Cutting Expenses.............

[Minnymouth]

I keep hearing folks talk about big electric bills this winter and trying to cut costs.
Okay, here's a thread to post ideas on how to cut cost - whether it be on utitlities, car maintenance, insurance, etc.
Maybe suggestions might help others keep their finances in line.....

I'll start us out,

1. I don't buy anything big until I sleep on it 24 hours....
2. I turn my thermostat off when I leave the house (only goes down 6 degrees in sub-zero weather) and I'm gone 9 hours a day or more.
3. I buy quality merchandise that will last. Lots of cheap items are cheaply made.
4. I'm not a complusive buyer.... don't need, don't buy..
5. Don't try to keep up with the Jones.
6. I make sure my home is winterized.
7. I check my auto fluids often.
8. A car two years old will take me the same places as a new one - without the extra expense and loss of value.
9. I insurance shop each year - talk to my agent - he always offers me a better rate when I tell him I'm shopping around.
10. All credit cards and checking accounts are no fee accounts.
11. Pay all bills early, prevent any penalties or fees.
(This is great for your credit report also)
12. Buy groceries on sale (bulk) that I use.
13. Limit my trips to grocery and shopping stores (helps prevent over buying, impulsive buying) Many times "window shopping" can cost you a bundle!!!
14. Do not use the "highest" cable or satellite programs available - too expensive, much of it you won't watch!
15. Use tracphone for emergencies - cheap (this won't work for families with lots of kids and cell phones)
16. Limit long distance calls to nites after 9 pm and weekends.
17. Do not pay $2.00 for a loaf of Wonder Bread when the store brand is made by the same company for $.99.
18. Do not buy produce out of season - cantelope, etc.
19. All liquid soap is made from the same base (each company adds their own color, scent) - my brother hauled soap base in barrells all over the country to different companies - same stuff. That's what I use - soap base...
no dyes, no perfumes, no additives...WORKS GREAT... CHEAP....
20. Rooms freshners freshin your home - opening the doors and windows does too.........Fresh air is a lot cheaper and less hard on the sinus.
21. Garbarge bags with fancy ties/handles cost a great deal more than those you tie yourself.... just compare...
22. Change banks if your bank is one of those that charges a maintenance fee on your checking account + a fee for scanning your checks (those that don't return checks anymore) + a fee if you need a copy of each check later. Talk about a rip-off.
23. Watch ATM cards that charge a fee whenever you use it no matter where.
24. Watch debit cards that require a signature, it costs you. Your pin # should be enough and there is no charge for it.
25. Remember the most expensive item or product is NOT ALWAYS THE BEST.....

Ok Folks, you have any suggestions???

Now that we are all broke from bankruptcy!!

[robivi3]

I don't know how folks who don't make good money down here (SoFla) do it. My utilities are thus:
Electric: AVG (Budget bill) 242.00 monthly
Phone & Inet 78.00 pr. mo.
Water/Sewer/Garbage 100.00 mo.
Cell (4 phones) 140.00 mo.
HOA fees 115.00 mo.

Insurance,
Cars/Health(I pay for family)/Home/Flood
1033.00

Groceries run 220.00 pr week for us and three teen boys
Mortgage on a TH 1408.00

It's getting unliveable here.

[FilingOnMyOwn]

Excellent work Minny. The point about buying 'quality' instead of 'cheap' was one of the best points that many people don't understand. You can buy the same 'cheap' thing over and over, or buy quality and buy it only once.

Sleeping on big purchases overnite is also a big one.

As well as buying in bulk, and avoiding convenience items. But once again the 'quality' comes into play here. When buying a new grocery product for the first time, I'll buy the smallest one, to make sure I like it. Then buy the largest bulk quantity or cheapest per unit. I've made the mistake many times of buying something in bulk that I ending up not using and going to waste.

I too only use heat when at home, and temp falls below 65 degrees. And for summertime driving, using the A/C in your car will sap you 5mpg or more. Roll down the windows and sweat it out!

[sunshine08]

I do the equal pay plan with the light company.
Buy at the season end sales (especially for grandson)
We use the gas logs to heat house (need to replace central unit - looking around & saving money) also use electric blanket, especially when I am home alone for a couple days at the time

[Minnymouth]

Robivi3,

I really don't KNOW how some people make it from month to month... Especially on one income and it min wage or slightly above.

They are making it almost impossible for a single person to survive by themselves. A single woman has the same expenses that a married couple does minus the kids.....
And being single they hit you with "more taxes"...... out of the paycheck....

Even cutting corners, buying sensibly, and watching the almighty dollar every month single people still have a very hard time staying even or trying to put back for a rainy day...

How retires on a limited budget such as SS make it I'll never know. Most of them do without meds, etc.

I've seen times that even though I have good insurance I've had to tell the pharmacy - NOPE - not paying $80.00 for that med - (because it wasn't on our pharmacy lists of med insurance would pay for).. soooo I did without it. Told the dr. - find something else...

At least people with kids get a financial break at the end of the year with credits.....

Irritates me that at the end of the year someone that has 2 or 3 kids can get refunds of $3-4K dollars back and they have drawn food stamps/welfare all year.... They sure never paid it in like you and I have.... So how come they can get so much back. My paycheck helps pay their welfare, yet they get more and more back all the time for doing nothing......... (a sore spot with me)....

Don't get me wrong, I do not mind my taxes "helping" people in need...... but when they live better than I do, on my taxes, then something is WRONG WITH THE SYSTEM....

I can't imagine living in Fla and having your expense, mine are bad enough here in Ky.

But as long as I can survive, I will.... when I can't I'll go back to the 2nd job again to get ahead of the game a little.

My thoughts,

[lilgoose]

One thing that no one has mentioned yet is buying and selling on eBay. I have bought most of my daughter's clothes off there since she was about 2. I will buy things that are like new or new and am careful with the laundering and stain removal. I then turn around and sell them again, which gives me the $$$ to start the next season. If you are careful, you can really get some super deals! Just watch and see what brands have an excellent resale value.

You never know what people will buy. I just sold a foam child's couch for almost $20 more than I originally paid for it 3 years ago! Those kind of profits are not common for me, but as long as I can keep my kids in some decent clothes, that is all that I am concerned with. Of course, buying new kitchen towels or pants for myself is always a nice thing~especially when it is paid for by things that I have sold. This is how I bought most of my kid's Christmas presents also!

Now, another money-saving tip: We use kerosene heaters (yes, we are very careful with them) while we are up in the daytime. I very rarely turn on the heat. I may run it for an hour when the oldest is getting ready for school and then turn it off. I have only ran it (set at 50) on the nights in Dec when we hit single digits. We have the heated mattress pads and don't miss not having the furnace run at night. This has saved us around $120 to $150 a month just in heating costs! Kerosene runs $2.99 a gallon and we seem to go thru about 10 gallons a week. Of course, we turn them off when we are gone.

I also buy in bulk when I can. We have a membership to Sam's Club. We have been experimenting with some of their brands and most seem to be okay and a great buy. You do have to be careful with these bulk items because they still can cost more even tho' they are the bulk size. Gotta shop around and compare the prices and the gas and time involved in shopping around.

Some really great tips! Will keep checking in to see what else has been added......

[SinkingFast]

"How retires on a limited budget such as SS make it I'll never know. Most of them do without meds, etc."

That's why Mom is with us. By the time she pays for her Medi-Gap insurance policy, and now Plan D, and her meds and doctors visits, she's broke.

She's been in kidney failure for a couple years now, and evidently from her last visit, she's taken a turn for the worse. Where she'd see the kidney specialist every 3 months or so for monitoring, now we're going every month. She's not to dialysis yet, but very close. Just a matter of time now. They are prepping her for dialysis as well. She's had vein mapping in her arms so the doctor can decide how he will need to proceed. We're supposed to go to a Dialysis meeting to learn about the different types and what to expect.

If she had to pay for a place to live, and call a taxi to get around, she couldn't do it. She'd have to choose between her health and food.

[StaciMM]

About helping on utility bills-get a programmable thermostat. You can get one for under $30 at Home Depot/Lowe's, and you can probably install it yourself. With that, you can set the house temp to automatically adjust at certain times. You can program it to lower/raise the setting-depending on time of year-at times when no one is home, or at night when everyone is sleeping. Turning the heat/air on/off constantly can waste energy, as it may take longer to get back to the desired setting. (Especially in the summer months.)

[Minnymouth]

Sinkingfast,
Real sorry to hear about your mom's health issues. I sure went thru it with my mom (4 years bedridden-stroke) before she passed away..... I worked, hired sitters, and kept her in my home till the end. Lots of sleepless nites during that 4 years...
Parents that have to live with their children for health reasons or just plain on financial reasons I feel sorry for.
They loose their independence, and some their will to "go on living".
It's a "national shame" that society has made it almost impossible for the elderly to live on their own and them in good health.
When its time for parents to have guardians (health reasons and financial reasons) then I do feel its time children stepped up to the plate and took care of business. Either help their folks financially, or at least make arrangements where they are taken care.

Many folks cannot take care of their parents (some just don't want too) or are not finanically able, or mentally able to handle it.

Its a shame - babies we take care - elderly slide thru the cracks..... do without meds and food to survive.

I am very close to retirement and it worries me that I might never be able to retire..... even though I have a retirement fund in place. Will I be able to keep my home (can I get it paid off before retirement?), will my health go bad and I can't live by myself (no children).....
Many issues to look at there...... scary.....

If your mother is in your home, be proud that you are the kind of daughter that says - yes, I can do this right now!!! And jumps in to help!! Later on, you might have to make other arrangements, but right now your doing what you can...... My hats off to you!!!

And believe me, I do know it puts a strain on the family and the pocket book too......

Back to the tips:

I also buy meat in bulk and freeze when I catch it on SALE. Especially if its something I use a lot of...

I take leftovers and make me little TV dinners - for a easy supper one nite - or for lunches at work.... and then anything else is recycled by feeding "the girls"..... They love leftovers too.... Nothing is wasted at my house.

I refuse to pay $1.60-$2.00 for a box of Kleenex.... rediculous..... $4.00 for a name brand box of cereal will never happen at my house. The same companies make the off brands too under a cheap label.

When I buy a ham for the holidays, I then have ham for dinner. Leftovers turn into a casserole, sandwiches, ham dumplings, and the leftover bone goes into a kettle of soup beans. Nothing is wasted. Even the neighborhood dog gets the bone....... (since there are not 2 of them for my girls)...

I use coupons when I can, especially if an item is on sale..

I used to use coupons, pay full price for the item and put my coupon money in a jar to do Christmas shopping with. One year I had almost $800.00 by saving change from coupons and throwing my change back every day....
Still do it throughout the year, but now find I have to borrow from my change jar sometimes.

I check clearance racks (clothes, toys, etc) all year long and pick up Christmas presents at clearance prices when possible for family and friends. Am able to find "nice" things (they want) at reasonable prices.

My mom used to say "clearance" was my middle name. She asked me if I ever paid full price for stuff.... told her not often...

[AMISLANDER]

I've always followed what Minnie said!

even when I was rolling in $.

I used to drive from AMI up to Tampa to the Gymboree every Monday...as that's when they marked down the baby clothes, bought everything big so my boys had room to grow, Gymboree makes quality cotton baby clothes for boys and girls that is out of this world...Regular prices are not cheap, but when they do the markdowns, it's certainly within reason...Baby Gap, also, always bought off the sale racks...and bought sizes six months to a year ahead. Because my boys were close together (22mo. apart), the second one got to wear all the first ones clothing...but the second one was as big as the first one at one year!

We live in SW Florida, below Tampa Bay on an island. Come tourist season, Publix raises all the prices at the supermarket as does everywhere else.

My monthly expenses:

rent $700 (not bad for a 2/1 a block to the gulf of Mexico! 950 sq. feet
water $45
Directv $average $60w/pay per view movies
electric $85 to $140
cell phones $125 for two w/1,000 anytime min. each...cell to cell free (Alltel)
car insurance $200 on the 2000 4runner, $120 on the '89 Honda
Gas is $2.29 a gallon this week & I have a 12 gal tank...fill up once a week.
food $100-$150 week
clothes? optional in Florida except no jeans in the clubs...you can wear a slinky but not jeans!
Marshall's, TJ Maxx, and sale racks always work...People are always afraid to go in the Sak's, Lord & Taylors, etc...but you wouldn't believe the sales racks!
Oh, we have some wild outlet shopping as well, but your really do need to know your stuff as a lot of it is higher than retail, too.

I like the sleeping on it overnite idea! Works wonders...

[Minnymouth]

StaciMM,

I too now use a programable thermostat.... work good too!!

Before I had that I turned my furnace/a/c unit off when I left and back on when I came in....

My neighbors spend$200-$300 a month on utility bill.... I pay $100.00 or less...... and my home is bigger than theres. Course having a family does make a difference....
I don't leave lights on all day and nobody home... I don't set the temp at 75 degrees and open the doors or no one home all day....

Also one of the biggest users of electric is your water heater.... Mine is hooked to a wall switch like a lamp. (you could put a timer on it)... When I'm thru with washing clothes etc - I turn it off.... If I leave the house I turn it off and turn it back on when I come in. I turn it off when I go to bed and turn it back on when I get up. And I always have hot water......!!!!!

One summer I was real faithful about turning the water heater and furnace/ac unit off daily and my electric bill was less than $50.00 for a big 4-bedroom doublewide.... and I still used the a/c unit most of the day. My neighbors bill was over $200.00.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not cold, nor do I sweat.... I'm comfortable...

I learned the thermostat thing for your furnace and water heater from a contractor who had them in his home........ His came on an hour before he got up to shower, turned off as they went to work, came back on an hour before they came home.... Always had hot water, and the house was always warm or cool...... I learned a lot from them!!

[robivi3]

Hi Stac, I have a "state of the art" home, appliance wise that is. All REAL Maytag (raised label). Whirlpool Gold Water Heater, 3.5 ton Rheem High Efficiency AC and yes, a programmable Thermostat, which in truth does very little to save money as we keep the temp here constant. R19 Insulation all over, nice and thick.

I am also a licensed AC Tech as my job has always required that i be certified by the EPA, 608, ASE, Miami-Dade County. So, I know all about efficiency and filters and thermostats, flourocarbons, cloroflourodimethane and PHOSGENE lung consuming gas, BLECH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had several accidental doses over the years in several hundred AC jobs. Did my own unit at home, ALL new ductwork here and even did the air handler. If I had not done all this the bill would be near 400.00. That's just the norm for SoFla. My consumption is normal for five people.
Now, the problem, ten to fifteen showers per day, 2-3 loads in the Maytag Neptune, 2-3 dishwasher loads per day.

So, yowsa! I'm stuck like this for a couple of years. House is kept at 75 and remember AC is year round here. When you turn off AC in one of our homes down here you get vent odors because AC is run year round here. The older, big concrete with terrazo floor homes are built for limited AC, not homes built since the seventies.

Down here when you say 240.00, they say, "Oh, no pool?. That's not bad at all!"

[FilingOnMyOwn]

If you drive a lot, seriously consider getting a 4 cylinder (non turbo) compact car. I've had mine going on 6 years and drive around 300 miles per week because of work. It gets 25-30 mpg. If you have a big family and don't drive too many miles per week, then its probably not worth it though.

I get 25-30 out of a V6 camaro. Its more about the transmission than the displacement. A manual transmission instead of an auto will save you more gas mileage than a smaller engine will.

[SinkingFast]

I get 25-30 out of a V6 camaro. Its more about the transmission than the displacement. A manual transmission instead of an auto will save you more gas mileage than a smaller engine will.

Son's is a 1989, V8 Camaro and does that well around town. Out on the road even better. Unreal. Quite powerful, yet economical too. Only modification he's made is a K and N (?) air filter. That and a LOUD muffler. Some name brand. I can't remember.

We have our thermostats set to 60 in this rental house. There are 2 furnaces in this house. The electric bill ran right at $150 last month, and we are burning an average of $225 in propane and $100 in firewood per month to keep warm. That's average including Aug, Sep, and Oct, before the weather turned cold. The 3 month fill of propane at Christmas time was nearly $1000. UGH.

This is the coldest I can ever remember being. Our house in Missouri is super well insulated (hip deep blown in the attic, 8" walls), total electric, and not bad to heat and cool. Averaged about $175/month year round for 4000 sq ft. True ranch with full basement, 2000 sq ft on each floor.

I would set the heat back further at night, but we've already had frozen pipes at the kitchen sink twice this winter. First time it happened, I called the Landlord. She said, "Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you about that." I didn't know we were supposed to put the sink to bed at night. We have to leave the cabinet doors open and the tap drizzling. Not a drip. It has to drizzle. It took an hour or so to thaw out to get it running again. Second time it happened, I just forgot to go thru the ritual the night before. Took 4 hours to thaw the pipes that time.

This house eats light bulbs like I've never seen. There are 2 lights in our bathroom. We replaced the bulb in one in our within days after we moved in. It lasted about 2 weeks, replaced it. Same thing, replaced it. Then a week. Replaced it. The last time, Hubby put the new bulb in, turned on the switch, I walked into the bedroom and turned on the light. The bathroom bulb blew. We haven't replaced it since. Kinda dim in there with only one light but much cheaper.

Funky little under counter lights that have little Christmas tree type halogen bulbs. Little expensive dudes. We've replaced them 2x in 6 months. Now one of the small halogens in the hood/fan over the stove top has blown and needs replaced. I can't count all the others we've replaced. It's unreal.

Didn't take us long to decide the wiring in the house leaves something to be desired. Then, one night, all the sudden, we loose power. No bad weather. It's not windy. We think maybe there's been a wreck out on the main road and someone took out a pole??!! Look outside and everyone else has power but us. Get a flash light, and go to the switch box. Sure enough, the main blew.

This is all kinda freaky for our kids. They grew up in a house where everything worked right. LOLOL We tell them the house just has personality, as we breathe a sigh of relief that we are renting and not buying. LOLOL

The one perk, Minny, is my Mom has her own space in this house. For the first time since she's been with us. And she loves it. We love it! The basement has a family room, full bath, and a 2nd kitchen, complete with stove, microwave, and fridge. Mom uses the "family room" as her bedroom/TV room. And the kitchen is big enough she has a small dining table and chairs. It's kinda split level on that end so there are only a few steps that she can manage fairly well. She can visit with us when she wants or be on her own if she wants. Mom watches what she wants on her TV. There's a buck stove down there that we keep a fire going in so she's warm. She cooks whatever she wants to eat during the day and has dinner with us every night. It's been a huge relief for all of us. She used to rearrange everything in the kitchen, all the time, and then I'd have to hunt for things to cook. Pots and pans, can opener, you name it, was always moving around. The girls enjoy not having to share a bedroom with Grandma now too.

The worst part of the kidney failure is the personality changes. Mom can be really mean and vile, mad and yelling at me or the kids, then all the sudden she's all sweetness and nicey nice. Her blood chemistry being outa whack causes that. And she's so frail. I was dropping her out at the door of the store one day so she wouldn't have to walk from the hinterland in the parking lot in the cold. She had a coat on, a sweatshirt, and a thermal undershirt. THREE layers of clothes. She bumper her elbow on the side of the truck getting out. She said it felt like a burning sting. When we got home, we found out she'd torn open her arm just below the elbow. Not a little place either. It looked like something had ripped her skin about 3 inches long. That had happened before, only much bigger, and I had to take her to get it seen about. We couldn't get it to stop bleeding that time. They couldn't stitch it. Her skin is too fragile. They used that dermal, fake skin stuff. This time, she didn't wanna go get it seen about. So, I cleaned it up, put antibiotic ointment on it, pulled the skin back together best I could and bandaged her arm. It healed OK. Least little ding bruises or tears her skin. She always has a boo boo of some sort.

[FilingOnMyOwn]

My car is a manual trans but its also almost 10 years old. What year is your Camaro because thats some very good mpg for V6.

Mine is a 95. I can get well over 30 on the highway, and about 24 in the city. Its mostly the aerodynamics. The new corvette 6 speed V-8s have 400+ hp and get a solid 30 highway miles.