Question by Jon Stewart fan: How can I save money other than buying cheaper grocery?
We are thinking about buying a house.
So we MUST spend less money on something else…
Do you know any tips to save money??
Best answer:
Answer by beez
Other than the really wealthy, we’re all in the same situation. Buying cheaper food and stretching it into several meals, using less gasoline and uilities, ask yourself, ‘do I need this?’ before making any purchase, and less expensive qualities of paper goods, to name just a few.
Give your answer to this question below!
(I adore Jon Stewart.)
Here are some of the things I do to save money, all of them automatic now, I’ve been at it so long.
Buy the Sunday paper and clip coupons. Use them on products you would have bought anyway, ideally at a store that doubles or even triples them. I save about $ 700 a year doing this. It adds up even faster if you’re feeding a family.
Try generics and store brands. Lots of them are just fine.
Find a personal style that doesn’t involve frequent trips to hairdressers and barbers, new make-up, dry cleaners, or a wardrobe that won’t be in fashion in five years.
No fast food. Don’t do restaurants or take-out if you’re just really busy or tired. Learn a few 20-minute meals that can be made from non-perishable foods, and keep the makings on hand. There’s no reason not to cook together. If you’re traveling, pack a lunch.
Eat out infrequently. Instead of celebrating with a restaurant meal, make something really nice at home, served in a clean dining room with candles and a tablecloth, wine, etc. It costs about 1/4 as much. (We did this last night–god, it was to die for, and I’m not a great cook or anything!)
Budget pocket money. Know where it’s going. If you have to, give yourself a weekly allowance of pocket money, and when it’s gone, you don’t get more until next week. Whether you eat lunch at work, or buy a fancy coffee most mornings, you’re probably spending money you don’t need to and don’t even feel.
Know exactly how much money you have in debts and in checking before you make any purchase over $ 20. (Or set a threshhold that makes sense for you.)
Shop only when you need something, not for something to do. It just makes you want stuff.
Save toward expenses you can anticipate, from insurance payments to car repairs, rather than charging them and paying interest.
Pay down your credits cards, then pay in full every month except January (if you need two months to pay off Christmas).
Buy good second hand clothes from cbarity shops rather than buy new.
Always cook your own food – dont buy ready made.
Make stews and casseroles out of leftover food – only serve onto the plate what you will actually eat.
When you have chicken eat the meat then boil the carcase with vegetables – then take out the bones and liqidise for a healthy and filling broth.
share Buyone get one free shopping with a friend – that way you spend less and dont have too much of one thing in the cupboard.
Rent dvds rather than go to the cinema.
brew your own beer and wine.
Walk whenever possible or ride a bicycle rather than take thecar
When having parties get guests to bring a plate of food as well as a drink so you dont have to bear the full cost.
Turn your heating down 3 degrees
Buy glue on soles so your shoes last longer.
Give up the gym and do 2 hrs evening cleaning – they pay you to exercise rather than you paying them.
Babysit as often as possible so you get paid to use someone elses electricity and heating.
Dont buy airfresheners, sprays. aerosols for the house – just buy good basic cleaning products –
Join freecycle – (a yahoo internet group) – you can get all sorts of things for free as other people give them away – saves buying new or paying for second hand.
The things that I do are to cut out all beverages and drink water only. No snacks. Find the cheapest grocery store in town to frequent. Purchase cleaning products in bulk maybe at Melaluca.
Here are a few things that I do, and approx. how much I save with each one.
I do not buy bottled water. Save around $ 45 a month on that. (was spending an average of $ 1.50 a day on water)
Do not buy coffee out. Save around $ 45 a month on that. (Was spending around $ 1.50 a day on coffee)
Dropped the cell phone contract, and went with a pre-paid one. Instead of spending $ 59 a month, I now spend around $ 100 a year. Sure, I cannot BS all day on the phone, but is that really necessary? Wasn’t for me.
Stopped buying lunch at work. Instead of paying around $ 160 a month for lunch, I now spend around $ 40 a month. Savings, $ 120 a month.
Dropped the premium cable TV channels. Never really watched HBO and Stars anyway. Saved over $ 30 a month.
Cut my high speed i-net down to the slower plan (1.5MB versus 3) Saved an additional $ 15 a month.
Rediscovered my local library. Stopped buying books from Amazon, and started borrowing from the library. Same with DVDs and even CDs. Saved around $ 25 a month with that. (Mostly DVD rentals 3-4 times a month)
Just looking at the above, I saved over $ 300 a month, and I really do not miss any of it.
It is the little expenses that you do not pay attention to that eat away at your savings. Starbucks will bankrupt you 12 ounces at a time.
Find out where the 99 CENTS store is located. There’s lots of stuff you can buy for your daily use at a discount. You can buy brand name clothing at ROSS or Marshalls.
Buying cheap, buying bulk, buying less.
There’s no secret.
Groceries probably won’t get cheaper, so bulking up may be good to save in long run.
You have to start thinking S-M-A-R-T. What kind of cutbacks can you make? For example: I drink bottled water. Now at $ 1 a bottle on something that covers over 65% of our planet is not smart. So I bought one of those water filters that screw into your faucet. I have bottles that I refil over and over again. I take them to work. Do you have a lot of small appliances around that house that are always on? I cut my electronic bill almost in half by unplugging all the clock radios and night lights. I also bought some of those florescent bulbs that look a lot like a regular bulb. These things use 80% less electricity than regular bulbs. You would be surprised, but these small things add up. I know I was spending money on the water filter and energy efficient bulbs but these things will pay for themselves in a month providing they pertain to you. If you really need the money right away start cutting back on your food costs. Romain noodles cost a dime and they taste just as good as campbells chicken noodle that costs $ 130 a can. Ok no chicken in romain noodles, but you are probably just missing about 4 tiny pieces of chicken. .Before you know it you will be ahead. And remember you have to start thinking S-M-A-R-T!