Thrifty Thinking: General Tips to Save

If you listen to the news these days things can sometimes look pretty bleak. In our family we’ve decided to make a few changes and gear down a bit to save money. Some of these money saving ideas will also help the environment which is important for all of us collectively. Everything doesn’t work for every person but you can glean from this list what you like and throw the rest out.

Finances

• List all monthly bills and make a goal for the ones you can pay off. Work towards paying off each bill one at a time. As far as the bills for services go, check around for lower rates or call the company you are with and tell them you want to make sure you are on the best plan. Many times they will work with you to lower your bills.
• On payday it’s a good idea to take out a certain amount of spending money for everyday expenses, budget that money to last until the next pay check.
• Think about a major purchase for at least 24 hours to make sure it’s a sound investment.
• Evaluate whether you should repair or replace major appliances, what in the long term would be the best decision financially.
• Is there anything you are paying for that is not necessary? Many times we stop using our home phones, our gym memberships, and other services and need to think about dropping them.
• Have you done any research on your insurance lately? Many times you can change companies and get a much lower price or combine the insurances to get a discount.

Groceries

• Make meal plans for the week and buy only the things you need for your meal plan.
• Make a list for the store and do your best to stick to the list. I know everyone has heard this before but whatever you do don’t go to the store hungry!
• Try and get everything you need for the week because the more you go to the store the more you buy. I’m speaking from experience; this is one of my downfalls.
• Buy generic. Some are equal to their more pricy counterparts. And there are often more discounts for the store brands.
• Go meatless a couple times a week; opt for beans because they are filling. I happen to love lintels, butter beans (or large limas), and an occasional navy bean. There is also a five and seven bean mixture with a seasoning pack that is really tasty. Whip up a couple boxes of Jiffy Cornbread or whatever you like, put your beans on top, and then throw on some chopped raw onion. Yum! (I know… a little too much excitement for beans, sorry.)
• Don’t forget to use coupons when you can, they can really help sometimes if it’s something you really need. Here’s a link for online coupons. http://www.dealtaker.com/grocery-coupons.html
• At the store I shop at they have a manager’s specials meat bin and vegetable bin. They put the meats in there that expire the next day and discount them, same with veggies. If you are going to freeze the meat it will be fine as long as you cook it as soon as it thaws. The veggies are good if you are going to be using them for a meal that day or the next. It’s usually a significant savings.

Household

• One thing I’m trying my best to do is not wash a load of dishes or do a load of laundry until I have a full load. Also use cold water when you can.
• Keep the thermostat as high as possible at night and use fans to circulate the air.
• Small appliances still use energy when they are not being used. It wouldn’t hurt to unplug these while not in use.
• There are many sites about making your own household cleaners. Here’s a link I found that might help. http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/home-making/household-cleaners/

Personal

• I’m big on resale shops. I love to shop and I live in an area where you can find high end, slightly used clothes in resale shops that are set up like department stores. There are clothes that still have the tags on them.
• Limit the amount of toys your kids get for birthdays and Christmas. It you start them out with one large wish and a few small then they will be happy and not even miss it. If you are already in that trap of giving more and more then have a talk with the kids and tell them what you are trying to do in saving money. Most kids would love to do something to help out the family and would love that you were including them.
• When you take the family out to eat there are restaurants that let kids eat free on certain nights and there are often coupons that come in the mail or that you can get online. There are ways to cut back a little when you go out and still have fun.
• Go to the library more often. Often times we go to the bookstores and purchase books when we could check them out at the library. They have movies too, especially if there’s an older movie you’d like to see again. Most of the public libraries are really nice to go to with a kids section and comfy seating. Kids love going to the library, they have a lot to offer.
• Talk to friends and neighbors about swapping out babysitting nights. Find someone with children of the same age as yours so that they can have a play date at the same time. It’s a win-win situation!

I know these ideas aren’t for everyone. A lot depends on your personal circumstances and lifestyle. Sometimes if we just take the time to sit down and evaluate our spending we can find ways to save a little here and there. And sometimes a little here and there is all it takes to give us some breathing room in our finances.

Author Bio:

Paul and his wife Julie both spend quite a bit of time coming up with ideas, blogging, and researching all things related to childcare. They take care of all the necessary information related to “babysittingjobs.com/”. He personally thinks his blog will help finding information on all things related to a babysitter.