Evil Twin's Wife has a post about things she does to scale back expenses, and I figured that was a great topic so I decided to copy her. Imitation being the most sincere form of flattery, and all.
So, what things do we do at our house to save money?
1. Don't pay what the cable company charges. I call and get the latest promotion. When that expires? I call again. And there's always another promotion. There is no reason anyone should be paying full price for cable and internet. Just call and ask.
2. The garbage company we use recently raised prices. I called and got a much lower price with another company, called my company back, and they lowered the rate. It never hurts to ask.
3. Tear dryer sheets in half. Half a sheet is all you need to keep the static cling away and keep your clothes smelling nice. A box lasts twice as long.
4. Pack lunches. Hubby and I eat lunches from home almost everyday. Peanut butter sandwich, apple, string cheese, crackers...Sound like an elementary school lunch? Maybe. Tasty? Yep. Healthier than most things we'd get if we went out? Yep. Cheaper? Heck, yeah! Every once in a while we go out, but very rarely.
5. Coupons. I usually have coupons for activities we participate in. I also use coupons in stores, but I am not as diligent about that as I should be.
6. Grocery shopping - I buy things we need no matter the price, but extras, like a certain type of cookies, are only bought when on sale. I also stock up on things we eat regularly when they're on sale.
7. Heat/air conditioning. Set your thermostat 2 degrees lower/higher (depending on the season). You really won't notice the difference. If you have a programmable thermostat, set it was low while you're gone, and set it to be at the regular temperature when you get home.
8. Clothes. We don't get a lot of new clothes. Our son basically gets a new wardrobe every season, since he's growing, but hubby and I? A new shirt here or there, but they don't wear out that quickly, and we tend to wear classic items that don't get outdated.
9. Coffee. We make it at home. We don't stop daily for coffee. Occasionally, but certainly not daily, or even weekly.
10. Water - Turn it off when you're brushing your teeth. That both conserves water and saves money, assuming you're on municipal utilities.
11. Haircuts. I stopped going to my fancy salon a few years ago and now go to a little place in a strip mall. Hubby started cutting his own, for the most part, though he gets a professional one every few times to straighten out anything he might not get quite right. I also get my hair cut only every 3 or 4 months, and do bang trims myself.
12. Make my own foaming hand soap. Those dispensers are expensive and wasteful. Buy one dispenser for each room, and to refill: Use a one cup measuring cup. Fill with water to the 2/3 cup mark. Pour in regular handsoap from big container to the 3/4 cup mark. Stir, pour into dispenser. I've been doing it for a couple years.
13. I make my own bread. Have been doing so for the better part of the year. This saves money and is healthier, but it's hard to find a container that homemade bread fits in, so I use large ziplocs. Rather than go through one of those a week just for bread, I wash them and reuse them. Since all they had in them was bread, I am comfortable washing and reusing them. This would not apply for all (or even most) items put in a ziploc.
I'm sure there are many more ways, and I may add some later...How do you save?
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13 comments:
I do a lot of the things you do.
Except that whole "calling the cable company" thing...gonna have to check into that!
In addition to keeping the thermostat set low/high, I also keep a ceiling fan running year-round (reversing the direction from summer to winter). They say that alone can make a room feel up to 7 degrees warmer/cooler.
We do most of these...our cable thing is up soon so I'll def be calling! And the dryer sheet thing is a great tip! I never thought of that! I'm still not good with coupons though, I don't come across them. I might not be looking in the right place....
For the dryer sheets, I'll pick up a stack and cut them in half, then place them back in the box. That way, when I'm in a hurry, I already have a ready supply of "halves". I also reuse foil - but only if it was used for something like rolls and it's not dirty or greasy. I fold it up, put it in the cupboard and use it again!
Darn. I already do all those things, and I get heat and water for free. The only thing left to cut back on is my hairdresser, but the feeling I get after the beautiful work of Max is too good to give up.
I don't have cable, don't use dryer sheets, use a prepay cell phone that costs me $25-$50 a year (I don't use it much). I make my own granola, but now you've given me the jones for homemade bread. Mmmmm!
I definitely think you can reuse Ziploc bags for most things I use Ziplocs for. I've been paying only $15 for what should be a $30+ cable package for about three years now, so I'm not going to call and tip them off about that. ;-) As for the heat... how low do you set it? I keep mine at 68 when I'm home and when I dip two degrees below that, I really do feel it. I've heard that tip before, so I wonder... is that for people who haven't already dipped below 70, or am I just a wuss?
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This might not be practical for everyone but I hang dry most of mine and my husband's clothes. This makes them last longer and I save by using the dryer for only blankets and towels. I don't have a clothesline since I live in a condo so our bathrooms are usually full of drying clothes. I'm also a big fan of store brand products. They are cheaper and just as good as name brand products. I refuse to cut back on my hair but I only get mine cut about 3 times a year. I do home glosses now so I save on that.
Okay, I'm just going to come out and admit it. I waste so much money it's ridiculous. I think it's a combination of me being extremely lazy, easily frustrated, and never at home that cause me to never call and try to get better deals on anything.
My cable bill/internet bill is $120 per month (and that's just expanded basic cable with no premium or movie channels). I adjust my thermostat all willy nilly depending on how I feel when I'm at home (but since my house is a whopping 700 sq feet, it never cost much to heat or cool it). I very rarely use a coupon. And I use liquid softener in the washer and two dryer sheets in every load because I'm obsessed with things smelling good and being super soft. I also normally use Mrs. Meyer's laundry and cleaning products which cost a fortune because I do most of my grocery shopping at Whole Foods and that's what they carry. I'm too lazy to stop somewhere else for cheaper stuff.
I do re-use ziploc bags when I can though. I wash all of my laundry in cold water. And I do hang up all of my clothes in doorways around my house to dry and only use the dryer for sheets, towels, blankets, socks and undies.
Now those of you who read my blog know why I always say I'm entirely too selfish to have kids. I have not been making that up! :-)
I do that cable company thing too. Ours has this stupid rule that when one promo expires you have to wait before you can have the next one. Once when I tried to ask them to waive the rule I got a lecture about how we were lucky to be getting a promo at all when most people had to pay full price. I wanted to laugh right in her face. Who pays full price for cable?!
Thanks for the tips. Even I can incorporate some of those things in my life, but like Sauntering Soul, I am too lazy and already time-strapped with my commute and # of children, that I cannot participate in all, but thanks anyway.
What I love about the ways you cut costs is they just become a part of your daily life. After an initial transition period, I'm pretty sure it doesn't feel like you're going without.
I kick myself to think of how much I spent during those YEARS I'd eat lunch out. Every day.
I really like the idea about the dryer sheets! I'm totally doing that now. Thanks. And I love how you manage your cable/garbage companies.
How do I save? I try to buy groceries on sale, and I leave my furnace on low unless it gets unreasonably cold. (I got that bad habit from my grams, and now no one likes coming over in the winter).
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