Ways of Cutting Costs

[Minnymouth]

Okay here goes, another thread on ways to help all of us survive in this new expensive era that we are living in...... where EVERYTHING is going up but my paycheck.

If you have any ideas or suggestions or ways that you cut your monthly expenses.........please list them too.

Mine consist of:

1. Turning off the a/c and furnace when no one is home..... temperature inside only changes 6 degrees in summer and winter both.

2. Program hot water heater to heat during peak periods of use only.

3. Gas fireplaces are pretty, clean and EXPENSIVE. Wood is still the cheapest to burn and many will give it too you free if you'll go get it. Pallets and old wood lattice make great firestarters. Rolled up newspapers with a little charcoal fluid on them make great firestarters.

4. Make sure your home is insullated good and you have good seals around windows and doors.

5. Shut off rooms and vents that you don't use.

6. Install ceiling fans to circulate heat ad air.

7. Only buy "fast foods" as a special treat for family. Cook for a change.........good balanced meals.

8. Rent DVD's instead of buying them..... once you watch it you'll probably never watch it again..... so why buy??? Net-flix or Blockbusters offers a monthly fee $19.99 for all the movies you can watch............no postage required.

9. Rotate tire regularly, get the most out of them.

10.Maintain good maintenance on your vehicles. An ounce of prevention stops big repair bills. (Especially ladies..... you and the "oil light".........!!!!) When the oil light comes on - it's almost too late....................

11. Bottled water is bottled by a "water district"....... bottle your own to take to work. Do you realize "how much???" you are paying for a gallon of water at the store compared to what you are paying for a gallon thru your water company???? If you want filtered water, buy a filter.............. a lot cheaper!!!!

12. Combine you cable, internet, phone in one package deal and get unlimited long distance!! Lots of savings there...... (I personally LOVE THIS, can talk to friends/family all over the USA for one low monthly price and service is great plus have high-speed internet and cable also. Wished I had done this sooner!!!

13. Clip those "coupons" and use them when the item is on Sale! Lots of savings there, especially on basic items - mayo, catsup, cereal, etc.

14. Buy meats on sale in family packages. Stock up the freezer for the rest of the month at Sale prices.

15. Buy clothes at end of season. Who's fashionable - I'm NOT! Fashion does not change that much over a year. One year I bought a leather jacket for $4.00 at JC Pennys. Yes, JC Pennys - leather for $4.00......... CHECK OUT THOSE RACKS, LADIES..........

16. Can't do your own nails now....... Shame on you! That is a luxury that many can't afford but do anyways. Its only to make you feel good, I'm sure...... Surely we haven't gotten so lazy that we can't do our own nails anymore.....

17. Shop around for insurance on home, car, health, life. All with the same company means DISCOUNTS.....

18. New car Fever.........try buying a trade-in that's 2 years old and about $5000-$7000 cheaper......(right up my alley). You KNOCK the new off of it, get the kinks out of it, and then I'll buy it and drive it for the next 15-20 years. LOL, my last car I bought is now 20 years old, I've been driving it for 18 years now - a trade in..... The only purpose a auto serves is to get you from one place to another - hopefully safe. A status symbol - not at my house.

19. Pack that lunch for work. Eating out every day can really add up quickly, especially if you have a spouse that likes to eat at the finer places in town.

20. Have a yearly "yard sale or garage sale" - clean out what you don't use and make a buck. Your trash is someone's treasure. Donate anything left to Goodwill and get a tax writeoff this year.

21. If you have to have an appraisal done on your home, compare it too your property taxes. Make sure the county is not charging you high property taxes on something that is decreasing in value. Also claim the "homestead exemption" at the property tax office if your over 65 to cut your property taxes.

22. Contact medicine companies if you have no insurance or drug coverage. Often they will arrange for you to get your meds cheaper or even free thru their programs.

23. Take advantage of "free classes" offered at the local college or high school or vocational school in your area. Many offer computer classes free in evening classes.

24. Teach your children the "value" of a dollar, and how hard it is for you to earn it. It will help them in the future.

25. On big ticket items - look at it TODAY - THINK ABOUT IT FOR TWO DAYS.....then see if you still want to buy it!!!

NOTHINGS FREE IN THIS WORLD - everything has a price tag attached too it. If we can help cut that price tag a little, we have saved ourselves money to use on something else.

PS. Adopt a Pet....... you'll have friend for life!!

Minny

[$$only4ever]

Minnymouth,

Great suggestions! I have a few more:

1) Utilize the Walmart $4.00 Rx plan even if you have prescription coverage. I have saved over $300 so far this year.

2) If possible use public transportation as a means of commuting to work. By taking the light rail to work I save over $100 a month in just gas, but much less wear and tear on my vehicle.

3) This is for the mature ladies: Instead of a beautician dying your hair at $50 monthly, learn how to do it yourself. You can buy the same supplies that they use at a discount supply house. I spend about $25.00 for supplies and can dye my hair six times. The store that I go to knocks off 20% because I am over 50. My hairdresser told me that I dye my hair as good as a professional.

4) Learn your prices..Shop at more than one store and take advantage of the discounted prices, weekly sales, etc. The savings well outweigh the few extra dollars that you spend for gas.

5) If you can, try to quit smoking. It is amazing how much money you have when you are not buying cigarettes. I quit because I wanted to get my nails professionally done. I guess I am more vain than I was addicted, lol.

[guzzie]

good post....

[Bandit]

you can buy a 15-watt fluorescent bulb that produces the same amount of light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb & will last for years.
If it burns out in two years, keep the receipts & Home Depot will replace them at no charge.

Switch out the porch & outside lghts for sodium vapor, use timers or motion sensor.

Use battery clocks on the wall instead of electric ones. One day I unplugged all the clocks in the house & the electric meter almost came to a complete stop.

http://www.gasbuddy.com/

Gasbuddy-My cousin uses that site every time he has to fill up & saves a good 20% at the pump.

Schedule & map out the trips into town to take care of many things along the way. I have a pretty good routine for this.

Going out of business is one of the best times to get large appliances. Scratch & Dent is another good one. An efficient washing machine for large families will drop the water & gas bill. One that spins sideways instead of horizontal. Load it up twice as full with half the detergent!

A wood stove will definately drop the heat bill by 1/2 to 2/3, or you could just use it on the weekends & at night to supplement. Used properly, they are safe & it will pay for itself half way through the first winter.
Oak is the best on the real cold days-There is a whole science to this that seems to have been lost in a modern society, but I figured it all out .
I know that not everyone can do this but I dropped my heat bill from 4500 a year to 1200.

If you have the space & sun, do grow some of your own veggies. The harvest is well worth the time it takes to plant.

Be constantly aware of the seasons & weather. It can save so much time & prevent those last minute "I forgot panic" decisions that we wish later we would have done it sooner.

Many stores honor big ticket sale prices from other stores.

I did something neat last year. I went in by mistake to the grocery store the day after Thanksgiving. All the people who ordered cooked turkeys & trimmings but did not pick them up, were being pushed out the door for 75% off. I think I got the whole cooked Turkey (vacuum sealed), gravy, stuffing, pie, sweet potaoes, cranberry & trimmings for about 15.00
Of course I still plan a pilgrim dinner the way I always do for thursday. The above was just a bonus that I never thought about before.
I will probably do that again this year because the precooked turkey will go into the freezer & will be great during the winter. I was happy that it worked out so well.

I wonder if they do the same thing for the Hams at Christmas?

Looking forward to hearing more money & time saving tips.

[Minnymouth]

Bandit,
Having worked in a grocery store for many years part-time - YES, there are exceptional buys the day after the holiday.....
I have bought "crown roast" - prepared and ready to cook for hardly anything per lb. They have to sell it or loose it completely. Also, an overload of seafood results in lots of frozen or fresh shrimp dropping drastically in price the next day.

Many folks do not realize that the grocery stores get overstocked too for the holidays and have to sell it or loose it....just like Walmart, Krogers, Save-a-lot, etc.....

Country hams are a fine example of overstocking. Regular and spiral hams are too. They really come down in price next day after a holiday.

Not only are there "toy and clothing sales" after the holidays, grocery stores have to unload their excess also.

Meats, seafood, pies, desserts, pumpkins, all things that can be frozen and reused later go on sale....... also items like cake mixes, cookie dough and decorating items/spices.

So while your hitting the after Thanksgiving Sale/or After Christmas Sale - check out the grocery store too....... money well saved....

[Keebler]

9. Rotate tire regularly, get the most out of them.

Talk to a tire guy and learn a little bit about your tires and understand the pressure they're rated for. Consider running the tire pressure up near the tire's ratings. Auto manufacturers tend to specify the pressure for noise and comfort. Running tires with higher pressure lowers rolling resistance and you can get an extra MPG or two for free.

10.Maintain good maintenance on your vehicles. An ounce of prevention stops big repair bills. (Especially ladies..... you and the "oil light".........!!!!) When the oil light comes on - it's almost too late....................

Learn how to change your own oil! It's easy once you've done it a couple of times and you'll be suprised how many problems you'll find with your car just by looking around under the hood. Fix things before they break!

12. Combine you cable, internet, phone in one package deal and get unlimited long distance!! Lots of savings there...... (I personally LOVE THIS, can talk to friends/family all over the USA for one low monthly price and service is great plus have high-speed internet and cable also. Wished I had done this sooner!!!

I did exactly the opposite. Avoid paying fixed rates for things that you don't need. I use the same Internet phone service as the flat-rate companies do and I pay for the minutes I use -- no more and no less. The same is true with your Cell Phone! (When it was still available, I used to pay by the minute for my local phone calls too!) I need to be on the phone for hours to spend more than people do with thier flat-rates and it doesn't happen every month.

[twuoo]

If you live near a Meijers, you can get certain antibiotic prescriptions for free. Check the list and ask your doctor to write out for that antibiotic.

[kcsmom76]

I don't have anything to add.

Just wanted to say thanks.

[ohwell]

Rent movies from the library, and children's books (its great for our baby, saves us tons of money instead buying all those baby books she might not even care for!!)

Salvation Army for clothes, in some areas you can find the designer stuff for way cheap and hardly even worn.

Ebay is a best friend of mine for xmas gifts, clothes - and a great great way to make money too!!

Another thing too, save those gift receipts, and take that step and return the item for something else you can use or get store credit and hit the sales season to get more items!!

Generic items at the grocery store, and just do research for household items. I save receipts, and go to other stores when I am shopping for other items, and see if the items there are cheaper than what was on the receipt. I have to go to several stores to get all my household goods, but its worth it!!

And a good old homemade DVD to send to long distance relatives is great for a present Memories are worth way more than some sweater or cologne!

[Bandit]

Bandit,
Country hams are a fine example of overstocking. Regular and spiral hams are too. They really come down in price next day after a holiday....

I will certainly be looking for the cooked hams on the day after Christmas! I have been thinking about a duck for something different.

I just lucked out that one year by popping in & learned it was good day to shop for fresh, quality cooked meats. They were almost begging me to buy more. It was kind of funny because they were bargaining with me over the counter.

[Bandit]

Talk to a tire guy and learn a little bit about your tires and understand the pressure they're rated for. Consider running the tire pressure up near the tire's ratings. Auto manufacturers tend to specify the pressure for noise and comfort. Running tires with higher pressure lowers rolling resistance and you can get an extra MPG or two for free.

There was something on the news tonight about filling up the tires with some kind of gas other than 02 & that was supposed to save a lot of gasoline. I missed the report so I don't know if that is true or what type of gas.
Did you ever hear of that?