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July 2011 Moms
jlsimon56
member
savings
jlsimon56
member
DH and I are trying to save more money. What are some ways you save money? I have read things like: quit smoking (but we don't smoke), stop going to DD/Starbucks (I don't drink coffee anymore and DH brews at home now), eat at home (we rarely eat out anymore but MAN is it tiring to meal-plan and cook!), etc. I feel like we're already doing the typical money savers......
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Re: savings
Consider getting rid of cable or downgrading your plan.
Shop around for car/home/renters insurance.
Get baby items 2nd hand. (I'm going to a massive consignment sale tomorrow, and am SO pumped.)
Check Craigslist before you buy something new.
These are great! I just assigned my DH to look at other cable options. He works from home so he uses the landline and internet (subsidizes by his company) so we just did a bundle when he started this home gig. Couldn't hurt to ask though!
We use USAA for insurance. Cheapest anywhere! Anyone who doesn't have this and is military, check it out!
My state's huge consignment sale is at the end of the month. I am counting down the days. I LOVE IT. I am already making lists of what I want to find. Mostly tops and jeans so LO's clothes can mix-and-match. I'm finished with Carter's ensembles.
The CL one is GOOD. I never think of CL. Totally going to check it out now. I'm looking for a portable dishwasher.
Woohoo! I also use CL to find garage sales and estate sales. Estate sales are better for household items because you know that they still work.
This isn't really saving money...more like making money, but we've sold stuff on eBay and made pretty good money. We also have a garage sale once a year, and have always made at least $300 for a one-day sale. Another way to make a little extra is to make sure that your bank accounts have a decent interest rate. Right now, ours is at like 6%, so we make about $5 a month. As far as saving goes, here are a few ideas:
When you're grocery shopping, pay attention to expiration dates. Like, when I'm buying milk, I always go for the jug further back because it has a later date.
If you have any debt, use the Debt Snowball. I can explain more if you want me to, just let me know.
Make sure you have credit cards with no annual fees.
Do you have a landline? Disconnect it.
If you're a book buyer, get them from the library instead.
Use Groupon, Living Social, etc.!
Plug your appliances in to a power strip. When you're not home/not using them, turn the power strip off.
Make your own cleaning products (Pinterest!).
Clip coupons.
Eat leftovers.
I cut DH's hair (saves about $20 a month), we cut our dog's hair (saves $60 every couple of months).
We buy in bulk when there are sales - we buy enough to get us through to the next sale. So, say toilet paper or laundry detergent is on sale, we buy enough to get us through to the next sale on that stuff which is every month to every other month or so. Some people adjust by buying the cheapest stuff there is, but I can't compromise on some brand products.
We buy store brand on most stuff, but not all stuff.
We eat at home.
That's all I can think of right now.
All the above are great ideas....And like you we do a lot of those. I think what really helps is just making "saving" a bill you pay to yourself. We get paid weekly so we get to save a big chunk every week, since this "bill" is already on the list then it's forgotten money. Does that make sense?
DH has like 5-10% of his check go directly into savings so our other bills are only paid with whats left. Our "spending" money would then be what is left after the bills are paid. We are planning a vacation to Disney in 2014. My parents have already booked the Vila but we have to find our own way there. I will be setting up my paycheck to put 5-10% in a different savings just for that. Its nice to have a savings at a different bank altogether so it's not hooked up to your other accounts online and easy to just transfer money from. If its inconvienient to get to you won't reach for it unless really needed. We also did this with money for my maternity leave.
We also went to Straight Talk for phone service at pay $60/month instead of $130/month. We got rid of cable altogether and just watch stuff online if we can, or after 1 season missed you kinda forget about it anyway. We purchased reusable water bottles and bought 2 liters instead of cans of pop for DH and I started taking only water. We also cut out any unnecesary costs like liquor, chips, cookies, etc. except an occasional treat.