Your best ever money saving tips

stumblinthrulife

Another more general tip, which actually applies in all walks of life - don't focus on the margins when you don't have the big stuff right yet.

If you are paying 9% interest on a $800,000 mortgage for a house you don't need, you shouldn't be fretting about incandescent vs. CFL light bulbs. If you are paying 20% interest on $20,000 of credit card debt, you shouldn't be fretting about choosing a savings account with 0.8% or 0.85% interest. If you are driving a Humvee H2 just to take little Timmy to school half a mile away, you shouldn't be clipping 10% coupons for your morning soy-chai-skinny-latte-whatever.

Those secondary items will undoubtedly save you a little bit of money, but you are hemorrhaging money on the big stuff, making fixing the little things little but *kitten*.

billsica

I have my paycheck direct deposit. Then I have a small portion automatically transferred to a second account that I don't use.
I take that money and use it for larger items, or invest when I need to.

Shopping, If you have an Aldi or cheap grocery store. I like to try to go there first and get staples, then go to a regular grocery for produce and stuff that I won't be afraid has wheevlies in it.

KenziesFrenzies

Anyone cut the cord from cable? I have looked into that, just going to antennae and internet. I spend about $110 per month for freaking TV and I barely watch it anymore.

What would be the best alternatives?

I never even signed up for cable in my house. My TV is hooked up to my computer, where I can find *any* movie or tv series to either stream or download (for free). Who needs cable when you have the Internets & Netflix?!

awtume9

Anyone cut the cord from cable? I have looked into that, just going to antennae and internet. I spend about $110 per month for freaking TV and I barely watch it anymore.

What would be the best alternatives?

I don't have cable, I just stream Netflix though my boyfriend's Playstation and it's only $8/month. and there are endless possibilities!

seltzermint555

Anyone cut the cord from cable? I have looked into that, just going to antennae and internet. I spend about $110 per month for freaking TV and I barely watch it anymore.

I don't know anything about the best alternatives. I haven't had cable for 2 years now, and have not missed it at all. Although I'm probably weird in that I do not even receive local channels. I have a hand me down TV and haven't bothered to get a box so that I can access local channels. My husband and I sometimes don't even turn on our TV for a month at a stretch. This month we've already watched 3 DVDs from the library on it...which is rare. But that's just because we have been trapped indoors due to snow/ice.

BlueBombers

*Pack a lunch for work everyday
*Brew coffee at home in the mornings instead of running to Tim Hortons or Starbucks
*Cook at home as much as possible
*Only use credit cards when absolutely necessary and if you do pay the full amount each month
*Lower heat at night and while at work
*Shop sales (food, clothes, everything)

I colour my own hair and it saves me a fortune and it looks good.

MaryJane_8810002

1. Bike it out - Bikes cost $100 at walmart and they already assembled. I ride mine everyday for three to four months and it pretty much paid for itself, plus my thighs and glutes are firmer.

2. No frills stores are your friends. I love stores like Aldi's and Save A Lot, such affordable food! Sometimes they carry name brands, I once got a few boxes of Cap N Crunch for $1.59 each!

3. Get your meat from meat supermarkets. Down here we have Western Beef , Penn Dutch, and Broward Meat and Fish. The meat comes in larger packages and is cheaper in the long run.

4. If you have internet then you do not need TV, you can download The Bad Girls Club if you really want to watch it. How many times have you flipped through the TV on Sunday and said 'There ain't nothing on."

5. Buy Shout Color catchers and wash your clothes in large loads. It saves water and if you go to the laundromat this prevents you from having to use separate dryers.

doggiesnot

* Don't buy stuff you cannot afford. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzE76nUSjL8)

* Dave Ramsey (www.daveramsey.com)

* You Need A Budget! (Simple budgeting software that doesn't expire like the others!) (www.ynab.com)

Rage_Phish

I set up an external savings account (separate from my regular checking/savings bank), and transfer money every pay period into separate savings funds ("emergency fund", "newer car fund", etc.), and it automatically withdraws every paycheck.

I LOVE it, because financial self control is a work in progress for me, and this way it takes the money out and puts it in savings before I even see it in my checking account, it's fantastic.

YOU TOOK MY ANSWER!

congratulations, though. I find it fantastic, too :-)

i do this as well

money is taken out of each paycheck before i even see it. some goes to 401K, some to Roght IRA some to savings (untill my safety net is large enough, then more will simply go into ira)

its much easier to save when you pay yourself first.

dont bank on saving what ever is elft at the end of the month. save at the begining and then budget the rest accordingly

jaxass

Recently, I have started to pay myself first. I've saved $1500 in 4 months and will continue on that pace for the entire year.

Now, that does put things in a bind from time to time, so here's what I have done: stopped spending! I eat breakfast at home. Take my own lunch 3x a week. Drink ONLY water or FREE drinks. I only eat 3x a day and no snacking. I drink water throughout the day, which fills me up. There are more things, but the idea is to spend less.

The #1 way I have saved money: ROOMMATES

I rent out 2 rooms to people I have known for years. One is married and only spends a few nights in the area during the month when he travels down here for business. The other is here only because his kids (young) live in the area...otherwise he'd be elsewhere. It saves me a ton of money. I went from paying $1,100/mo + all bills at my old house to paying $550/mo total at my new one. It's been a life saver.

aquarabbit

I do a lot of basic ones, but these are the little ones that have made a difference for me. I'm one of those people who forgets the small things sometimes, so I do these because little things add up!

Food:
Make my own sauces and dressings
Make a meal plan for the week
Listen to the tips from Melissa d'Arabian (and follow her $10 meals. So YUMMY!)
Make large batches of things that reheat well
I invested in some large tupperware for my fridge, pantry and freezer. They're labeled. So I can see EVERYTHING I have.
I don't eat meat everyday (it might not be in every state, but here, it's EXPENSIVE. Especially beef.)
Get a Costco or Sam's club membership. Even if you buy produce somewhere else, the staple items are nice to have in bulk.

House:
I make all my own cleaning products
We use energy efficient light bulbs
We turn off the water when we're rinsing not something in the shower
I make my own candles
I make my own box organizers (for makeup, my desk, etc) out of old cereal boxes.

Personal:
I make all my own skin/hair/nail products (and have a weekly spa day!)
I cut my own hair (the CreaClip is probably one of the best investments I've ever made)
I learned how to sew, so I can tailor my own old and too big, or thrift store and doesn't fit right, clothes (youtube is a great place to learn the basics)

Fun:
If I want something frivolous, I wait for a sale or a deal. If I want it bad enough, I'll be able to wait.
I don't buy a video game unless I can replay it (and luckily Steam has LOTS of sales)
I try to make sure I read one book a week. Not only does that keep me busy, but it gives me a treat at the end of each week (and Kindle books are still pretty cheap!).

_SABOTEUR_

When I was a poor student, I used to leave my wallet at home when I was going out locally or to work so I didn't buy anything unneccesary.

Smart_Beautiful_and_Strong

Thanks for the great ideas! Here are some of mine:

I use Kroger iwireless for my cell phone. I spend about $28.00 a month for 200 talk min, unlimited texting and 200 mb internet. I have a smart phone so I switch to wifi at home and where ever it is offered while I'm out and about. With points from my Kroger card I earn 20 minutes added to my talk time.

I cook from scratch and I try to plan meals around local sales and clearance item..

I make my own laundry soap (recipe from www.duggarfamily.com)

I shop second hand for most of our clothing and hit off season sales.

I signed up at bookbub for free ebooks for my kindle.

justlistening

Make leftovers and freeze for later.
Cook stews (with cheaper cuts of meat) and soups. Cooking with a crockpot is super easy-literally dump the food in (including frozen meat) and walk away. Come back in 8 hours when its done. And its perfect for this time of year.

Before I buy stuff online I always search for coupons. I can usually find one about half of the time. Just google promo code or coupon and the website you are purchasing from.

We cut cable 3 years ago and never looked back. We have Netflix and recently got Amazon Prime. Hubby misses some games but we go out if he really wants to see one. Added super bonus- NO ADS!!

RaeLB

-make laundry detergent and cleaning products (it's also more environmentally friendly and cruelty-free)
-sale items & coupons
-most importantly, create a monthly budget in an excel spreadsheet and stick to it!

moosegt35

1. Borrow movies from Walmart.
2. Hunt your own food.
3. Borrow your neighbors car when they're not looking.
4. Watch cable Tv when your neighbors leave their blinds open.
5. Don't get hair cuts or shave.
6. Don't pay your bills, mortgage or rent.
7. Use the same water in bathtub for the whole family. Then wash your dishes in it.
8. Have sex more often.
9. Never move out of your parents house.
10. Get rid of your cellphone. What?!

if you are doing 5, 7, and 9 you probably aren't going to be able to do 8

You just have to find someone else who is also doing 5, 7 and 9. <mind blown>

ItsCasey

I have a good one. Don't give Uncle Sam more of your paycheck than he's entitled to.

mister_universe

Avoid unexpected pregnancy.

kbmnurse

Or anywhere for that matter. LOL

abelthephotographer

I don't watch TV - has saved me a packet (and preserved my sanity).

I started off by cutting out all short car journeys that I could reasonably walk, but now I don't run a car at all - it's got me fit and saved me a packet (may not be practical for you, but I live in a city with great public transport links, and moved to within 5 minutes walk of work!).

I cook from scratch and in large quantities. I sometimes get budget recipe ideas from the site below, but not always. But in any event it is well worth checking out because her experience dealing with poverty is inspirational:

http://agirlcalledjack.com

Finally, I log my spending in the same way as I log my foods. I have a spending budget just the same as a calorie budget. It really does work!

Hope this helps!