For years, I've been looking for some ways to save money. And most of what I've read in magazines and seen on television and read online has just been hysterical.
This is a rough compilation from all my sources over the years: I think I'll call it something like "How to Save Money so Your Bills Get Behind More Slowly". Or how about "How to Save Money for Real People." Not that wealthy people are imaginary. lol But maybe this will help somebody. Some of these items are common to money-saving lists. A few are mine.
Make a Budget--write down your income and expenses. I do recommend this. While it doesn't do much good if your basic expenses are way more than your income, it is a good idea to know where you're at, even if you can't fix it.
Figure Out Your Discretionary Income--always good for a laugh.
Set Goals, Invest, & Open a Savings Account--another good laugh.
Prioritize--this might be my personal favorite. Keep a roof over your head. Keep your vehicle so you can keep getting that paycheck. Keep your utilities turned on. Keep the kitchen stocked.
Eat Out Less--twice a month at the cheapest place we can find, when we go grocery shopping.
Eliminate Starbucks--hate coffee anyway. Although the suggestion to eliminate soda pop really hurts. :) Although I don't spend much on soda--I refuse to buy it if it's not at a really good sale price. That's one of my few 'vices'.
Eliminate the land-line phone--done.
Bundle--cable (if you have it--one of my husband's few vices), internet, & cell phones.
Eliminate newspapers & magazines--haven't had them for years unless it was a gift. And the occasional DVD I buy is at $5--maybe $10 if I really want it. The library is definitely my friend. So is the internet. And garage sales. And Christmas--I always ask for books & sheet music and CD's.
I like this one--Always Use the Rebate. They count on you not being organized enough to get your money back. Beat the system.
Have Bills Paid Automatically. Bad idea--if you don't have enough money coming in every month to pay the mortgage, used car payment, utilities, and other dire necessities, you're going to be bouncing transactions all over the place sooner or later.
No Credit Card Debt--good idea if you can manage not to let your refrigerator break down, your kid doesn't need a winter coat, etc., but personally my credit is so bad I can't get a card. When we did have one for emergencies, I always tried to pay it off when our tax refund came in. Those interest rates are murder. Paying off debt saves money in the long run.
Refinance Mortgage--see previous.
Have Frugal Friends--because other people won't want to be your friend anyway. (That didn't sound bitter, did it?)
Bargain--good idea--it can't hurt to ask. And it can be fun.
Circulate Air, Weatherproof, Turn Off the Lights, Turn Down the Thermostat, Don't Run the Water Too Long, etc.--good ideas. Program the thermostat if you can afford one that does that.
Stay Home Once in a While--done--we hardly ever leave the house except for groceries and church and the library.
Cut Back on Vacations--our eleven-year-old twins took their last vacation in a stroller.
Do the Matinee--hardly even see movies here--we do have Netflix--it's cheap entertainment.
Carpool--not feasible in rural areas like mine.
Use Public Transportation--the only public transportation here is feet. I'd love to have a subway station nearby. Just don't like crowds.
Lose Extra Car--also not a wonderful thought with four kids and a husband who's in the guard (used to be working full time and going to school at night). I have a fond memory of a social worker, when I applied for food stamps years ago, telling me I 'had' to get rid of the car when I was in the midst of a high-risk pregnancy. No car would have meant no medical care. But this reminds me of a good one...
....Bundle Your Errands. We don't leave town for home until we run every errand we have or one or more of the kids starts to have a meltdown. But then we're a way from town.
Get Regular Gas, Change Oil Less Often--not sure this is great advice, but you do find yourself doing it when things are tight.
Shop Around for Insurance--done.
And, Get Term Life--cheaper than Whole Life and no cash value to keep you from getting food stamps if you qualify. I've been told we shouldn't even have term life--a bit scary for someone who can't work, especially with children involved.
No Pets--too depressing to contemplate. (: And living in such an isolated place, I wouldn't want to be without my two big dogs. Okay, I just like my cats. They all eat cheaply.
No Gym--never seen the inside of one.
Use Baking Soda for Toothpaste--taste it, I dare you.
Use Natural Cleaning Products--I don't do this, but I do buy cheap.
Here's a Good One--when you think about purchasing something, think of how many hours of work it would take to purchase it. Is it worth it?
Buy Used--you know, a car depreciates a lot the first day you own it.
Shop at Thrift Stores and Garage Sales--I do this--and garage sales are a great opportunity to practice your bargaining skills. (And show up first thing in the morning, when the good stuff is still there, and just before they close, when they're anxious to get rid of everything.)
Tax Refunds--I always sit down and figure about 90/10--90 percent things I would be proud of myself for spending money on, and 10 percent I wouldn't be ashamed of because of how I spent the 90 percent. People like me with kids get a large
Don't Use Credit Cards to Pay Medical Bills--Lie if you have to, tell them you don't have a credit card. I don't answer my phone if I don't know who it is. Medical bills are not a priority unless they're getting ready to send the sheriff to your house. Shelter and transportation and utilities and food are all more important. Let it go to collections if you have to. It's not fun, but there it is.
And Here's Some Tips About Groceries:
Buy Generic--I do this all the time. The quality's almost always the same.
Use Coupons--not as good a deal in general as it used to be. And sometimes it's cheaper to buy generic without the coupon. But you can often find a couple.
Buy in Bulk--just make sure you know what a good price is--you can't always depend on stores to just give you a good deal out of the kindness of their hearts.
Buy Ahead on Sale--This is also a good idea for those times when unemployment or unexpected bills come up--you won't need a lot of things because you'll already have them. I posted a list of things I always try to have plenty of in case of emergency on 1/16/12 if you're interested.
Another thing--I don't often walk into a supermarket without checking a few of the pricier items like meat, cheese, and peanut butter. It's a good way to save money. A couple of times lately I've bought cheese in bulk when it was on sale and saved $30 - $40.
Know What the Sale Prices Are--sometimes people will try to rip you off. Really.
Make a Shopping List--this lets you budget--tells you what you can afford to buy, and keeps you from burning gas making trips for things you forgot. I have a master grocery list (short version on that 1/16/12 post).
Check the Internet First--Find out which stores in your neighborhood are having the best sales today, which items you might want to add to your list. There might even be online coupons for a few of your items.
Plan Menu--I don't, but some people swear by it.
Cook Large Meals and Freeze Leftovers--make you own TV dinners. If you're bored on the weekend, you can also brown hamburger, cook chicken, cut up veggies, etc.
And Have a Little Fun--life is short. Get a pizza once in a while. Go to the zoo.
Please send me a comment if you can think of anything to add to the list! One of my four regular readers must have one money-saving tip. Don't be shy!
Not much happening here Spent a lot of time this afternoon cleaning house. The 'triplets' played house in our old chicken coop that I cleaned out years ago. We use some of it for storage, and today I was taking some things out there. The girls have got all sorts of old dishes, broken furniture, etc. out there. I've painted the front of it--cats, butterflies, flowers, a puppy in a dog house, a snail, clouds, geese--a big 'kool-aid' smiley face on the door. And a spider off on the side around the corner. The swing set is right in front of it. It's all shaded back there. The path in the tiny woods that leaves our front yard ends right next to that chicken coop.
Across the yard from that is a very old two-story fuel tank. I painted elephants on the tanks. When the wind blows just right, you can hear them. :)
And now I'm off to (guess what) play the piano again.
My mother used to say, "Use it up... Wear it out... Make it do... Or Do without."
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