a slightly crushed box of your favorite cereal. Guess what? Take the cereal bag out of the box and voila, no more ugly dent. While some products may be a few weeks (or months) expired, you'd be surprised how amazing a Lemon Zest Luna Bar tastes when it costs 17¢ and you're hungry for something other than cheap rice and beans.

While this is completely anecdotal and not conclusive, the word is that many of these goldmine salvage stores are located in sketchy-ish neighborhoods, but don't let that scare you off—looks can be deceiving. My dive at home may appear abandoned, but once you're inside, there's shelves upon shelves of cheap goods to dig through. It's like a treasure hunt trying to find your favorite veg-friendly brands, and I've scored some great deals. My mom and I figured out the savings of one of our visits, and we managed to buy $150 of non-perishables for $40.

The Final Word: Many discount grocers don't advertise, so try asking around your community to see if there's a popular local spot. And of course, Google proves incredibly useful for perusing the underground rumblings of cheap consumers. Now go! I have a 50-cent dark chocolate bar to eat.

21st Century Coupons

The Topic: Living the good life, half price

The Dish: When I was little, my mom used to cut me a deal when it came to cutting coupons: For every penny-saver I snipped that was used, I pocketed the difference. Sure, it didn’t really save us any money on groceries, but Mom broke even and I walked away with a few dollars to my name (you can get a lot of banana Laffy Taffy for $5.) Today, I never manage to clip coupons, partly because I’m pressed for time and partly because finding relevant products is a rarity.

While I recommend keeping your eyes open while flipping through the Sunday paper (assuming, of course, you still read the paper), there’s another option for the city-bound and tech-inclined—Groupon, a website focused on daily deals offering around 50 percent off a huge range of goods and services, from restaurant gift certificates to discounted dance classes. San Francisco even had a deal recently where buyers received $50 worth of organic groceries for $25. If we were playing NBA Jam right now, that would certainly get a “Boomshakalaka!”

Currently, Groupon operates in 52 cities across the US and offers a handy request form to get your city on the map. There’s one deal a day, and a certain number of people have to buy in before it’s finalized, so passing the word along to your cash-strapped friends is encouraged. If you manage to wrangle some referrals, you can even earn account credit—real-live spendable dollars—and score more savings.

The Final Word: Registration is free, and it's a simple way to score a great bargain with minimal effort. Get registered, sign up for daily e-mail alerts, and embrace all that is Groupon.

A Formal Introduction

The Topic: More Money, Fewer Problems

The Dish: Congratulations—you’ve made it to the launch of VegNews’ latest blog! It’s called Savvy Abby (that’s me), and it’s all about living a comfortable, modern vegan lifestyle while saving a few dollar bills here and there. (That’s the savvy part, obviously.) With my current home base in San Francisco, my bargain-hunting focus can’t help but be drawn to city life and finding the best deals for my dollar, both in quality and price. Whether its dynamite Chinese food for less than the cost of a movie ticket or an outrageous sale on cruelty-free makeup, I always have one eye peeled for deals (which consequently can make it hard to get anything else done).

Is small-town life more your M.O.? I promise not to ignore country-based cries for dirt-cheap deals. Growing up in the Midwest, I’m all too familiar with the lack of veg-friendly restaurant options (unless you count French fries as a balanced meal), empty grocery aisles, and quizzical store-clerk looks when all you want is a freakin’ veggie burger. I feel your pain, Daiya-less counterparts. The good news is, not only am I looking out for you, but veg options are getting better everyday across the US. If at first it seems expensive, laborious, and straight-up boring to be vegan where you live, we’ll change that—me and you! And maybe a few coupons.

The Final Word: So now that I've sufficiently talked a big talk, we'll say goodbye for now. I'll be back with regular updates about living an affordable, awesome vegan lifestyle, and I hope you'll join me. Until next time, share your thoughts with fellow savvy shoppers: What part of your life needs the biggest cash-flow makeover?