Dumb Little Man has 30 GREAT Well Duh Tips for Saving Money.
I have to admit, I am TERRIBLE at some of these (bringing lunch to work!) – but good reminders if I just got my head on straight how much mula I could actually be saving.
Further thoughts:
Cook at home often
If both the husband and wife work, this is likely to be very difficult. Start out with the habit of cooking at home once a week and slowly increase the frequency until you find a balance between saving money and getting stressed out.
What we’ve started doing is once a week cooking up either 3lbs of chicken or ground beef and then using that for 2-3 meals thru-out the week since both my husband and myself work.
The Crock-Pot is your friend! A Crock Cook has a ton of recipes!
Make your own coffee:
Everyone seems to have heard of the latte factor. Even though the author may have overestimated the savings from skipping a latte at Starbucks, don’t underestimate the ding it puts in your pocket in the long run. You don’t have to entirely ban drinking coffee, but skip it as often as possible unless you make it at home.
This I am AWEFUL AT. I am addicted to Starbucks, I admit it. But my husband on the other hand, is slowly breaking that habit.
We got an awesome deal for Starbucks coffee on Amazon over the summer, so we stocked up. He now makes his own coffee. We bought some disposable (I know, SO not green!) coffee cups at Target, so when he is on the go – it’s just like Starbucks.
Go grocery shopping while you are in a hurry:
Maybe you need to go out in a couple of hours. Or your favorite show is going to be on TV after a couple of hours. Try to squeeze in the grocery trip in that intermediate time. Armed with your grocery list, you should be in-and-out very quickly with little time for meandering and getting tempted to buy things you don’t need.
OR HUNGRY! I can’t tell you how much hunger will result in impulse buying! Also – don’t forget your coupons!!
Buy in bulk whenever possible:
When it comes to non-perishable items, buy in bulk whenever you find something on sale. The items I usually stock up on are, cereals, tinned goods, rice, beans, pasta, coke, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, toilet paper etc. For such items, shopping at warehouse stores like Costco, Sam’s Club etc can save you quite a bit of money, provided you stick strictly to your shopping list when you shop at these places.
I love Sam’s Club. There generic products are actually really good. We haven’t bought dishwasher soap in at least 9 months. Also, check ask where there clearance aisle is. I bought my 9 ft. Christmas tree there for $90! (retail $300).
Avoid ATM fees:
Be aware of the ATM withdrawal fees charged by your bank. While some banks waive fees for all ATM transactions on any ATM machine, most don’t. So be sure to use only those ATM machines where your bank will not charge the fees, or withdraw directly at your bank.
Need to get cash out, but don’t want to pay the ATM fees? Just go to the gas station/store and buy gum. Use your debit card – choose cash out – SHAZAM.
If you have to buy books, check if you can buy it used:
Used books do not quite give the same feeling as leafing through the crisp pages of a brand new book. But considering that you can get used books for almost as much as half the price of a new book, it is a small price to pay. My favorite place to buy used books is a local chain called “Half Price Book Store”. Check if you have something similar in your city. For text books, look online on bulletin boards, mailing lists etc, and price compare on websites like addall.com.
I second that on Half Price Books. I LOVE this place. My kids’ book collection has been mostly purchased from here.
Half Price Books also purchases your used books! We clean out before Christmas each year and use this for Christmas funds.
Disconnect land line if possible:
Unless you have small kids in the house or older people to take care of, it is more than likely that you will be able to survive with only the mobile phones and can get rid of the land line. We have survived without any problems for over 4 years now with out a land line. Our Internet comes via cable.
We use Vonage and LOVE it. For $14.99 a month, we have unlimited minutes anywhere in the United States. My husband works from home and needed a line for his daily conference call.
Price check before buying anything expensive:
For other items that are expensive, do a price check before buying the item. If you can wait for a while you can track the prices and grab a great deal when it comes along. Frequently available online coupons make it even more easy to save some money. This is especially true while purchasing any electronics.
I always check RetailMeNot before purchasing anything on the web!
Plan vacations ahead of time:
Vacations are a necessary part of saving our sanity in the busy lives that we lead. But vacations are also a huge drain on the family finances. You can cut the cost of a vacation significantly by planning and booking ahead of time. Bookmark travel sites for finding inexpensive airfare, hotel etc., and book at least two weeks in advance.
Check out Travel Zoo – make sure to sign up for their weekly emails. We have scored some major travel bargains on thanks to this site!
Finally, keep distance from lavish, high-roller friends:
If you have lavish friends who buy a new car every other year (or worse still, lease it), have large screen TVs and every other conceivable electronics gadget, eat out at fancy restaurants every other night and just live way beyond their means, keep the distance. They may be nice people and mean you no harm, but hanging out with such people often can lead to a lot of unnecessary desires and discontent. What’s more important – your friends or your peace of mind?
Keeping up with the Jones’ is so 2007. Get out of that habit. Embrace individuality. I am a gadget gal, so if you REALLY want something – don’t use your credit card and scour the internet for a good deal!
Happy Bargain Hunting and Money Saving!
