Being Frugal...

[popcornbird]

We've also taken a few steps to try to save money.

1. We got rid of my cell phone plan. I'm at home most of the time, so people can always call me at home. The only time I need a cell phone is when I go out, and that is only so my husband can reach me if/when he needs anything, or in case of an emergency. We pay $100 for 1000 minutes that usually last me 7 - 9 months. That saves us a few hundred dollars every year. For our home phone, we have Vonage. It saves us a lot, especially on international calls to family members who live overseas.

2. I personally have never shopped at a thrift shop, but I don't buy clothes very often. I only buy clothes when I need clothes. Sometimes, I sew my own clothes. When I buy, I prefer to buy nice clothes...usually from Macy's. You'd be surprised to know the great deals you can get at Macy's during big sales and clearances. I have managed to buy dresses that were originally $150 for less than $30, and $50 pants for $10. You can get good deals there if you look at the right time, in the right racks.

3. We often sell things we don't need on Amazon, like books, etc. That brings in some extra cash.

4. We eat out only once or twice a month. Cooking at home saves a LOT of money, and you can make it a lot healthier too.

5. I try to use the AC/heat only when absolutely necessary. Warm clothing and blankets help save on bills.

6. I was driving less when gas prices were high, but now that they're low again, we've become a little relaxed on the driving.

7. You'd be surprised how much money you can save by shopping for groceries at small, individually owned shops instead of the big stores like Safeway and others. What costs 20 cents at a small grocery store would cost $1 at Safeway. Translate that into an entire week's shopping and you'll be saving at least $20 a week.

8. We stay completely debt-free by not getting a loan on anything.

[Catlady711]

There was a similar THREAD here back in the summer full of great tips.

I posted a lengthy post there full of tips you can read if you want.

In addition to what I had originally listed there I've added a couple more ways to save since that post...

We cut the cable service back to the next to bottom analog service. We're going to cancel the service but not until I get a billing error fixed then it's only movies on youtube and the library for us. We got our converter box coupon the other day.

This one sounds gross but it really does work and the savings do add up. Don't flush the toilet every time. Even a low flow toilet uses a couple gallons of water per flush. If you have several people living in your home that adds up to a lot of gallons to flush a few pieces of thin paper and basically more water. My last water bill was $10 less from doing this. I read about it on some website I stumbled across, with the slogan "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down". I don't do this at the end of the day or if we're going away because I don't want it to sit there and stink all day/night. It really doesn't make sense for me to flush a little pee and paper when hubby's right outside the door wanting in to do the same thing. One flush will suffice.

We declutter during the slower more boring winter months and pack in boxes all the usable items we no longer need or want. In the summer we have many small garage sales. The money we make goes in a jar for things like vacations, a new gadget, or whatever we both agree on using it for. We've had as much as $300 in there before from one summer of garage sales. I price my stuff dirt cheap to sell and get rid of not to make money. By doing that we sell alot more in volume! Not only that but our house is getting less cluttered all the time. Someday I'll finally have a bare shelf somewhere with not a darn thing on it! lol

I've been saving the super cheap bread baggies I use for my lunches for cleaning the cat boxes out with so I'm using less garbage bags.

I water down my dish soap so it goes further.

I'm mostly switched over from using liquid hand soap and body wash to bar soap. I bought a couple of these(mesh sponge) to put my bar soap in. One I got at Bath & Body works but they don't seem to have them anymore. The other I got at a department store and it had a regular sponge in it which I took out. I can buy a year's supply of bar soap on sale with a coupon for less than I was spending for just a couple months on liquid soap.

We ditched buying paper plates anymore, it just means hubby has to do more dishes.

We rewash the plastic silverwear and use them until they all break before buying new ones. I draw the line at washing out ziplock bags though. lol

We bought some powdered milk for cooking. Hubby & I both grew up having to drink this stuff and both swore we'd never use it ourselves, however.... I have found that if you just use it for cooking you can't tell the difference and trust me I'm very finicky about the taste of my food! The powdered stuff is cheaper and lasts alot longer so we can store it up in the pantry.

Since it's winter we bundle up alot in the house. Our house is very old and lacks insulation so it's very drafty. We have a programable thermostat that's only job is to turn the heat DOWN 4 times a day at key times we tend to leave the house in case we forget to turn it down before we leave. It's saved us a LOT on our heating bill. The heat goes down to 61 degrees at night and when we're away, and we usually run it between 65-68 when we're home, unless we have company then we'll turn it up a bit more. I'm typing this now wearing big fuzzy boot type slippers and a heavy fleece housecoat over my regular clothes. lol Our gas bill goes to about $150-$180 during the coldest month of the year then drops over about 2-3 months down to about $30 which is where it stays until the next winter.

A good way to look at anything in your budget is to think about how many hours you'd have to work to pay for whatever it is, AND add up how much it costs you per year for whatever it is.

For instance let's say you make $10 per hour on your job. Once a month you like to get a $20 pizza and a $3 movie for a family night.

$23 x 12 months = $276 per year. At that pay rate you'd have to work 27.6 hours per year just to pay for that.

Compare that to..
Movie from library = free
frozen pizza on sale = $8
Hours worked to pay for it = 9.6

Quite a savings in both time and money.

Anyways I'm on to writing another mini novel, sorry. I've gotten rather into this saving money and am really enjoying being able to take longer vacations and have money to spend on things I really need and want to do.

[catnapper]

We're also in the middle of house repairs. Right now, we're painting the livingroom and dining room. I bought a 5 gallon bucket of NICE paint from the local paint store for $5. It was a mis-tint from a locAL contractor. I often get 1 gallon cans for $1. You can get them from Lowe's and Home Depot too, but its more expensive from them. Only problem... I ran out of the tan trim color and now I have to actually have them MAKE MORE for me

I do everything myself and take my time. Nothing is better and more cost-effective than doing somethign right hte first time 'round.

[Daisy and Delilah]

There are some great tips here. Thanks to everybody.

I just wanted to say that alot of people don't realize how helpful it is to save on every little thing you can. Five or ten cents may not seem like alot but it adds up. I've learned not to waste anything over the years. It really pays off in the long run.

I forgot about not always flushing the toilet. Great tip!! When we had the floods in my area, earlier this year, I wasn't able to flush very much for days. That was pretty bad, but, it really isn't that bad to only flush when really needed. I don't get to the gross point but I stretch it to the limit. It saves alot of money.

[DJFyrewolf36]

Whenever I get change, I put it in a pocket on my cars visor. I find at the end of the month I usually have about $10...in my car thats half a tank!

I only fill up twice a month as is, only spending about $40 a month in gas makes a huge difference.

[catmandu]

If I see something the Found Ctas can use I grab it and take it home.
And My Angels lead me to where I ca find things that have been disposed of like the Pittsurgh Steelers jacket worth about 60 dollars hair bed, and the two storage end tables!!!
And the sectional thats on the Cat Porch , and the bookshelf as well.
2008 was a great year for Free Stuff!
And I keep my eyes on the Pet Store Flyers they had 20 pound bags of Pro Plan for 20 dollars!!
And 44 pounds of litter 5.93!
It pays to save!!!

[aki]

another thing i do at christmas is save and reuse all the boxes, tissue paper and gift bags. i use the fronts from the christmas cards i get to use for gift tags the following year. sometimes you can get more then one from each card. i either tape them on packages and write on them, or punch a hole in the corner and tie them on with ribbon. scrapbooking scissors are fun to use if you want a funky edge.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Those tax forms appear to be so complicated. It's not that hard to read through them as soon as you learn how to eliminate the mumbo jumbo they add.[/B]

I always did our taxes when we have straight forward W-2s. Once Justin went became self-employed we got a CPA. Actually I did them myself the first year, and we got a CPA after that. The CPA re-did our taxes from the first year and got us a lot back that we were able to credit to the next year. We may have to pay a few hundred a year for a CPA, but it's worth it when she saves us thousands.


I also hang my laundry rather than use the dryer.

I don't have a dish washer, but I would imagine that washing dishes by hand is cheeper than running the dishwasher.

I use the toaster oven rather than the big oven when possible. It's cheeper to heat the little toaster oven then to heat up the big oven.

We do a lot of the other things people have mentioned too.

[Daisy and Delilah]

I couldn't agree more, Kari. I think I should have added that doing your own forms should only be done for the simple filings. Some are so time consuming and frustrating, we have to hire someone. Self employment returns are a basic nightmare in alot of cases. My BIL is a good example of that. He keeps his receipts all over the place and throws them all in a box at the end of the year. Some of them have stuff spilled all over them, shoe prints, etc. I used to do his taxes and it was scary.

I heard what the tax places charge for a simple 1040A or an EZ and I couldn't believe it. For a long time, I did tax returns for people with simple returns. I felt so bad that they were paying so much and I wouldn't charge them anything.

In many cases, it's completely necessary to go to a professional.