Since my day has mostly revolved around money and trying to save it - I figured that's what I would blog about tonight.
Here are some ways I've heard (and discovered) save a bit of money:
1. Cook at home and brown bag lunch. This one is everywhere, and true - to an extent. It generally works best when you get a little closer to scratch than ready-made meals.
2. Pay with cash. Apparently, it stinks to watch yourself hand over the Washingtons. (That's right, not many of us carry around his buddy - Benjamin.)
3. Kick the soda habit. (Or tobacco... or alcohol... or shopping...) Not only will you save a ton, you'll probably also lose a couple L-B's.
4. Coupons and Sales Papers. That's right - clip and check before you shop. I'm still working on this one myself.
5. Those bonus cards... I have them for Bi-Lo, Ingles, and Food Lion. (I love me some Bi-Lo... plus, you can load your Bi-Lo card with e-coupons - all you have to do is swipe it at the register! No paper! You can also put e-coupons from SavingStar (I think... don't quote me) on your card too!)
6. Use a shopping list... and stick to it! Also, shop fast and focused!
7. Thrift Stores and yard sales! (Great place to get clothing. Other clothing great idea? Hand-me-downs.)
8. Use 'Regular' Gas.
9. Use filtered tap water instead of buying bottled water.
10. Avoid 'sales' for things you don't really need.
11. Make your own... anything! There are tons of tutorials on the Internet - plus it can be fun and interesting.
12. Buy a whole chicken instead of just one particular part. It's cheaper and you can use the whole thing.
13. Go fishing/hunting. (and clean it yourself, lazy butt. Or find someone who can for free.) Fish taste better fresh and you wont BELIEVE what all you can make with venison.
14. Wash your clothes in cold (and if you must, warm) water. They'll come out just as clean.
15. Cut your dryer sheets in half. I'm going to try this one currently. Apparently, they work just as well.
16. Use a clothesline. It will save on dryer energy usage and it wont heat up your house during the summer forcing your AC to work harder.
17. Use your AC only when needed. Currently, the weather has been nice so I've only been running it at night - if needed - and even then I turn it up to 75. I'll let you all know what my next power bill looks like.
18. Use fans. Only when you're occupying that room, of course.
19. Save your change! I promise, it really adds up.
20. Buy generic. In some cases, the off brand is better. I have learned that Bi-Lo's Southern Home brand is just as good as the brand name.
21. Take a shower instead of a bath - and take shorter, cooler showers. P.S. usually, you don't have to shower daily.
22. If it's yellow... that's right. This one actually does sound really gross - but I had a talk with the lady down at our water place and you won't BELIEVE how much water a toilet can go through!
23. Speaking of my chat with the water lady... your toilet could be sneakily running up your water bill. A leaky toilet apparently can do a lot more than you think it can. A leaky toilet can waste over 200 gallons a day! That's 73,000 gallons a year!!! Wanna see if you are the victim of a leaky potty? Drop a couple drops of blue food coloring in the tank. Wait for 30 minutes (Don't flush it!) After the 30 minutes are up, check the bowl. If it's blue, your toilet has a leak. The most common fix is replacing your toilet flapper.
24. Close off vents and close doors to rooms in your home you don't often use.
25. Turn off the heated drying function on your dishwasher.
26. Plant a garden.
27. Start and emergency fund. This sounds contradictory, but it's best to have at least $1,000 saved up and stored away for REAL emergencies.
Do you have any money saving tips, tricks, or advice?
Comment below - I'd love to hear them and maybe give them a try!
Paying with cash really does make a difference!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the toilet matter: I saw on interview one time were they took a soda bottle filled with water and tied it inside the tank. This made the toilet think it was all the way full but instead it was just using less water. I thought that was a pretty cool idea.
when you have kids use cloth diapers. I use fuzzibunz one size diapers and they are awesome and so much cheaper instead of disposables. I think my water bill has gone up about 5 dollars a month but I've never bought disposable diapers. I bought mine from www.jujumonkey.com and she is awesome to work with.
ReplyDeleteStock up on meat when you find a good sale (and don't see it roaming the woods) ;)
keep an excel spreadsheet of your monthly budget and expenses. It's helped out a ton with keeping track of our monthly expenses and how much we have left during the month.
google substitutes or home made recipes for stuff (i.e. evaporated milk). Google has so many resources.
Wal-mart price matches and sometimes you can get a better deal from them vs. bi-lo even with their coupon doubling policy. Depends on the product.
I agree with all but the showers
ReplyDeleteI have to have one everyday
Old Gray Mare
Thanks for the input and the comments! :)
ReplyDeletei'm going to have to make sure to mention to my dad how much water i've saved him over the years by showering every other day next time he's complaining about giving me money! Heck i think NGU should give me a refund! :)
ReplyDeleteWes is doing a lot of these right now since he's living in my sister's house on low income. He has yet to turn on the heat or AC in the house (he moved in in December). In the winter he used a ceramic heater that only heated his bedroom and master bath. Now he leaves the windows open while at work and even at night and sleeps with a fan on. His power bill has been around $70 each month (and that's for a 2 story house)!