For some reason I just happened to see this thread for this first time..I LOVE it!! Chris and I follow the Dave Ramsey program, so that means using NO credit and taking on NO debts, while we pay off our existing ones. Not the easiest or funnest thing to do, but in a few years when we are debt free except the house it will feel soooooo good!!! Here's a few of my best money-saving tips:
Coupons:
- get a good coupon organizer that you can stash in your purse or car. A lot of dollar stores sell nice ones. When you are stuck waiting somewhere, pull out your coupons and trash expired ones while you wait.
- use coupons for extra grocery savings. Check with family and friends - those that don't use their coupons, beg, borrow or steal them for additional savings! Spend 20-30 minutes once a week planning grocery shopping to coordinate sale items with coupons you have. As time goes by, you will get much faster at doing this..and the savings are significant! Also, make sure to pay attention to the usual prices of basics that you buy frequently and stock up when something's on sale (as long as you will use it all before it expires!).
- If there is an item you buy frequently, check ebay or coupon trading websites for coupons. Often you can purchase several coupons for the same item for a dollar or less.
- make sure to take ALL your coupons to the grocery with you, not just the ones you'll be using that day. That way if there is a surprise sale on an item, you have your coupons ready as well.
- even though purchasing the larger size is usually the best deal, sometimes using coupons for a smaller box can be an even better deal. Do the math when purchasing.
Food:
- make your own convenience foods and mixes for much, much cheaper than store-bought! There are recipes for anything and everything you could want to make available on the internet, for free! One good website that has many recipes for convenience mixes is,
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com. (Yes that's really the name! LOL) Another good website for recipes is
http://www.allrecipes.com. If there is any store-bought item you like (cereals, broth, yogurts, granola bars, etc) chances are you can find a recipe to make it yourself at home!
- do not buy cookbooks or cooking magazines. Again, almost any and every recipe you could want is available for free online.
- buy in bulk IF it's a good deal. To know if it's a good deal or not, you are going to want to know what the average price is for an item you usually buy, then do the math. One example is yeast. Yeast in the little packets are usually $1.50-$2 for 3 tiny packets! A jar of yeast costs $4 or so and has the equivalent of at least 30+ packets of yeast in it! Major savings from that one item!
- If you want to buy in bulk at Sams club or Costco but don't want to pay the hefty membership fee, find out if a friend or family member who's a member would be willing to take you with them when they go. Non-members can get in and shop as long as they are with a member, and can even pay for their order seperately. If you don't know anyone who is a member, call the store and ask if they have non-member 'preview' days. These are days in which the club is open to the public for them to try it out.
- try to make a meatless meal at least once a week. Meat is the most expensive part of a meal, so going meatless when you can will add up to significant savings. Some ideas: grilled cheese and tomato soup, cheese pizza, potato soup, pancakes or waffles, egg dishes, meatless chili, bean burritos, etc.. If going meatless isn't an option, try to make dishes that really stretch a small amount of meat. I have a shredded BBQ chicken dish that makes 4-6 servings from 2 breasts, also cut down on the amount of ground beef in spaghetti, taco salad, etc.. I bet your family won't even notice!
- make friends with your butcher/meat dept. manager. Ask the meat dept. workers at your local grocery when they mark down the meat for quick sale. Typically they have a set day or time they do this, and try to be there around that time. You might get some fantastic meat deals that you can pop in the freezer and use anytime.
- do not be afraid to freeze leftovers! Most foods freeze and reheat well. I have started to freeze individual portions of soups, entrees, etc. and now take them to work to eat for lunch in place of buying an expensive frozen dinner. This saves me a lot of money!! The only things I have heard don't freeze well are casseroles and soups with sour cream or mayonnaise in them. Also, when you bake brownies, cookies, etc.. freeze some. Not only will your family not have as many to gobble down in one sitting, but you will have some spares next time your sweet tooth strikes! Also, make sure to freeze small bits or leftovers for future dishes..I have a freezer baggie that I throw all my leftover biscuits and cornbread in. When it's full, I thaw them out and make homemade dressing..delicious!
- try generics. If you don't have a coupon and the item's not on sale, but you really need it, try a generic item. I have tried many generic food items over the years, and almost always can tell no difference between that and the brand name.
- plan out your meals. Whenever possible, sit down at the beginning of the week and plan out your meals for the week. Not only will this save you time and avoid the 'what's for dinner!?' freak out every night, but this will save you a LOT of money. By planning on using recipes to use up items you have on hand or sale items you will be buying that week, you ensure good food won't go to waste. If I am having a particularly tight week financial-wise, a lot of times I can sit down and surprisingly plan out meals using many items I already have in the freezer and pantry, and may not need to spend much at the grocery at all.
Entertainment/Shopping:
- if you need a babysitter but don't have the money to hire one, see if a friend or family member will barter sitting services with you. Maybe you watch their children one night, they watch yours one night.
- Avoid eating out whenever possible. Try to bring your own snacks and food, or plan a picnic or bbq in a park instead. If you really want to eat out, try
http://www.restaurant.com. This website lets you buy giftcards to participating local restaurants for 50-80% off! Just make sure to read and follow the guidelines set forth by the restaurant. My husband and I pretty much only eat out these days using that website, it's great! ALSO before purchasing restaurant.com gift certificates, make sure to do a google search for 'coupon codes restaurant.com'. Many times coupon codes will pop up that you can use and save an additional 20-50%!
- When doing ANY online shopping, make sure to do a search for coupon codes to save additional money before you purchase. Just go to the search engine, type in the name of the place you are shopping from and coupon codes, and many times several websites will pop up with coupon codes for a percentage off your purchase or free shipping. This trick has saved me a lot of money! Another way to get money back for online shopping is going through
http://www.bing.com. Once you register for a bing.com account, you can shop at participating merchants online and recieve 5-25% of your money spent back as a cash refund to your paypal account. Some of the participating merchants offering this deal are Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us.
- A great website for good deals is
http://www.bradsdeals.com. This is like an outlet type site for any and every item you can imagine.
- Don't purchase books, dvd's and cd's! Go to the local library for what you want. If they don't have it, try
http://www.paperbackswap.com. Once you set up your free account and pledge ten books that you would be willing to ship out to people if they request them, you can order books from other people for free. You get 2 free books to start when you sign up, and another free book everytime you ship one of yours out to someone. They also have a cdswap and dvdswap site too, all for free!
- Look for FREE activities you can do with your family. Often times, you can look these up on your local newspapers' website, or look on city-specific websites to find activities offered.
Cleaning/Household:
- make your own cleaners. Besides being SO much cheaper, these have much less chemicals than store-bought. A great tub scrubbing cleaner is equal parts salt and white vinegar. Make a paste, rub on stains, let sit for an hour and gently wipe off. Your tub will sparkle! A great all-purpose cleaner is white vinegar and water. Great for cleaning counters, sinks and stovetops.
- If you must purchase your cleaning items, check out the dollar store. They have every cleaning item imaginable for $1!
- If you don't have one, buy a digital thermostat. You can set the temperature in the house lower or higher depending on the season when everyone is asleep or away from home to save money. This can really add up to a significant energy savings!
Etc.:
- try not to take on any debt if you can help it. When you take on a debt, you are basically flushing money down the toilet...it's called interest! Whenever possible, save for something and pay cash. You can be assured of saving money this way.
- save throughout the year for Christmas. Christmas is coming every single year, no matter what. And every year, you are going to spend money on Christmas. Estimate what you spend on an average holiday season, and divide it by 10. Start saving that amount every month starting in January, and by October you will have all the money you need to breeze through the holidays debt-free!
Hope these tips help! I LOVE saving money, so it was really fun for me to share these with you! My favorite debt-free websites are:
http://www.daveramsey.com,
http://www.debtfreeliving.com,
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com, and
http://www.tightwad.com.
. and, they are such good people. Whats not to love?
Our family is also trying to implement these thrifter living habits. I once was a coupon cuter, got lost, but now I'm found! Lol 
