Ideas for saving $$?

[Elilly]

I'm trying to figure out how to go PT at work so that I can spend more quality time at home with DD. I currently work FT and am trying to negotiate a deal where I will work 3 days one week and 4 the next. It's not what I'd really like, but I think that my employer wouldn't go for less time, plus I need to work for the insurance (DH works for a small company and family insurance would run us $700/month!!).
Do any of you have ideas for saving money? I'm going to pay off my car in 6 months and am using hand me downs from relatives children but am looking for more ways to save. I brought up the idea of cancelling cable and DH almost stroked out at the thought of no ESPN!

[lizamann]

It's hard to give suggestions without knowing anything about your lifestyle, but I've heard good things about the book "The Tightwad Gazette," though I've never read it myself. You could see if the library has it. (That's an idea in itself - I try not to buy books that I won't be using as a reference or re-reading a few times. It seems silly to spend money on the latest best seller and read it once. I've moved WAY too many heavy book boxes way too many times...)

[mharling]

Hi Colleen -
Here are a couple previous threads for you to get some ideas. Dh & I went through this ourselves and you'd be surprised how you can reduce monthly expenses. Good luck!!

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=37&topic_id=26063&mesg_id=26063&listing_type=search

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=37&topic_id=35404&mesg_id=35404&listing_type=search

Edited to add a couple more:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=37&topic_id=39869&mesg_id=39869&listing_type=search

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=37&topic_id=5978&mesg_id=5978&listing_type=search

I think the second one is the one Neve mentions below.

http://www.auction-pix.com/katasha/stuff/snowman.gif Mary & Lane 4/6/03

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

We have an excellent thread on this subject from about 10-12 months ago...it was started my mamakath (I think she started it)...but it was awesome. my little thing that I contributed was our phone service. onesuite I so love it, no taxes, bills, stamps, calling the compnay becasue they botched something. We pay I think 2.9 cents a minute for our calls...24 hours a day. I love it!!!

I can be a your house and make a call using it and it deducts from my account...
Neve
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[JElaineB]

I work PT and our income is significantly less than it was before DS arrived (when I worked FT at a different place). I also recommend "The Tightwad Gazette". I own a copy, and it is good to re-read every once and a while. You certainly won't follow every suggestion in there, but it will give you lots of ideas you may not have thought of. I also have OneSuite for long distance like Neve does. I have paid maybe $20 total in long distance since I started using it last March. It is 2.9 cents per minute or less, it's great. There are lots of features, you can check out their website at http://www.onesuite.com. For cell phones, we got prepaid Tracfones http://www.tracfone.com last year and only use them for emergencies. We need them because we live 30 minutes out in the country and both have to drive to town for work, but it costs us around $16 a month total instead of $50 for us both to have phones before. We hardly ever eat out any more - it is a real treat now, not just because I don't feel like cooking. I buy groceries on sale and stock up because I know now what is a good price instead of just buying whatever. We didn't get rid of cable (satellite, actually) but we did get rid of HBO. Hope things work out with your employer the way you want them to!

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[kransden]

I also recommend reading the Tightwad Gazette books at the library. If you like them buy them. I love mine. There are so many different ideas. Some will work for you and some won't. I have a large freezer and cherry pick grocery store sales. For example, Kraft shredded cheese goes on sale 3 for 5.00 about once a quarter. The expiration dates are usually months away, so I usually buy about 10 bags. That will keep me until the next sale. BTW never do that with Borden or stores brands, the cheese will mold. I almost never buy anything at full price except for veggies and fruit, and I try to get what is in season. I wait for underwear and sock sales. I like Jockey and Gold Toe. They always go on sale in April/May at my local dept store.

One really easy way to save money if you go out to eat is never order soda (1.50-2.00), just get water. If you go out to eat once a week (2 people), you'll have saved 12-16$$ plus tax, and if you eat out twice a week that is 24-32$$$ a month.

One more thing, is a dish cheaper than cable in your area for the same service?

Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[parkersmama]

Jennifer and Neve,
Tell me more about OneSuite. Do you have to dial a number and then dial the number you are calling everytime you make a call? Do you prepay for the time? If you do prepay, how do you know when you're getting low so that you can buy more? We are currently using Sprint for like 6cents a minute, I think, so this sounds a lot better if it's not a huge pain! Thanks!

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

It took me forever to convince DH to use this...I actually heard about it here on the boards I think from a spammer :)...

YES you do dial a number but it is second nature now I don't even realize that I am doing it... It does coach you as it is connecting how many minutes you have left. I used to have to put in a secret code to call to but Steve changed that I think via the internet, thank god. He puts about $30 pre paid on the account every 4 months or so (totally guessing) and we go thru that. I love that. I use to think it was not a safe thing to do but it is more safe than writting a check and people seeing your routing number, account number, phone number, and you signature (and possibly your ss number). This has been one of the greatest things...

That there is no bill that arrives. We think we save a good $50 atleast a month, Sprint alone charges a bunch of fees before your first call that are more than what we spend a month.

Go to www.onesuite.com (I've never been on the site) but that is where Steve signed up...

Neve
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

I learned this when I stopped working, the fees bank charge are enormous, I call them all and tell them I will not pay them...I even noticed once that Steve and I were charged $20 each to get new checks and i called them and disputed that and got that back.

I have overdrafted my account and it pulls from my other account (in other words MY MONEY not the banks) and they tried to charge me for that...I called and laughed in their face, they are charging me to use my money, they laughed at it to and reimbursed the money with the click of a button.

We just noticed a $25 late car note fee on our bill (to my knowledge we've never been late) but we thought we were selling our car and the guy backed out of the sale at the last minute he couldn't get financing. I called the bank and explained the situationa and why we held off paying on time and with the click of a button the money was right back in my account. We went on vacation where we had to use another bank to withdraw our bank was not there in the town, I called my bank to reimburse the charges since to me it was their fault they didn't have a branch there for me...

I NEVER pay bank fees!!!!!!
and they always gladly put any fees back into my account...
They fight for retention...they want to retain you and have seminars on things such as that...

We also have a 15 year mortgage instead of a 30 and over pay it...sure it is more, but rates are cheaper and the thought of paying off the house that much sooner in time for other expenses is so worth it!!!!
Neve
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[JElaineB]

As Neve said, you do have to dial an 800 number or a local access number (actuallly only 2.5 cents per minute if you have a local access number) before you place each call. But it is second nature now to me too. If you can program your phone, you could program that number in.

There are a couple of neat features you can set up on their website. Each time you place a call you can choose to hear the $ remaining on your account, the minutes remaining, both or neither. I just have it set up to hear the minutes remaining. You can set up a feature called ZipDial, which I have done (sounds like Neve has too) that automatically recognizes that you are calling from your home phone (and up to two other phone numbers too I think) so you don't have to enter a PIN number, which is really super convienent. If it didn't have this feature I don't know if it would be worth it! But you can still use your PIN number to call from any phone, such as a pay phone or a friend's house, etc. It also has a feature called RapidDial that allows you to program something like 50 numbers so once you get connected via the 800 number, you just type in 2 numbers and the # key to get connected to frequently called numbers (like my mother is 11# etc.)

There website has other features too - like you can see a list of all the calls made on your account. They do have live toll free customer service 24/7 but I have never used it. You can buy as little as $10 at a time, which is good for 6 months (I think, it has been a while since I have bought any minutes).

The only problem I have had is that occassionally I don't connect to the "voice prompt" via the 800 number, so I just hang up and dial again and it works. I don't mind considering how much money it saves! You can use it for in-state and out-of-state long distance and even international calls (rates vary). If you think you might like it, you can just try $10 worth and see. If you don't like it, you don't have to refill, just stop using it once your minutes are up, or use them up for travel like a phone card.

Edited to add: Either Neve or I could refer you via email (there's a link on the OneSuite website) and you would receive 20 minutes free if you decide to sign up.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[parkersmama]

If one of you would go ahead and do that, it would be great!! My email (remove the spaces) is: parkersmama @ yahoo.com

Thanks!

[JElaineB]

Just sent you an email.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[Elilly]

Thanks for the good ideas re the groceries. I already do this with some items (cream cheese, frozen chicken etc) but hadn't thought about the shreaded cheese. I already abide by the no soda when eating out but my DH thinks 1.50 is no big deal. I guess it isn't for one time, but when you do that every day.... you see where I'm going.
I've looked in to the dish instead of cable but we have 3 TVs that we would want service for so that is extra $$ for each one. I need to do a long range plan to see if it would be more cost effective or not.
Thanks you!

[pritchettzoo]

Denise-- do you have Sprint cell phone service by any chance? There's a special for long distance on home phones if you do...we rarely ever go over the free minutes (I think it's 70 but I'd have to check). You may call more long distance though!

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[parkersmama]

Anna, I do have a Sprint cell phone which is why we switched to Sprint long distance. But even with that plan, you're still paying a $4.95 fee and then getting the first 60 minutes included which makes it over $.08 per minute! (Don't quote me...I think those numbers are right.) We do quite a bit of long distance (several hours total each month) because both our parents and our siblings live out of state and I have a good friend in Houston. All that adds up! I try to call from my cell phone but the reception problems drive me nuts! :)

[jubilee]

Another book I use is "Miserly Moms", it's full of good ideas to reduce your expenses

[justlearning]

I grew up in a home where my parents made very little money, but my parents have never had debt of any kind their entire lives other than a reasonable mortgage payment. Growing up that way, I learned to live without much and didn't really ever feel deprived. We never had cable, we would never order a drink when out at a restaurant (would only get a courtesy ice water), we would only order the cheapest item on a menu that gave you the most bang for your buck (i.e., most filling for the price) and would only go to fast-food restaurants for our treat (never sit-down restaurants), we alwasy drove old cars and my dad would fix them himself, we would get our hair cut at a beauty college for $3.50, we did free things for entertainment (e.g., going to the local rec center to play ping pong rather than paying to go to a movie), we only bought things that we really needed and that were on sale for at least 50% off, we bought cheap groceries and always watched the grocery sale ads, we would only check books out from the library (we were avid readers) rather than ever buying a book, and other similar behaviors.

My husband did not grow up this way at all, so it was a shock to him how frugal I was when we got married. But you know what? Pretty soon he also started adapting some of my frugal behaviors and that's what helped us to pay off his school debt so quickly. He realized that he really didn't need ESPN--even though he had always had it previoiusly. He decided that he would have his one splurge be the internet and that way he could then watch highlights on ESPN.com. (I had to adjust after we got married so I'd be OK with splurging on something like the internet even!) He now tells me often that he's so thankful for how I've helped him to learn how to live debt-free and save money, which is something his parents have still not learned. We've both realized that instead of gaining pleasure from purchasing things, we actually gained more pleasure from feeling like we were being wise with our finances.

Now I'm not suggesting that you should try to live the way that I did while growing up, but what I am saying is that if staying at home is important to you, it is possible to live on less money than you thought possible. But because you've lived with luxuries like cable and a nice car, it will definitely be difficult at first to start cutting out such luxuries if you choose to do so. (It was hard for DH at first too.) But, you may actually be surprised at how nice it feels to live a more simplified life and to feel like you're placing a greater importance on your family than on material things.

BTW, I am not at all trying to say that mothers should stay at home rather than working, nor am I saying that it's wrong to desire to have nice things. My husband makes a good living now, so I actually am having to learn how to be comfortable spending money and to not be such a tightwad! (I now spend a whopping $12 on my haircuts!;) ) With this post, I'm just trying to give you a glimpse into the mindset of individuals who have experienced living on VERY little money. Like I said, though, I never really felt deprived growing up...even when I only had two dresses that I alternated wearing to church every week and both dresses were made by my mom from old curtains that she was given. Instead, I felt very loved by my family and appreciative for everything that we did have.

Sorry to go on for so long about all this... I wish you and your family the very best in finding ways to save money. There are some good tips in the previous threads referenced as well as other tips in this thread.

[amp]

Just wanted to add on to the phone portion of this thread. I've not used Onesuite, but I assume the only do long distance. Is this the case? Do you have to get your local service from a phone company? We've found that we don't make very many long distance calls, and the ones we do make are often on our cell phones, where we have nationwide free calling (from anywhere not roaming, to anywhere). We switched from SBC, who was taking us for all we were worth even without the long distance fees, to Sage Telecom. We still pay about $45 per month for service and fees (which I am about to call on to see about cancelling some options to save money). They give us 1 free hour of long distance service per month. We rarely exceed that. When we do, we pay about $0.07/minute. They do have an unlimted long distance plan too, but I don't know the cost on that. If you refer people, you get a $10 credit too, which we got once (you can get it more than once, but you may have to call and ask for it).

[cchavez]

We also use Sage....they are located just down the street from us!

[parkersmama]

Thank you, Jennifer! I'm still convincing dh that signing up is a good idea. :)

[justlearning]

If for some reason your DH is against signing up, you could always buy a calling card at Sam's Club that makes the phone calls 3.47 cents a minute. You can easily add more time to that card or get another one without having to sign up for anything.

Personally, though, I think I'm going to switch from using those cards to signing up with onesuite now to make the calls even less (thanks to those who posted about it).

[Elilly]

Wow, $12 for a haircut! I think I pay $80 for a cut and highlight- I don't know if DH would recognize me w/o the highlights!
I'm in the process of paying off my car (1 year left) and am going to the library and free library activities to spend time. My downfall seems to be Target. I wish they didn't have so much cute stuff. I go in for soap and diapers (on sale only) and come out w/ $50 dollars worth of stuff. I was watching Oprah once and it was a show on how to get out of debt and she said that if it "won't make a difference in your life one year from now, you don't need it". I need to live by that philosophy.