What are your tips for saving $$ besides couponing?

Re: What are your tips for saving $$ besides couponing?

• Lotte134

  June 2011

  Cut cable.  Cut your landline if you have cell service.  Eat more meals without meat or with smaller amounts of meat.  Stock up when things are on sale. Eat in rather than going out.  You could also post your budget on the Money Matters board.  The ladies there are really smart (though they do tell it like it is so be sure you can take it!).
  

  

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• CABunny member

  June 2011

  I was going to suggest a couple of things, but Lotte already has them covered. 

  Mama to two boys and a girl: J (6 yrs), C (4 yrs) and A (4 mo)
  Posts on cloth trainers/PLing
  

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• jennterrell

  June 2011

  PPs all had great suggestions.

  ? grow a garden and can/freeze/dry your food.
  ? call your cell phone, internet, TV etc providers and tell them you are considering cancelling service unless you can get a lower rate. They will often transfer you to a "customer retention specialist" who is authorized to give you a lower rate (sometimes for a lesser service such as less minutes/channels). You may need to redo this every 6 months or year.
  ? pay in cash - many small businesses will cut your bill.
  ? barter services/goods with friends. 
  ? avoid going to stores without a list, and stick to your list
  
  

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• novlove11

  June 2011

  Crock pot meals https://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2007/12/alphabetical-listing-of-recipes.html.Shopping sales ( sales around me tend to be on Tuesdays and Sundays, so I shop those days mostly). Netflix instead of renting movies. I use 50/50 vinegar/water mix in a spray bottle as an all purpose cleaner. I use rubbing alcohol to make my mirrors & chrome shine. Making my own cleaning supplies out of things like vinegar and baking soda has saved me a ton of money. I plan to cloth diaper my baby as well. I also use some more natural health and beauty supplies which helps. Hubby and I have gender neutral scented body wash & shampoo/conditioner, so we can use the same ones, this cuts down money. We buy giant refills for our handsoap instead of the little bottles all the time. We use cell phones and not a landline. We don't have a newpaper subscription. We don't eat out more than once a month ( sometimes we go a couple months without eating out!).

  

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• englishviola

  June 2011

  I love everyone's suggestions, and I would add shopping at Aldi's has shaved at least $10-$20 off my weekly grocery bill, which amounts to $40-$80/month.

  If you have one near you, it's worth checking out. And they don't accept coupons, so you don't have to worry about that. 

  MindfullyFrugalMom

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• kelbrian

  June 2011

  Here are some things that we've done to save money as well as be eco friendly.
  

  Cut cable. We don't miss it at all. I watch some shows on Hulu, and my mom gave us a converter box so we get a few basic channels as well.
  

  Cut landline.

  We don't buy bottled water - we bought a Brita cooler. DH uses a stainless steel water bottle, as does our daughter, and I use a glass water bottle. You can recycle the filters by sending them into Preserve (as well as Preserve's razors and toothbrushes, which are awesome!) to make it cost effective and green!

  Sold our car (not feasible for everyone, I know) and bike/take public transit/walk. Carpool if you can't do those things if at all possible.
  

  Use vinegar and baking soda for cleaning.
  

  Stop buying books and DVDs, unless it's something you really enjoy and will read/watch on a regular basis. Utilize your local library and also see if your area has a RedBox (you can rent a movie for one night for $1 + tax).
  

  Cut down on meat/poultry consumption. It saves us a lot of money. I am trying to make at least half if not more of our weekly menu vegetarian. I started out with just one vegetarian meal a week to ease us in and went from there.

  Bake/cook as much from scratch as you can. You can buy flour, sugar, baking soda/powder, cornstarch, etc. in bulk to save even more money.

  Cut processed foods out of your diet as much as possible. You can find recipes for things like crackers, granola bars, etc. Even chips. The blog Oh She Glows has a ton of great recipes for things like that. She just recently posted a recipe for homemade Wheat Thins that I am dying to try out. I also make things like breakfast sausages and even English muffins and bagels now.
  

  Try not to eat out. If you want to eat out, work it into your budget and cut back in other areas that week/month. If we eat out one night during the week, I make sure that we are eating inexpensive meals the other nights.

  Shut off appliances and lights when they are not in use. 

  Keep the heat down in the winter and bundle up more. 

  Don't use a/c if you can help it. We don't have it at all and use a couple of fans.

  Make your own lunches for work. 

  Buy second-hand. If you are considering making a big purchase or even smaller ones like clothing, wait thirty days and see if you still really think you need/want it. 

  Menu plan and make a list. Stick to the list.

  Learn how to sew (still working on this one) so that you can repair clothing and even make some of your own.

  If you travel a lot or like to go to things like museums, pack your own lunches and snacks. It saves us a lot of money. On the note of museums, look into buying a yearly membership if you go a lot - you can also ask for memberships as gifts for birthdays or Christmas.

  Cancel the gym membership and exercise at home or outside.

  Plant a garden.
  

   

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