How I Save Money
Jun 18th, 2008 by learningumbrella
Everyone seems to be blogging about Frugal Living all of a sudden. Maybe it’s because we have $4 a gallon gas and our grocery costs have doubled?
High Desert Home had a great list of 10 things she does to save money. Her list pointed out one area that I will not sacrifice: dining out and coffee! I get so much enjoyment out of eating somewhere other than my home: the food, the different atmosphere, someone else waiting on me and cleaning up after me! Having it in the routine that we will eat out every Friday is part of how I pull myself through the week. That said, I absolutely agree that fast food for lack of time should be avoided - what’s the point of that? Dining outside the home should be for enjoyment, not convenience.
But I digress. I really wanted to make my own list of things I do that I believe save me money (I say believe because for some of these I have not compared the numbers).
1. Use cloth diapers. Soon this will not be an issue anymore (I hope!), but for now, I have a child in diapers. Disposable diapers, besides being wasteful for the environment, also are pretty expensive. After the initial investment in cloth diapers and diaper covers, it is the cost of washing them. For the first year of my son’s life, I had a diaper service. That didn’t save me any money, although it was nice. Now, I’m still using the same diapers I bought for Carbon, so their cost is split between two children. The covers will still be good, and I’ll donate them to someone else who will hopefully use them. The diapers are destined to be all purpose household rags. Even though we use disposables when I travel and at night, every diaper we don’t use represents a cost savings.
2. Get rid of a car. When I was in college, I decided to sell my truck and go without. Since then, I have not owned my “own” car - just DH’s. Even if your car is paid for, there are insurance, fuel, and maintainance costs. And we don’t need to run around as much as we think we do.
3. Shop for clothes at the thrift store. Especially for growing kids, there doesn’t seem to a point to paying full price. I’ve even bought clothes at the thrift store that still had their store tags - kids grow too fast to wear out their clothing. I also get most of my own clothes that I don’t sew from scratch at the thrift store. The exception for me is that I find used shoes gross - I just have a hang up about them.
4. Use the library. The library is free. The library has cool stuff - some even have games! I hardly ever buy a book, a CD, or a movie. I love my library.
5. Bake. Baked goods you make from scratch - the more scratch the better - cut down costs compared to good baked goods. It may not be cheaper than the Hostess Outlet Store or something, but I’m comparing this to good quality baked stuff.
6. Only shop with a list. We try to stick to a “no impulse buying” policy, and always shop with a list in hand. Sometimes we still grab something, but overall we do stick to those lists. I don’t shop for fun or leisure, either.
7. Netflix. If you do love movies, netflix is the way to go because it fixes your costs for the month. Before, we used to rent movies and go to the movies, and we could end up spending a lot of money on that. Netflix is reasonable, and if we don’t have a movie we just wait for one to arrive. It’s pretty darn cheap family entertainment.
8. Socialize at home. Having friends over for dinner or to play a boardgame is a lot cheaper than going out to meet for drinks or see a band or something. I also save tons on not having to find a babysitter as often.
9. Cook simple and eat less meat. Meat is expensive, and just eating less of it cuts back the grocery bills. Anything from using less meat in a recipe to going vegetarian will save you money. I love to cook fancy recipes, but I just can’t afford to eat that way every night. Rice and beans can be yummy too!
10. Wait. Sometimes you just can’t have it now. Save up for it, keep an eye out for it, and just wait for it to come to you. If it’s big furniture, someone may be giving one away soon. If it’s a trip, something cool may come up that will save you money - like an invitation to stay with a friend. Or, there’s always the good old savings jar and you just keep dropping your coins in until you can get that thing you want.
What do you do to save money? Where do you not save money?
