What are you doing this summer to help your budget?

[yeahdisney]

I watch the eat at home thread for inspiration. Follow the destash thread for motivation.
Wednesday was my last day to work in town this week and it is blistering hot for my area now. We are not doing anything for entertainment; DS got swimmers ear for the first time and he is not human currently. I picked up $1 movies to watch. Cooked a pork roast in crock pot and am changing up ways to serve it so don’t have to turn on oven.
Gas for my state up .19 cents every gallon for taxes so I’m putting the towels outside to dry. DS noticed! Too bad. I normally only dry towels.
I just recombined the freezers today to turn off the chest freezer, I use it spring and harvest season to provide food for the farm helpers; then get lazy to empty it.
DS goes off to college this year, I ordered him and DD (in college) fans with free shipping. They are both taking online Spanish class (different classes) so no gas to travel.
I’m deciding if I might go alone to Disney for a day or two in the fall by myself, I have an AP and points for SW I can use.
We have entertainment budget for the month; this summer it mostly has gone for grad gifts and wasn’t enough.
This month will use the tax refund for DS computer and we will throw in the rest to cover it.
DS mows to increase his college spending money.

 

[AnnieBearJamboree]

I was planning on taking a small non-Disney trip alone this summer, but I scrapped that idea in favor of putting more money towards a Disney stay in 2020! I'm also planning on cancelling Hulu and Amazon Prime this month.

The last week or so has been hard, because I've recently moved to be closer to my sisters/parents and we've been out to eat a LOT! I love, love, love spending time with my family, but we've gotta figure out plans that involve food and drinks at home...

 

[MillauFr]

I go for the big savings. I got rid of my car so I don't have to pay for insurance, registration fees, parking fees, and big monthly car payments.

 

[barkley]

DS got swimmers ear for the first time and he is not human currently.

my sympathies to him-i had it once and it was AWFUL. itching inside the ear drove me NUTS.


some stuff is summer specific others just happened to occur in the summer for me-

Gas for my state up .19 cents every gallon for taxes so I’m putting the towels outside to dry. DS noticed! Too bad. I normally only dry towels.

we have part of the household powered by electric/part by propane. i put aside money each month so that i only get our tank filled/topped off twice a year-and i kept note of price fluctuations for a couple of years to figure out when the historically lowest prices are. i pay for it w/the credit card that gives 3x rewards on 'fuel' to save further (i pay it in full when the statement arrives).

do the dryer stuff at night/early morning to keep from heating up the house (so i'm not futzing with the thermostat). keeping the house a bit cooler than we normally would right now b/c of a major (for us) heatwave coming-less expensive to maintain temp than try to cool it way down (less wear on the system as well).

using the crock pot today. most cooking is done via bbq so as not to heat up house.

keeping hold of my costco receipts and religiously checking when their new ads come out-if it goes on sale w/in 30 days of purchase they refund the difference. having them put it on a costco giftcard that i'll save for a higher expense month (or use as a bday/xmas gift to dd-she uses them in lieu of getting a membership so it saves her $60 per year).

found an inventory i did last october of all the canned goods in my 'pantry'. we have great fall canned good sales that i prepped the list for in anticipation of the ads coming out. as a result i was able to do a new count and pretty much nail down annual usage of each type. this year i can watch the ads and stock up so i don't overbuy or worse-shortchange myself and have to pay as much as double down the line.

kept track of paper goods usage b/c much research has proven the lowest price i can get is target's sales buy 3/get a $10 gift card. i now know how much we go through so i can order it 4x per year in large batches (i place multiple orders that meet the minimum for free delivery-gas savings-and as each one qualifies for the $10 gift card i use that for the subsequent ones and so on).

tracking cat food/litter usage to align for chewy orders so i get free shipping. they've already got the lowest prices even before the 5% auto ship discount so again, i save there and on gas.

biggest savings-ditching direct tv for dish. dish has been courting me for months w/promo deals. the only thing holding us back was the final season of game of thrones on hbo so now that it's done we're fine switching. i get a $300 visa gift card for the switch and a 2 year lock on the pricing which will net us about $75 in savings per month.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We paid off our mortgage in April. Homeowners insurance and property taxes were already paid separately, so our expenses are down the entire amount of the mortgage payment.

 

[cjmiller]

I sold a few things taking up space in the house!

 

[DisneyHardin]

tracking cat food/litter usage to align for chewy orders so i get free shipping. they've already got the lowest prices even before the 5% auto ship discount so again, i save there and on gas.

We've just started using Chewy. I had checked a year or so ago and they were pretty much the same price as Target for cat food, so I didn't order because I could use coupons/the gift card deals that Target has. About a month or so ago we got a flier in the mail with a $15 off coupon for our first order, so I looked again. The wet cat food that is $12.99 at Target is only $8.50 on Chewy. I couldn't believe it. The special "Old Lady" Science Diet food we feed one of our cats was almost half the price I was paying at a local pet store!! I am totally hooked now. With 3 cats, It doesn't take much to do a $49 order for the free shipping.

 

[disneychrista]

I quit drinking (does that count?) It should as it is saving me about $50+ a week (when adding in the food I am buying when I go out).

 

[TwoMisfits]

Working with my new severe dairy intolerance and figuring out the "Aldi's" budget and "busy parent" timing, so I'll be ready in the fall to not have to pay premium prices to get takeout that works for me.

So, I'm figuring out the good swaps and items as Hmart, Aldi's, and Safeway (and Amazon) for dairy-free, I'm letting my girls experiment with all sorts of dairy-free baking recipes (they finally did a rice pudding yesterday...and it worked), and I'm trying dairy-free main dishes. I'm trying to balance the time and items required, so I know I can pull them off with 5 minutes of grocery shopping from my spouse (his gym is next to Aldi's) and 30 minutes of cooking or less from me. And my girls can have a go-to dessert to make each week.

As I mentioned to someone, just b/c I have to be totally dairy free now, it didn't suddenly turn my Aldi's grocery budget into a Whole Foods one...but neither will I not make tasty and healthy foods for me and my family...so, it now takes a little more work, but I can do that...

PS - I'm also trying to balance calcium and vitamin d levels for myself...I got a lot of that from dairy, and dropping dairy has made that require more thought into all my meals of the day. But, my long term health requires the thought, and the summer is the best time to do it...

 

[AlohaNow]

Well, I resigned from my job in early May, so I am saving money on gas and lunch! I am studying online and full-time for my new career, so I am hardly going out during the day, so there is no spending going on, other than necessities. I put a plan in place so that I can take three months off this year to make the career switch and also be home with the kids over the summer. I am overjoyed with the way it has worked out! We were able to add a bit to the budget by signing up for focus groups. DH has gotten placed quite a bit, so the extra income is nice. I recently had to pay school and athletic registration fees, as school starts in three weeks, so my time is winding down. That jolt of reality was my reminder that I need to start looking for a job now! Great tips above - thanks for sharing!

 

[pblack]

We've just started using Chewy. I had checked a year or so ago and they were pretty much the same price as Target for cat food, so I didn't order because I could use coupons/the gift card deals that Target has. About a month or so ago we got a flier in the mail with a $15 off coupon for our first order, so I looked again. The wet cat food that is $12.99 at Target is only $8.50 on Chewy. I couldn't believe it. The special "Old Lady" Science Diet food we feed one of our cats was almost half the price I was paying at a local pet store!! I am totally hooked now. With 3 cats, It doesn't take much to do a $49 order for the free shipping.

Chewy also has AMAZING customer service. I've e-mailed them a few times about returns (one a window sill pet bed that wouldn't work for our window and the other unopened cat food that my cat decided she didn't like anymore) and both times they've refunded me my money and asked me to donate the items to a shelter in need. I also find that they beat the prices on my dry cat food, but wet cat food is about the same in stores near me. I always try to order from them if I have an order that meets the $49 free shipping, but sometimes I only need one thing and I'll just buy it else where.

 

[barkley]

I also find that they beat the prices on my dry cat food, but wet cat food is about the same in stores near me. I always try to order from them if I have an order that meets the $49 free shipping, but sometimes I only need one thing and I'll just buy it else where.

keep in mind that if you set up auto ship you'll save 5-10% off their listed price for their products so that might undercut the brick and mortar stores. i just figured out how much dry & wet food my cats eat per year along with our cat litter usage. i'll end up with a stockpile of some items at different times of the year but by bundling the items into 3 month supplies i'll save the 5-10% plus get free shipping (and their auto ship is great-they send a reminder well ahead of time in case you want to push it further out, add to it, delete from it...it's very well thought out).

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Nothing! Our budget is completely busted this summer, and we knew it would be. DS graduated from college and is moving away to start his job. He needed help with the moving van rental, security deposit and such. We also took a “last family vacation hurrah” to London and South Africa, which I’ve been saving for for 4 years, but even as well as I planned and budgeted, extra expenses came up along the way. Then my old car didn’t pass state inspection and needs work. And on Monday, our 7 year old cat was diagnosed with 4 rotten teeth and a possible oral tumor. The credit card will be paid off by Christmas. But is was so worth it to spend quality time with my DH and kids.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I quit drinking (does that count?) It should as it is saving me about $50+ a week (when adding in the food I am buying when I go out).

It totally counts! I've seen you mention this in a few threads here and there and have been meaning to tell you that I'm proud of you for taking this step. Way to go! This is one of the best things you will ever do for you -- and the savings won't hurt, either!

 

[disneychrista]

It totally counts! I've seen you mention this in a few threads here and there and have been meaning to tell you that I'm proud of you for taking this step. Way to go! This is one of the best things you will ever do for you -- and the savings won't hurt, either!

Thanks. Lots of changes going on in my life right now. Some good, some not so good. But everything we go through makes us stronger.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... But everything we go through makes us stronger.

Amen to that. Stronger and hopefully better. Hang in there and keep on swimming. You won't regret it.

 

[wishuponastar1984]

It is always in mid-summer I realize how much is stocked in my freezer from the winter when I tend to do lots of cooking. I am working my way through all the things that seem to get forgotten which eases up the food budget. I hate finding stuff too late and end up having to toss it, We have a vacuum sealer so most everything stays quite fresh in the freezer.

It is also crazy hot, so I am using this time to go through closets for items to sell on Facebook Marketplace. I will tackle the hot garage in the fall/winter.

 

[dreamin_disney]

I’m off in the summer, so you woukd think it gets easier. This summer I had an unexpected $1400 car repair which threw me off. I knew I had dd’s partial tuition and housing fee for 1st month.

I only go out when I have to
I try running errands at the same time
At the beginning of summer I buy bulk toilet paper, laundry soap, laundry softener.
I look through ads and see what’s on sale and needed
I stop shopping and only buy what’s needed

For those that don’t lik cooking or turning on the stove due to th heat, buy an airfryer. I bought one last summer when my air went out and it was a life and money saver.
Staying home saves me a lot of money because California gas is $$$. Plus I prefer staying out of this heat