How do you save money....

[cchavez]

Jumping off of Debora's thread....how do you save money.....doesn't matter if you work or stay at home

I another "bargain" board had a recent thread like this and some things were a little out there....and othersI am just too lazy to do....like washing and reusing my Ziploc bags....

Anyway, I need to do better about saving but here is goes...

Instead of buying a book that I really want I try to find it at the library first....before I was always ordering from Amazon or Overstock

I try to cook Sun-Thurs nite. We usually do take out or eat out on the wkend but instead of doing a Chili's type restaurant on those nites lately we have tried to make one nite Wendy's, Taco Bell, etc


I rarely eat out during the week. do go for coffee or Ice cream after the Little Gym w/ the other moms but that is about it. I just wish DH could take his lunch to work......

DH works for Blockbuster so we never pay rental for movies

Most of my clothes and DS's clothes come from Target or Kohl's.....although DS does have some GAP, Gymboree and alot of OLD NAvy...and we won't skimp on his shoes but that just means he won't have tons of shoes!

What I plan to do in the future:

Sign up for Parks and Recs classes instead of The Little Gym....right now DS is too young b/c most start at 18 mos...hopefully the classes are just as fun

Join another playgroup since the cost is minimal

Start using the groc. sale circulars again.....

[redhookmom]

Before I buy anything I put it on "the list," if I still want it in 2 weeks I buy it. I would say I only buy 25% of the stuff I put on the list. The 2 weeks gives me time to research and look for bargains as well.

[Ryansmom]

I sit down every week with the grocery store ad and the coupons from the Sunday paper. I spend about 15 mins. planning a menu for the week which include easy to prepare meals (some of which we will have leftovers). I know many people say they don't have the time for coupons, but I have a system down and I flip through quickly while watching tv or something.

I have a grocery list on the computer which I print out, check the items I need and bring with me to the store. On the same list, I have the week's menu written out. when I get home, I cut out the menu and post it on the fridge. I devised this plan to reduce the number of nights we ate takeout (3-4 per week). So far, so good.

My other favortie way to save money is to shop at consignment stores. DS has a lot of used clothing, but he doesn't seem to mind. :) I have found some adorable outfits (Gymboree, Gap, Old Navy, etc.) as well as some great toys and books.

I look forward to hearing from others.

[NancyJ_redo]

On the 'saving money' topic, has anyone ever used www.lowermybills.com? I came across them as part of my job search (they are looking for someone in my field) and although their name sounded familiar, I've never known anyone who's used them.

I checked out their site, the company was started by a guy who, when he bought a new house, searched out the best and cheapest phone company, long distance company, insurance, internet provider, etc. They have a chart showing DSL/cable providers with current rates that I thought was really helpful, but I haven't gone further than that. I'm thinking when I have time I'll look into the long distance providers, but no time to do that yet.

And to be clear so I don't sound like an advertisement for them, I don't work there and haven't even been called in response to my resume (the bastards!), but I was intrigued by what they offer and wondered if anyone has used them.


Edited to correct spelling.

[egoldber]

Here are the things that make the most difference with us:

Eat in every night but one per week. And the one night we eat out, I try to have a coupon (lots of places like Chilis and Ruby Tuesday have "buy one entree get one free coupons" in the newspaper).

Always have on hand a ready supply of staples we like to eat

Stock up on meats when they are on sale and freeze them

Make most meals from scratch as opposed to buying pre-packeged or prepared foods

Back in the days when we were REALLY strapped for money, I used to do the matching my shopping list to the grocery store circulars and hit all the stores, but I don't do that now. I also used to make a menu, but now I make more of a mental medu and as long as I have staples on hand, I find I am able to wing it.

We do the P&R clases instead of the more expensive ones and have never regretted it

I go to the library a LOT. At my library you can reserve books on-line. That way when I take DD, I can just pick up my books at the front desk at check out and I don't have to wade through the stacks with her in tow.

I generally only buy DD's toys at discount stores or consignment stores. I also REALLY try to limit what I buy, although this is a real weakness of mine...

I buy very few clothes for myself. I don't shop consignment, but I do try to get things on clearance. But since I honestly spend so little on my clothes, I don't feel bad about what I do spend.

I am now limiting myself to only buying clothes for DD that I REALLY need. When she was an infant, I went a little nuts. I have gotten better as she gets older.

HTH,

[Momof3Labs]

Some of these suggestions are on a bigger scale, but it is still saving money!

We just refinanced our house again. Our payment is now the same as when we bought the house 3 years ago - but our mortgage term is down to 15 years from 30 years. If we had stayed with a 30 year mortgage term, we'd be saving hundreds every month over our original mortgage payment. Rates have gone up recently, but if you haven't refinanced in the last year, it is still worth investigating.

Get rid of PMI if you have paid down enough of your mortgage (usually to 80% of the purchase price) - that might save a couple hundred every month.

I just paid off my car. There were two years left on the loan, but it was at a 5.5% interest rate. I used money that was earning less than 1%/year in a money market fund to pay off a 5.5% loan - that saves us money. We are not paying off DH's car yet since that loan is at something like 2.9%, and I'm gambling that interest rates will continue to go up.

When I have good coupons and there is a sale (or I feel like running to Wal-Mart), I stock up on things that I know we will use, so we don't pay full price for them at the moment we need them (like toothpaste and laundry detergent).

We drive 20 minutes to a grocery store that has MUCH lower prices than our local chains. We estimate that saves us 25-30% on our grocery bill every week, and I don't have to shop around or try to hit sales.

We've also cut back on how often we eat out or order take out, so we now eat homemade meals at home 6 nights a week.

I love our park district classes, but around here they are almost as pricey as private classes - Colin's toddler music class is about $14/half hour class!!

[trumansmom]

We refinanced our home about a year ago as well. We managed to go from a 30 year to a 15 year mortgage, AND our payments dropped by almost $200 a month! It's amazing the difference a few percentage points can make!

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and EDD 4/23/04!

[cchavez]

Great ideas! Keep em coming....

We also refinanced our home and paid off our cars......

[papal]

- When it is possible, we buy our produce at the Korean Store (Grand Mart). They have much more variety than at the Giant AND they are way way cheaper.

- Dh bikes to work. Saves on parking, which is not to be had for love or money in any case.

- Dh takes lefties from dinner for his lunch. Or he shares a mini-fridge at work and keeps some lunch meat and cheese and coke in it. He can make himself a sandwich if he does not take lunch from home. MUCH cheaper than going to a deli everyday.

The biggest thing that works for us is putting money into savings and mutual funds every month directly from the bank account or as a direct deposit. We never get to 'see' the money, so we never get to spend the money.

We buy generic or store-brand and not name-brand. Things like sugar, flour, tylenol etc.

hmmm... i am sure there are more but I cannot think of any right now.
I am with you though... i definitely need to start spending less money. After Leela came along.. i have been having too much fun spending money on her!

[lizajane]

i already listed a bunch of stuff on the other thread about saving money by being organized, but i will list some again:

cancel cable down to basic, cancel cell phone, cancel long distance& use onesuite.com, cancel any bells and whistles on home phone (voicemail, call waiting, caller ID, "community caller plus")...

turn out the lights when i leave the room, turn off the water when brushing teeth/scrubbing dishes, use clothesline for cloth diapers...

use reusable products and wash them (instead od using annoying "toss those germs AND YOUR MONEY away products") like cloth napkins, cloth dishtowels, cloth diapers, "cloth paper towels" for cleaning baby after meals...

if you don't NEED it, don't buy it. i only need one pair of black heels. i only need one blue tee shirt. schuyler only needs one pair of shoes. etc.

grocery sales and COUPONS!!

i don't even go to target anymore unless i need a specific thing from there because i will just end of buying stuff because it is fun. this is a huge money saver. DO NOT GO INTO TEMPTING STORES.

rely on gifts- schuyler got one big christmas present under $30 and a few under $5 presents and one under $30 birthday present from us. he gets lots of clothes from grandma. i am sure i buy him too many clothes, knowing that grandma wants to buy him things.

cook real food, not pre-cut, pre-cooked, processed food. and don't eat out or buy take out. cook a lot of a staple, for us spagetti sauce, so there is always something in the freezer for a quick meal instead of getting take out.

make gifts.

trade babysitting with friends.

do your own home improvements, repairs, cleaning and take care of your lawn/yard yourself

drive older cars that have been paid off for a while

hmmm... there are always more to think of!!

[JulieL]

I love that! I have to try that. Gotta stop impulse buying, argh!

[LucyG]

These are a few things we do that help:

1. drive one older model car (1993) and a newer, middle-of-the-road "family car" (less expensive than an SUV, though we will probably get a minivan when the older car dies)
2. got rid of PMI on our mortgage
3. make regular donations to charitable organizations to help out with tax deductions
4. plan menus by the month, and only grocery shop twice per month
5. stock up on foods when they are on sale (esp. meat and nonperishable items)
6. keep the thermostat at a very moderate level (add blankets and sweaters in the winter, and fans in the summer!)
7. limit ourselves to eating out twice per month (exceptions are birthdays, celebrations, etc.)
8. got rid of expanded cable
9. cancelled subscriptions to magazines that we didn't really ever get around to reading
10. buy clothing at end-of-season sales 90% of the time
11. analyze monthly Microsoft Money reports to see where our money is really going
12. rarely buy on impulse (We have a 24 hour rule - must wait at least that long before making a major purchase)
13. buy most of DD's clothes at consignment sales and shops, Ross, outlets and only on sale at other stores
14. rent movies and stay home on the weekends
15. potluck with friends in each other's homes rather than go out (also saves on childcare)
16. trade books with friends or use the library rather than buying new books

We do splurge sometimes, because we've found that doing so makes it easier to save most of the time. When you don't feel deprived, there's less of a temptation to spend too much, IMO.

[khakismom]

Great suggestions!

What stops me from spending alot is "spring cleaning," which I do every month. I go thru every drawer, closet, whatever, and purge what is not needed or not truly loved. I actually prefer living with less--it's very freeing I think. I like not having lots of clutter around. Then I either garage sale it, consign/resale it, eBay it, or--usually--donate it.

I am absolutely going to start menu-planning more. I find it really hard to while working FT. The last thing I want to do when I get home is stand over a hot stove. I'd rather play with the girls. So what happens is that if I don't have a meal planned, we feed the girls, and then eat after they've gone to bed (and I hate it!).

[JLiebCamm]

My number one way to save money is to minimize shopping. Before DS was born, it was a hobby of mine to make weekly rounds to all my favorite stores and buy anything that had been marked down whether I needed it or not. Now I try to only go out with a specific list and stay focused. The internet and sales on these boards still tempt me (right now I'm thinking about Kettler trikes and custom diaper bags!) but I'm geting much better at only buying what I need.

[kransden]

One of the things that has really helped me is being able to view my credit card and bank accounts online. I now look at it several times a week and I know what dh and I are spending and where.

My big downfalls: eating out and gymboree. I am working on my gymboree obession. Eating out has been a lot harder. We are making an effort to go to lower priced restaurants and cook at home more.

Also I try to stay out of stores. I know that sounds funny, but it really works. I go to Wal-Mart every couple of months. I buy detergent, toilet paper, deodrant etc. When it is on sale(or coupons), I will get several months supply. This really helped me after the baby was born and I had a hard time getting out and had no extra money.

I grocery shop once a month in a big way with out dd. The milk/fruit runs I take her with me. It makes me get out of there faster!

Karin



Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[khakismom]

Karin, I find that if I stay out of stores, it helps me too. Mainly clothing stores--both for me and for the girls. And Target, forget about it. I only walk in to Target with cash--basically the amount of cash that corresponds to my list of what I need. Otherwise, it's a nightmare and I walk out $80 later.

Also, I get my staples at Costco. I saw some woman at Walmart last nite buying TP. She was spending $12 for 2 12-pack double rolls. I wanted to grab her and tell her that she can get 60 double rolls for the same price at Costco.

We also do a weekly allowance. I get my weekly take in cash and hubby hides the debit card (on my insistence). Once I'm out, I'm out and I don't get any more until the next "payday". That helps me tremendously!