I guess this post wasn't transferred and I forgot to request it, so here's Take Two.
How do you survive day to day on your budget? What secrets do you have that save you money? What are the programs out there that help you out? Tell us here :)
I guess this post wasn't transferred and I forgot to request it, so here's Take Two.
How do you survive day to day on your budget? What secrets do you have that save you money? What are the programs out there that help you out? Tell us here :)
Mine (some are stolen from the old thread):
-Buy in bulk when you can, Sam's and Costco are great for this- but be sure to check the prices and make sure you're really getting a better deal. You spend a bit more to start but the stuff will last you a long time if you do it right.
-Make from scratch whenever you can. Like with stocking up, you make have to spend more to start but you'll save alot in the long run.
-Instead of paying to rent movies, use your Library.
-There is energy assitance out there, it will make your bill one flat rate all year, so it won't spike during the winter/summer. Call your electric/gas company and ask how.
-WIC is a wonderful resource is you qualify, as are foodstamps, but the income guidlines for WIC aren't as strict so even if you can't get foodstamps you can get some help from them.
-Budget. Figure out what bills HAVE to be paid, and what ones can wait (for us, the electricity won't be turned off until we're 3 months behind- but they'll repo our car if we get behind one payment, and the insurance will be cancelled if we're more than a month late. ) and figure out how much you spend for everything and see what can be cut.
-Indulge yourself. You'll feel like there's no point if you don't get a treat every now and then. Get some ice cream, buy a new shirt. Do something for you every now and then.
-Yard Sales/Consignment stores are great for Kid's clothes and toys. It's new to them and until a certain age they won't care.
-Breastfeeding is free and has saved us tons. Cloth Diapering would save us too if we had a washer, I hope with the next baby I can do this.
-Dollar stores are wonderful too, but watch impulse buying there too. Thinking "it's only a dollar" can add up.. fast!
I'll put mine up again....
I buy most of my vegetables, my rice, noodles, ect. in Chinatown. Cheap!
Bakeries and grocery stores where I live leave out free bread, buns, ect., on certain days, we find out when and where and get some free stuff.
Not that it really applies anymore since my kid is 3 now, but I breastfed exclusively, never had to buy a single can of formula, bottle, or anything. I cloth diapered and washed the diapers myself.
I guess the two most important things I could suggest would be: Don't be afraid to get assistance and budget (and really stick to that budget).
cut cut cut and save all those nice coupons from the paper, back of boxes, and most stores give them on recipts! even if you think you wont need them save them! one day you might!!!
and yes wic is very nice and take advatage as long as they let you!!
Here's one tip that i swear by which is great. Each week i pay $20 on both my landline and electricity, when my electricity bill rolls around 3 mths annually it mean's i don't have to worry about it. My phone bill is only $80 a mth so that works out alright.
If your not to grossed out buy it dumpstering is a really great way of gettig free food, and also preventing to waste that floods our society. Also bagal shops, bakeries, and farmers markets will, at least a lot of the time, give you some of thier leftovers from that day. They by law can't keep themto sell them, and they are either going to trash it or on the occasion take it home. i have found that most farmers don't want to haul backa load of unsellable peaches, corn etc.
I have foodstamps. Plus I live in a home for un-wed mommies so I pay no rent or anything like that. I also have WIC. So basically I have no monthly bills to pay. But I'm not working so I don't have an income. I do try to sell stuf on ebay to help a little but sooner or later you run outta stuff to sell. lol. Coupons help a lot too. Some stores offer the double coupon deal where if you have a 1 dollar coupon, they double it to 2 dollars...thats awesome!
I'm sure some of these might be repeated...
-For low income California Residents, SBC has low income phone service, called Universal Lifeline. PG&E, has the Care Program. Both great ways to seriously save money!
-We never bought glassware for our place, we saved all the glass jars from pasta, veggies, etc. They rock for glasses, and they are very sturdy.
-Consignment and Thrift Stores are your friends....I got my first couch for $25! I also trade in L's old clothes for store credit to get him new clothes when we need them. Also rock the garage sales in your neighborhood....
-If you got a Trader Joe's in your area, check them out. Great affordable store to shop at... Also Farmer's Markets!! Go support your local economy and farmers, and get fresh rockin' fruit and veggies.
-Craigslist.org A fab site, if you have a local one in your area to buy cheap things (almost anything) and it's free to post things for sale. I can't tell you how many things I've sold on here... broken tv's, highchair, diaper shit...
-I know this has been mentioned, but library, use them! They rock!
-Free days... where we live, a lot of museums and stuff have free days, like "free first monday's each month..."
more later,
ames
craigslist.org also has a "free stuff" section. When I moved last month I posted tons of furniture on there--chairs, desk, table, mattress, etc. There is always someone desperate to get rid of stuff.
All these ideas are great! Thanks for sharing them everyone.
When I go shopping I make a list of everything I need and stick to it. It saves me a lot of money because I am always tempted to impulse buy.
bump to find out new ideas.
i live in income based housing and that helps me alot. i try to conserve my electric and gas usage as much as possible. i use cold water whenever possible; ive even started washing most of our clothes on cold and everything comes out clean. i save my refund $ from schoool and use it thru out the year for emergencies. i apply for every type of assistance i am eligible for; WIC, foodstamps, medical assistance, childcare assistance, energy program....
we have a market here called SAVE ALOT, i save alot of money by shopping there. also, ive started using the generic version of things like laundry detergent and dish washing liquid , i buy most of my household items at the dollar store. i get alot of household items and clothing for my kid at the second hand store and sometimes EBAY.
every month i make a list of all of the bills/expenses that need to be paid, the amount due and the due date. doing this helps me stick to my budget and use the money that i get wisely.
shalisa and alisa
I want to second dumpstering.
I have a friend who dumpsters things and sells them on e-bay.
Dumpstering seems great. A guy I have class with dumpsters at a natural food distribution company in town and brings crazy amounts of food to class. Last week he found 600 packages of Newmans Own organic mint and peanut butter cups that had nothing at all wrong with them. He also gets giant bags of dried fruit, nuts, trail mix, and other stuff.
Also, if you live in an apartment w/out your own washer and dryer, handwash things that don't get so dirty - I usually handwash my clothes (except undies and socks) and I save about $35 per month. I still use the dryer to dry the heavy stuff though, since I don't have a good place to air dry.
Another tip that saves me ALOT of money is recycling/composting. The town I live in charges you per pound for garbage. By recycling/composting - I managed to cut my garbage bill from about $95 a month to $15. I suppose this doesn't work where garbage isn't sooo expensive, but hey.
On another conservation note, install water saving showerheads, mine cost about $15, and took all of 20 minutes to install. My water bill went down from about $30 per month to $25 per month. ( We take really long showers, 3 people with thick long hair)
Other things - use your dishwasher. Any dishwasher made after 1995 will actually use at least 20% less water to wash even a half load of dishes than washing by hand.
Due some price comparing for grocery staples. Find out where the cheap pasta, rice, flour etc is sold in your area. These things keep a long time, so you can do a once a month run and stock up, saving both $ and gas.
Farmer's markets and organic co-ops. You not only save $, but you are also promoting local business and enviromentalism. Small farmers, even conventional ones, tend to use less pesticides and herbicides, because they are expensive and not cost effective unless you are growing ALOT of food.
Those are just a few things.
I save money by:
- keeping long distance calls to a minimum
- shutting lights and other electrical things off when not in use
- showering with Alexis, as opposed to taking two separate showers/baths
- shopping at thrift stores and garage sales
- finding great deals on eBay
- shopping at the dollar store
- buying non-perishable food items in bulk
- paying my bills and buying NECESSITIES first
- doing laundry just one day a week (if possible)
- changing the oil in my car on time and always keeping gas in the tank... that way I never have any problems with my vehicle that would set me back.
- eating out at the most inexpensive fast food joints
- rationing cigarettes the best I can
- selling on eBay to earn more profit
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Here's a few of my fav's:
1. Go to garage sales as often as possible.
2. Use cell phone for all long-distance calls
3. Make baby food yourself-don't buy the expensive canned stuff
4. Whenever you leave the house, bring along a refillable bottle filled with water/juice, so you won't be tempted to buy something from a vending machine/convenience store.
5. Use coupons and shop the grocery store sales.
6. Go to local nature parks instead of amusement parks.
7. Buy in bulk whenever possible (but check the unit price first).
8. Ditch cable. You CAN survive without it.
bump for more ideas and to share this info with others.
for me budgeting never works because i cant stick to a budget. For 2 weeks i wrote down everything i bought. I was spending about $5 a day buying bottled water. thats $35 dollars a week. Once i noticed that i have been able to cut that out and have that $35 to spend on food or gas or save.
wait till the first of the month to go out and buy things, like house things or treats . that way you've paid all your bills and you know howmuch you have left. definately be real about your bills. no matter how hard you wish, the money wont somehow find its way into your account, know when you cant afford something. i definately second the idea of thrift stores, ive bought every piece of kayleighs clothes there, some even have the tags on them and no outfit cost more than 3 dollars vs. 18 dollars for the same things.
good luck ladies
Bump - I'm not sure if there have been any newer threads like this but it's got some good ideas anyways!
Ride a bike instead of driving a car, Cae and I love our morning ride to school (except maybe when it's 108 degrees)
Make a deal with neighbors for things like wireless internet, printers, car pools, grocery memberships etc. Try and make as many things communal as you can.
Don't eat out!
Buy food in bulk, buy dry beans instead of canned and cook a bunch at once. Beans and rice makes a good base staple. You can cook tons at once and eat it all week. Also, you can buy different things to add salsas, vegetable, mushrooms, garlic, onions to it.
grow a vegetable garden, and if you live in an apartment, grow food in your windows and on your balcony. I live in the basement of someones house, and they have a greenhouse and a garden in the backyard. they are so wonderful and let me eat whatever i want out of the garden and i have saved SO MUCH money on groceries. I keep my kitchen stocked with all the necessities to make everything from scratch, grains, flours, oils, dried and canned goods, and all of the baking powders etc. so having this garden to eat from, was so amazing. and free. I need to thank them in a huge way... but seriously. the sun and watter will grow you food. you just need to watch it.
i also remodel my old clothes into new ones when they get tattered or boring.
i use baking soda and vinegar to clean most of the time. (which i buy in bulk)
i use the library to rent movies and books from.
i dont have cable.
when i run out of money i make a "trip to grammas" for a week or so. perfect time to veg out at my moms i dont spend any money while im there, eat dinner there, she drives everywhere etc. secretly disguised as a sudden urge to come home... heheh
hang laundry outside
get friends/family to babysit - who dont expect payment but think its a treat to get alone time with your kid
clothing swap with your friends every season
make everything.
made this is a stickie!!
Check out places for cheaper dentist, etc - lots of med students do stuff & sometimes things are offered through colleges & universities.
- Water filters ... I like to filter my water before I drink it, so I invested in one (with my dad's help as well - it was a bit more expensive) and in the long run it's better for you, the environment & your pocket
- I haven't had cable for a year about & it's been great! Game time with my kid and no sitting in front of the TV
- Thrift stores have cool vintage stuff at times and lots of good kids clothes
- Recycle your clothes - I actually have a big box of stuff I am bringing down to a friend for her 2 y/o daughter ... and then I just got a big bunch from a woman at my old job.
- Farmers markets!
- Phone Assistance - if you get other assistance, often times you can set up to get $5 off your phone bill and also, I go through Qwest and since I have my phone, wirelss & internet through them - they take off $10 a month
- USED movies & cd's - I got all Harry Potter movies for $30 - and that was all four! Sell old cd's & movies at places that will buy them.
- My apartment has heat paid - which helps A LOT (and when I had to pay heat - I got on a budget plan and paid $80 a month)
- Check out fun, free things to do. Before I moved from MN - Skylar & I went to this cool kid event that The Current (MN public radio) had put on - it was fun, too!
- Always remember that food banks are around (i've only used them when I NEED to obviously)
- PayDay Loans - they're sometimes can be bad but they're good as a last resort, just make sure you don't get behind!
- I use old towels & clothes to patch up holes in my clothes - I cut out cool stars out of an old sweater & used them to patch the holes on my new sweater (it wore holes on the elbow) and it looks fabs
- Going out w/ friends? When I go out - I will spend like, $10 to $15 - and I will get a pitcher of beer and another friend will & we will split it :)
- For driving - I try to fill up when the gas is cheaper, then it lasts longer, car pooling, public transport, biking, walking, etc ...
I am making a zine that is going to be a collection of ideas on how to live cheaply. does anyone object to me copying/including the some of the great ideas posted in this thread?
if you have any more ideas on how to live for free... tutorials. "how-to" tips. or DIY knowledge - and would be willing to contribute them to my little project... pm me. and i promise I'll send one when it's completed.
Dude, I was totally thinking of you & that idea when I made this a stickie & posted more ideas.
Rocking.
thanks lady! yr the best
I haven't dumpstered in a long time. I dont feel fantastic doing it with my kid either...But, more power to those who choose to do it!
For smokers, roll your own cigs. A roller is like $7, tubes are $2 for 200, and tobacco is around $8. It is so worth it. I smoke about 5 packs a month, and I used to spend $25, now I spend $5.