Your #1 BEST EVER money saving idea

[Figment1983]

My wife and I both have good jobs thankfully, but when the economy started going bad we decided we should start cutting back just in case. We cut back on a lot of things and decided we really did not need them. Things we did to save money:

1. Wife cuts my hair savings of $15-20 each time, usually get my hair cut 2 times per month
2. Got rid of our cable $70 per month
3. Canceled Brinks Alarm $30 per month
4. Wife got rid of her Cell phone, now just uses work blackberry, her work phone, my phone, and most of our friends/family are on Verizon so I lowered my minutes to 450 per month and have not gone over saving us about $65 per month
5. No home phone (have not had for 4 years) $40 per month
6. I went on a diet dropped from 225 to 195 and had a new exam for my life insurance lowered my premium $30 per month and I feel a lot better.
7. Cut way back on eating out, especially when I was dieting, that saved a lot of money and now we really do not miss it.
8. Bought our internet modem on ebay for $30, instead of paying the cable company their $5 per month rental fee. Realized we've paid $300 for something that could be bought for a fraction of that price.
9. Energy drinks...was a huge expense and unhealthy. $100 a month between the two of us.

All that and I do not feel my quality of life has changed one bit, if anything canceling the cable has made it better.

 

[tinkarooni]

Would you be willing to share your monthly menus? I have decided I REALLY want to do this! I may only shop every 2 weeks, but having a whole month of ideas would be REALLY awesome! I have a list on a word document of a ton of dinner ideas (I'd be willing to share) but adding some new ones in the mix would be great!!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=38836682#post38836682

Here is a link to the Eat at Home thread where I posted this months monthly menu. Most of my meals are pretty basic. Hope they help you. If you want to post some of yours I too am always looking for ideas.

To the PP who asked about buying produce. I have a very large garden so I have the advantage of having stored in my basement potatoes, sweet potatoes, squashes, pumpkins, onions, garlic and all sorts of home canned and home frozen veggies. Of course anybody could do that with shopping as well. I like to use things in season but where I am right now there isn't much left in season. This month I purchased grapes, cantalope, bananas, oranges, apples and pears. We use the perishable things first, storing the pears, oranges and apples for later in the month. Also when we run out of fresh we will go to frozen strawberries, blueberries and even frozen bananas (just like popsicles) we always have canned peaches from our trees as backup.

For veggies this month I think I bought zukes, spinach, bags of carrots and broccoli. The perishable things I will use up first and then switch to my home frozen or canned items. I still have greens growing under a cold frame too, this does give me an advantage but I still think most people could do this with some advance planning. We are eating out way less and because I have pre-planned the meals they are healthier than last minute throw together things.

 

[2girls4me]

Staying out of stores like Target are what save us the most money.

We also only shop for what we need. As in, even if pork chops are on sale for .50 for 8 pounds, we don't buy them. We don't eat pock chops, so they would go to waste anyway. KWIM?

We eat a lot of chicken, tacos, macaroni and burgers. But we only make enough for us for dinner. I know some people are all about leftovers, but we are not. Ate them enough as a kid to know that we didn't want to do that. If we have a tray of ziti that my mom makes, obviously we hold onto it and have a few meals. But we don't cook 5 chicken cutlets and then eat them the next day.

I'm looking at trying to budget better, we seem to spend a lot of money at the grocery store each week.

I also buy drinks and leave them at work. A few bottles of vitamin water in my drawer and I throw them in the fridge as I want them. Saves me a few dollars every week.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Mine? Stay out of the stores. Stay off the computer. If you must shop, go with a list and WITHOUT kids as often as possible.

I second this one! The more you go to place that money can be spent the higher the likelihood that money will be spent. Just say No~! and if you do need to buy something compare compare compare...I have a great memory so i tend to know when I am being overcharged for something and where I can get it cheaper ..but I would definitely make a effort to keep prices in mind so you know what things "should" cost.

 

[EPCOT is a verb]

this doesn't work for everyone but my friends and I just did a clothing swap and it was a ton of fun! We just got together all the clothes and shoes we haven't worn in a while and got together for a little party. We all ended walking away with some great new outfits and best of all it was free! At the end, we bagged up all the extra stuff and brought it to a thrift store. So we cleaned out our closets, got new to us clothes, and had a little party while doing it, all in all pretty awesome!

Sounds like fun! I don't think any of my friends are the same size though. Great idea.

 

[dyna]

Yeah we stopped eating out all the time..

Got home phone thru cable our reception at home not good enough to depend on cell phones for home use and we use tracphones 6.00 a month with limited minutes anyway.

Shop sales for our food an diet cokes usually buy extra if the sale is good

Energy efficent light bulbs

DH takes lunch to work usually leftovers but will eat peanut butter sandwich an chips.

We both stay out of stores

I've always shopped the goodwills other thrift shops an yard sales for clothing

Do most of my cleaning with vinegar use vinegar as fabric softner

Coupons DH takes it a step further an shops on senior day

DH takes his drinks to work for the day rather than buying from machine at work.

We invested in a small cooler that holds about 10 soda pops an load it up just about every time we leave the house been doing that for more than 20 yrs an no idea how much money that has saved us over the years.

We stopped running out for just 1 thing usually combine trips an make several stops on our planned route.

Sold extra car....well actually it was not extra it was my nice mini van but had old truck in driveway I could drive when needed. Got far more money out of my van than we would have the old truck that looks like hell but runs good.

Sold a harley we no longer rode an did not want to ride.

We stopped buying new books an magazines to many used ones out there to read for cheap

Candy bars at the checkout lane a thing of the past too.

 

[JaymeC]

My biggest thing has always been to stop buying.

And when you do buy, buy so you only have to buy it once. Don't get a tshirt at walmart if it's going to fall apart. Don't get disposable items. We have some home-made wrap-mats a friend made we used for sandwiches, and reusable bags we use for snacks and containers for the wet stuff, so we don't really use ziplocs anymore. Similarly, I always have a huge stack of wash clothes sitting in a basket on our counter. Dh will still reach for the paper towels hidden away in the closet (some habits you just can't change!) but the kids all know to grab a wash cloth and just throw it in the laundry when they're done cleaning up. But really, whenever dh and I buy anything whether it be furniture, clothing, whatever we always consider whether the item we're getting is good enough that we won't feel like replacing it a year down the road. I went through a few years where I bought cheap stockings every year that kept breaking, etc. before I finally asked myself what I was doing and bought a good quality set of Christmas stockings which we've kept for a few years now, and will probably keep much longer. Of course, they were on sale

Cut back and consider what you REALLY need. I don't mock those that have $100 cell phones, if they think they really need them. I don't, so I don't pay for that. But I did pay for a kindle, and dh and I each have our own laptops so we don't drive each other mad (like we did when we only had the one desk top). And consider whether a small investment (say a roku box to stream netflix) is going to save you in the long term (that you can cancel your cable bill)

Really I think sometimes people on the outside of the frugal equation see being frugal as clipping coupons, etc. I don't think it is that nearly as much as its knowing what you really want or need and buying only that instead of all the other stuff we think we want or need these days.

 

[loveslupins]

Pay your mortgage every 2 weeks instead of once a month. You will save ALOT of interest.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Invest in a freezer. When meat is on sale ,I buy a ton and put it up so I never have to buy when nothing is on sale! I bought 50 lbs of hamburger on sale for less than a dollar a pound and a bunch of jars of Ragu for around a dollar a jar and now have a freezer full of sauce that has saved many fast food trips as it is so fast and easy and CHEAP to pull together when we get home. This week turkey's were .39 a pound and a bought two extra to stick in the freezer for later. One will feed us for a week using all different ways with the leftovers.Also stocked up on other items that were loss leads for thanksgivining. I try to only buy staples when they are on sale.

Another idea we are just starting is the CASH plan. WE put the amount of cash we have in a envelop and when it is gone there is no more! Doing this for Christmas and are starting with food and entertainment.

Use a debit card and put that credit card where it is hard to get too!

We are debt free and plan to stay that way. We are starting a "car" account. We know our cars will have to be replaced at some point and refuse to have another payment. We are going to try to put a payment ammount in the account each month so the money will be there for a new car.

 

[Colleen27]

I am in the Metro Detroit area and I follow a coupon blogger that lists each grocery store in our area every week and what the best deals are in that store. She will also list where to find the coupons for the paper or will link to a legit printable one. This is how I have saved most of the money for our Disney trip over the past year!! She is also on facebook, so her fans will also post deals they find around town!

Hey, I could use that. Wanna send the link my way please?

 

[blondietink]

Pay your mortgage every 2 weeks instead of once a month. You will save ALOT of interest.

This strategy also works for car payments. Twice a year there are 3 payments in one month, which is a killer, but we are paying off our car something like 6 or 9 months early, which saves a lot of interest.

 

[bellebud]

great ideas from everyone.

Everything I am able to, I cut down the recommend size or amount to use. For my dryer sheets, I tear them in 3 strips all spring, summer and fall. In the winter for static, I'll tear them in half, or use a whole one (but just for static reasons). I don't use as much laundry soap or dishwasher soap as recommended, I've never noticed a difference.

For things like face wash pads, or mascara remover pads, I cut them up really small.

I use vinegar and baking soda for cleaning (a lot of people on here do - that's really good! no chemicals and so inexpensive!)

I don't spend money on manicures or pedicures, facials, massages, etc. I know some women who get the eyebrows, facials, nails, hair done every few weeks. I could never spend that amount of money on a regular basis on myself. The hair, if you're covering gray, I understand, but other than that, it's all luxury.

 

[ChisJo]

Oooh - some of these tips are great!

We eat at home whenever possible.

I watch the flyer specials at the grocery store and take full advantage of them (especially 2 for 1). I saved over $200 this month alone in meats because of 2 for 1 and now I won't have to buy any meat until the new year.

Use coupons...I never thought I would be the coupon lady, but I can't help it now. Why would I pay full price for something when I don't have to?

If you don't need those shoes, don't buy them! This took alot for me to get because I LOVE shoes, but I also have about 30 pairs that are collecting dust because I never wear them!

Be accountable for your budget. Make one and stick to it. Monitor your spending closely. I write everything down that I spend down to the penny. Plus, I have an excel file to help keep track of my spending.

Never travel if the bulk of it is going on a credit card you can't afford to pay off. I also learned this the hard way.

If you can't pay your credit card every month, stop using it! We keep our cards in our safe in our house. They don't ever leave the safe unless we travel, and then we only take them in case of emergency.

Don't pay a yearly fee on your credit card. Its not worth it. There are a ton of great cards out there that have no fees, so why are you paying $100+ for rewards? It doesn't make sense to me???

Someone else mentioned this, but I have to agree. Call your utility companies and see if you can get a discount on your utilities by bundling. We saved $90/month just on cable/internet/phone. Same with our cell phones. We both need one for work, so we got a joint account, and got rid of some of the options that we weren't using on our phones, and saved $35/month. We use land lines when we can, and this saves us minutes on our phones too.

Use whats in your cupboard before going shopping. I use a program called allrecipes.com and input ingredients that I have and see what comes up for a recipe suggestion. Most of the time, I get a great result.

Buy in bulk. I buy my spices and baking stuff in bulk. Helps save alot!

Know your grocery prices. If you know the best place to buy this or that, it can save you a ton of money. Costco/Sams Club isn't always the best price.

Buy your produce at a produce specialty place. We have a produce outlet close to our house and we save tons of money here.

Buy your bread at a bread outlet. Or, if you have time, make it yourself. We got an old bread maker from our parents that still works. We make a loaf about every 4 days and it doesn't really take long.

If you don't need it, don't buy it. We still have a TV from the 90's - a box tv that I would love to replace. The picture isn't as good as our flat screen HD tv, but it still works and I just cannot justify spending money on a new one. And truthfully, most shows I want to watch anyways are online now, so when that one goes, it will probably not be replaced.

Get rid of your gym membership if you have one. Work out from home instead. Run outside.

If you carry a balance on your credit card at 18+%, consider switching to a card that will give you a no interest balance transfer. We did when we were trying to get out of debt, and we ended up saving $75/month. We had 15 months to pay it off before interest would start accumulating, and we paid it off. Saved us about $800!

I second (or third) the idea of the envelop idea. Put money that you can spend in an envelop and don't go beyond that (unless its an emergency).

I have a savings account that I automatically contribute to with every pay check. It comes out of my account usually before I have a chance to spend it. To access that money, I have to wait 48 hours before it will go back in my account, so I have to really want something to use it. I usually save that money for travelling. I also have a retirement fund, and a tax free account that I get a great interest rate on. Because I save so much, I get a break on my taxes too!

My husband buys his suits for work at a higher end used store. He bought a suit there a couple of weeks ago that would have cost him about $2000 regular, but he got it for $500.

Never buy clothes at full price...ever.

Save appropriately for Christmas. You also don't need to spend your years worth of salary on Christmas. Don't go into the new year with debt...its not worth it.

Use groupon, living social, etc., for deals.

Do your own manicure/pedicure. Get your hair cut every 4 months instead of every 3. Colour your own hair.

Stop buying music/movies. And the kids don't always need the newest and best gadgets. They'll get over it if you don't buy it for them. They don't need the newest xbox...the old one still works fine.

Only go to the movies on cheap night.

 

[ChisJo]

oh and the biggest one....GO TO THE LIBRARY!

Our library has video game rentals, new movie rentals, all the newest magazines, news papers, board games, and comfy reading chairs in it. I pay $6/year for my library card, and read about a book a week. My hubby comes on Sundays with me to read the paper. We stopped getting magazine subscriptions because all the magazines that we read we can get from there. If the library doesn't have a book that you want, ask them. Guaranteed they will order it in for you.

Love the library!

 

[Virgderon]

This is a great thread. ChisJo, your list is very well thought out .

I also have stopped buying shoes unless I need them. How many pairs of black shoes do you need, or workout shoes?

I think you need to do your own research when it comes to grocery shopping, because things are so different according to what region you live in. For me, Target is cheaper for groceries than Publix, but on a different thread people said they would never buy groceries from Target because it is too expensive.

I also buy a lot of grocery items at the flea market. Today I got shampoo for a dollar and cold medicine for $2.00, but not everyone has a flea market.

My advice would be don't wait to be frugal. We were not, and we ended up becoming frugal when DH lost his job. We took a 30% pay cut and moved to Florida. We should have been frugal all along- it would have really helped.

 

[disglitter]

I have to respectfully disagree with getting rid of your gym membership (unless you aren't using it). The health benefits more than pay for this expense and lets face it, many of us are not disciplined enough to work out at home on our own.

 

[njmom47]

The library is a great idea except for me, because I always forget to renew my books before they're due and wind up paying late fees....

Other than that, we are pretty frugal in this house! House poor, cash rich (not exactly but there is money in the bank)...3 kids when we got married, big wedding? NO, we bought a townhouse! (I do dream of pulling into my own driveway someday though! lol), coupons, I made my kids save most of their money ove the years to buy their own car, take my lunch to work every day, make school lunches for kids, etc.
Every little bit helps.

 

[blondietink]

When it is warm enough here,I hang my laundry outside to dry instead of using the dryer.

 

[rnorwo1]

Although planning menus for the week or month before shopping saves alot of time and stress and can save money, I find that it's much cheaper to buy the basics and stock up on what is on sale for a really good price, then cook around what you have. For ex, a local supermarket puts their ground meat on sale for about 1.39/lb once every couple of months, which is an amazing price in my area, so I buy enough to last a few months... do the same with chicken, pork, etc and then we usually have a good supply in the freezer for variety (rather than just eating what's on sale for that one week.) Every now and then I'll run out of something before another sale, but we rarely miss the item. I never have meat on my regular shopping list, I just look at the sales each week and if it's a good enough sale, I go and stock up. If you keep up with the sales papers, you'll really get a sense of which prices are good and about how often they come on sale.

And here's a time and money saver: ground meat on sale is usually the higher fat variety, so I only use it for recipes where I can brown the meat and drain the fat (which essentially gives you the same meat as the higher priced lean ground meat), so when I stock up on the sales, I come home and just brown, rinse, and drain all of it and then freeze it in individual containers. Now, when I forget to get something out of the freezer the night before or don't feel like cooking, instead of getting expensive take out, I just take out one of the frozen containers and I can make spaghetti, tacos, burritos, etc in just a few minutes. You can do the same thing with all sorts of meat (cut chicken in strips or dice for a variety of recipes, cut steak for stir-fry, etc...)

 

[Figment1983]

I have to agree about gym membership, do not cancel unless you don't use it. The health benefits far outweigh the 20-50 a month you may save. In my case, I figure I make money going to the gym, I pay $22 per month, with the weight I lost my life insurance went down $30-$35 per month.