Tell me how your family saves money!

[Christina...]

DH and I recently found out that our income is going to be dropping significantly, While this came as a quite a surprise and we are obviously disappointed, it hasn't created any huge anxiety. We live quite simply, we have one credit card with less than a $500 balance, our vehicles are paid off, we will retain our medical coverage, have a 6 month emergency fund and a partially funded college fund for our son etc, so I feel that we have made some good choices in the past. However I'm wondering how many of you have creatively saved money. I'm of course aware of the simple things such as eliminating the morning starbucks coffee run, eating out, clipping coupons etc, but I'm sure that many of you have discovered cost savings in other ways and I'm interested in hearing them!

 

[iheartscience]

Saving money is not my strong suit, but I do a few things that are pretty easy. I cut my husband's hair-he likes it short so I buzz it for him with clippers. Saves around $60/month since guys need haircuts so often. Oh and we have 1 car but he walks to work and I use public transport, so our transportation costs are really low. However, we live in a big city so this is pretty easy for us. But you may not need 2 cars depending on where you live.

ETA thought of one other thing we do-we almost never buy any processed foods at the grocery store, just meats, veggies, fruits and eggs for the most part. Saves a lot of money because cereal, chips, etc. are usually a lot more expensive than real food.

 

[chemgirl]

Our biggest cost saving was dropping cable! Almost everything we watch is available to be streamed online. We bought the connectors to hook up an old laptop to the tv and a Netflix subscription and we were good to go for much much much less per month than our old cable package.

We buy groceries more often. This might not work for you, but I pass a grocery store on my way home from work. I will stop in a few nights per week and grab things that are discounted because they are nearing their expiry dates. I'm not talking about the semi-rotten tomatos on the shelf in the back. More the packaged stuffed pasta shells, gourmet soups, and food from the prepared section. At least at my grocery store, the fresh prepared salads etc. have to be packaged and discounted so many hours after being made. They're still fine, just a few hours older than the ones in the display case. Haven't been sick yet, lol.

Beans. Beans and lentils are awesome. You can make a huge pot of vegetarian chili and some cornbread for next to nothing and have great meals and leftover work lunches. It freezes fairly well so it can really go a long way.

I buy things I use a lot of in bulk when I see a good sale.


Hope that helped!

 

[princesss]

I figured out the bare minimum I can spend to get by and pull it out in cash every pay day. (Anything left over from the last cycle gets put into my "I know I shouldn't want them but I do so I'm going to slowly save up for ridiculously expensive xxx" fund.) It sounds worse than it is, but I end up so much happier because I know I'm curbing my tendency to overspend and it means I'm that much closer to something important.

I also make savings goals and reward myself roughly ever $1k that I save. I'm in a bad state now, but getting going on it (today, actually!) and I'm excited. I do like saving money, but if I just use my debit card for everything I just spend mindlessly and I don't like it.

 

[MsP]

-2nd the cable comment. Its a huge chunk of change and I rarely miss it with the selection available on Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu.

-Cell phone plans. Evaluate what you really use. If you have a smart phone but don't use the features, considering getting a cheaper phone. Think about if it's a habit you can change, or a necessity.

-Buy ingredients and not packaged items. Rice is way cheaper in bulk and way cheaper than pasta. Lentils and beans are not only delicious but cheap. See if you have an international market... they can be soooo cheap. Actually, Costco is a pretty cheap place for veggies as long as you'll go through them. Avoid falling for their frozen foods though... not such a good deal.

-Utilize your local library.

-Keep a list of what you need when you run out, and watch for coupons. I don't have the space to stock up but having a list of what I need helps.

-If you don't already, stick to a budget. Or at least try to. It makes purchasing impulse items much more difficult for me... just mentally.

 

[Haven]

I don't go to the salon for any services--I cut my own hair, groom my eyebrows, manicure my nails, etc.

In the past when I've really wanted to save money I'd go on a cash system like Princesss described.

 

[monarch64]

I turned into a "frugalista" several years ago after leaving my first marriage and getting re-established on my own. My now-husband and I are both very frugal and after he was laid off almost 2 years ago, we had just bought a house and really had to get serious about cutting costs anywhere we could. I think we live a very comfortable life although we had to adapt to doing without some things that others might see as necessities. You have to be willing to see the advantages to living a very simple lifestyle, but it is possible to do so and be just as happy (maybe moreso) without a few extras that make life easier.

We do not subscribe to a television service/cable. We have a DVD player we watch movies with, or we find free programs on Hulu online when we need a "t.v. fix." This is a huge money saver!

We don't pay for garbage pick-up service. We recycle almost everything, which means a weekly trip to the local recycling center which is less than one mile from our home. I've been cloth diapering our 9 month old for 5 months now, but we use disposables at night and while out and about. We maybe have one medium sized bag of actual garbage a week, and it gets deposited in the Dumpster behind my work building (yes, my employer is ok with this.) We compost lawn clippings in the summer, and have a neighbor who takes small branches/tree and shrubbery trimmings away for us, and in exchange we take care of their pets when they're away. Knowing our neighbors has been a great money-saver in many ways--we lend and borrow each other's tools, appliances, lawn maintenance equipment, etc. I don't mind knocking on any of their doors to ask if they'll water our plants if we're gone for a day or two, or walk the dog, that kind of thing.

Last year I grew my first vegetable garden, and learned a lot in the process. This year I'm going into it with a better plan, and am more confident that we'll save even more money (and eat healthier, non GMO, organic), and I have every intention of canning any surplus to keep on hand through next fall/winter. We are also installing a rain barrel that will help offset some of the cost of watering.

We do 30% of our grocery shopping at our local Aldi's, which is a deep-discount, no-frills store. Some I've been in are not very nice, but ours is particularly well-maintained and I've never had an issue with anything I've purchased. There is an interesting connection between Trader Joe's and Aldi's if you care to look it up. I buy most of our table wine there, as their house brand, Winking Owl, is $2.89/bottle and very good for an under $5 wine. It's produced by Gallo. TJ's, as you may know, offers Charles B. Shaw, or "two buck Chuck" for $1.99-$2.99 (CA=$1.99).

My husband does most of the maintenance on our vehicles. His car was paid for in cash, and I have less than a year of payments left on mine. Preventative maintenance is obviously key in avoiding expensive repairs/replacements.

I'm probably leaving out a lot more, but those were the first that popped into my mind.

 

[webdiva]

I triple approve the cable comment! I haven't had cable in 14 years. We have bunny ears on our flat screen tv, which has a built in digital tuner. With a set of $25 bunny ears, you in fact have better HD than coming out of a cable box for all local channels! Our sports feed is faster and cleaner than cable, so you hear hubby cheering 1/2 a minute before our neighbors. LOL For any shows on cable, we watch Hulu or hubby buys a season's pass on iTunes. We find ourselves doing other things - having more time to cook fun recipes, walk the dogs, sit outside with a cocktail, etc

Plus we don't have a landline. We use our cell phones and then skype for business calls/calls to overseas family. I have the skype app on my iphone, so I can use it to call app to app as well - all free!

We don't eat out as much as before we bought our house and got our dogs, but we bbq with friends or have fun at home. I buy cheaper but yummier cuts of meat like skirt steak and use ethnic grocery stores for cheaper veggies/fruits. I buy $1.99 wine and $26/1.5L Kirland Vodka. For parties, I buy the huge jugs of Carlo Rossi red wine to make sangria - so yummy with cheap triple sec and ginger ale.

I buy anything online with coupons. I bought a used car and sourced the best/more inexpensive insurance. We refinanced our mortgage out of PMI and lowered the rate so it's less than renting this house in this area. We don't travel much but try to visit local areas and hike, sight see, etc. There are fun things to do in town, like go to a farmer's market, free concerts, etc. Check your local online listings of events. I have a friend that draws up a list of free local events every month and it's incredible!

Target has great priced on groceries and I stock up on staples. Target actually has different prices per store, so I've found the cheapest one and try to shop there.

We sold anything we don't need on craigslist. We also look for anything we need there and on ebay. We're both handy and try to do most house repairs and renos on our own. Most of our furniture is from craigslist and thrift stores, and I refurbish them. Usually, I make money selling anything I've tired of. Rustoleum Painter's Touch spray paint is awesome for furniture! An easy way to get a professional looking finish, along with wet sanding between coats. I research how to do things before we try them and outsource anything dangerous like electrical and plumbing. I research companies on angie's list and check the prices people paid for repairs. I'll call the people with the best prices and best reviews. Angie's List also has great daily deals, which we've used for grout repair, plumbing and dryer cleaning.

For car repairs, I called around and researched the best mechanic who was the most reasonable. We keep our cars well maintained to avoid any big repairs.

We have pet insurance and that saved us money the long run. It's penny wise and pound foolish to save on essential things that save you money in the long run. $35/month and they've already paid out over $8k. We also feed our dog's a better quality food to avoid health issues. Walking and hiking with them saves on a gym membership.

Sorry to hear about your circumstances, but hopefully this does turn out to be somewhat fun for you to explore new things!

 

[rubyshoes]

We got rid of cable. (We get most channels thru rabbit ears plus we have Roku which has a one-time fee)
We got rid of our home phone and just use our cellphones.
Seriously look at your cell plans. You can save a lot of money by shopping around. We love our plan with Virgin Mobile.
I do my nails, hair and epilation at home (so no salon costs). I get my eyebrows done at Devon but that's only 5 bucks.
We always stock up on Groupons when they offer something for the grocery stores we go to.
We bathe and cut our dog's nails at home, so no grooming costs.
We have 1 car and use public transport as much as we can.

 

[Christina...]

Wow! You guys are good at this!

It's funny because just a few short years ago we were living on the same income that we will be again shortly, DH and I were talking and I said 'How did we do it before? we did and it was fine, but I don't remember how!'. Funny too because I don't remember ever feeling as though I was being denied anything that I wanted or needed. I've been a SAHM for almost all of my sons life, he's 13 years old now, though I'd still very much like to be able to stay home with him for a few more years, I'm fortunate that I can find work and make up for much of the income that will be lost. DH and DS aren't crazy about this idea, but I'm sort of finding the idea exciting and starting to think about what I might like to do...limited as it might be since my degree is now 15 years old and I have almost no working experience with it, and going back to school isn't going to fit in our immediate budget.

thing2of2: We live in a rural area and DH is a contractor so travels often to job sites, so being without two cars would be difficult, although I did just check out Kelly Blue Book to determine what our vehicles may be worth and was pleasantly surprised! It's possible that we could sell one or both cars and purchase less expensive dependable second hand cars and still have quite a bit left over. Definitely something to consider. Not to mention that both of our vehicles are gas hog SUV's so the potential savings in fuel is something to consider as well!

I actually am a licensed cosmetologist! DH lets me cut his hair, but once DS turned 10 or so I wasn't cool enough to do it anymore so we have been taking him to get his done. He may just have to decide that mom is cool again or give up some of his video games! I also go and have mine done, but could purchase my own products and do it at home myself....one highlighting saves a lot of money! Not sure that I want to wax my own eye brows or bikini line though.

chemgirl: More great suggestions! I had actually considered getting rid of our Amazon Prime membership and our Netflix account, but you make a great point that we may realize more savings by keeping them and giving up our cable! I've also considered looking into changing our internet speed, I'm not sure that I noticed a huge difference when we increased it and we are paying $10-15 more per month for it. Not a big savings but it all adds up.

I like the idea of stopping into the grocery store more often as well. I've heard that you can get better prices on meats this way too. I suppose if you are preparing for dinner that night or the next or even tossing it into the freezer then this can really add up in savings as well. I have to admit that I'm horrible about wasting food, DH and DS refuse to eat leftovers, so simply cooking smaller portions could help too. We also have a garden and grow our own veggies in the summer, in the past we have kept it somewhat small, but growing in larger this year can produce a huge savings! I could also start checking out our local farmers market. We have a local bakery as well that sells off it's yesterdays baked good the following morning at a huge savings. Thanks for the tips!


princess:I love this idea! I've found that if I give DH a $100 bill he will spend it in a day, where as if I give him a $20 he gets by on a $20! So I can completely see the value in your suggestion. I've noticed recently that if I withdraw cash from the bank instead of the ATM then the teller automatically gives me large bills, I'll remember to start requesting smaller bills and carrying only what I need! I think that this will work well for us. Come to think of it, I said that I was having trouble remembering exactly how we managed before but now that I think of it, I did leave the bulk of our cash at home and only carried smaller amounts and our debit/credit card in case of an emergency. Perhaps this was leading to a lot of savings that I hadn't realized!

Ms P: Lists!! Another great idea! I'm not the best list maker but when I have done it in the past I've felt much more organised! I hate running out of laundry detergent or garbage bags or whatever and well...it happens all the time! I've also never been much of a coupon clipper because in I've always felt that they encourage you to purchase items or brands that you normally wouldn't, but making a list and looking for the specific coupons that correspond to your list is a great idea!

Our budget definitely needs some work. Of course I know what our basic payments are and when they come due so I know what I need and when, but lately after the money for savings has been set aside the remainder has become 'whatever we want money'. I'm sure that there is A LOT of waste there. This is where I think that princess' idea of only carrying what we need will come in very handy. DH and I are both horrible at picking up lottery tickets each time we stop to fill up, such a waste and we both know it. Actually, DH almost never fills up his car, he will put $20 in and call it good until he's on empty again so he is stopping much more often than is necessary. I think convenience stores produce the biggest wasteful spending on our parts. We stop for gas and end up purchasing lottery tickets, a pack of gum, a coffee, a soda or a snack for DS, a slim jim for my dog, and all while on our way home for dinner. I have a feeling that this cut back is going to be good for our diets as well!

Thank you all for your suggestions, each one has caused me to think of other ways we can save and determine areas of wasteful spending! I forgot to mention that the income change won't happen for 6 months or so, so it allows us a fair amount to prepare and make some of the changes and increase our emergency fund even more, so we are very fortunate for that!

Anyone have tips for saving on electricity, heating and cooling costs? We've considered having an energy audit done on our home to determine if there are any significant areas that need improvement. Has anyone had this done? What did you think, did you notice savings?

 

[vc10um]

I know the mention of nixing cable has been done to death, but add us to the list! And keep your Amazon Prime membership! We use it to order things like toilet paper and paper towels in bulk...all shipped for free and no need to fight the crowds at Costco or pay for a membership.

A suggestion for heating/cooling is to check out a Nest. It's a programmable thermostat that "learns" based on what you tell it you need and can adjust itself when there are and aren't people in the home. It may seem like a lot to spend $200 or so on a thermostat, but my friends installed one in June and have already saved $160 over last year's energy costs...and this winter was colder! So in less than a year, it'll pay for itself, and then the savings begin!

 

[Christina...]

Many of you have mentioned that you don't have cable or a landline phone, how do you obtain your internet service? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm technology challenged. We have a huge cell bill, or at least I think it's huge, we have three smart phones and pay on average $210 a month for the service and it's a family plan with unlimited text and minutes and I can't remember the MB limit, but we never come close to reaching it. I should probably look at how many minutes we are actually using because DH and I are the only ones making phone calls, my son is deaf so he obviously spends his time texting.


Haven: You're a better woman than I!! I'm not sure that I could wax my own brows! OUCH!! I really like Princess' idea as well and think it will work well for us.

monarch64: I read how you got your screen name and wanted to tell you that I think it's really special! Thanks for all the really great tips. I hadn't even considered yard services! In the past DH has sent one of his guys over for an afternoon to do some general mowing and branch removal, sometimes they might make a dump run for us or something like that, but of course the we still have to cover the cost of his time. Looks like DS will be learning the value of work and how to run a lawn mower and weed whacker! He won't be thrilled but we've been quite soft on him over the years and I hate to admit that he's beginning to feel quite entitled, so time to make some changes. My husband really enjoys gardening so I'm looking forward to a larger garden this year. I enjoy it too, but flowers not vegetables.... I'll have to research canning. My grandparents did it every year, but I've never tried, it might be a fun project to attempt! You'll have to give me some pointers!


webdiva: You're so talented! Of course I don't know you personally but I'm not surprised that you are able to take something old and make it new again! And I'm jealous of your talent! I love looking at all the amazing things that clever people have created on pintrest and etsy. I did sand and paint our patio furniture last year though and was quite impressed with myself! I also stopped and loaded up a used chest of drawers from off the side of the road, brought it home and stripped it, gave it a good sanding (well DH did) and then crackled and antiqued it, and its now my favorite piece of furniture! My dining room hutch came from an Uncle Henrys listing which is sort of like craigslist but a local printing. I badly need a new living room set and was hoping it would be our next purchase,I had sort of given up on it for the time being but maybe not! I'll have to take a look at our local listings and see if I can find a deal....who doesn't love a great deal!

It would kill you if I told you about the things that I tossed out last weekend! My son decided that he wanted to move into the spare/game room, so I was cleaning it out and tossed so many things that I could have listed on ebay or craigslist, I'm too embarrassed to tell you about them but we were a hit pulling into the garbage and recycling station, people were taking a going through boxes or just taking the boxing without digging through them I've never seen that happen before and completely regret it now!

rubyshoes: We purchased a roku for my in laws last year and they love it! I hadn't thought of one for us because we have cable but this might be a great idea! Pet grooming is another one that I hadn't considered. I'm frightened to cut my dogs nails but I'm sure that I could learn, in the past I've filed them when I couldn't get her to the groomers or if one broke, but she isn't much for sitting still for that long. This might be a task for DH! It's incredible how much a trip to the groomers is these days! $65 last trip and she's a pit bull so didn't need a hair cut! A stray cut recently adopted us as well, so that's another expense. Do you have any suggestions on how to save on vet costs? Do you know of any products that are sold over the counter that are as effective but less expensive than the vet offers? Heart worm pills? Flea and tick treatments? I've also wondered if we could should consider a cheaper alternative for their food, we have her on innova EVO but I wonder if it's any better than many other cheaper alternatives? Have any tips?

 

[rubyshoes]

Christina, I don't have many tips for saving $$$ on pets beyond self-grooming... We have 2 cats and 1 dog so we spend quite a bit on food, vet bills, petsitting when we travel etc. I actually started bathing my dog at home after our very first Petsmart experience. They gave us a $60 bill and when we got home, my dog's eyes were red and swollen. They got worse and by 10 pm she was whining so off we went to the emergency vet. It turned out there was dog shampoo in her eyes that was irritating her, so we paid a hefty vet bill on top of the grooming cost! I was like Thanks but I'll just wash my dog myself from now on!!!

 

[vc10um]

Many of you have mentioned that you don't have cable or a landline phone, how do you obtain your internet service? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm technology challenged.

We still get our internet through the cable company (we work from home, so we have to have it)...contrary to all the "bundles" and whatnot they sell leading you to believe you need 2-3 services, you CAN just get internet by itself!

 

[chemgirl]

I know the mention of nixing cable has been done to death, but add us to the list! And keep your Amazon Prime membership! We use it to order things like toilet paper and paper towels in bulk...all shipped for free and no need to fight the crowds at Costco or pay for a membership.

A suggestion for heating/cooling is to check out a Nest. It's a programmable thermostat that "learns" based on what you tell it you need and can adjust itself when there are and aren't people in the home. It may seem like a lot to spend $200 or so on a thermostat, but my friends installed one in June and have already saved $160 over last year's energy costs...and this winter was colder! So in less than a year, it'll pay for itself, and then the savings begin!

Totally second this suggestion. We installed a Nest in September and we love it. We get a daily report of our usage and there is a little green leaf next to energy efficient days. It's sort of become a game with us to get that green leaf!

It also allows you to adjust your heat from your smart phone, so if you are out more than usual you can send a message to the thermostat to turn off the heat. We like to turn the heat on about 10 minutes before we get home so the house has started to heat up again. It has a humidity reader so its easy to keep everything at a good level.

 

[SB621]

I suck at budgeting so I can't offer advise like some of the other people here. However, I can say that if the money is in the account then I view it as spendable so I have automatic transfers on payday so certain amounts go directly into IRA, 529's, savings and then mutual funds. This way I don't have extra cash in our checking account.

 

[Haven]

Oh, I tweeze! No waxing going on here!

 

[m-2-b]

I know this may sound a little unconventional, but the biggest way we have saved $$ is by owning a family farm. We are able to harvest fresh eggs from our chickens and have several cows that graze on the land. We also rent out the house on the farm to another family. It has become a great tax shelter for us in the end!

 

[MsP]

Do you have any suggestions on how to save on vet costs? Do you know of any products that are sold over the counter that are as effective but less expensive than the vet offers? Heart worm pills? Flea and tick treatments? I've also wondered if we could should consider a cheaper alternative for their food, we have her on innova EVO but I wonder if it's any better than many other cheaper alternatives? Have any tips?

I use my humane societies monthly vet clinic for vaccines. So much cheaper than my vet and my vet is fine with his clients using them. I do still maintain ties to a real vet clinic In case something happens. I buy heartworm and flea meds online. I have been meaning to look into pet insurance though... My relatives all seem to be moving towards that option.

As for food... I don't use it but I've heard good things about Kirkland's (costco) new grain free food. Might want to look into it.

If you can't figure out the nail thing, petco will just clip a dogs nails for... I think.... $5

 

[sonnyjane]

This is a general tactic, not a specific money-saving tip, but one thing that has helped me tremendously is that I "steal" from myself. On payday, I calculate exactly how much I'll need that pay period to cover bills in an Excel budget sheet, and then I IMMEDIATELY put the remainder into a savings account. It doesn't even get to sit in my bank account for a single day before I've whisked it off to savings. If I don't have it in my account, I'm much less likely to spend it.

 

[monarch64]

Oh, I tweeze! No waxing going on here!

Ha! Me, too. In fact, I've never had my eyebrows waxed. My mom showed me how to tweeze my brows when I was 12, and I've done it myself ever since.

Christina, I'm glad you started this thread. It's really informative and probably helpful to many of us who are cutting back for any number of reasons. I imagine most of us have nice jewelry because we've figured out ways to conserve in some aspects financially so we can afford the bling we covet! I am happy to share vegetable gardening tips with you, in exchange for some of your knowledge about flower gardening. I think MinousBijoux started a gardening thread last spring. Maybe she will start another one this spring, but if not, I'm sure someone else will, or I am glad to.

 

[rosetta]

I don't smoke, drink, have pets or kids. This actually saves me more money than anything else I could scrimp on. I stopped work last October and our quality of life has not deteriorated in any way, as we have no big regular expenses.

My other money savers:

No gym memberships (husband runs outside, I sort of waddle)

I cut my hair once a year, my eyebrows are perfect without waxing (I'm not very hairy, it's hereditary, my mother has no body hair at all)

Own manicures, pedicures

I buy nearly all my clothes on sale, opting for high quality instead of quantity)

 

[Rosebloom]

There are some great ideas in here!

Sorry to hear about your changing situation, Christina. You have such a great attitude about it.

 

[webdiva]

Blushing! Thanks Christina! I was just inspired by my BFF and a low budget! and I'm super stubborn that I want "the look" no matter my budget! I get great ideas from blogs: young house love and centsational girl - they have great tutorials! I learned to reupholster from
Books and YouTube! Only chairs, though. My sofa we found in Koreatown, for a fantastic price. Yelp is a great source of new stores on a budget. Look at different places for great deals - overstock.com has great furniture deals and shipping is $2.95 or less! I also shop at Target, bed bath and beyond, Home Goods, TJ Maxx for home stuff.

No worries about the recycling thing - you racked up some great "find" karma! My best advice is to chat up the thrift store staff and ask them when they put out new stuff. I've found crazy stuff going there at that time! A $1200 set of vintage dining chairs! Packed them in my then 2 seater convertible! Post up a redecorating thread when you're ready and we'll all chime in with suggestions! Sounds like you already have some great skills!

For pet stuff - we get routine flea meds and vaccinations at mobile vet clinics at our doggie daycare. We use Trifexis and it's cheaper if you buy 6 months worth. I second the Costco Nature's Domain dog food - it's private labeled Taste of the Wild. Costco also has flea meds and we ask the vet to write prescriptions because Target and Costco have $4-10 generics! Saved $38 on antibiotics for the furries! Pet insurance also pays 90% of my oldest dog's monthly $700 meds! We make our own treats sometimes out of puréed pumpkin, oatmeal, eggs,
Rice flour, salmon oil and cinnamon. Bake like cookies! Then freeze, keep a few days worth in the fridge. Finally, a great vet with good diagnostic skills is worth their weight - so just get pet insurance and keep them! we signed up with Healthy Paws.

Have fun! Love this thread! So many great ideas! We were thinking of getting an Apple TV but might look into the Roku!

 

[woofmama]

Sorry I don't have any great tips to add. Thanks for starting this thread Christina. So many great ideas on here. I'm going to look into dropping our cable and landline.

 

[webdiva]

Oh! Forgot to answer the Internet thing! We have a DSL only line. It may not be advertised on their website. Also, call to cancel and they maybe lower the price for 12 months. It's regional, so someone here may be able to give hints. Your cell plan doesn't sound outrageous for 3 people... Keep your faster Internet if the family will be using a Roku or similar instead of cable.

 

[Christina...]

Oh wow! So many great responses! I'm really glad that I started this thread too. I've begun to research many of the suggestions, getting rid of our landline...which we only had for internet purposes anyway, and dropping cable but keeping internet. The pet tips are helpful too! And I'm asking DH to look into the nest today, that sounds like an excellent program. I just may get to stay at home with my little man after all! I also find it reassuring that many of you felt that cutting back actually improved the quality of your relationships! I had visions of total disagreements and disappointments!

I want to respond to each of you individual because you all had wonderful suggestions, but I have to get sleepy head out of bed and on his way to school. FIrst day back after vacation is hard for all of us!! So, I'll respond to you all shortly! Thanks so much for all the great advice!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Do you have an up to date household budget? That is the best place to start if you want to cut costs. Identify the fixed costs (housing, phone contracts, etc). Take a look at them - like you said, change the phone plan, cut cable and evaluate each expense to see if it is worth it and if you can cut it. Then, look at the variable costs, by size. Grocery is usually a big one! Instead of bargaining with your husband and son for each of their expenses, have a set "allowance" for each family member. If they want to blow it on Starbucks coffee or save for a fun purchase, it is up to them.

Lower your water heater temperature to the actual temperature you use the water, instead of mixing it with cold water. While it won't make a difference in the energy actually used to heat the water (heating more water to a lower temperature is equivalent to heating less water to a higher temperature), less energy is wasted since heat loss is a function of the temperature difference between the water and the pipes, house, etc.

Meal planning is also a great tool. You eat better, buy the correct ingredients at the grocery and plan around them so nothing is wasted by using things up in the next meal. I love this site for recipes: budgetbytes.blogspot.com. Look for alternatives to expensive snack foods (really, calculate the price per kilo of snacks and be prepared for a shock when you compare it to veggies, for example). Make your own yogurt in the oven - it is easy, cheap and delicious.

 

[rubybeth]

So many great tips already. I just want to say that one of my favorite money guys, Dave Ramsey, says that money management is 80 percent behavior and 20 percent 'head knowledge' so using pyschology in your favor is actually quite powerful. If you can learn your habits and change them to cheaper (or free) habits, you will ultimately be happier and richer in the long run.

Reading 'The Millionaire Next Door' (and other books by Thomas Stanley) was a good reminder for me, as well, that truly rich people usually aren't the flashy car driving, champagne drinking folks you think they are. They are probably driving a 5+ year old pickup and own their own plumping business. They are rich because they live simply and save a lot. If you google 'Living on $28k a year' or 'Living on $7k a year' or really any number, you will find blogs from folks who have made it work on a variety of budgets that many people would consider poor. And yet, the couple that lives on $14k a year doesn't have a mortgage! They bought their house with cash.

One thing I do is keep a Google spreadsheet of everything we spend in a month. It sounds more difficult than it is, but it helped me to create a realistic spending plan. I know to anticipate all of the regular bills that fluctuate only slightly or not at all each month, and then how much we spend on groceries, eating out, gas, etc. in broad categories. This lets me see how much we can put into savings each month, which feels good. It also helps me look back over the years and see our accomplishments and where we failed.

For the general bills (cell phone, internet, etc.), I'd just call up the companies and ask what they can do for you. You can say you might have to drop coverage entirely unless you can get a better deal. Call their competitor and get a quote and if it's lower, throw that info. at them to see if they drop costs.

I think someone mentioned the Nest thermostat. It's a bit of an outlay at the beginning, I think ($300?) but in the long run, could save you some money if you have okay with lowering and raising the temp as needed. If you are home all day, though, it might not be worth it since you'd be able to just turn down the heat at night and turn it back up when you wake.

I found your comment about convenience stores interesting--I have heard other say that they buy soda, snacks, etc. when they stop to buy gas. I never, EVER go into the actual store, I do pay at the pump so I am never tempted to buy anything but the gas.

We recently got the Target RED Card, because we do a lot of shopping there, and it really has added up quickly. It's a debit card, and saves you at least 5% on each visit, usually dropping the price on store brands even lower than they already are.

You mentioned your son and his video games. I'm guessing he already does chores in order to earn those, but if he doesn't, I'd suggest getting him in on the being frugal game. Also, does he have an XBox, Wii, or Playstation? We have an Xbox and Xbox Live subscription which costs like $50/year if you buy a pre-paid card online at a discount, and then we stream Netflix and Hulu via the XBox onto our television. It makes for very good picture quality, and we have DSL internet (not cable) and rarely experience a lag or slowness in the connection. Streaming-only Netflix (no discs) is like $10/month, and Hulu Plus is $7.99. Sooo much cheaper than cable, plus we only watch what we WANT to watch, and don't mindlessly turn on the television, only to see advertising for stuff we don't need.

Also, you mentioned you are a cosmetologist. Any chance you could do that part-time while son is in school? Or do it out of your home?

Edited to add: someone mentioned the library. I second this! If you don't already use your local public library, seriously check it out. So much free entertainment in the form of reading, movies, audiobooks, music, etc. Some libraries even loan video games.

 

[yssie]

There are some really great tips in this thread! We've spent more than I'd like the past few months - we put a chunk toward our mortgage principal not expecting any other expenses and then had to get a couple of new appliances, we've been keeping the heater on high all day for puppy, puppy needs fencing... I looked at our statement and had a definite moment of "OMG where did it all go!?"

One thing my parents always do is wrap the windows to save on heating. It's made a big dent in our heating bill this winter!! We have a lot more house than we actually use and a lot of windows we never open (most of them are split-level and I'll leave the bottom ones closed so the cats don't get any funny ideas). They're older but we don't want to replace them so we buy a giant roll of clear plastic from Lowes and cut sheets for the ones we won't open and tack them just inside the edges of the sill so there's a big airspace between the actual window and the plastic. It's not the most glamorous fix but...