~I make my own scouring powder from vinegar, baking soda and dish detergent to clean the stove, cabinets, tub, etc. This helps alot since I’m pregnant again and the fumes are really harmful.
~Knowing how to sew is priceless. I make my toddlers play clothes.
~Everything gets used at least once. The plastic grocery bags are our trash bags. Our empty water bottles are refilled from the sink. Old clothes are either cut up for cleaning rags. If they can be fixed, I patch them up.
~I plan our meals 2 weeks in advance. I make sure to cook at least twice what we need and freeze all leftovers. This also means we rarely eat out.
~I clip coupons religiously. And I only clip the ones we use. I’m more apt to buy something I don’t need if I have a coupon for it.
~I check the local groceries ad papers on Wednesdays. I try to find what is on sale based on what I have down for the menu. If I see a better deal on something, I revise the menu to accomidate the sale.
~I buy frozen vegetables instead of canned. I’ve heard that the frozen is better for you because no nutrients are lost from being precooked. Also, there is more in the bag than the can because the can contains so much liquid.
~I know what days the local grocery puts out it’s reduced meat. I can find REALLY nice steaks and roasts for about $3 a piece. It’s nice to have a little treat once in a while.
~I use what coupons I can at Kroger because they double and triple a lot of them.
~I go to the discount bread store for a loaf of bread. It may be a day old, but it won’t last long enough to go bad.
~My dad grows a huge garden every year and gives us what he doesn’t use. He also raises rabbits to butcher. We get lots of lean protien from rabbit from him as well.

I think I will end this here. I could go on, but I might put some of you to sleep. I just figured some of this might help someone later down the line.

In direct costs (cigarettes, smoker’s surcharge on health and life insurance premiums) and indirect costs (clothes cleaning and wear, extra teeth cleaning, breath mints, repainting smoke-stained walls, damage to and extra cleaning of carpets and upholstery, time loss and medical bills from more frequent respiratory infections, transportation to buy cigarettes), not to mention the big ticket items like lung cancer or heart disease treatment, emphysema supplies, burning the house down, or the like, this has to have saved me well over $100,000, and it took less than two seconds to do. Pretty darned good pay rate!

My best tip = watch out for leeches. Anything that regularly siphons money out of your pocket, especially if it seems small enough to be tagged “harmless.” I find them in several categories.

1. Paying for stuff you don’t have to (LATE fees on credit cards, out-of-network ATM fees)

2. Paying for stuff you can get for free (your Library suggestion! ditch cable TV for broadcast + download your must-see episodes on the internet)

3. Daily Habit Leeches (even if you drop from the $4 Starbucks to the $1.19 gas station cappucinno, that still adds up to real money after six months)

4. Rewarding Myself Regularly Leeches (you had a great post on how buying 2-3 books and 1-2 DVDs every week just for getting through was blowing a hole in the budget, and to seriously think about commercial/material rewards).

5. Collections (sure, all those whimsical dragon figurines or Franklin Mint plates are sweet, but very few retain resale value, and they DO start hitting you at an emotional level where your craving can outweigh your budget sense.)

I will continue to buy on ebay… but just not as much.

Happy Holidays everyone!
Ginai

- Moving out of the city into the deep suburbs has saved tons on rent, city prices for groceries, and the vast array of fun expensive (but ephemeral) things to do in the city. That, and…

- … still not purchasing a car. The town I moved to has a commuter rail station, and lots of necessities within walking distance. So, even with winter approaching, I find myself playing a game of put-off, relying on my bike for anything I can’t walk to. So far it’s working, and it’s also keeping me healthy.

- Believe it or not: Target. Although the bane of many people’s budgetary discipline, it’s helpful to have one store where you can get everything you need in one shot. The Target in my town has a supermarket in it, so I just pedal up to it with two constraints: a dollar amount to spend, and the size of the large canvas backpack that everything will go home in.

And the big thing I have yet to work out:

- Keeping my aging parents financially independent: Neither of my (separated) parents has anything in savings, and the years are a-passin’. At some point, I’m going to be catching some of the fallout, so I’m putting thought and energy into finding ways for them to earn more, save more, and keep physically healthy. Some investment now will save a ton of effort later.

But really, how many degrees would I have gotten? So maybe the real biggest saver has been to realize how great used cars can be. My first car was a two-year-old car in a model with average reliability. My second car was a ten-year-old car in a model with excellent reliability. That second car lasted more years and more miles, broke down less often and costed less when it broke down. Also, I don’t have to buy collision insurance because I can always pay cash (I save $50/month towards my next car). Another benefit is that I have no incentive to be paranoid about little dings or about people eating in my car!

Or maybe I save more by having a paying roommate. This wasn’t a change, though–I like coming home to someone without having to make an appointment first. I just kept doing it long after the college years were over. (And it’s really only a housemate, not a roommate.) I understand that I’ve been really lucky with roommates though–no crazies or dangerous people or people who ruin stuff or who never pay their rent for 2.5 decades now.

I am not really sure why you are concerned with my “logic.” The reason for the post was to offer up actions that have worked for us individually. So, I did. You wanted clarification so I answered.

You then tell me my logic is flawed. Actually, your assumption of my logic is what is flawed.

My logic is when paying cash, you eliminate the “option” of buying something more expensive than you can actually afford through financing.

It has nothing to do with new vs used. It has to do with eliminating temptation.

I am aware of the interest difference between between paying cash and financing the same priced vehicle. That was not my point. My point was when faced with a purchase price, financing allows one to overspend. Allows, not forces. That overspending creates payments

On the other hand, paying cash does not give you that option. If forces you to stay within your means, because those means are all you have. No payments.

Not all actions apply to all people.

Have a great day.

2. No cable. We were paying about $80 per month for cable. Cancelled it over a year ago and don’t really miss it at all. So in the past year I’ve saved almost $1,000 right there.

3. My old car. I’ve driven my car for over 10 years. I love it and I will drive it as long as I can. The thought of getting a new car with a payment makes my stomach turn.

4. Gardening. We had our first garden this year and I loved it. Not only for all the fresh vegetables but also the actual act of gardening. I found it very relaxing, it’s decent exercise, and it kept me so busy that I didn’t have time to shop! The freezer is also stocked for the winter.