Here is a list of tips on how to "stop spending money" so you can live within your budget. These are things we have incorporated in our family over recent years. "A penny saved is a penny earned."
#1 Secret: STOP SPENDING MONEY. Period.
"It's not how much you make, it's how much you keep."
-Buying things on sale is still spending money! Just because it is on sale is not a reason in and of itself to spend money. "A bargain is something you can't use at a price you can't resist."
-Make a habit of saving a portion of your income/allowance. There is no such thing as "saver's remorse."
-Stop trying to impress other people. "Too many people spend money they don't have to buy things they don't want to impress people they don't like."
-Stop "shopping." Stay out of the stores unless you have a list with specific needs. Limit your trips to the store as much as possible.
-Make your purchases with cash.
-Keep a spending record.
Organization Is Crucial To Being Frugal.
-Declutter your home so you are aware of what you have
-Get rid of junk
-Avoid buying doubles of things because you didn't know you already owned it
-Know how much food you have before you get groceries
-Inventory kids clothes before going shopping for more
Do It Yourself
-Wash your own car
-Tweeze your eyebrows instead of getting them waxed
-Do your own nails (keep them filed with a shiny clear topcoat)
-Change your own oil
-Make your own coffee
-Cut your own grass
-Clean your own house
-Paint your own house
-Chop your own firewood
-Make your own "convenience foods" once a month and store in the freezer
Cut Out The Extras
-Tweeze your eyebrows instead of getting them waxed
-Do your own nails (keep them filed with a shiny clear topcoat)
-Change your own oil
-Make your own coffee
-Cut your own grass
-Clean your own house
-Paint your own house
-Chop your own firewood
-Make your own "convenience foods" once a month and store in the freezer
Cut Out The Extras
-Cable
-Magazine subscriptions
-Magazine subscriptions
-Eating Out
-Gym Memberships
-Vacations
-Warehouse Memberships (Aldi is cheaper)
-Paper Products (Use real plates and napkins)
-Car payment (sell it and drive a used car)
-Having both a home phone AND a cell phone
-Wireless Internet
Don't Give Your Money Away!
-Gym Memberships
-Vacations
-Warehouse Memberships (Aldi is cheaper)
-Paper Products (Use real plates and napkins)
-Car payment (sell it and drive a used car)
-Having both a home phone AND a cell phone
-Wireless Internet
Don't Give Your Money Away!
Library fines
-DVD rental fines
-Late fees
-Overdraft charges
Save On Food
-DVD rental fines
-Late fees
-Overdraft charges
Save On Food
-Portion all food as soon as it comes home
-Eat at meal times only
-Drink water
-Kids do not need juice
-Eat at meal times only
-Drink water
-Kids do not need juice
-Eliminate mindless eating
-Shop at Aldi and Wal-Mart
-Purchase bread at the day-old bread outlet
-Make weekly menus
-Shop with a list
-Shop with cash only
-Be brand flexible
-Shop my yourself
-Buy your spices in bulk from a health food store
-Make your own baby food
-Only use coupons for things you would buy anyway
-Remember that store brands are often less expensive than name brands with coupons
-Start a price book to compare prices
-Buy in bulk cautiously - it is no bargain if you throw half of it away
-Buy what is in season
-Avoid convenience food
-Buy local produce
-Eat breakfast or lunch for dinner
-Have a meatless meal a 1-3 times a week
-Empty the pantry/fridge and plan meals around what you have
-Make it a habit not to throw away anything. Plan wisely.
-Have "soup night" once a week during the cold months and "salad months" during hot months.
-Try not to waste anything. Use up all your produce before it goes bad or freeze it.
-Grow your own herbs.
-Visit the local farmers market and see if there are any co-ops in your area.
-Do not buy non-food items at the grocery store (unless it is Wal-Mart).
-Don't assume bulk is cheaper. Compare prices by the ounce or pound.
Save On Household Expenses
-Avoid the "cleaning" aisle at the grocery store. You don't need any Lysol wipes, Swiffer disposable dusters, toilet bowl fragrances, foaming bathtub cleaners, or different cleaners for every surface of your home.
-Make your dishsoap last longer by adding water when the bottle is halfway gone.
-Rinse your dishes well and use 1/2 as much dishwasher soap as you usually do.
-You can clean your house with general cleaners purchased for pennies a quart at janitorial supply houses.
-Use vinegar, baking soda, ammonia to clean with.
-Make your own laundry detergent.
-Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
-Keep your filters clean.
-A squirt of rubbing alcohol shines stainless steel faucets and fixtures.
Recycle
-Refill water bottles instead of throwing them away.
-Reuse plastic grocery bags for trashcan liners and bags to put smelly diapers in.
-Reuse plastic food containers to store leftovers or give food away in.
Use It All Up
-Shop at Aldi and Wal-Mart
-Purchase bread at the day-old bread outlet
-Make weekly menus
-Shop with a list
-Shop with cash only
-Be brand flexible
-Shop my yourself
-Buy your spices in bulk from a health food store
-Make your own baby food
-Only use coupons for things you would buy anyway
-Remember that store brands are often less expensive than name brands with coupons
-Start a price book to compare prices
-Buy in bulk cautiously - it is no bargain if you throw half of it away
-Buy what is in season
-Avoid convenience food
-Buy local produce
-Eat breakfast or lunch for dinner
-Have a meatless meal a 1-3 times a week
-Empty the pantry/fridge and plan meals around what you have
-Make it a habit not to throw away anything. Plan wisely.
-Have "soup night" once a week during the cold months and "salad months" during hot months.
-Try not to waste anything. Use up all your produce before it goes bad or freeze it.
-Grow your own herbs.
-Visit the local farmers market and see if there are any co-ops in your area.
-Do not buy non-food items at the grocery store (unless it is Wal-Mart).
-Don't assume bulk is cheaper. Compare prices by the ounce or pound.
Save On Household Expenses
-Avoid the "cleaning" aisle at the grocery store. You don't need any Lysol wipes, Swiffer disposable dusters, toilet bowl fragrances, foaming bathtub cleaners, or different cleaners for every surface of your home.
-Make your dishsoap last longer by adding water when the bottle is halfway gone.
-Rinse your dishes well and use 1/2 as much dishwasher soap as you usually do.
-You can clean your house with general cleaners purchased for pennies a quart at janitorial supply houses.
-Use vinegar, baking soda, ammonia to clean with.
-Make your own laundry detergent.
-Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
-Keep your filters clean.
-A squirt of rubbing alcohol shines stainless steel faucets and fixtures.
Recycle
-Refill water bottles instead of throwing them away.
-Reuse plastic grocery bags for trashcan liners and bags to put smelly diapers in.
-Reuse plastic food containers to store leftovers or give food away in.
Use It All Up
-Use every last bit of soap, toothpaste, etc.
-Squeeze out every last drop of ketchup, mustard, etc.
-Don't throw away food.
Save On Gifts/Parties
-Squeeze out every last drop of ketchup, mustard, etc.
-Don't throw away food.
Save On Gifts/Parties
-Send e-cards instead of real greeting cards
-Bake cookies and give as gifts
-Give a gift of your time.
-Purchase party supplies at Dollar Stores.
*I have a box where I store all of our party supplies, whenever I see something for less than $1, I purchase it and save it. We use all leftover balloons, napkins, shred, etc.
-Use Hobby Lobby/AC Moore/Michael's Coupons To Save On Gifts And Gift Wrap
-Here is a great list of gift ideas to get you thinking or go to google and type in "flylady gift ideas."
Save Gas-Do all of your errands on one day
-Factor the cost of gas in with the total cost of any trips/vacations
-Drive slower (this may require leaving earlier)
-Click here for more tips
Save With Babies
-Bake cookies and give as gifts
-Give a gift of your time.
-Purchase party supplies at Dollar Stores.
*I have a box where I store all of our party supplies, whenever I see something for less than $1, I purchase it and save it. We use all leftover balloons, napkins, shred, etc.
-Use Hobby Lobby/AC Moore/Michael's Coupons To Save On Gifts And Gift Wrap
-Here is a great list of gift ideas to get you thinking or go to google and type in "flylady gift ideas."
Save Gas-Do all of your errands on one day
-Factor the cost of gas in with the total cost of any trips/vacations
-Drive slower (this may require leaving earlier)
-Click here for more tips
Save With Babies
-Use "Parent's Choice" brand (from Wal-Mart) or Aldi brand diapers and wipes. These are the most economical diapers we have found that do not leak or cause diaper rash.
-If you insist on name brand diapers, try ordering online from http://www.1800diapers.com/
-Purchase baby equipment (such as strollers, car seats, high chairs, pack n' plays, etc) at thrift stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army, Miracle Hill, Etc), yard sales, or from http://www.craigslist.com/ or http://www.freecycle.com/.
-Buy children's clothes in the off season, by the lot, on eBay. Don't pay more than $1 per item including shipping. Make offers. You can find some great deals this way!
-If you insist on name brand diapers, try ordering online from http://www.1800diapers.com/
-Purchase baby equipment (such as strollers, car seats, high chairs, pack n' plays, etc) at thrift stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army, Miracle Hill, Etc), yard sales, or from http://www.craigslist.com/ or http://www.freecycle.com/.
-Buy children's clothes in the off season, by the lot, on eBay. Don't pay more than $1 per item including shipping. Make offers. You can find some great deals this way!
More Tips...
-Buy Vitamins and Supplements Online (example: www.vitacost.com)
-Purchase printer ink online (example: www.inksmile.com)-Buy Vitamins and Supplements Online (example: www.vitacost.com)
-Sell your excess "stuff"on eBay
-Use a digital camera instead of real film
-Start a blog and stop scrapbooking
-Use NiMh rechargeable batteries and you'll never have to buy batteries again
-Print your own calanders (www.donnayoung.com)-Plant a garden
-Toilet Train Earlier To Save Diapers
-Camp Or Vacation In The Off Season
-Do Not Use Credit Cards
-Use What You Have
-Try "Everyday Leggs" Pantyhose Sold At Wal-Mart
-Purchase gifts on sale throughout the year as you find them
-Buy used cars
-Keep a high deductible on your insurance.
-Don't have traffic violations to keep your car insurance low.
-Sports cars
-Never buy a craft without using a 40% off coupon from Hobby Lobby
-You would be surprised what you can do with a $1.99 mini glue gun and a $1 bag of glue sticks.
-Realize that some things are worth paying for even though you could probably live without them if you had to. Baby wipes and tampons (I have extremely heavy/long cycles) are worth it to me!
Go through every single expense you have, and ask yourself, do I NEED this? Can I do without it? What will the consequences be?
More ideas from others:
Ideas From America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right On The Money:
10 Simple Ways To Instantly Slash Your Grocery Bill:
1. Don't buy prepackaged lunch meat or lunch meat from the deli counter. Instead, look for "chubs" of meat (ham/turkey, etc) at $1.29/lb or less and have it sliced thin at the deli counter.
2. Don't think of your local warehouse store as a grocery store. Know your prices and comparison-shop.
3. Don't buy bread at the grocery store. Buy it at a bread outlet instead.
4. Don't just shop at one store. Look over every food ad in your area and find the best deals.
5. Use coupons. Use them for items you would normally buy and wait until the item is on sale for maximum savings.
6. Buy a freezer.
7. Stock up on sale items.
8. Eat leftovers.
9. Don't allow picky eaters.
10. Buy seasonal produce only.
More ideas can be found at: http://www.americascheapestfamily.com/
Ideas From "The Ultimate Cheapskate:"
-Try a "money fast" for one week and see if you can make it without spending any money.
-Don't buy any food over $1.00 per pound.
-Don't buy anything prepared or processed.
More ideas can be found at: http://ultimatecheapskate.com/index.cgi
100 Ideas From www.moneysavingmom.com:
100 Different Ways to Save $100 This Year
by CRYSTAL on FEBRUARY 25, 2009
I often receive emails from readers who wonder how on earth we managed to survive three years of law school on a part-time income without going into debt. I have a series of posts in the works right now on specifically why we did this and how we did this, but I thought it might also be insightful for me to share a 10-part series on 100 different practical ideas which helped us live on our beans-and-rice law school budget.
Not all of these ideas will work for everyone and many of them are probably things that other frugal zealots out there are already doing, but each of these ideas could very well save you $100 per year if faithfully implement. And many of them could produce much higher savings than that.
1) Make out and follow a written budget. I cannot emphasize how much money and stress we have saved over the course of six years of marriage thanks to our written budget. I've written more on budgeting here. I also highly recommend resources by Dave Ramsey if you're new to the whole idea of budgeting or could just use some motivation and encouragement in this area.
2) Use cash only for the majority of your purchases. I know that there are a handful of folks who can use a credit or debit card without overspending, but we personally have found it is much easier for us to spend more when swiping a debit card as opposed to parting with literal cash. So we use cash for the majority of our purchases and it has saved us hundreds of dollars in little excess purchases over the years.
3) Use an envelope system. In addition to paying with cash, we also designate a certain amount of cash each month for our spending categories (groceries, clothing, eating out, gifts, etc.) and put this amount an assigned envelope. If we need to make a purchase in any of these areas, we use the cash in the envelope.
When the envelope is empty, there is no more money left to spend in that category that month. This has taught us to learn patience and self-discipline in our spending habits. Undoubtedly, this has also saved us a large amount of money.
4) Plan a menu and follow it. Not only will planning a simple menu for each week save you last-minute frustration or trips through the drive-thru lane, it will also save you money. I wrote more on how I plan our menus and weekly shopping trips here and here.
5) Designate one or two nights per week for meatless meals. Now, not all families would go for this, but I promise you that it's a simple and easy way to cut down on your grocery costs and explore some new recipes at the same time!
When my husband was in law school, we often only had $20 to spend on groceries each week so meatless meals were a must for us. However, I determined to exercise creativity in the kitchen despite my limited resources and since then, I've come up with a number of delicious meatless recipes that my husband loves. I've written more on how to keep meat from breaking your grocery budget here.
6) Buy your prescription glasses from Zenni Optical. Seriously, I think this was one of my best frugal discoveries in the last few years. I was very skeptical at the thought of purchasing prescription glasses online for only $8 to $20 per pair, but after ordering mine and wearing them for almost six months now, I'm sold! You can read more on my personal experience with Zenni Opticalhere.
7) Utilize your local library. I have no clue how much money we've saved by frequenting our libraries over the years. We checked out thousands of books, movies, DVDs, and CDs and had countless hours of free fun, learning, education, and inspiration as a result–all thanks to our local libraries.
When my husband and I were first married, we often went on "Library Dates". We'd just go hang out at the library for the evening, perusing books, and checking out a big stack to take home. It felt like a splurge of sorts and yet it was completely free!
Carefully evaluate all purchases and expenditures. Before spending money, always ask yourself: "Can I afford this? Do I really need this? Can I purchase this somewhere else for less?" Just taking the time to think before spending can eliminate many unnecessary purchases and save you hundreds (or even thousands!) of dollars each year.9) Frequent consignment shops and thrift stores. For the first few years of our marriage, we bought very few clothes. We tried to make do as best as possible with what we already had. But when we did need to buy something, we almost always purchased things used from a thrift store or consignment shop. Yes, it takes a bit more work to look through the racks at thrift stores but the rewards in the money saved are worth every bit of it.
The funny thing is, even though our income has dramatically increased since our law school days, I still prefer to purchase the majority of our clothes second-hand. In fact, I've gotten to where most of the time I can't even bear to pay normal thrift store prices so I go on the half-price days or Dollar Days!
However, let me give one word of caution when it comes to thrift store shopping: do not buy more than you need. Just because it's a great price does not mean you need to buy it. Don't get carried away when thrift-store-shopping. Have a list of items you need and shop from that list. (Refer to #8 above!)
10) Use less whenever possible. Conserving in simple ways throughout each day can add up to big savings in the long run. Use less shampoo, less laundry detergent, fewer paper towels (or do what we've done and just eliminate them from your home and use towels instead!), turn off the lights when you're not in a room, and so on. I loved Trent's recent post on this subject.
As we talked about in Part 1 of this series, not all of these different ideas of ways to save $100 per year will work for everyone in every situation. I just share these as things which have worked for our family and allowed us to live through some very lean years without going into debt.
My hope in sharing these is not to make you feel you must also follow in our footsteps or adopt all of these practices, but I hope to inspire you to consider ways you might also cut expenses in order to stretch your hard-earned dollars further so you can pay off debt, live within your means, save money, and most importantly, give to others.
For us, that is our ultimate reason for saving money–so we can have more to share with others. We see money as something God has entrusted to us and we want to be wise stewards of what He has given us so we can not only take care of the needs of our own family, but so we can also effectively help and reach out to those in need.
And it's been so exciting for us to see our hard work and frugality pay off in the last few years as we've not only been able to have more wiggle room in our budget and the ability to save more for our future, but we're also able to share much more with others. Truly, "it is more blessed to give than to receive."
If you've been feeling like there's no way you are able to give and bless others in need in your current financial situation, perhaps some of these 100 Different Ways to Save $100 This Year will inspire you to creatively cut your living expenses so you can share with others as well!
With that said, here are some more things we did during our law school years which saved us at least $100 or more per year:
11) Cut out cell phones or ditch your land lines. For many people, a cell phone is considered a "necessity". I was there, too. I'd had a cell phone ever since I was 15 and had become accustomed to the convenience and sort of security it was. But when my husband and I sat down and mapped out our budget before we got married, I realized that cutting out my cell phone plan would save us a nice chunk of change each month.
And so we dropped it and I survived just fine. In fact, even in an unfamiliar town with unreliable vehicles for those first few years of our marriage, I never found myself stranded on the side of the road. Believe it or not, I only remember one time I ended up having to use a pay phone!
Now, for your situation, having a cell phone might truly be a necessity due to your job or other circumstances, however, I'd encourage you to consider how much of a necessity it is and whether you might be able to live without it or at least go with a pay-per-use plan instead of a monthly contract.
If you can't ditch the cell phone, consider ditching the land line, if you haven't already. Either way, it's almost assuredly gong to save you at least $100 per year.
12) Only have one vehicle. Once again, like cell phones, two (or more) vehicles is very much considered a "necessity" these days. However, I think it's all about perspective: if down-sizing to one vehicle meant you were able to save more money, stay out of debt, live on one income, etc. would you be willing to do it?
Early on in our marriage, our second vehicle died permanently and we couldn't afford to replace it, so we just made do with one vehicle for the next three years.
Honestly, we didn't really miss having two vehicles. I learned to love staying home and making my home a haven for my family. I learned to be creative and make the most of what we did have. Since we didn't have transportation during the day while Jesse was at work, I often hosted play dates or get-togethers at our house or we'd take long walks around our neighborhood, to the park, or to the library.
By only having one vehicle, we saved quite a bit of money–not only on gas, upkeep of a vehicle, and insurance costs, but we also saved money because we did a lot less running around. And, let me tell you, staying home most of the time is one very easy way to spend less money!
13) Switch to Basic H for household cleaning. Those who have known me for some time have already heard me sign the praises of Basic H.
It's an all-purpose, all-natural, non-toxic cleaner which you can use
in place of pretty much every other cleaner in your home.
It's an all-purpose, all-natural, non-toxic cleaner which you can use
in place of pretty much every other cleaner in your home.
I like
it not only because it is all-natural and doesn't contain the harmful
chemicals most cleaners do, but it's also incredibly frugal. One 16-oz.
bottle of concentrate costs around $12 and makes 48 gallons of
cleaner–enough to last us for at least 3-4 years. That's quite a deal!
it not only because it is all-natural and doesn't contain the harmful
chemicals most cleaners do, but it's also incredibly frugal. One 16-oz.
bottle of concentrate costs around $12 and makes 48 gallons of
cleaner–enough to last us for at least 3-4 years. That's quite a deal!
Caveat:
I don't sell this product, nor do I make a penny off promoting it. I
just personally really like it and highly recommend it. If you are
interested in reading more about it or purchasing it, go here.
I don't sell this product, nor do I make a penny off promoting it. I
just personally really like it and highly recommend it. If you are
interested in reading more about it or purchasing it, go here.
14) Utilize Craigslist. Over the years, we've saved hundreds of dollars by purchasing big tickets items off of Craigslist for pennies on the dollar. Among other things, we've purchased exercise equipment, a living room set, and our kitchen table through Craigslist.
As always, if you don't need the items in the first place and can't afford them, don't even begin looking at Craigslist. But if you're in the market for something and have the cash set aside for it, definitely check out Craigslist. If you're patient, you'll likely be able to score quite a bargain!
If you're new to Craigslist, Carrie has a great post here with tips for buying on Craigslist.
15) Use Skype for long-distance phone calls. If you have a headset and a high speed internet connection, you can use Skype and drastically reduce your long-distance phone bills.
You can make Skype-to-Skype phone calls completely free of charge to anywhere in the world. If you want to call from your computer to a landline, you can usethe pay-as-you-go plan and it's only about $0.02/minute for phone calls to 35 different countries. Or, you can sign up for an unlimited monthly plan for $2.95-$9.95 per month.
When my husband was in law school, my sister and her husband were living in Taiwan, so Skype was wonderful! Not only could my sister and I talk anytime–so long as we were both on the computer–but it was free of charge!
Skype does have its drawbacks: sometimes the reception isn't that great or there's a delay, but for free, who can complain?
16) Barter! One of my favorite ways to save money and help others out in the process is to use the old-fashioned bartering system. From hair cuts to babysitting to car maintenance, we've bartered just about everything under the sun over the years.
Bartering works especially well when you're friends with other frugal folks who would rather swap time or expertise instead of spending money. Not only is it a great way to save money, it also fosters camaraderie and community among friends.
So think about what areas you are gifted in and what areas some of your friends might be gifted in and then see if they'd be up for swapping services or other things.
17) Switch to cloth diapers. When my husband was in law school and we had our first child, I was wondering how on earth we were going to afford to pay for diapers. This was a year or so before I discovered CVS and I was still learning how to stockpile and we had a very meager budget to work with (think $17-$30 to spend on groceries and household items each week).
God has always been faithful to provide for us, though, and one of those ways He provided was through some friends giving us a whole stash of Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers shortly after our daughter was born. Once I'd used up the disposable diapers we'd received as gifts, I switched over to cloth diapers exclusively.
Since we didn't pay for the diapers, we mostly definitely saved much more than $100 for the two years our daughter was in diapers. However, from the calculations I've done, if we had invested in them ourselves, I'm still quite sure we would have saved at least $100 per year–even if I were buying diapers on sale with a coupon. And if you use the cloth diapers for more than one child, the savings really can multiply.
18) Buy contacts online. If you're like me and you much prefer to wear contacts as opposed to glasses, you can save a bundle of money by ordering your contacts online instead of buying them from your eye doctor. In fact, by using the tips I've learned below, you'll likely save somewhere between 20-60% off what you would usually pay at your eye doctor.
Almost every brand of contact is available online. I've purchased contacts through VisionDirect.com as well as 1800Contacts.com. Their prices are pretty comparable, but each site seems to have a little bit of variation in what they carry and the specials they offer.
When checking out prices online, be sure to consult RetailMeNot.com or another such online coupon code site to determine what specials and coupon offers are available for that particular online store. You can usually save at least an additional 10-15% off by using an online coupon code when you checkout.
In addition to finding the site which has the lowest price when
using an online coupon code, also make sure and purchase your contacts
through your eBates link so you'll get a little cash back for your
purchase.
using an online coupon code, also make sure and purchase your contacts
through your eBates link so you'll get a little cash back for your
purchase.
Note: In order to order contacts online, all you will need is an
up-to-date prescription. The online site will not process your order if
they can't verify with your eye doctor that your prescription is valid.
up-to-date prescription. The online site will not process your order if
they can't verify with your eye doctor that your prescription is valid.
19)
Skip grocery shopping every 5-6 weeks and challenge yourself to use
what you have on hand and put the extra money into savings. This is something we routinely do, as many of you probably have picked up on from following along with my Super Savings Saturday posts or my Eating From the Pantry Challenge this week.
Skip grocery shopping every 5-6 weeks and challenge yourself to use
what you have on hand and put the extra money into savings. This is something we routinely do, as many of you probably have picked up on from following along with my Super Savings Saturday posts or my Eating From the Pantry Challenge this week.
If you are regularly stocking up on items you'll use over the next few weeks or months when they are at their lowest price, it should be relatively easy to take a week off from grocery shopping once a month or once every other month. In fact, you may find it's almost a necessity to do so in order to wisely use what you have on hand!
And just think, if you regularly spend $50 on groceries per week, taking a week off from shopping once every other month will save you $300 per year!
20) Brown Bag It. If you're willing to put in a little time to plan ahead so you have the necessary food on hand and then to take a few minutes every evening or morning to put together a sack lunch, the return on this small investment of time can be quite remarkable.
In fact, I figured out that most of the lunches I've packed for my husband cost anywhere between $0.75 to $1.50 each (remember, that's mostly because I shop the sales, use coupons, and stock up on items when they are at their lowest prices!). A lunch at a fast food restaurant is likely going to cost at least $4-$5 at a minimum.
Based upon these calculations, it is very safe to say that packing a lunch has saved us at least $3 per day. Over the course of the year, that's $750 saved! And that's a very low figure. If someone is eating out at nicer restaurants most days and spending $7-$12 per lunch, the savings are significantly higher!
In addition to the savings, there's also the added benefit of homemade lunches also often being much more healthful for you as well–especially when compared with fast food meals.
21) Utilize PaperBackSwap. My husband and I are both avid readers and books are something we could spend a fortune on–if we had that kind of money to spend! In order to stick within our meager budget when Jesse was in law school, we put ourselves on a self-imposed book-buying moratorium. Our rule was that any book we read had to be checked out from the library, borrowed from a friend, or given to us as a gift.
Then, I discovered PaperBackSwap. For the cost of shipping out a book via Media Mail (usually somewhere around $2-$3 maximum), you can choose from a constantly-changing selection of hundreds of thousands of books.
Not only do I love the concept of passing along books you no longer need or use to someone who will appreciate them, I love the fact that you can acquire books you really would like to own so inexpensively through PaperBackSwap!
I'm especially appreciative of PaperBackSwap now that we've moved to a town where the libraries aren't much to speak of (at least not compared to our beloved neighborhood library in Kansas City where we could put hundreds of books on hold at a time without ever paying a dime!). Instead of mourning the loss of a wonderful library system at our disposal, we're building our own home library now, courtesy of PaperBackSwap!
(By the way, PaperBackSwap also created a site in the last few years for swapping DVDs: Swap-a-DVD.)
22) Exercise at home. I'm a big proponent of staying fit and healthy but I don't think it needs to cost you an arm and a leg to do so. The gym memberships and fancy workout clothes are great, but they are not necessary to stay in shape. If you have a little personal self-discipline and some accountability, you can be very successful at a fitness program right in your own home.
My husband bought an elliptical for me off of Craigslist two years ago for $100. It was in like-new condition when he purchased it and I have spent hours on it and its still going strong. A similar product purchased brand-new would be around $300-$400. So not only did we save $200 to $300 at the outset by buying it barely-used, but it was a one-time investment which I can use again and again and again. It doesn't require a monthly fee to use, I can work out at any time of the day or night, I don't have to drive to another location to use it, and I don't have to worry about childcare.
I also have found SparkPeople.com–a free nutrition and fitness tracker–to be enormously helpful to me in maintaining a healthy weight and staying physically fit. This was especially helpful to me in getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight after my second baby was born and I'm anxious to begin another weight-loss regimen as soon as Baby #3 makes his or her arrival.
23) Recover your furniture instead of replacing it. When my husband and I were first married, we spent a total of $100 to furnish our apartment. We accepted hand-me-downs for almost everything and then purchased a used matching sofa and chair we found in the newspaper.
Four years later, when we had made it through law school a had a little more wiggle room in our budget, we decided it was about time we replace our living room set. We had scrimped together a few hundred dollars and naively figured we could likely find something for this amount. However, we quickly found that a few hundred dollars doesn't go very far when it comes to furniture.
We scoured garage sales, second-hand stores, surplus stores, and Craigslist, all to no avail. Either the furniture was very used, hideously ugly, or just plain too expensive.
Finally, a friend suggested we consider buying slipcovers instead of replacing our furniture. We'd never considered that, but after a little digging, we discovered you can buy brand-new slip covers off of eBay for about half of what they'd run retail. And the price of these slipcovers paled in comparison to buying new furniture!
So, after buying two slipcovers and making some matching throw pillows, we re-did the entire look of our living room for less than $150!
(If you were more handy with a sewing machine than me, you could likely make slipcovers or just up and recover your entire sofa for even less than we paid.)
24) Constantly challenge yourself to improve. My husband and I are fairly competitive people so we've found we can really use this to our advantage when it comes to saving and giving. We set goals every month for how much we hope to save and give and how we hope to accomplish it and then we have a running competition to see if we can actually pull it off.
Some months, we'll commit to not going out to eat, or reducing our energy usage, or driving less, or spending less on groceries, or not spending any money on anything but basic necessities. Each month, it's a little different so that it keeps life interesting and we never grow bored of the challenge. In addition, we always set our goals a little higher than what we think we can pull off, just to challenge ourselves to think outside the box and be more self-disciplined.
Making it like a game to see how well we can live while still reaching our financial goals makes it fun and exciting. Who says that living on a budget and living beneath your means needs to be a miserable experience?!
The biggest benefit of challenging ourselves in this way is that it really does seem to allow us to save and give more. We don't always quite make our monthly goals, but I am positive we go a lot farther than we would if we didn't set any goals and didn't come up with creative challenges each month to help us try and meet them.
25) Drink water. Okay, so this might not be your favorite way to save $100 this year, but if you want to spend less and save more, curbing the caffeine addiction is something to seriously consider.
Water is the beverage of choice in our home. We enjoy coffee and even soft drinks on occasion, but these are reserved as a treat, not an everyday occurrence. And we've saved a lot of money over the years because of this.
I know you often hear about how you can save money by "cutting the Starbucks habit" and I'm sure it has almost begun to seem cliche at this point, but have you ever really done the math? If you regularly get drinks from the soda machine at work or stop in often at the drive-thru at a local coffee shop, have you ever taken the time to add up how much these little expenditures are really costing you? If you spend $3 five times per week on lattes, that's over $750 each year! Or even if you only spend $1 five days a week on a drink, that still is over $250 a year.
If giving up your daily latte is unthinkable, perhaps you could consider learning to make it at home? You'll save a tremendous amount of by doing so and you might find you can make it even better than the local coffee shop. But I still recommend water–it's a lot fewer calories than most caffeinated beverages and it's really good for you, too!
http://detroitcouponsanddeals.com/Downloads/30WaystoSlashYourBudgetin30Days.pdf
