With prices
rising on a daily basis it is more important than ever to save money everywhere
we can. I thought I'd share some of the
ways I'm saving money every day.
Food
In order to stay
on budget I still plan my meals based on items I already have on hand. We only eat two meals a day. The majority of my grocery shopping is solely
what I find on sale or markdown. I shop
with a list I make after checking the weekly sales ads. I know my prices at each of the stores I shop
at and routinely use digital and paper coupons to pair with sales items. I make sure to minimize food waste by not
over purchasing perishable items, over cooking and eating leftovers. I frequently make low cost meals and serve a
soup meal at least once a week. I stick
to my monthly budget.
Fuel
I drive a lot
less. When I do drive I plan my route to
maximize efficiency and make the most of each trip. I stick to a monthly gas budget and purchase
my fuel at the best price with a gas station fuel rewards card which shaves an
additional 3¢ a gallon off in order to get the most fuel I can for my
money. I am willing to walk or use my
bike for short trips that don't require using a vehicle. My daughter and I will often run errands
together too so we only need to use one car.
Home Heating & Cooling
I keep the
thermostat set at 68° in our home in winter.
We only use a lower wattage electric fireplace and infrared heater at
the beginning and end of winter and push of the higher watt main heating as
long as possible. We also wear sock and
slipper and dress in layers so we can be comfortable in a cooler home. In spring and fall we are able to keep the
house cool by opening windows in the mornings and late evening for fresh
air. I have window A/C units that we
install in the upstairs bedrooms in July and August, our hottest months. Just running the A/C in the upper level is
enough to keep our entire house cool as the downstairs stays quite nice on its
own. Similarly, we only use the heat
downstairs allowing heat to rise on its own to the upper level during the
colder months.
Clothing & Shoes
Secondhand,
sales and off season clearance is the way we acquire whatever we need when it
comes to clothes, coats, shoes, boots, hats and gloves. I could not tell you the last time I
purchased something new and paid full price for it. I also keep a fairly minimal wardrobe and
typically just replace items as they wear out.
When my children were younger I happily accepted hand me downs too.
Laundry & Housekeeping
I have a high
efficiency front load washer and dryer set.
I only run the washer once it is full.
I purchase laundry detergent on sale and with coupons or make my own. I stopped using liquid fabric softener and
now use white distilled vinegar in the wash.
We do use dryer sheets and reuse them for multiple loads before tossing
them out. I also hang about 50% of our
laundry to air dry.
I use minimal
cleaning supplies for keeping house.
Dishwashing detergent, Comet or bleach, and Fabuloso for most of my
cleaning works really well. I have a
dishwasher that I rarely use, but when we do I only run it when it is
full. Mostly, I prefer to hand wash our
dishes and typically I only do dishes once a day, sometimes twice. I'm also very conscientious about how much
water I'm running and I always use rags instead of paper towels.
Hair, Hygiene & Manicures
We do haircuts,
manicures and pedicures at home. We
don't shower or bathe every day and we are very conscientious about our water
use when we do. We are careful not to
overuse shampoo, conditioner or soap finding a little seems to go a long way. I purchase inexpensive products and often dilute
them with water as they tend to be very thick and diluting them doesn't seem to
have any adverse effect on their performance while making them go much
further. We use store brand products
most of the time which I buy on sale and with coupons as often as possible. I don't use make up, neither does my
daughter, or dye my hair. More expensive
items like perfume, shower gels, body creams and lotions are typically received
as gifts.
Entertainment
We make our own
entertainment. Playing games, cards or
putting together a jigsaw puzzle is still fun for us. We also have a Wii and a Sega Genesis as well
as some computer games we can play. I
like to do crossword puzzles and can get a book from the dollar store or print
them online. We seldom go out for meals
and rarely go to the movies or concerts.
There are plenty of free activities available in our city such as car
shows, art exhibits, museum or zoo days, free music venues, nature walks and
hiking, floating the river, etc. I gave
up all subscription streaming services and we cut cable a good long time
ago. There are plenty of free viewing options
we access with our Roku as well as online.
We also borrow DVDs and books from our public library. Potlucks, BBQs and inviting friends over for
dinner is still a favorite activity of ours.
Do you have any
money saving tips you'd like to share?
How are some new ways you've been saving money?
I'm new to your site and use many of the same thrifty ways. One I would share is home made dryer "sheets". I purchase cheap hair rinse, an old terry sock/ old dishrag & water. This does take some experimentation as to how diluted to make the rinse/water solution, of course more rinse/less water in winter and vice versa in summer. I have a plastic container with solution and rags. The rag doesn't need to be soaking wet, again by experimentation you will know by feel when the rag is right for drying. I've been using this technique for years to save money and no dryer sheets to throw in the trash.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a neat idea I'd be willing to experiment with. Thank you for sharing this with me. I got a gob of dryer sheets on clearance a couple years ago. Once I use those up I may just switch to this method.
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