I don't know about your house - but at our house we have been looking for any way to save money. It's been a gradual process - but a little more intense since our last "recession" started - or whatever it is. Prices have gone up, income has stayed the same and we've had some new expenses.
We've even considered cancelling our cable service. (GASP). Currently for both Cable & Internet we pay around $90/month with MediaCom. I really need that $90. See, one of our dogs - Hannah - is soon to turn 13. And she has been healthy as a horse (are they really generally healthy?) her whole life - but now she has congestive heart failure and the beginnings of kidney failure. So she is on two heart meds - one is $75 a prescription, the other an economical $13. And the prescription dog food is ~$50/month. When John, Ian and I were talking about it - someone said it's not like we can watch our dog die while we continue to enjoy TV. It would be an easy choice. So far I'm still trying to find that money somewhere else in the budget.
So here are things that we currently do to save money:
- Rarely, if ever go out to eat - eat at home and/or bring my lunch)
- Don't go to movies
- John stopped buying DVDs - buys or trades for them occasionally at used book store.
- Buy clothes at Thrift and Consignment shops. (Exceptions undergarments & shoes)
- Go 8 weeks between hair cuts/color
- Made dog toys from old jeans
- Use leftovers for dog treats
- Use library or swap sites for books, dvds, cds (check out http://www.paperbackswap.com/ )
- Save electricity by only turning lights on in rooms we're in.
- Air Conditioning - set at 78-80, Heat - set at 65.
So what do all of you do to save money?
1 comment:
Jill,
I have to admit -- I don't do nearly as well as saving money. Here are the few things that I do, though:
1) My wife and I love good coffee. But, it's gotten soooo expensive. So, just lately, I've been buying green coffee beans (around $6 per pound) and roasting my own with a hot air popcorn popper. Not only does it taste great, but it's fun, too.
2) For quite awhile I tried cutting my own hair with one of those FloBee things. My wife didn't like the looks of that, though, so, I, too, go 6 - 8 weeks between haircuts.
3) Razors -- buy the Persona brand and make them last 2 - 3 weeks each.
4) Never buy a car I have to make payments on.
5) When we bought our house, we bought far less than what they told us we can afford. Then, this spring, we refinanced for 15 years at 4.5%.
6) Mow and fertilize my own lawn (mow with a push mower -- saves money and gives me a weekly workout in the summer).
7) Wife's been wanting a deck forever, so I built it myself even though I'd never built one completely from scratch -- thank heaven for the internet to let me figure out what I'm doing.
8) Do my own house/car repairs when I can -- for example, this week fixed the electrical problem in my daughter's room by replacing the circuit breaker myself. Also, recharge the A/C in the cars myself when needed.
But, for each of those, I can give you something we splurge on -- vacations, going out to eat too often, etc. So, I would say I'm only so-so on being frugal.
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