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Baby_Bunny_Hopeful
member
Tell me how you've saved monthly!!!
Baby_Bunny_Hopeful
member
DH and I are trying to cut down our bills... but with football season approaching (and DH being a fan of a far-away team), we've decided that keeping our NFL Ticket will save us money since DH won't be going to a pub to watch his favorite team's games.... so cutting our cable bill isn't going to happen until January....
I'm about to call our cell phone provider to see about a family plan... but right now we're both getting discounts from our previous employers- so I'm not sure how much we would save.
Our stupid electricity bills kill us. They only come out once a quarter, and "estimate" the other months- so 4 times a year, we have a crazy high bill (since they underestimate the other months)- and of course, THIS month is that month. UGH!
Any suggestions/tips are welcome!! TIA!
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Re: Tell me how you've saved monthly!!!
How much is the NFL Ticket costing monthly? I just feel like if it's not NEEDED and you NEED the money it should be cut. I think that if there's a place to make cuts you both need to be willing to make cuts.
As for us we now cloth diaper, which is saving us money. We find free activities on the weekend, or cheap. Budgeting out weekends saves us more than we could have really imaginged.
I've also started meal planning. Which is really important now that Sophia is eating real foods during the day. I need to make sure we have a range of healthy fruits and veggies in the house all the time.
HTH!
Ways We Save Money Monthly:
#1 - Set a budget
Look at all income and expenses and figure out what are fixed (mortgage, car payments, etc) and variable (gas, eating out, groceries, etc) and what you have some wiggle room with (for us that was gas, eating out, groceries, entertainment, clothing, and misc). We have to pay the mortgage, car payment, insurances, and necessary household bills (electricity, maintanence, etc). Figure out what you can cut out or down on and make a reasonable goal for each category.
#2 - Stick to the budget
Keep up with what you are spending (especially variable things). Have an amount for each day or week that is a point of reference (ie if your grocery budget is 400 a month, you try to stick to 100 a week).
#3 - Coupon/sale shop
If you figure out how to match coupons with sales, you can save a ton of money and/or get a lot more for your money.
#4 - Meal plan
If you meal plan, #1 you won't eat out as much (saving you money) and #2 you can buy what is on sale and save even more money.
#5 - Plan big purchases
Don't buy misc stuff (especially big purchases) without looking at the budget and planning for it.
once a year I call our auto insurance (its insane in NJ), Verizon FiOS, and negotiate a lower rate- or at least try.
Its easier working with FiOS. I always tell them that Optimum is always banging on my door offering a lower price and what can they do for me. It may take few calls but I usually get a good deal.
Before I became a SAHM we really scrutinized the budget and these are ways we cut down:
* Looked at all insurance and ways to save - i.e. raise deductible (we have amble savings to cover any deductibles we might have to pay), lower coverage if too high, look for discounts, shop around, etc
* We went down to basic cable - meaning just channels CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, WB, and PBS. We do still have our DVR and OnDemand, but this is saving us $80 a month. Yes DH misses some sports, but there are a lot of games on line. Plus we have NetFlix which helps.
* We really don't eat out very often, but our grocery bill is pretty high so I think this just balances out.
These are the big ones that stick out to me. Oh, also make sure your DH's witholdings are accurate. For me it's better to get more $$ each month than a refund once a year.
My grocery advice is here.
Other ideas to help you save:
1. line dry your clothes
2. Put up curtains on sunny windows
3. make your own cleaners
When we bought our house 2 years ago we didn't hook up cable. It's hard, but you'll live.
Look at your electric and gas bills over 12 months and calculate the avg monthly cost. When it's less, put that money aside so you don't get hit with a big bill. For ex I estimate ours at $250 per month (I overestimate). In May the utilities will be far less than $250, but in Aug and February they will be high. Having the money saved for those months is a huge help.
The savvy ladies here have recommended several coupon sites. I've already saved a lot by going to https://hip2save.com/. For several stores they lay out the best deals with coupon/rebate combos that save a bundle.
exactly this! food is probably the largest expense next to actual bills. i sit down every sunday night with the grocery ads, couponmom.com open, coupons out, and a piece of paper and a pen in hand. i plan my meals based on what is on sale and what i have coupons for. if you have time to do the research it TOTALLY pays off. a friend of mine does price match at walmart by taking kroger, giant eagle, and meijer ads in. walmart will honor their competitors prices. in 6 weeks she saved $75 on things she was buying anyway! it may be a PITA sometimes but if you are willing to do the work, why not save $$?!
also switch to generic forms of items! there are 3 things that i buy that aren't generic and that is bread, butter, and A1 (weird, i know) but everything else is either kroger brand, great value, or up&up. (unless i have a coupon that makes the name brand the cheaper of the two).
TRACK YOUR SPENDING.
TRACK YOUR SPENDING.
TRACK YOUR SPENDING.
we had a problem with overspending in groceries, eating out, buying things for the baby, and random things on ourselves. we went to the envelope system for those things. $250 for groceries, $125 eating out, $50 for the baby (we don't have to buy diapers or wipes) and $75 for laundry/cleaning supplies, hair care, dog food, personal items. and money at the end of the month doesn't roll over. it's worked out great and we can definitely notice an increase in the amount of $$ we are able to put into the savings account at the end of the month!!
DH & i have never had cable. we use hulu.com and channelsurfing.net (they have nearly all sporting events for DH and HGTV for me!) that could be something to look into for you!
and it's FREE as long as you have internet!
we also switched to cloth diapers and that has potential to save us hundreds but that isn't for everyone.
other options are to become a 1 car family (easier for people in the city) or growing your own veggies in a garden, sell some stuff on craigslist or ebay or even an old fashioned garage sale!
GOOD LUCK! HTH!
That is very odd. Is there any way they can come out once a month, like most normal electric companies. If not, can you switch to another company?
Meal plan and stick to it!
cook at home from scratch
Use coupons, but only those that you would already be purchasing.
We cut out satellite completely. We use netflix and hulu.
Got rid of our landline
Cut out ALL unnecessary expenses.
BUDGET. Know where your $ is going.
I make a lot of stuff for my daughter instead of buying it.
Find free activities to do around town for entertainment
As far as the electricity goes, here are some tips: unplug everything that's not in use. Line dry your clothes, wash on cold, keep lights off, get a programmable thermostat, check seals around windows and doors.
You could probably cancel cable and he could purchase an NFL package and watch the games online much cheaper than keeping cable and buying the NFL ticket.
In terms of phone plans, I'd just get rid of them. We got a magic jack for the house for $40 a year, and got DH a pay as you go phone to have in his car in case of emergency. I got a 1000 minute, 1000 text plan for $35 a month, and considering we were paying over $100 in cell phones, this saves us a good amount of money a month.
Others already offered tips on how to save more, so I won't repeat, but budgeting is very important.
Our electric company provides the same payment monthly option. Meaning they take last years bill - add up the amount and the next year you pay each month the same amount. That away you can budget. Most years we get a refund at the end of the year bc we have used less.