Money Saving Tips

This is where the gals can have their very own discussions...

Postby mandy » Fri Jan 02, 2009 12:48 am

Ok heres the monthly bump. :lol:

Now that the economy is so bad, what are some of ways are you saving money? Do you use coupons for groceries, do you go to the thrift store? What does every one do to save a buck?
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Postby CAJUN LADY » Fri Jan 02, 2009 3:57 pm

mandy wrote:Ok heres the monthly bump. :lol:

Now that the economy is so bad, what are some of ways are you saving money? Do you use coupons for groceries, do you go to the thrift store? What does every one do to save a buck?


Mandy, I'm big into coupons. I cut them from the coupon inserts in Sunday's paper and use them religiously. I saved a whopping $43.25 in one trip to Wal-Mart with coupons and use every product I bought. No kidding!! I had a whole bunch of Buy-One/Get-One Free coupons AND a coupon for the one I had to buy so I got a lot of things really cheap. I had a list of what I was going to shop for, had $100 and coupons. When it was all wrung up and the coupons taken off, the total came out to $99.35. The lady at Wal-Mart said that the was most coupons she has ever seen so far. I was so excited and proud when I got home and showed Brian.

We also watch the sale papers on Wednesday and stock up on the B1/G1 Free from our grocery store, Publix. I shop the Thrift Store because I like used dishes, especially pretty cups and saucers. And Garage Sales are fun and cost saving. Well, my husband might not think so. :lol:
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Postby mandy » Fri Jan 02, 2009 9:11 pm

Hey Rebecca Good Ideas. I need to start coupon clipping, I'm on the local Freecycle, where I give away stuff I don't need and get things that I do for free. :) Come on Ladies I'm sure Rebecca and I are the only ones.

What do you do to save money?
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Postby Miriam C. » Fri Jan 02, 2009 9:57 pm

:o We decided to save my waist line and quit eating out so much. We were going to lunch every day. It was our "time." Now we will have to be more creative.

Mike does the shopping and is very good at keeping costs down. We also have venison in the freezer. At $0.80 cents per pound to dress it sure makes a difference.
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Postby mandy » Fri Jan 02, 2009 10:49 pm

Good Idea Aunti M. I can save more money brown bagging my lunch. I eat lunch out way too much. That can save me like 25-30 dollars a week.

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Postby martha24 » Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:52 am

Mandy,
Watching the ads, especially food ads can save you money. Things that I use regularly I stock up on when they are on sale.
Also some stores are cheaper than other ones. We don't have a Walmart around here, but Trader Joes is cheaper than grocery stores on some things and is where I buy most dairy products. I also tend to shop at Costco, some of their things are definitely cheaper than regular stores.

Cooking from scratch is cheaper than convenience products too. Sometimes I like to make a big batch of something and freeze it or enough for more than one night. I personally don't like to have to cook dinner every night.

Depending on spending habits, take a close look at what is a necessity versus a luxury. Unfortunately things like ice cream, one of my favorite treats, really are a luxury and not a necessity, not only money wise but calorie wise too. :roll: :lol:

The another thing I do to save money is keep the house on the cooler side during the winter and wear a sweater or sweatshirt in the house. During periods when it is colder and I have the heater on more, I see a definite increase in the heating bill. Around here we don't have air conditioning so I don't have that cost during the summer.

Those are some of the things I do to save money. By saving money it gives me the choice to spend it on other things. :thumbsup:
This year I need to watch my spending as every month I'm putting money into the account for my daughter's wedding next July. Even a "low budget" wedding is expensive. :shock:

Happy saving,
Martha ;)

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Postby Tear Fan » Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:53 am

XX chromosome intruding here - Sorry! Check this - http://frugalliving.about.com/ . I'm outta here!!!

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Postby Arne » Sat Jan 03, 2009 9:49 am

I save money by not using coupons. I have very simple needs. Once in a while I'll see an ad for some food item I do use. Then I think, what, how dumb am I.... use a gallon of gas, 3/4 hour of my time, to drive to the store to get one sale item and save a couple of bucks?..... nope.. pay full price next time I go for my weekly run.

Now, if it still happens to be on sale, then I will buy it.

I also do all my shopping at the closest store. It is 1 mile from my house. The next closest is about 6 miles and 6 traffic signals and a bunch of stop signs....

Last time I went, I bought my usual baby ruth candy bars, ice cream and cookies... all brands bought because they were on sale..... saved 49% on my bill. baby ruths are almost always on sale.

The only thing I will make a special trip for is lobster when it is on sale (usually 4.99/lb). I also shop early morning so there are no lines and I don't waste my time waiting. I do wait till 8 a.m. because that is when the liquor store next door is open and I can get my 3 liter jug of taylor tawny port..... ah, then it's snack time.

oh, just for the record, Kathleen is a full blown vegetarian and buys nothing but organic foods.... she is the main meal maker. I only purchase 'personal items'.
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Postby Eunice » Sat Jan 03, 2009 10:05 am

I tried the coupon thing but it was a disaster. I kept forgetting to use them and then they would expire. I should try again.
Kenny and I do yard sales and thriftstores but I seem to buy things I dont really need. I buy on sale and shop at Costco. When we go on a trip and there is a Walmart I ALWAYS take a long list. I have a pantry and have at least a years supply of food. I cook and do very little of the prepared food. We also quit eating out as much.
I now have several errands before I go down town instead of just one.
I also went around the house and unplugged a lot of things that I dont use all the time. Read an article where a lady did that and saved a bunch on her electric bill. items like the bread maker, the juicer and the kitchen center. Will see if it makes a difference.
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Postby S. Heisley » Sat Jan 03, 2009 12:36 pm

I could probably write a small book, but here are some basics:

Buying on sale/with coupons

I tried the coupon way of buying and what I found was that, quite often, the coupon item (even with the subtraction of the coupon-touted savings) has a higher price than what I would usually buy. (I wonder if some stores increase the price just before they issue the coupon.)

On a 2 for 1 sale, stores will often only have 2 or 3 of the product on the shelf so you think you can't get more than that. (But you usually can.)

Soooo:

1) If the item in the coupon is not something you usually buy, check the discounted price against the price of your usual purchase and buy the one that is less. (If it's what you usually buy, you'd probably get it anyway.)

2) If the coupon or buy1/get1 free deal is a brand you would usually purchase, buy as many as you are allowed. (If there's a limit, it'll say so on the coupon.)

3) If they don't have your purchase limit stocked, get a rain check and go back later when they have it. (This will probably be when the sale is over.)

- - - - -

Saving Energy is also Saving Money!

- In the winter, set the house thermostat at 55 at night and add an extra blanket on the bed. Get out the flannels and the fleece clothes. Set the thermostat at 64 during the day and layer your day-time clothing with a T-shirt under your sweatshirt. (When company comes, I turn up the thermostat.)

- If it's a warm, sunny day, open the blinds/curtains on the side the sun is presently on. Close the blinds/curtains in the evening and when the sun is not on that side. If you hate cold bathrooms when you shower, use a room heater. Don't turn up the house thermostat to heat one room. If you're worried about water pipes freezing, wrap them so they are protected. If you have a particularly bad spot where even wrapped pipes freeze, if the house temperature is lowered, try lowering the temperature in gradual steps to see how low you can go. You can put an incandescent light, (no shade on it) turned on in the area of the pipe. (Make certain the bulb is not too close to anything that might catch fire.) The electrical incandescent bulb will use less energy than the house furnace plus many electrical companies are using more renewable sources to create electricity.

- Exchange your incandescent light bulbs for florescent ones. You can save money and do this gradually by changing them in the rooms you spend the most time in first.

- If you can, bundle your shopping visits so that you only drive your car/truck to the stores and appointments once a week. If you work, do your shopping on the way home, if possible.
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Postby Miriam C. » Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:02 pm

:thumbsup: and for those pipes prone to freezing a heat tape works wonders and doesn't use a lot of electricity. :thumbsup:
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Postby CAJUN LADY » Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:36 pm

Mandy:

A couple of things I forgot - we use CF bulbs in our lamps (except for one reading lamp next to me). They cost a bit more but last so long and save a lot of energy.

Also, we had our water heater die on us a year ago last Thanksgiving. Yes, Thanksgiving day! We lived without hot water for 1 week and then had a tankless water heater installed. This was more expensive than the regular tank heaters but the monthly cost savings was fantastic. It only heats the water when you turn on the hot water in the house, therefore you don't have a burner kicking on every couple of hours to heat water and adding to your electric bill. Our electric bill went down almost $90 the first month. Now it is averaging $75 less per month than what we used to pay. We are very pleased with it.

True about somethings are not worth buying even with a coupon. You have to watch carefully. I will always use coupons...I like the challenge and I like the savings.

I too like to pack a lunch. I love chicken breast so it's nothing to grill one in the morning on those little George Foreman thingies, make a Cesar salad, cut up some fruit and I have a good lunch for cheap. We don't eat out very often at all and when we do, we usually do it on a gift certificate we may have gotten for a birthday, Christmas present or special occasion. We keep them for those "lean days".
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Postby Arne » Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:53 pm

We have energy saving lights in every socket. We have the tv, vcr, stereo and all things that use 'phantom' electricity on power strips... our monthly electricity bill runs around 55bucks a month... lowest was 37.....

When I was building the t/d, it was a bit higher, but tools that take a fair amount of elect are used only briefly..... with garage doors open, don't need lights, except for one when doing inside work......

I have a 50 mpg scooter I use when I can.... otherwise I use recumbent bicycle or minivan (only when pressed).....

Life is good. home is paid for, and we live cheap. Tonight is chinese (great food) and local pool hall (not sleazy).... a good night out... together. for me, together is good.

I've got way too much stuff now... my last purchase was a compass for geocaching... my last m/c bill was $237 including gas.... I've got enough crap. I avoid ads... they make me want things I don't need.
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Postby S. Heisley » Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:37 pm

Miriam wrote:
and for those pipes prone to freezing a heat tape works wonders and doesn't use a lot of electricity.


Great idea, Auntie M!

I've thought about those new 'on demand' water heaters, like Becca has.
That idea is especially good for people who already heat their water with electricity. (Mine is gas and would entail running a new electrical line or changing the water pipe$.) I think they have little individual units that can be connected under the sink, though....Don't know the cost.

When my clothes dryer dies, I will probably replace it with an electric one because I think it's important to curtail using an energy product that might have to come from another country.

Another idea: Whenever I can, I depend on crock pots and toaster ovens instead of my big oven. That helps a lot.
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Postby Todah Tear » Sat Jan 03, 2009 3:38 pm

One thing that I have been doing for the past year or two is periodically, I go through my stuff for things that I bought, but didn't use. Since most have bar codes on them, it makes it easy to return them. I started returning them and getting cash or store credit instead of hanging onto them in hopes that I'll use whatever it is someday.

One Tuesdays, many restaurants let kids under 12 eat for free. If you have cable TV, think about down-sizing. I have basic, basic cable.

Where did you buy your tank-less water heater?

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