Money saving tips

Resa77 · January 2013

I thought it might be fun/enlightening to share different tips we use to save a buck or two. What works for you? Whether it's about groceries, phone bills, or clothes, how do you make your budget work?

Resa77 · January 2013

I'm not the best at saving money, but these are my attempts at it:

1. H and I carpool to work. We also try to limit driving in other ways (like, not running to the store every time we think of something we might "need," or even turning down an invitation to do something 15-20 miles away).
2. Limiting heat/air conditioning, keeping my house at a reasonable (though not the most comfortable) temperature. Wearing more/less clothing around the house really isn't that hard to do, and my electric bill is never high.
3. Cutting corners on food-- I dont' buy expensive food items, for the most part. I don't eat meat, but I do eat lots of produce, which can get pricy. I have learned that frozen Walmart-brand veggies are perfectly fine in stir-fry, and that seasonal veggies are good enough for me!
4. Not buying impulse items -- I used to be bad about this. I'd go to Walmart to buy groceries, and then see a shower curtain liner and decide I needed a new one. I was often replacing things before they needed it, or just using things too liberally because I had to much in stock (tissues, for instance). Unless something's on a great sale, I don't buy what I don't need.

chelseamb11 · January 2013

Electricity: We plug our TV and all of the electronics surrounding it into a power strip. When we're not home or when we're sleeping, power strip goes off. You'd be surprised how much electricity those suck while not on but plugged in.

Calypso1977 · January 2013

im the queen of cheap.

i REFUSE to pay the absurd costs of Cable TV. i have an antenna for most channels and then i pay $7.99 a month for Hulu Plus and i hook up my laptop to the TV. i also find other more meaningful things to do with my time like read or exercise rather than lazing on the couch flipping channels so to me its a win-win

i have no house phone, only a cell

i make coffee, rarely buy a cup

i bring lunch most days

i cut up my own fruit rather than paying for the store to cut it up for me

i cook whole roaster chickens which give me a few meals

always unplug toaster and coffeepot when not in use. if i go away i unplug the TV/DVD/VCR

i never use the ATM because why pay fees when i can get cash back for free at the grocery store or cvs

i never buy anything i cant pay cash for (meaning, if i charge, i have the money in my account to pay the bill). if i cant afford it, i dont buy it.

always buy clothes on sale. even where you dont have to like Old Navy. i once got shorts for $3!!!!

i drive a fuel efficient car. i want a new car, btu i really dont need one. the older car also results in lower insurance and lower excise taxes each year

i do buy water, but never the single serve bottles - i always buy the enormous 3 gallon containers and i fill my resuable bottles for work/gym. this is also much greener!

erin5286 · January 2013

All great tips so far!

I'll admit I'm really not the best at saving money, the best thing I do is have savings accounts set up that automatically withdraw money from my checking each month, that way I'm at least putting something away. I've been good so far about not withdrawing the money from savings unless it's for something necessary.

Other than that, I do struggle. I try to limit impulse buys, and have been a lot better at making a list and sticking to it at the grocery store. I'm pretty good at making lunches rather than eating out, and H and I don't go out for dinner too often.

I've been thinking about paying for a sunday paper subscription to get the coupons and see how well that works to save money, haven't done it yet.

Calypso1977 · January 2013

be careful with coupons, erin - some people buy things just because they have a coupon rather than only using htem on things they would buy normally. it can end up costing you money.

erin5286 · January 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_money-saving-tips?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:615Discussion:cb8b5d56-a88e-4e6f-9d04-6773a28f4d4aPost:86a3f5f4-deef-4061-a58d-441bae7ca103">Re: Money saving tips</a>:
[QUOTE]be careful with coupons, erin - some people buy things just because they have a coupon rather than only using htem on things they would buy normally. it can end up costing you money.
Posted by Calypso1977[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that's what I'm a bit worried about. If I stick to only buying things that I need, I wonder if I"ll save enough to even make up the cost of getting the paper each month. Seems like a lot of headache, so I'll probably just try to be more cautious budgeting overall and skip getting the paper just for coupons.

Calypso1977 · January 2013

i also find that the foods i eat (especially now) never have coupons. cleaning products, etc. i just buy at walmart.

Resa77 · January 2013

I rarely buy brand-names, and coupons are of course for brands. I tried couponing for a minute, but quickly found that I really didn't save money since most coupons aren't for a ton off.

I have a friend who's AWESOME at couponing. She'll go to Harris Teeter on double coupon weeks and buy $175 worth of groceries for $30. It's insane.

bibliophile2010 · January 2013

In addition, often generics are still cheaper than the coupon pricefor things like baggies, especially if you shop sales. I use lots of generics, though. I only get name brand stuff when I find there is a quality difference that makes it worthwhile.

I meal plan, taking schedule into particular account. This cuts way down on eating out. I also shop from & stick to a list and only go to the store once a week unless it is a real emergency. I am all about buying meat on sale. I divide and freeze in meal-size portions. Since it's just H and I, we only need 1/2 or 1/3 of a roast, for example. Last week, I got a bunch of chicken breasts, but froze them individually so I can use one in a soup or two in a meal or whatever. No waste. I'm intending to start saving odds and ends of veggies and freezing for stock, since I prefer to make my own stock anyway (I only use homemade or water). I used to make sure that we ate vegetarian at least once a week, but since H and I have recently given up meat on Fridays year round, that sort of takes care of itself.

bibliophile2010 · January 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_money-saving-tips?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:cb8b5d56-a88e-4e6f-9d04-6773a28f4d4aPost:db289510-e970-45d2-b6a5-7a554bb1c3d0">Re: Money saving tips</a>:
[QUOTE]I rarely buy brand-names, and coupons are of course for brands. I tried couponing for a minute, but quickly found that I really didn't save money since most coupons aren't for a ton off. I have a friend who's AWESOME at couponing. She'll go to Harris Teeter on double coupon weeks and buy $175 worth of groceries for $30. It's insane.
Posted by Resa77[/QUOTE]

:) Great minds think alike. And don't shop name brands. :)

itzMS · January 2013

Thanks for the great tips everyone!

I will admit that DH & I have allegiances to certain brands. I have a separate email address that I use only for subscribing to store sale alerts. We make a "wish list" of things we need, and then only buy our needed item when those stores have their "semi annual sale" or whatever they call it.

It keeps us from buying on impulse, and we get full use out of the items we have before they go to the "wish list".

Resa77 · January 2013

I really don't overspend on groceries...I think I get it from my Mom. I pretty much never buy myself clothes, and when I do, I'm either using coupons, or shopping at Ross. H and I are sometimes bad about spending money on going out, though. We pack our lunches, but it's hard to say no to happy hour with friends, or someone's bday dinner out, etc. We also spend WAY too much on gifts, but that's something I don't think we can really cut out, you know? We don't buy people expensive gifts, but we just have HUGE families.

Calypso1977 · January 2013

We pack our lunches, but it's hard to say no to happy hour with friends, or someone's bday dinner out, etc.

but these are the things that are great about not having kids. i say enjoy these things now, because once you have kids, you wont be able to do them either due to time or the money.

MedStudent13 · January 2013

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_money-saving-tips?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:cb8b5d56-a88e-4e6f-9d04-6773a28f4d4aPost:d2dbbcdd-397c-4be4-b8da-8054e8eb7ed5">Re: Money saving tips</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks for the great tips everyone! I will admit that DH & I have allegiances to certain brands. I have a separate email address that I use only for subscribing to store sale alerts.<strong> We make a "wish list" of things we need, and then only buy our needed item when those stores have their "semi annual sale" or whatever they call it. It keeps us from buying on impulse, and we get full use out of the items we have before they go to the "wish list".</strong>
Posted by itzMS[/QUOTE]

<div>This is exactly what I do! (although admittedly it's more of a mental list on my part). It really does save you a ton of money when you aren't hard pressed to buy something at the last minute at full price. If I know that all of my jeans are wearing thin but are still wearable, I will buy some new ones if they are on sale and save them for when the old ones finally give out. </div><div>This strategy also works well for gifts too. And holiday items. My FI and I just bought our Christmas tree a few days after Christmas was over. We bought the floor model, and saved 75%. It's now still set up in his room now though, because we haven't gotten to putting it away yet ;-)</div><div>
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