|
Everyday Ways to Save |
| By Cyndi Roberts |
|
|
Small things do add up. Sometimes we get caught up thinking of ways to save big bucks and forget about the small ways.
Here are some things to do (or not do!) all the time to save money.
Never buy lottery tickets. Wouldn't you rather save those few dollars a week toward something a lot more "reliably rewarding"?
Pay bills on time. It makes no sense to waste money on late fees.
Bake from scratch. Home-baked bread and snacks and desserts taste so much better than "store-bought". And it saves on the grocery bill every week.
Have a garden and freeze or can a lot of the surplus produce. If you have too much to use it all, it's always nice to share with friends and neighbors who don't have time to garden.
Use the least amount possible of items like shampoo, laundry soap, dishwashing detergent. Experiment until you find the lowest amount that produces the level of performance you prefer.
Shop at Dollar Stores. Some of the things you can buy there are: greeting cards in bulk; generic allergy medication; ibuprofen; stationery; washcloths; batteries.
Shop sales on groceries and other items, also. Buy clothes, shoes, etc. when it's clearance time. And use coupons whenever possible.
Always obey traffic laws. It's much easier and much less stressful to just drive the speed limit than to pay a ticket. Plus, it's the right thing to do!
Don't throw food away. Leftovers can go into the freezer to use another day or into lunches.
Don't use the clothes dryer if you can hang laundry to dry. Heat- generating appliances are electricity "guzzlers". Plus, air drying is kinder to most items of clothing.
Instead of an expensive haircut, learn to cut your children's hair yourself. If you have more than one child, this can be a real savings. It may not turn out perfect the first time, but just take it slow, cutting a little at a time.
"Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship." --Benjamin Franklin
|
About The Author:
Cyndi Roberts is the editor of the "1 Frugal Friend 2 Another" bi-weekly newsletter and founder of the website of the same name. Visit http://www.cynroberts.com to find creative tips, articles, and a free e-cooking book. Subscribe to the newsletter and receive the free e-course "Taming the Monster Grocery Bill". |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
RE: Everyday Ways to Save
|
Post By cookiepom (Guest Post)
(10/01/2004)
|
|
I have found a great way to cool my house for less money. We had such a mild summer here in Ky. that my husband and I rarely used the A/C but when we did I use this trick. Our bedroom is in the back of the house and gets the seting sun, so it was alot warmer that the rest of the house. I took a big piece of corragated board, measured the top half of our bedroom window and cut it to fit. I then covered the side that faced out side w/foil, shinny side out and duct taped in on. Then I put the board in the window. It fit snug & it kept the hot sun from pouring in when we were cooling the house w/the A/C.
I could have put a piece inbthe bottom of the window as well and really made the room alot cooler, but I hated to block out the light all together. I only did this in my bedroom and could have done this in all of the windows as we have a small house, but this was the only room that seems to heat up. You could try this and you could also turn the board the other side out in the winter to hold the heat. I know this will make a difference and use fans where you can to help circulate the air. Good luck!
RE: Everyday Ways to Save
If you up the thermostat to 80 you probably won't notice the difference in temperature but you should in you bill. For sure, use a microwave ALL SUMMER vs. stovetop, you will be floored at the difference this makes, because you are not heating up the area that will then need cooled. Needless to say, NO BAKING during the summer. Our friends that live in a trailer also do something that sounds weird, but helps.....they put heavy plastic over the windows in winter AND in summer.......to keep the cool 'in'... they only open the majority of their windows in the spring and fall.... also, very imperative in a trailer to make sure the UNDERSIDE is adequately insulated, and you should consider adding insulation to the bottom yourself. If you have an electric hotwater heater, add insulation to it. Hope some of this helps.
RE: Everyday Ways to Save
Those seem to be great tips, but what do you recommend, when I don't buy name brand food, I buy generic, so I can not use coupons. Also I can't seem to get my electric bill to go down. We live in a mobile home, so insulation isn't the greatest. In the summer we leave our AC on 77 degrees and our electric is still running $250.00. That is half of our house payment. What do you recommend??
|
|
|
|
| Login using the form on the top of the page to post feedback if you have registered with ThriftyFun. If you have not yet registered, click here. It's FREE!. If you are not registered you can post feedback as a guest below. Please don't use your email address for your name because spam robots can dredge it from our site. Please do not post your feedback more than ONCE. We need to approve all guest feedback and it may take from minutes to hours for that to happen. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
