You know there is a lot of articles out there on ways to save. But most of them are crap. First off, I am not going to completely give up cable. Netflix is great, but its not the same. Netflix does not replace cable for me. But...for some its an awesome option. If you watch very little TV, or not alot of current TV...go for it. Netflix is $8 bucks a month for unlimited movies and television shows. I need my cable (ok I want my cable), but I also have Netflix. And if you only want Netflix, cut the other channels. Basic cable can run $30 bucks a month or less. Ok, so my whole big fabulous point is, most articles talk about saving in drastic ways. I am going a much simpler route. Small ways to save...small steps. Saving without feeling like you have giving up extra luxury, treat, want and desire. My theory is...live poor richly. Now live poor...well poorly. So lets start simple with tips to have you save...wheeeeeeee :)
I plan to dedicate a whole entry to
cellphones. But here's a little tidbit. I use to pay $150-$200 bucks a month on a family plan. All because I want a cool phone...blah blah blah :P! So I decided to invest that $200 one month into a nice phone, got a month-to-month plan....and I pay $30 for web, talk and text. HELLO!!! So you still have one of the hottest phones, but you pay pennies a dollar a day for it.
Coupons is a whole notha entry itself as well...but use them!!
Ok, I should not even have to list to pros to
carpooling; but I will. You are paying usually 1/4 the gas you did before. You don't have to be that angry driver sitting in traffic everyday. Ummm...the environment. Less pollution. I'd think we'd all like to see this Earth last. Many places allow carpoolers to drive in the HOV lanes, which saves time and gas. You can make new friends, get to know your co-workers better. If you pay tolls, you are only paying a percentage of what you paid before. And there is less wear and tear on your own car. If you paid to park, you are just cut that cost down. Lets look at me for example.
Per month I was paying:
$70 - Parking Garage
$75 - Gas (for commute to work and back)
= $145
Carpooling with 3 other people I pay per month:
Parking Garage - $17.50
Gas - $20 (for commute to work and back)
= $37.50
Need I really say more??! Plus less wear and tear on your car increases the value. Maybe you could actually trade it in one day, and get an even sweeter ride!
Shop around, and find
off brands that work for you. Safeway brand diapers are awesome. And I pay usually half what I would for Pampers or Huggies. I only buy brand name items when I have a coupon. Otherwise, I always go off brand. Did you know most off brands are made by the same companies as brand names? They come out of the same warehouse. They just don't pay for the advertising. Basically when you buy brand name, you are getting just that...paying for a name. Stores like Safeway, Wal-Mart, Target, Giant and CVS (to only mention a few) have a whole line of off brand items. Toilet paper, medicines, beverages, pasta sides, oatmeal, cereal....on and on. I love Coke. But Coke coupons are a rarity. Last week my Safeway had a sale on their 12pk Cola products.
I got 4 cases of Diet Cola at $1.88 each. And as avid Coke drinker and lover, I could not tell the difference. Neither can most.
When I say
Dollar Store, what comes to mind? Many of us think cheap. I mean it is. I would not recommend getting clothing there, batteries or baby wipes (bad experience with the dollar store wipes, it was like trying to wipe the baby with a brillo pad...so we said bye bye to those.) But there are savings worth taking advantage of. I often use the Dollar Store for stocking stuffers at Christmas time, or Easter basket fillers. 100% of the time I get gift bags there. Please do not spend $5 on a gift bag. It is almost always used only once. Its basically $5 bucks down the drain. My local dollar store has a huge selection of gift bags, and I will never pay more than a dollar for one again. Now do not get personal care items here, I do not recommend that either. You can get great toothpaste and toiletries at your local grocery store or pharmacy for a dollar or less (just work the coupon/sale system). But there is no reason you cannot stock up on dollar store paper towels, cups, plates, party decor, cleaning supplies and more. You can be that person who always decorates and makes a festive theme for parties; and everyone will wonder how you do it.
Also most Dollar Stores have a pretty good selection of toys. It's fun to give a kid $5 bucks, and let them loose in the dollar store. To get 5 things to them is like hitting the jackpot.
Beware though. Make sure your Dollar Store is really a dollar store. Some call themselves a dollar store, but have items for $2, $3, $5 bucks and higher. So shop smartly.
Gym memberships. Now here's the thing, I would never say give up your membership. But the truth is most memberships do run $40 a month or more. Plus extra for different classes. One thing you might consider is if you have a gym at work. If so, utilize that. You can work out for free! Would it really kill you to come in 30 mins early, or cut your lunch break short to work out. Even stay after work. I mean if you can save $40 a month or more, why not go for it! Or you can see if you have a local community center or YMCA. My daughter loves to ice skate, swim, dance and workout. I love to workout and hit the pool. I joined my local community center (paid the discounted in-county fee) of $78 bucks. So I know that sounds like a lot. But here's how I actually save. For one, the community center is right across the street. I no longer spend any gas heading up the highway to my local gym. Second, most classes are no extra charge. And I have complete access to the gym, dance room, ice rink, swimming pool and in-door beach....for all my family. $78 covers us all. So instead of paying separate gym fees for me and my boyfriend, daycare fees for the kids while we work out, class fees, gas money and so on...I pay a flat $78 and it works for us. And you find even better deals. Many YMCAs based membership fees on your income. Check around, you may be surprised the community programs and centres out there.
Pictures. Simple one. Use your digital camera, upload to your computer and use sites like Snapfish.com to get your prints. They usually have great deals, and 20 free prints when you sign up. Free shipping deals and you can create unique gifts using your photos. Or make a whole album. Bottom line, you you get 100 prints for $20 bucks or less...verses what you pay in most stores for developing.
Electric bills. I am not going to go too deep into this, because we all no the harsh truth. Electricity is expensive. And if you pay for it, you have to learn to cut back. And even you don't pay for it, saving electricity is something that should be a part of all our daily lives. Unplug appliances when not using them Turn off lights when no one is in the room. Fan or AC...pick one, you all. You don't need both unless your menopausal (then have all the air you need, girlfriend.) Turn the TV and radio off when no one is using them. Pre-treat laundry stains, so your clothes only need one wash cycle. Turn the heat and AC off when no is home. Its nice to come home to a cool house, but its much nicer to save money every month. You can only invest in new windows that better insulate to save money. Go Green. Get energy saving light balbs when they are on sale, and stock up. They last longer and use less. You really can't beat that.
I always turn my car off when I am idle. It does save gas!!! Long wait at the drive thru...
turn it off. Waiting for your hubby to come out of the store....
turn it off. Longest red light in town...
turn it off.
Coffee. This is a big one for me. I simply cannot function without coffee. I use to go to Starbucks and spent $4.79 on a venti coffee frap w/extra coffee. Now I spend $5 bucks on a can of coffee at the grocery store. I make it, ice it and drink it. And if I am out, I hit my local convenience store (7-11 in my area.) They have a large iced coffee for $1.49. So let's just look at this for a second...I use to get a frap at least 3 times a week.
So per month I was spending $57.48. O...to the M...to the G!!
Now 1 to 2 cans from the store last me all month. And possibly 5 iced coffees purchased a month. That all runs me about $17.45 a month (even less when coffee is on sale or I have a coupon.) Cutting back and changing my habits on just one thing, and I saved over $40 bucks a month. I mean I was paying $5 freaking dollars for coffee and ice!!! And we all do it. Do you see the insanity, people. I was out of control. I thought Starbucks and I had something serious...but Starbucks was f'ing me over. It was time to breakup ;) Still...once in a while (like 3 times a year) I falter, and I go see my ex. I spend the $5 bucks and I savor the moment. Then back to reality LOL. Point being, no one is saying you can never treat yourself to an old favorite. Just make sure you have a new and much cheaper favorite that your frequent the most. Often I just put my homemade coffee drink into one of my Starbucks cups. So I walk around sipping for about 1/4 what everyone else with that Starbucks cup paid.
Movies. Back to my original thought...Netflix. Still, we all love to go to the movie theater. So go Sunday morning. Matinee pricing is sometimes half of what a regular movie ticket costs. And sneaks some darn candy or something in your purse. I forbid you to spend any money at the concession stand. Its ridiculous. Also, if you are lucky enough to live near a discount theater...go. When I was in Georgia, we went to the $1 theater and saw The Princess and the Frog. It was probably 3 months after it had come out, but it was still just as fun. Regular theaters around here are $11 bucks a ticket. So I just saved $20 dollars right there. So google discount theaters or check your local phone book. You could be right down the street from one and never even knew it.
So I pretty much bought
lunch out every day at work for a long time. Most of my co-workers did as well. One told me, he always budgeted an extra $200 a month for eating out every day. $200!!!! Reality check time. I would go to Cosi and get a $10 Chicken Caesar salad. I would grab some Five Guys, a burger, fry and drink ran me 9 bucks and some change. Of course the food is good. Its quick, and its hot and fresh. I was being idiot! I could have good food, hot and fresh and not spend $10 dollars a day. A head of lettuce costs $2 dollars at my local Safeway. I can make a good 4-5 salads from that. Grilled up some chicken breasts, season and store in the fridge. Stock on a shredded cheese, usually $1.88 when on sale. For around $8 dollars I just got enough food for at least 5 lunches. Now I like variety as well. I started making a little extra certain nights for dinner. If we were having lemon pepper chicken and rice, I know that saves and travels well. So I make extra. At least enough for one lunch, sometimes two. As I am serving up dinner plates, I also go ahead and plate my Tupperware containers for the next two lunches. In the morning I can just grab and go. I also watch for awesome deals on TV dinners. On sale and with a coupon you can sometimes get them for $2 bucks. And I am talking the good ones, not the $1 banquets. Stoufers, Marie Calender's, Lean Cuisine, Hungry Man. You can stock up and save.
Lastly for Part Uno, I want to talk about our
cable again. When I first moved, I ended up with Cox cable. I had Comcast cable before. Cox offered me their rebate special, $300 cash back for signing up. A few months later I gave them a call to ask if they had any other special rebates or offers going on. They did. I could lock in my pricing for 2 years and get $100 dollars cash back. So I did it. It was a win win. My rate can not increase for 2 years, and I got $100 bucks cash. So then I told my friend to give them a call. She had been a Cox customer for years and had just renewed for another year. Turns out she could get the rebate deal as well, and received $100 dollar check in the mail. Moral of the store is...ask. Always ask. Anywhere you go, any service you sign up for. There are unadvertised deals and rebates happening all the time. I make it a point to give Cox a call every 6 months and ask. It doesn't hurt, and it has only helped me so far. Stores have unadvertised deals. Cellphone companies. Cable companies. Internet providers. Rental companies. You gotta speak up.
So just for this blog, lets tally up the possible savings.
3 movies out a month for 2 $66.00
3 matinees a month for 2 $36.00
3 movies out a month at the dollar theater $6.00
Netflix unlimited movies right to your television $8.00
So a $60 dollar difference between the least and most expensive option.
Cellphone Family Plan for 2 $179.00 (plus tax, fee, overages, etc)
A month-to-month plan for 1 $30
Month-to-Month for 2 $60.00
Month-to-Month for 3 $90.00
Month-to-Month for 4 $120.00
So a $149 savings between the least and most expensive option.
Carpooling we looked at. a drastic $107.50 savings.
Jumbo Pack Pamper Diapers $19.99
Jumbo Pack of off brand diapers $10.99
A $9 savings example for buying off brand items.
Planning a party? You could spend:
$30 - decorations
$10 - plastic cups, plates, silverware
$15 - gift bags and wrapping paper
$5 - napkins or paper towels
= $60.00
Or you can spend at the Dollar Store:
$8 -decorations (8 items)
$3 - Plastic cups, plates & silverware
$4 - gift bags (4 presents)
$2 - 2 packs of napkins
= $17.00
Gym membership $40
Use the free gym at work $0
Picture developing, you could spend $8 for 24 prints or $8 for 40 prints.
Budgeting for lunch, I got to a point where I was spending about $1.50 a day. I use to spend $10. $200 a month!! Now I spend $30 or less!! That is a $170 dollar savings.
When I stopped heading to Starbucks, I saved $40 a month easy.
And in the last year I have become so much more aware of my electricity use. We are talking $30 dollars a month in savings or more.
Also, I got a great deal with my cable package. I pay $150 for Internet, phone and TV. I also locked in that rate for 2 years, and got $400 dollars in rebates. So basically they paid for my service for almost a full 3 months! And if you aren't a big TV buff, cut down to basic. Add Netflix and you could be paying $38 a month. Saving $112 dollars off what I pay. Ok, I am jealous now ;)
You want to know the grand total in savings $768.50. I was a little taken aback by that. Of course, not every step works for everyone. You won't be planning a party every month, or developing pictures every month. But most of us do drive to work, or use public transportation each day. We eat out at lunchtime, we go to Starbucks. Most of us work out at the gym. We catch a movie on Saturday night, and everyone including my grandma has a cellphone. And we often shop on a weekly basic, spending a lot more on name brand stuff that we can get sometimes 50% cheap if we went for the off brand. This is about small changes that save big money. Even if you only saved half of the total possible savings, that's $384.25 a month. One third is $256.16. One fourth is $192.12. I mean who couldn't use an extra $200 a month or more. Heck, 1/8 of the total is $96 bucks!! So you can save...sometimes a little, sometimes alot! And this is just the beginning.
The truth is we have all heard saving tips before...but we don't utilize them. Then we complain how broke we are, or how we have no savings and our credit cards are maxed out. It does discipline. We go the extra step. But if that extra step can save us over $700 dollars...I'd walk 10 miles (forget one step)!!
My bff magazine, Cosmo has this fun section where it states the habit, the cost and what you could have bought with that money. So borrowing their idea a bit; here's a few reality checks.
Eating lunch out every day $200 a month
You could have got in 1 month A Ten Piece Stainless Steel Emerilware Cook Set
In 3 months you could have got an iPhone 4
In 6 months you could have got 40 pairs of shoes
In 12 months you could have got an all expense paid trip for a family of 4 to Disney World for 5 days!!
