Your #1 BEST EVER money saving idea

[ChisJo]

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.

I agree..I should've explained. Only cancel if you are not using it. I know many people who have one that only use it 3-4 times a month, and are paying $50/month for their membership, when a drop in price is only $5. Not worth it. Cancel if not using.

Also, if you have access to a gym at work, use it instead of paying for a membership. I also have access to a treadmill in my condo building that i can use for free.

 

[riatees]

Don't know if anyone mentioned this yet, but have you heard of Dave Ramsey. I read his book the Total Money Makeover about 18 months ago and it changed our lives. I know that sounds drastic, but it's true. His book is so simple and talks about things that we all should know already, but we just don't practice. We are well on our way to paying off our debt including our mortgage about 5 years early. Check him out if you haven't already, he has a tv show, radio show and many books. Good luck.

 

[Ava]

We don't buy bottled water, and only buy soda occasionally when it's on sale. Most of the time we just drink tap water (we use a Brita pitcher) or milk.

We got ride of cable TV entirely. We get almost all the networks for free with a digital antenna & converter box, and anything we can't get over the air we can watch online. We watch less TV now & don't even miss it.

We haven't done this yet, but I want to look for a better deal on internet. We're paying $50/month through the cable company, but I have seen ads for less expensive options. Just need to do some research to see which, if any, will work for us.

We only use cell phones, no home phone. I haven't had a landline phone since I moved to NYC 7 years ago. I don't even think any of my apartments have had working phone jacks, lol.

We also stopped buying cleaning products. We use baking soda & white vinegar for almost everything. It works just as well, and with the baby I am glad there aren't a lot of chemicals on the floors, bathtub, etc.

See if you have a local market with a bulk section. We save money by buying basics like rolled oats, rice, and dried lentils & beans from the bulk bins at our local co-op. We also get snacks for DD from the bulk bins - unsweetened banana chips, raisins, shelled pumpkin seeds, sometimes animal cracker type cookies or fig bars (like Fig Newtons). Inexpensive, and healthier than a lot of other options.