How do you save money!

[Medusa]

One of the biggest ways I save money is by bringing my lunch to work. Usually it's either leftovers from the previous evening or a Lean Cuisine meal or something like that. I also bring my breakfast (a smoothie or yogurt and fruit) and my afternoon snack.

Just for example, when I eat at the cafeteria at work it looks like this:

Breakfast - Starbucks coffee, scrambled eggs, orange or banana = $5

Lunch - Usually something from the salad bar or the lunch of the day= $7

Afternoon snack - Fruit or something junky = $1

$13 a day multiplied by however many days I go in. I work at home a lot but there are times I go in to work 4 or 5 days.
Just going in 4 days multiplied by $13 - over $50.
Do that every week and it's easily over $200 a month.

Jack and I also try to curtail eating out. We got into a bad habit for a while of eating out 2 - 3 times a week and it was costing hundreds a month.

Just eat at home!! and SAVE!

[Jet]

#3

Never subscribe to cable or Dish. I use my big iMac for everything including streaming on the networks and watching full episodes. I saved around 127.00/mo not having a TV. Oh, and those downloads...

Ha! My aunts want me to write a book on how I got around it all.

[Okiebug61]

Originally Posted by Medusa

One of the biggest ways I save money is by bringing my lunch to work. Usually it's either leftovers from the previous evening or a Lean Cuisine meal or something like that. I also bring my breakfast (a smoothie or yogurt and fruit) and my afternoon snack.

Just for example, when I eat at the cafeteria at work it looks like this:

Breakfast - Starbucks coffee, scrambled eggs, orange or banana = $5

Lunch - Usually something from the salad bar or the lunch of the day= $7

Afternoon snack - Fruit or something junky = $1

$13 a day multiplied by however many days I go in. I work at home a lot but there are times I go in to work 4 or 5 days.
Just going in 4 days multiplied by $13 - over $50.
Do that every week and it's easily over $200 a month.

Jack and I also try to curtail eating out. We got into a bad habit for a while of eating out 2 - 3 times a week and it was costing hundreds a month.

Just eat at home!! and SAVE!

Great points! Eating out is so easy but so expensive. Red being a teacher takes her lunch everyday but one when her team goes out. We make her breakfast sandwiches for the week on Sunday so she can pop one in the microwave while getting ready.

Loving all the great tips. Keep them coming :-)

[girl_dee]

i reuse leftovers until they are all gone

fruit getting too ripe? throw them in the freezer for smoothies.

Throwing out food is something i cannot bring myself to do, i can always *recycle* it into something, lunch the next day or if possible work into my dogs dinner. Leftover potatoes go great in an omelet and i have no problem eating dinner for breakfast.

i despise using paper products, or anything *one use*.. i have a stack of cleaned out to go containers from food brought home and pass leftovers off in them to whomever. i reuse peanut butter jars and other things for storage or whatever, using them just one time makes no sense to me.

For me its not just about saving money but thats a big perk to being resourceful.

Before i buy anything i try to ask if i NEED it or if i just WANT it. Sometimes i do just want it, and that's ok, but i do check in with myself before i buy stuff.

Another tip? Stay out of places like Target and Wal Mart. They are an impulse store, everything you see you need. Stick to a list if you do go.

i needed milk so i stopped at Walgreens, $2.99 and i'm outta there. Can't do that at WalMart.

[TruTexan]

I usually cook all my meals and rarely eat out. I just can't afford it so I try like hell not to do it.
I eat leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. I don't use a lot of paper towels since I don't fry anything hardly at all. I use cloth towels and wash them.
I buy meats in family packs and freeze them in freezer bags for my portions to cook with. It's cheaper by the pound that way.
When I get the sales papers I look through them and make a list of what's on sale that I need.
I rarely buy myself anything I want. I usually stick to my needs only.

I don't drive a lot during the month, so that saves me on gas money.
And I"m thinking of turning off my land line and internet next month to save up to get some things done I need done for me.