Chris and I live pretty much paycheck to paycheck. Our budget changes every two weeks it seems. We live a fairly minimalistic life. Other than basics, our only pleasurable bill we pay is for internet. We still live in the world of limited tv time and basic flip phones!
Here are some things that we do to save money in our home!
Do you do any of these? Some, all, or none?
1. We meal plan to keep our grocery budget to a minimum.
2. We've recently stopped using our dryer. It saves a lot on electricity.
3. Have "no spending" days
4. Pay with cash and save/deposit everything less than a $5.00 bill
5. Unplug everything when not in use - especially big energy users like the TV, computers and gaming systems.
6. Air dry dishes (we stop the dish washer at the drying stage and open it to let it air dry)
7. Turn off lights when not in the room
8. Use the "rapid wash cycle" on the washing machine to save on electricity
9. Use towels instead of napkins or paper towels
11. Turn your ac unit off when not needed
12. Close the vents of rooms not used and close the door to save on electricity - Chris always likes his room/office cold, so during this season we have closed his vent and closed his door at all times (uses less electricity since the ac unit won't have to cover as much space)
13. Cook in bulk - freezer meals are a good thing to research and practice. Here are some freezer meal ideas that will save you money!
Freezer Meals #1
Freezer Meals #2
Freezer Meals #3
Freezer Meals #4
Freezer Meals #1
Freezer Meals #2
Freezer Meals #3
Freezer Meals #4
14. Fix all leaks
15. Over estimate your balance when going grocery shopping - you will end up spending anywhere from $3-$10 less than you thought you were!
16. Sell what you don't use
17. Make your own laundry detergent and other soaps
18. Make your own cleaning supplies - we use vinegar at our house-it works wonders and lasts forever at only $2 a gallon
19. Clean with rags or old t-shirts.
20. Use cold water - even just turning the water towards "hot" will use up electricity
21. Use lamps on occasion instead of overhead lights - this often will save on electricity
22. Only wash clothes and dishes when the unit is full
23. Buy in bulk
24. Cut your sponges and dryer sheets in half.
25. Use aluminum foil as a dryer sheet - it lasts so much longer!
26. Use less laundry detergent - I promise it does just as well with a little less!
27. Instead of turning up your heater, put on a sweater and socks.
28. Make your own coffee - I'm tempted with Starbucks, who isn't? but it is definitely more cost effective if you make your own coffee at home. I can definitely share some awesome iced-coffee recipes in the future!
29. Cook from scratch - always keep basic baking ingredients in your pantry-flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, etc.-this comes in handy for easy meals like pancakes, tortillas, dumplings, rolls, pie crust, etc.
30. Shop cheap - Aldi's is our favorite for the majority of our shopping needs. There's less to choose from and even if we do end up buying 10 more things that weren't on our list, we are usually still within our budget! Not every Aldi's has a huge organic section, but I know that they are wanting to try it out on customers! The more input the better!
31. Try couponing
32. Cut out unnecessary things such as cable or a home land line - not many people use home phones anymore and who needs cable when you can get Netflix and a fraction of the cost!
33. Use energy efficient items and light bulbs
34. Turn your oven or stove off 5-10 minutes before your food is done cooking - your food will still cook with the heat that resides
35. Don't cook or cool at extreme temperatures - Don't cook your food until it's completely thawed (if safe) and don't put a hot meal into a fridge until it's been cooled.
36. Always check to see if you business or job has discounts anywhere - for example: Chris's job gets us a discount with Verizon
37. Use power strips instead of individually plugging up each item
38. Clean your units so that they last longer - your fridge, dryer, dishwasher, filters, etc.
39. Use your blinds - Close the blinds to keep the cool out on a cold day and close them to keep the sun out on a hot day.
40. Turn your lights off when you leave a room
41. Collect your spare change and at the end of each month deposit it into savings - you'd be surprised how much you might save! Why, just this weekend I deposited $30 in coins into our savings account
42. Start and keep a budget every paycheck
18 Commonly Forgotten Budget Items
Keeping Your Household Budget Under $300 A Month
How My Family Lives Well On $14,000 A Year
How to Build Wealth with Time on Your Side
Envelope Budgeting-A Simple Way to Gain Control of Your Money
18 Commonly Forgotten Budget Items
Keeping Your Household Budget Under $300 A Month
How My Family Lives Well On $14,000 A Year
How to Build Wealth with Time on Your Side
Envelope Budgeting-A Simple Way to Gain Control of Your Money
43. Shop for the best prices and deals - this takes time but it's beneficial in the long run. Example: Some items are clearly cheaper at Aldi's but if I use my WIC vouchers at Kroger, then I can use it towards my gas points and I don't spend a cent!
44. Only buy what you've planned to buy - before checking out, look over your cart again
45. Pay your savings account as if you were paying a bill - make it a priority to put money regularly into savings
QUESTION: Do you do any of these things to save money?
Do you know of MORE ways to save money that you'd like to share with us?
Do you know of MORE ways to save money that you'd like to share with us?
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