03-12-2008, 05:33 PM
For almost a year now, we've been working to reduce our expenses. So, although prices are increasing we're actually spending less. It has been a fun challenge. So far, we've...
* Stopped satellite TV service (saves $58 per month)
* Turned off our water heater (saves about $20/mo in propane)
* Switched from high-speed Internet to dial-up (saves $37/mo)
* Wash/dry dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher
* Hang laundry on a line rather than using dryer
* Changed light bulbs to CFL
* Unplugged appliances and other electrical devices when not in use.
* When our refrigerator died we bought a smaller more energy efficient one (saves about $8/mo)
* Sold our car and put the money in savings. So, now have only one vehicle which saves on insurance, registration, safety checks, and maintenance (saves at least $100/mo)
* Menu plan, make grocery list and stick to it, cook from scratch (so far, we're saving $150/mo, but my goal is to save at least another $50/mo)
* Track every penney we spend so we know where our money is going. This helps us plan and prioritize instead of spending willy nilly. We've been doing this since April and now spend about $50 less per month on fast food. Also, spending less on all sorts of misc items.
* Have a few fruit trees (papaya, star fruit, lemons) and plan to plant a couple more. Also, when our building project is completed we'll have time to plant a few veges. Would definitely like to grow more of our food.
* Reuse whatever we can rather than buying something new. I've been getting pretty creative with this and finding that most of the time I can avoid buying something new. It's good for the environment and reduces expenses, too.
* Color my own hair instead of going to hair dresser (saves $90 each time and I like the color better)
* Lost 20 pounds, so taking in my clothes instead of buying new.
* Buy bread at the outlet store. Saves over $2 per loaf.
* In July when our cell phone contract is up we will cancel the service (will save $80/mo)
I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of at the moment.
* Stopped satellite TV service (saves $58 per month)
* Turned off our water heater (saves about $20/mo in propane)
* Switched from high-speed Internet to dial-up (saves $37/mo)
* Wash/dry dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher
* Hang laundry on a line rather than using dryer
* Changed light bulbs to CFL
* Unplugged appliances and other electrical devices when not in use.
* When our refrigerator died we bought a smaller more energy efficient one (saves about $8/mo)
* Sold our car and put the money in savings. So, now have only one vehicle which saves on insurance, registration, safety checks, and maintenance (saves at least $100/mo)
* Menu plan, make grocery list and stick to it, cook from scratch (so far, we're saving $150/mo, but my goal is to save at least another $50/mo)
* Track every penney we spend so we know where our money is going. This helps us plan and prioritize instead of spending willy nilly. We've been doing this since April and now spend about $50 less per month on fast food. Also, spending less on all sorts of misc items.
* Have a few fruit trees (papaya, star fruit, lemons) and plan to plant a couple more. Also, when our building project is completed we'll have time to plant a few veges. Would definitely like to grow more of our food.
* Reuse whatever we can rather than buying something new. I've been getting pretty creative with this and finding that most of the time I can avoid buying something new. It's good for the environment and reduces expenses, too.
* Color my own hair instead of going to hair dresser (saves $90 each time and I like the color better)
* Lost 20 pounds, so taking in my clothes instead of buying new.
* Buy bread at the outlet store. Saves over $2 per loaf.
* In July when our cell phone contract is up we will cancel the service (will save $80/mo)
I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of at the moment.