Money saving ideas -

If you have any ideas, please pass them on.

Thanks!

Re: Money saving ideas -

a few that I do/have considered

cut your own lawn

cancel your cable, no more cable bill, we have an antanna, so broadcast TV is it and no bill

cancel you land line phone, we went to an internet phone comapny but have considered going the step further.

change your cell provider to one of the cheaper, flat rate companies, we've considered this but haven't made the move yet.

stop leasing new cars every 3 years. All car in our house are from 2001-2003. They're still in good condition, and I don't have a 300-500 payment every month.

don't eat out much, you can put steak on the table for the cost of a trip to Friendys

no more starbucks, brew your coffee at home, again saving anywhere from 2-5 per day, saving anywhere from 60-150 per month.


I think the biggest barrier to saving money is perception. not saying everyone is just following the crowd, but people perceive certian things as "normal" to have/do, if you consider how much you're spending on it, and whether it is really a nice to have vs a "need". I'm not saying I follow what I put above 100%, we go out once in a while, I do buy coffee every few days, etc.

Message edited 3/24/2012 9:14:55 AM.

Re: Money saving ideas -

Plan your trips to do multiple errands to save gas. Do preventative maintenance (oil changes, tire rotations, etc.) on your car to prevent larger issues.

Line dry your clothing to make it last longer, and to save the energy from the dryer.

Bring breakfast, lunch, and snacks to work.

Don't smoke.

Line small trash bins with plastic grocery bags.

Use coupons, combine them with sale prices to make them even more effective. Look for coupons for everything. They really are out there if you look. Delay purchases until something is on sale.

Before buying something, ask yourself if you actually need it, or if you already have something in your home that can serve the same purpose.

Donate things (save the receipt for tax time).

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Use old t-shirts to dust, clean glass etc instead of paper towels

Make your own cleaners. You'd be surprised how well mixing vinegar with water and baking soda cleans

Empty all your loose change at the end of every week and save it in a tin for a bigger purchase. We went on a weekend trip in December and we were able to use all our spare change that we accumulated as spending money. All we had to pay for was the Amtrak ticket and hotel.

Message edited 3/24/2012 10:50:04 AM.

Re: Money saving ideas -

Re: Money saving ideas -

I wish I had more patience with the couponing.

few things I do when I have time

- Buy a lot at BJ's, but only stuff we will use a lot of. Paper Towels, Toilet Paper, toothpaste, etc. All stuff that last forever in storage and we know we will use it. Coffee, dish soap, olive oil are other good ones

- DH refuses to bing hs brekafast and lunch to work, but this would be a lot of savins since when he dos bring it, he brings leftovers

- ake shopping list/meal plan with store cirular/coupons in hand so you can base it on sales/coupons

- Plan meals for the week that use similar ingredients to minimize waste (and prep time) and maybe allow you to buy in bulk

Re: Money saving ideas -

Don't forget that when you DO have to spend money for things try and get the most for your money.
For shopping online search for coupon codes first, then there are things like Ebates and Swag bucks that give you CASH back just for shopping through their site.
Also you can use a credit card (like Discover or others), that give % of money spent back as cash or statement credit.
Also things like Mypoints that for just opening an email you get points that you can trade in for gift cards.
You can save a lot of money by stacking your savings.
i.e. - finding a coupon code or good sale at online store with free shipping, then shopping through Ebates and paying with your rewards credit card.
I did this the other day. It really helps.

Also you can subscribe to email for stores that you shop at frequently and you will get coupons and savings delivered to your inbox.

Hope this helps.

Re: Money saving ideas -

This is what we do and some have been mentioned already...

Meal plan based on sales, and what's in season. Buy in bulk when meats reach a rock bottom price and freeze in appropriate cooking sizes. Also watch for the BOGO at Kroger and stock up then.

Can and Freeze in the summer and fall. You can save a TON of money buy making your own canned tomato's for cooking and sauces. It does take some time but nothing beats freash frozen corn in Feb that you did in Sept! We do tomato sauce, diced tomatoes for cooking, corn, brocolli, cauliflower, grn beans, peas, carrots, jams, apples, apple pie filling, peaches, pears, applesauce, and asparagus.

Make it yourself! We make our own NY Deli rye bread for pennies compared to what it costs to buy it! We also brew our own beer, make our own muffins, breads, treats, and most of our foods are scratch cooking. VERY VERY VERY little is processed here!

Buy in bulk if you use it a lot! We buy the following in bulk: sugar, brown sugar, vanilla(making our own now but it takes 6 months to do!). cinnomin, flour, rye flour, toilet paper, paper towel, cheese, butter, and juice.

Check locally. We now buy our eggs local and for $1 less a dozen we get local farm fresh eggs and are supporting our local farmer! We also are going to start buying local hormone free grass feed beef. Yes more money, bt buying it in bulk is a lot better!

Cloth Diapers. Yes it's more up front in cost but we plan to have more kids and they will have paid for themselves in 2 months form now esp since we have 2 in cloth! Plus they hold their value. I can resell them when we're done! Can you say the same for a used disposable diaper

Wash cloths in cold water when the washer is full and line dry. I do this once the weather is 55-60 and sunny. I also use a drying rack inside for diapers and sweaters.

Use a store savings card. If I get gas it's at Sam's or Kroger since I get a discount for buying there!

Shop second hand. Go to garage sales, consignment sales and events, goodwill, and salvation army. You migt not always get a deal, but keep trying!

Make your own cleaners. I use 3T alcohol, 3T Dr. Bronner's organic baby soap, 30drops whatever oil I have, and fill with water! It works so good and it's so cheap!

Keep you heat low and your air higher. If you just increases or decrease it a degree or 2 it saves a ton!

Reuse your store bags for small trash cans, kitty litter, shopping trips to the farmers market.

Make your own baby wipes! Buy Viva in sale with a coupon. Cut the roll in half so it looks like 2 toilet paper rolls. Put one 1/2 in a container and pour over it 2C water, 1T olive oil or baby oil, 2T baby wash, and add an oil if you like. Mix and pur over it. Let sit 10 min, flip and let sit 10 more min, and then flip back. Pull out the cardboard and you're ready!

Have a garage sale or consign your stuff. Do craigs list to buy and sell.

Ask yourself if YOU really need it. What you need and what others may need are different. Do you really need a pinapple cutter from pampared chef for $15, maybe not, but for me I need it with my arthritis and the amount of pinapple we eat so it's worth it TO ME.

Re: Money saving ideas -

Make your own cleaners. I use 3T alcohol, 3T Dr. Bronner's organic baby soap, 30drops whatever oil I have, and fill with water! It works so good and it's so cheap!




Is this for clothes? ok for He washers?

Re: Money saving ideas -

i try my best to save as much as possible..in the past 3 1/2 years i paid off a brand new car and a crazy amount of cc debt, all within the 3 1/2 years after i graduated from college-a year was getting my masters and about a year of that i was unemployed as well

my tips:

buy things you use a lot in bulk

COUPON! seriously, i save SO much money with this..my bf and i had nothing as far as a pantry or toiletries, and we just bought our house

we closed 16 days ago, and i've spent $185 to stock a pantry and shelves of toilet paper/paper towels/shampoo/razors/canned goods..i've also cooked meals every night for dinner for the past 8 days..going forward i'm looking to spend $75 or less a week on groceries/soda/beer

sites like

Swagbucks

and

Super Points

those are my invite links..in the past 3 months i've earned $105 in target and amazon gift cards from the two sites just from searching and pushing the "superlucky" button..you do need to set up your "basic" profile for superpoints, but it takes about 2 minutes and you get 25 bonus points for doing so..then you can earn more points quicker because it ups your level

i wash all our clothes in cold water, and line dry the clothes

meal plan

stick to a list when shopping

give yourself 24 hours to think over any purchase over $50

Message edited 3/27/2012 9:04:28 AM.

Re: Money saving ideas -

Lots of great ideas have already been given but I will give a few more

Utilize your public library, free DVDs, e-books, magazines, most libraries have fantastic kids activities and offer discount tickets to places like splish splash.

Cancel premium cable, no DVR, No netflix

Cancel magazine subscriptions, keep the newspaper on Sunday only for the coupons and for free or low cost activities listed.

Bundle your insurance if you can Home/Car, evaluate your policies, consider higher deductibles, shop around for better prices.

Stay out of stores like target, 99% percent of the people that go to target for discounted groceries spend triple what they saved on optional impluse buys.
Same goes for wholesale clubs-if you can't resist the urge to shop the center aisles, don't go.

I agree with selling (or donating) items you no longer need. Kids clothes sell really well in lots on Ebay, but you need to price them reasonably.

Unplug things you don't use often, like electronics, lamps, small appliances

reduce use of A/C in the summer. Keep curtains or blinds closed on sunny, hot days, keep them open on cold sunny days. Try setting your thermostat a few degrees cooler at night in the winter.

If you own your home, greive your taxes.

Use coupons wherever you can, I have gone months at a time not paying full price for anything but gasoline.

Make a weekly menu based on what is on sale or your best coupons-shop only for what is on your list.

Shop only with cash, somehow its harder to part with the cash. Write down every dollar you spend & on what.

Bring coffee, breakfast, lunch from home if you work.

Re: Money saving ideas -

Do people actually buy used cloth diapers?

Re: Money saving ideas -

Posted by twicethefun

Do people actually buy used cloth diapers?

Re: Money saving ideas -

Posted by evrythng4areason

Posted by twicethefun

Do people actually buy used cloth diapers?

where did you even get this from?

Posted by medic6809

Cloth Diapers. Yes it's more up front in cost but we plan to have more kids and they will have paid for themselves in 2 months form now esp since we have 2 in cloth! Plus they hold their value. I can resell them when we're done! Can you say the same for a used disposable diaper

.

Re: Money saving ideas -

Posted by evrythng4areason

Posted by twicethefun

Do people actually buy used cloth diapers?

where did you even get this from?

Posted by medic6809



Cloth Diapers. Yes it's more up front in cost but we plan to have more kids and they will have paid for themselves in 2 months form now esp since we have 2 in cloth! Plus they hold their value. I can resell them when we're done! Can you say the same for a used disposable diaper

.

Re: Money saving ideas -

Pay yourself first.

I have 10% of my salary automatically going in a 401K and 5% into an ING account that's more difficult to touch. Both weekly.

It's not a lot but it really adds up!!!

Re: Money saving ideas -

Great thread!!!

* We switched from Direct TV for cable and Verizon for our home phone to Cablevision. We got the Triple Play for a CRAZY price, $65/month. We also don't get the movie channels so that saves money too! We saved ourselves about $120/month by making the switch.

* For our cells, we have the cheapest family plan

* We try to only eat out once a wk.

* I shop a lot at Trader Joe's. They have a lot of great things at really great prices.

* I use coupons

* Try to stock up on essentials at BJ's, look for things that have coupons too to save extra

* We consolidated our credit cards and paid off others to lower our monthly minimum payments. We freed up about $280/month by doing that and now we take that $280 and apply it to our debt payoff plan so we can "snowball" our plan faster.

* I buy a lot of store brand stuff from Target (ibuprofen, half and half, wipes, tissues, etc). It's so much cheaper and is just as good.

* I also shop around every few months for car insurance and if I find someone cheaper that allows us to free up some more monthly money, I make a switch. It's SO easy to do since most places quote you online. A few minutes of my time can be worth a few hundred dollars in my pocket.

* In general, we shop at affordable places and shop when they have sales and offer coupons. (Kohl's, Old Navy, Target, JcPenney, etc)

* A few months ago we changed over our second mortgage to bi-weekly payments and added a little extra from each payment to the principal. It doesn't save money NOW but getting that paid off earlier will ultimately free up $1250/month plus give us instant equity in our house. Once the credit cards are paid off we will be "snowballing" all of those monthly payments into the 2nd mortgage to bang it out faster.

* I took EVERY SINGLE credit card we have, rubber banded them together, and stuck them in our safe. This way when I am out shopping I cannot buy what I don't need or don't have the money for. Having only my debit card or cash to pay for things really makes me think twice before buying something. I feel more in control having NO credit cards in my wallet.

ETA - DH ALWAYS brings his lunch and coffee from home. Saves a lot of money!! We also keep our house pretty cool in the winter, 64, to save money on oil. Works great for us because we both hate a hot house.

Message edited 3/25/2012 12:41:13 PM.

Re: Money saving ideas -

Do people actually buy used cloth diapers?





Yup! People do sell - and buy cloth diapers. There's actually a relatively big market for them, although more so in areas of the country where CDing is more common.

Re: Money saving ideas -

A few more:

Make your own laundry detergent. This recipe can be made in bulk so you only have to mix a batch every few months; it can be used in HE washers.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/the-happy-homesteader/happiness-is-making-your-own-laundry-detergent.aspx

Skip fabric softeners and use white vinegar instead. Better for you, your clothes, the environment and your wallet.

Make your own shower spray. http://www.livestrong.com/article/179487-homemade-daily-shower-cleaner-spray/
This stuff is really great!

Re: Money saving ideas -

Another thing I am thinking of doing that I never have before, but several of my co-workers swear by:

Hold a yardsale.

One of my co-workers made close to $1600 one weekend. Another one said someone gave her $75.00 for a large bag of baby clothes and such at hers.

I know a lot of people talk about CC debt.....that could take care of some (or all!) of that right there.

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Re: Money saving ideas -

Stay out of Target!!!!

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Re: Money saving ideas -

I'm trying to get better at this but here goes some:

Brown bag breakfast lunch...save so much $$

Before you go food or clothing shopping do inventory and make a list. We were surprised to see how much food was going to waste and how many clothes we already had. This eliminates wasteful spending. Best place for food shopping IMO is Trader Joes. Good food, affordable and the store is just big enough to buy what you need without wandering the eyes and buying just because (A.K.A. Stay away from Target/Walmart, etc)


We use what we have and don't replace until it's broken. I would love a new flat screen for my LR but the TV I have now works perfectly so we will continue to use it.


We use the GasBuddy app to locate the cheapest gas.

I no longer shop for sport. I don't go to the mall or outlets unless one of us needs something specific. Before I was impulsive..then I realized how much $$ I was wasting. Really no one needs 10 sheet sets for the bed, 5 comforter sets, 40 pairs of shoes, etc etc. I realized most of the stuff wasn't being used and just taking up space. Evaluate what you really need. Before you buy somethings thing twice or put it down walk away and come back for it later. Chances are you won't which means you really didn't need it to begin with.


Also we make savings a priority. Before anything we automatically contribute to 401Ks, IRAs and 529s. It brings down our take home significantly but you learn to live on less. Chances are I would have blown the money on stupid things anyway...at least I feel good when I open my bank statements and see what we have saved.