How do you save money!

[Jar]

I have a supermarket here that has great sales every week and they're good about varying the products. I stock up on things on sale. If there's roast on sale I cook it and split it up into sandwich size meals for lunch and freeze them. Also do the same for dinner portions. I like to cook and it saves money doing it that way.

[Mopsie]

Originally Posted by Okiebug61

I am really tired of the $90.00 monthly bill to watch only 8 channels. I am seriously thinking about ditching our service and trying a digital antenna.

I found this sight and it is a great resource.

http://www.antennaweb.org/default.aspx

Does anyone here have any insight they would like to share?

I'm really curious about how these work. One of my friends mentioned it the other day and I am thinking of getting one. Did you get one? How is it?

[Okiebug61]

Originally Posted by Mopsie

I'm really curious about how these work. One of my friends mentioned it the other day and I am thinking of getting one. Did you get one? How is it?

I will be having one installed early spring and will keep you updated!

[deathbypoem]

I had to BUMP this thread. Anything I can do to save a buck, you bet your ass I will do it!

Here are just a few ways that I enjoy saving money

Extreme Couponing
Repurposing leftovers
Making my own laundry detergent
Reviewing FREE products for Amazon
And NEVER paying full price for ANYTHING!

Need a tutorial? Feel free to hit me up!

[boioboi]

I cut my cell phone out of my life. I have GoogleVoice (which works only when I have WiFi, which is 85% of the time). Cut $120 off my budget per month.

[SirenManda]

Three things I've done to help control over spending:
1. Only eat out once a week, and make sure its not over $20.
2. Only buy what you NEED, never what you want. Anything over $50 needs to wait until it's on sale or if you can sell something to upgrade. (I do this with iPhones, I sell the last to upgrade to the newest. I've done it 4 years in a row).
3. Sit down and thing about whats important, buying to hoard things or having less that means more. I grew up with very limited funds, as an adult it's important to me I have a savings more than it is I have a bunch of crap I don't need.

This may help someone.

[Jesse]

Let's see, I cut my cable and replaced it with Hulu and later, a Roku. Now my bill is $7.99 monthly for tv.

I cut my cell phone bill to a flat $60 monthly by dropping Verizon and going to Metro PCS instead. With that I get unlimited everything and have no problems with calls being dropped etc.

I make my own laundry soap & liquid hand soap.

I drive a 15 year old truck, so no monthly payments.

I cook most of my meals rather than eating out a lot.

I quit smoking a few years back, which saves me a lot of money.

When shopping, if I find something that I use fairly often I try to buy when it's on sale and stock up then.

I filter my water rather than buying it in bottles. Granted, I pay $22 for a filter, but that gives me 535 gallons...maybe a little more.

I cut my hair rather than pay someone else to do it.

I also get fuel perks from my grocery store, so I try to wait until near the end of the month to fill up the tank on my truck.

There's more, but I am sleepy and need to think about this more. I did see a couple of good ideas on here I haven't tried yet. Good thread!

[Angeltoes]

Very slowly... I love Jesse's idea about making laundry soap. I would like to do that not only to save money, but also because I don't particularly feel like giving my money to the corporations who test on animals and exploit human beings.

It would be great to be a homesteader and learn how to live the zero waste lifestyle.

[Nattih]

- Cooking at home. Anything I have a taste for, I try to learn how to make.

- Amazon fire stick and hulu for entertainment. They have plenty of free shows and movies that come with my Amazon prime membership as well.

- Grandfathered into a family plan on sprint that leaves my portion of the bill at $35 a month for everything. Never leaving

- I put half of my pay in another account. I still use the account but I find without looking at it each day when I check at my balance, I tend to leave it alone.

- I used to purchase home decor, clothing, and toiletries that I didn't open or use. now if I dont use it within a month, its listed.

- All body and hair care is done at home.

- Being a minimalist has saved me a lot of money. I have a personal challenge to always be able to fit the entirety of my belongings inside of the 5x8 Uhaul (haha) cargo trailer, furniture included. If I am getting too "cluttered" I downsize.

- Hand washing. I hand wash my "nice" clothing and dry them on a rack to keep them nice.

[Kätzchen]

I've learned to live on what I earn, by spending my earnings in modest ways. I keep all my living expenses to a minimum and paid in full, on a monthly basis, which is super tricky if the power bill escalates during intermittent cold spells, but it's entirely something I've learned to monitor closely.

When it comes to grocery shopping, I limit my purchases to a monthly total of $300.00 (cash), because I shop for items that are fresh, local, and stay with foods that are healthy for my overall physical health.

As far as having extra money on hand (the savings acct), I bank at a Credit Union, taking advantage of special offerings like getting small personal loans, which I never spend. I just sink the entire loan into my savings account, never touch it, make the monthly payments for a year, earn a great credit rating for timely payments, collect dividend interest on the money sitting in my account, then do it again each year, etc. I have a nice nest egg to tap in case I ever need to use it. I love my credit union!

[Gayandgray]

I quit smoking, I try to buy the store brand instead of name brand on some stuff, we eat at home a lot more. I'm actually trying to come up with new ideas to save right now, rather than take on a part time job.

[Jar]

I have an online savings account and money is transferred automatically every payday from my checking. It's like money I never see. For splurge money I have a change jar that all my change goes into ...... It adds up

[Soon]

Originally Posted by Jar

I have an online savings account and money is transferred automatically every payday from my checking.

Me too! In just a few years, I have managed to save quite a bit in my TFS (tax free savings account)! Best banking decision!

[cinnamongrrl]

I do some eco stuff that also equates to money saving.

I turn my heat down while I'm at work and when I go to bed. So really, there's only several hours that its turned up for

If I'm baking something in the oven I try to plan ahead of there's something I can cook ahead while the oven is hot. Like sweet potatoes. I won't turn on the oven just to bake one alone.
.I unplug any big plugs (cell phone, computer etc) when not in use. I also turn off the power strip that my TV is plugged into.

I shut off lights religiously. My gram had a lot to do with that
...it works. My electric bill before winter was always around $40.

My cell phone bill I cut from $50 to $40 by choosing a different plan. I could even go down to $30...but talk isn't unlimited.

I got rid of cable since its not only a money sucker but a time sucker. I'm reading a lot more now. But I do miss football

I used to always hang wash out, bit now that its winter I arrange a drying rack over a heating vent and my wash dries by morning. I figure what energy I do use should do double duty.

I got eco friendly bulbs in all my lamps and over heads. First thing I do when I move into a place actually....

I too filter my water. There's enough plastic in the world.

I always look for things on sale when I need them. Or free on Craigslist. Often just putting it into the universe yields you some good finds. That's how I got my composter.

I thrift shop for most things. Around here they support animal shelters and hospices. So my shopping dollars do good deeds too. And when I purge some stuff, they are the first ones I bring it to.

I'm thinking about asking my groomer to barter grooming for cleaning. Or making cookies for her clients. The four legged ones. Grooming costs a heap. My poodle needs it every few months...so. it would help. Bartering is a craigslist thing too. Never hurts to try.

[Jar]

Originally Posted by cinnamongrrl

I got rid of cable since its not only a money sucker but a time sucker. I'm reading a lot more now. But I do miss football

I got eco friendly bulbs in all my lamps and over heads

I too filter my water. There's enough plastic in the world.

I filter water too. Bottled water is a waste of money IMO. I have those Eco bulbs too and I'm looking into alternatives to cable. My mom has had me hooked on football the last couple years so I would miss that and the ID crime channel.

[Gayandgray]

Ya know, I been thinking about getting a clothes line! It would save a lot on using the darn dryer, especially in the summer.

[Orema]

I saved a lot of money last year by cooking and making almost all my own food. This year I've started making my own kale chips and have all the ingredients to make my first batch of laundry detergent. (Thanks to some tips from Jesse)

I also make my own bar soap sometimes.

I ditched cable years ago and just stream movies and tv shows with a media box.

I intentionally moved close to work to lower my carbon stamp and that saves money on transportation.

[Gayandgray]

Wow making home made laundry soap would be a great idea! I'm my local Walmart, a big container of Tide is almost $20!!!! And Gain is only a few bucks cheaper

[Orema]

Originally Posted by Gayandgray

Wow making home made laundry soap would be a great idea! I'm my local Walmart, a big container of Tide is almost $20!!!! And Gain is only a few bucks cheaper

I'm tellin' ya. Send me a PM if you want the recipe and I'll be happy to share it. It doesn't seem difficult and it's not nearly as complicated as making bar soap.

Jesse is the one who guided me on how to do it. I'll probably make my first batch in the next week or two.

[Gayandgray]

Oh cool! Let me know how it turns out!!!! I just may have to try it out.