What Are You Doing To Save Money?

[Weldangrind]

This could be a good opportunity for us to share ideas, whether they relate to food, household items, transportation, etc.

Like a lot of us here, I grab whatever metals I can for recycling. It doesn't bring in much, but it all helps. I also sell whatever I can scrounge on eBay or CL.

What do you do?

[lego1970]

This is gonna sound horrible because I'm 40 but I steal/borrow (however ya wanna look at it) a role of Paper Towels from my folks house when I go over there. It's only the two of them and they almost always eat out with the other old folks for both breakfast and lunch (that's a story in itself), yet my Mom still buys the gigantic 36 roll pack.

Mom still loves me and say's I'm the greatest :D Dad on the otherhand....I'm not so sure.

[mizke]

i signed up for progressives snap shot driver program.. they send me a little do-hicky that plugs into my obd port and moniters accel, braking, and side to side g's to determine youre driving habits.. if i keep it plugged in untill they ask for it back or my policy renews i could receive up to a 30% discount on my car insurance.. not a fan of having something monitoring the way i drive, but if i can keep from hot rodding around town for a month to a few months i can get up to 30% off my yearly insurance amount.

[TeamCheap]

i signed up for progressives snap shot driver program.. they send me a little do-hicky that plugs into my obd port and moniters accel, braking, and side to side g's to determine youre driving habits.. if i keep it plugged in untill they ask for it back or my policy renews i could receive up to a 30% discount on my car insurance.. not a fan of having something monitoring the way i drive, but if i can keep from hot rodding around town for a month to a few months i can get up to 30% off my yearly insurance amount.OHH that would only be bad for me and probably cost me more after they read it. :oops:

I no longer have outside lights on all night I use the motion sensing photocell lights which save energy, makes the bulbs last longer and keeps people from coming up to the house asking for cash.
(happened at the other house all the time)
Thinking about switching over to LED lights but I have to test one out first.
(just havnt wanted to spend the cash on one, they are expensive)

We stopped cable so many years ago I cant even remember which saves lots of cash.

We eat home more because it really is the best tasting and most cost effective.

Of course we have a 7 day programmable thermostat.
(although this house still needs lots of insulation-better than the other house though)

We buy things in bulk when we can as long as we know we can use it all before it goes bad.

I think we still have a lot of other things we could do.

[Jim]

I bought a gillette vector razor off ebay. It uses atra blades, which I guess have expired patents? They make an off brand blade refill for it at walmart. I got the razor and 100 refills for I think under 50 or 60 dollars. Compared to mach 3 refills thats a huge difference. I don't really remember the exact numbers but it saves a fair bit on that.

I also try to buy food when it's on sale, if I have a coupon too even better. I go by the price/100kg.

[frostbite]

A few things:

- I supplement electric heat with wood.
- We buy our meat/fish at the local butcher - cheaper/better quality than the Sobeys/Superstore/Walmart/etc....
- I run the bike back/forth to work in the Spring/Summer/Fall to save on fuel (plus it's a good time!).
- I'm planning a large garden this summer. Probably won't save any/much money but our diet should improve. The plow and harrow are ready for Spring.
- We gave up our land-line telephone; low usage cellular is cheaper based on our usage.
- We gave up cable TV (~$90 per month). We now get Netflix for $8 per month via the Internet. We don't miss TV one bit.
- I switched from a ~$25 per month Rogers cell plan (with no caller ID or voice mail) to a ~$10 per month pay-as-you-go 'plan' (which includes caller ID and voicemail).

[Reveeen]

... nothing...

I live too far from the scrap metal markets to make hauling break even.
I buy mark downs @ grocery store, have been doing so for 40 years
No cable, no cell phone(s), just land line and speedy internet
I don't shave, not for 40+years, trim with scissors
Scooter when I can 6+ years
Group car insurance
No drugs (other than prescription) or alcohol
Compact fluorescent 100%, been there 5 years +
When I do take a vehicle I try to make it pay
Home thermostat @60 winter and summer

At the moment it's not about "saving" it is more about "maintaining". I have not made changes for quite a while, don't have to, and really, I've been living cheap for years.

*most importantly* It is not "normal" here to borrow money. Credit cards cleared before the end of the month, and if money HAS to be borrowed, the rate is negotiated at the bank.

[Cal25]

I am pretty frugal. Always try to pay with cash.

[FastDoc]

I try very hard to combine trips when using the car or truck to save time and money.

My rule is to never use the truck if I can use the car or preferably a bike. Indeed I use the car and truck combined only 5,000 miles or less a year.

I keep the thermostat set on the cool side.

I spend little on food. The drug reps bring me lunch and I have the leftovers for dinner.

I shoot ammo that I mostly have reloaded myself.

I'm really cheap on the little things, and then when I make a big purchace I do a lot of research so I make the right purchace at the right place for the right price.

[BDIAgencies]

Well here is what I do..

-I travel approx 800kms/week for work and even though the highway speed limit is 110kph...I do 100kph and boy what a difference in fuel savings.

- We take advantage of the BOGO at grocery stores.

- I set up sensor lights in the kids bedrooms,playroom and in the bathroom as they have a hard time remembering to turn the lights off..after 2 minutes the lights shut off.

- I make my own wine(2 kits at a time 60 bottles) works out to be about $1.75/bottle.

- I packaged my Home phone, full digital cable,2 cell phones and internet with 1 provider..it costs me under $300 a month for everything.

- I split a garden with my Father inlaw for Beans,peas,carrots potatoes,cukes ect along with a few bushells of apples from the 4-5 apple trees he has.

- I'm fortunate to have a neighbour who works for the dairy so we get a good deal on Milk and butter...and our kids drink alot of milk.

- We also split alot of big packaged items from Costco with our inlaws..Who has room for 72 rolls ot toilet paper :lol:

- We BBQ alot and we have a clothes line and try not to use the dryer as much.

[FastDoc]

All good ideas. I especially like Frostbite's suggestion to turn off the TV and landline. Might save some brain cells too.

I may give up the TV, I watch very little but I do enjoy what I watch. The morning news, Top Gear during my exercise, History and Discovery Channel. I also like Wheeler dealers (BBC) and some other things.

[mizke]

i signed up for progressives snap shot driver program.. they send me a little do-hicky that plugs into my obd port and moniters accel, braking, and side to side g's to determine youre driving habits.. if i keep it plugged in untill they ask for it back or my policy renews i could receive up to a 30% discount on my car insurance.. not a fan of having something monitoring the way i drive, but if i can keep from hot rodding around town for a month to a few months i can get up to 30% off my yearly insurance amount.OHH that would only be bad for me and probably cost me more after they read it. :oops:

I no longer have outside lights on all night I use the motion sensing photocell lights which save energy, makes the bulbs last longer and keeps people from coming up to the house asking for cash.
(happened at the other house all the time)
Thinking about switching over to LED lights but I have to test one out first.
(just havnt wanted to spend the cash on one, they are expensive)

We stopped cable so many years ago I cant even remember which saves lots of cash.

We eat home more because it really is the best tasting and most cost effective.

Of course we have a 7 day programmable thermostat.
(although this house still needs lots of insulation-better than the other house though)

We buy things in bulk when we can as long as we know we can use it all before it goes bad.

I think we still have a lot of other things we could do.

im looking at it like this, i need to tone down my driving.. no more fish tales when i make u turns, or kicking the rear end out leaving parking lots to show off for some really cute girls.

it just moniters how hard you brake, turn or accelerate

[katoranger]

We dumped the dish about a year and half ago. No landline. I buy mostly used or discounted new items. Yard sales, ebay, thrift stores.

Eat at home. Drive around in what others consider junk. I don't care. Cheap tags. Liability insurance. My house is 1200sqft. Low utilities. Small mortgage.

I live 2 miles from the scrapyard. :lol:

Been collecting all metals and batteries now. Separating them takes alittle time. I save up the copper and aluminum until I have a load.

248lbs of car batteries last time. $30. Filled the Ranger with gas.

When I was 16 I was given this advice. Buy low, Sell high.

That bultaco made me about $130 for a few minutes of time.

[Weldangrind]

This is all great stuff! :D

Do you guys have recommendations for thrifty family meals? We've been trying to use our slow cooker more often, because if there's a meal ready, we'll all sit down to eat. If not, it might be fast food, which I can't stand.

Like most families, our schedule is jammed, so meal planning needs to be a higher priority for us. The slow cooker concept is complicated by my daughter's vegetarian choice and my son's refusal to eliminate meat. :lol:

[mizke]

1pd ground hamburger, can of corn, can of pea's, mac n cheese, onion, can of diced tomato's with peppers. mix it all together after cooking the hamburger meat and making the mac n cheese seperately.. as for your daughter not eating meat, idk what to say about that (i side with youre son on this one)..

bbq is also a good way to save money, plus the family can spend some quality time together relaxing around the pit.. i bbq maybe 3 or 4 days a week, and have really cut down on the food bill since im ok with a burger one night, a steak by its self the next, some chicken and bbq sauce another night. instead of having to buy 3 or 4 things to add to a single meal.. this is also coming from the guy who thinks flour tortia's and sliced cheese makes a damn good dinner..

[cheesy]

I usually pedal my butt to work year round, this year being the exception because the unusually heavy snowfall this year. Been tapped from behind once, narrower roads don't make me feel any safer.

We have a small veggie garden and invest in CSA(community sustainable agriculture). Not sure if the CSA actually saves any dinero but the food sure tastes better.

When traveling to visit my grand kid (and her parents :wink: ) we camp instead of staying in hotels.

I do cook on a open fire quite often during the warmer months. Not many things smell better than bacon frying up , mixed in with the scent of wood smoke, on a Saturday morning.

[bigheavy150]

food,work,food,work,ride,food,sleep, repeat. was my routine.

[katoranger]

Jim, on the razor blades. If you dry the blades after you are done they will last for months. Heard this tip. Moisture causes corrosion on the blades which is what dulls them. Drying them on a towel or using a hairdryer will extend their usable time from a few days to months.

You may very well have a lifetime supply on hand already.

Currently I am researching out new phones. Thinking of going to boost mobile $50 unlimited plan with shrinkage. Every six months it goes down $5. I could end up at $35/month unlimited service. http://www.boostmobile.com/

I plant a garden with tomatoes.

[2LZ]

Well, with no more kids around....that right there has SLASHED our monthly expense in EVERYTHING, dramatically! Don't even have any pets to feed or vet bills anymore! The unplanned, automatic financial boon was almost shocking! 8O

Plus, we've downsized. Our house is now on a small lot (far less land to take care of and maintenance costs) and the house is all of 1100 sq feet with lots of energy efficient upgrades. That right there was another unplanned savings. :D

Other than that, we rarely, if ever, eat out. I even make, and take, my breakfast and lunch to work. We buy things in bulk, like paper towels, toilet paper, soaps, etc.. (I'll have to lock the cabinet if Lego ever visits! :lol: ) I also recycle aluminum cans and plastic bottles. I'm "Drinking my way to riches!"...so to speak. :wink:

I'm pretty active in the money-end of things in the household. I balance the checkbook a minimum of twice a week.

[katoranger]

Oh, I bring my lunch as much as possible.

[FastDoc]

I pay my staff with motorcycle and airplane rides. :P

Just kidding! 8)

[Jim]

If possible I walk where I'm going. Not to work, though consider trying it on bicycle once the weather gets nicer. To the store though I will. It's about an hour to Walmart on foot I think, another 15 to Zellers.... Those are in the higher range though, I can walk to Safeway in about 5 minutes.

Edit:

Allen I missed your response. Thanks for the tip. I was figuring I should be close to a lifetime supply... I thought I may as well stock up now because they're cheap before they stop making them. They don't sell the razor they fit in Canada anymore even, I had to buy it on ebay. The refills for the mach 3 are something like $27 for 8. I think the ones I got were 15 for $4 or something crazy. I also make them last months, I use them well past they're worn out, and only every few days even though I should daily.. I was getting tired of using the very worn out mach 3 blade when I started hunting for a cheaper option.

As far as food goes I eat at home most nights, and I don't take lunch to work, I just wait for dinner. It seems to work for me.

[mizke]

well i got my progressive snap shot device in the mail today, plugged it in and am now driving like a 99yr old woman who is half blind and loosing her mind.. so in other words i brake way early to avoid any hard braking, and it takes me 20 minutes to get up to 60mph..

it only moniters braking g's, what times you drive and how often you drive

300 bucks off my yearly insurance premium here i come !!!!

[Jim]

You would probably not like driving with me, I drove my sister to swiss chalet for dinner, but she had her boyfriend drive her back because she said I never got over 10 km/h :roll: :lol: :lol:

I also drive a 12 or 15 hundred dollar 97 Sunfire... Other then the leaky clutch though it's actually a great car.

[mizke]

if you guys use progressive insurance this snapshot thingy is a great way to knock a chunk of youre yearly insurance amount down. you use it untill they ask for it back and they give you a preprinted/pre paid return shipping label to send it back in the same box.

[katoranger]

So Jim is saying that his car is slow. :wink: I drive to get better mileage. So slow and hardly on the brakes.

Mizke, I hope that it works out for you. I have pretty cheap insurance already.

[mizke]

so far not so good, my first day with the device i got 8 hard brakes.. which they measure as any stopping or slowing down at a speed great then 7mph per second

[katoranger]

Well. You just need to adjust you habits. Try driving at the speed limit and look far ahead at the lights. Any light that has been green awhile is about to change. Just let of the gas and coast. Downshift too.

I can drive without really using the brakes much.

[mizke]

so far here is the data it has gathered from my driving style.. the hard braking due to how they time it which is explained at the bottem is serioulsy hard to not get a hard brakes mark.. you guys should try it when you are out driving, try always slowing down at a rate slower then 7mph per second



Trip Details Log for 2003 Ford Mustang


Date - No. of trips - Driving time - Mileage - Hard brakes
Friday, 3/4/2011 - 6 - 01:13:45 - 33.77 - 0

Thursday, 3/3/2011 - 8 - 01:20:11 - 29.58 - 8





Source:

These are factors that reflect your driving behavior.

Legend:

No. of trips = Total number of trips taken on this day. A trip is defined by time you start your engine to the time you turn it off
Driving time = Total duration of trip(s)
Mileage = Total distance of your trip(s)
Hard brakes = Decrease in speed of 7 mph per second or greater

[katoranger]

Make sure you maintain a good following distance too.

[MICRider]

I'm not a great saver... I'm an impulse buyer. One thing that has saved me a lot over the past few years though, is not buying on credit. If I want something I pay cash for it, if I don't have enough cash I try to save it up. Credit can get you in a lot of trouble! Lol, trust me, I know all too well :)

Cheers,
Stew

[Jim]

you guys should try it when you are out driving, try always slowing down at a rate slower then 7mph per second

I have no way of tracking that, but I don't really use a lot of brakes...

[mizke]

count to youre self 1 mississippi (might be misspelled) while braking and try to slow down slower then 7mph every single time you have to brake.. even at highway speeds if you press the brake and at any point while the brake is applied youre stopping rate exceeds what they allow its a mark against you

[lego1970]

This is a great thread with some great ideas.

For me, I try to save money by buying the best quality product or service that will satisfy my needs at a price I can afford. That doesn't mean it's always gonna be name brand, because I can't always afford name brand and because brand name doesn't always mean the highest quality, but it will be the highest quality product or service that I can afford. I also try to take care of what I have. again that doesn't mean I won't work it hard, but I'll do my best to take care of it so I get the most out of it.

[yellowxj]

Well...I bought a used $500 chinese bike after I sold my suburban and jeep. :) 60 mpg and no insurance required. My rainy day ride is a 71 VW that gets ok mileage but has cheaper antique tags and insurance.

My family buys a lot of store brands. My wife went hard core for a couple days learning how to use coupons and store policies to maximize the coupon value. Her best savings trip to the grocery store so far? She paid $98 + used $55 worth of coupons/buyonegetonefree benefits. So she got about $150 worth of groceries for $100.

We kept telling DISH TV that we couldnt afford their $70/month service and they kept letting us get cheaper programing w/ different channels. Finally we were down to a $35 deal when we told them we couldnt afford that either... $16.49/month now for a good selection of channels, lots of locals, history, msnbc, hgtv, mtv, cmt, amc, etc. Plus we have netflix...saves a ton on kids movies.