Cutting Costs

[Josiegirl]

Until I can build up my clientele base again, I will be forced to live extremely frugal. Starting in less than 2 weeks, I will be down to 3 FT dcks. Eeks.
Living frugal....how does one do that these days? Especially with heating season coming up? With such a busy summer, I've tried banking some of the extra money towards oil but still, unless things pick up this fall, I may have to rethink my profession.
Please, if anyone can offer some frugal ideas in any way, or point me to some good websites, I'm certainly appreciate it!

[earlystart]

If I had to save money I would cancel my cable service and just keep the internet to watch shows and movies on Netflix and/or Hulu

[sahm1225]

1) Plan meals to use the things you currently have in the pantry & fridge
2) suspend cable service (we sometimes suspend ours for the summer)
3) lower your cell phone plan
4) go through your things and sell things
5) lower your heat a degree or two. Turn it even lower for overnight and throw on an extra blanket
6) switch to compact fluorescent lights
7) ask for a budget plan for oil (we pay the same amount every month)
8) plan meals w similar ingredients (bake a ham w potatoes, then use the ham
For split pea soup AND bean soup, use the leftover h
& potatoes w eggs the next morning).


Good luck!!!

[canadiancare]

it isn't easy but it is doable. I don't know how frugally you were already living so it is hard to say where to cut the costs but my family did a week of "live below the line" where each person gets 1,50$ per day and it was a challenge but we did it with lots of brown rice and lentils etc.

Our biggest expenses are fresh fruit, veggies, cheese etc. so it was about eliminating that stuff.

I already bake most of our stuff from scratch because we are gluten free but for cutting down we pretty well had no baked goods because GF flours are so much more expensive and I didn't have the dry blender attachment for my vitamix yet. Now I make my own rice flours and such and it saves a lot of money.

[Scout]

1. to save electricity, run the dishwasher at night or dryer as they heat up the house(of course this won't matter in the winter!) Or better yet, forgo the dryer and hang dry most things. I would not lower the heat at night. I leave mine on 72(bad insulation and windows) and my gas bills are pretty reasonable but, our furnace is only a few years old and high efficiency. Call your electric co to see if they can send you an energy conservation kit. Ours will send you light bulbs. Make sure to seal gaps under doors, window air leaks, ect. so hot air doesn't escape in winter. You can also put plastic over the windows.

2. clip coupons!! I don't know what state you live in but, my local big box grocer doubles coupons up to .99 so I will sometimes get toothpaste for .25 a tube. You have to take time to check the sales ads of various stores and match your coupons to really get this to help! It does though! I used to(when times were really tight and we had $80 for groceries for 3 of us) go to 3 or 4 stores to get the most of the money. No stores were far away so that helped. Coupon Divas does an ad matchup with coupons. There is also a good thread on here that someone began under the off topic area I think.

3. cancel your home phone if you have one. Or like the others said cancel or switch to cheaper cable service. Read books instead or use your library for tv show dvds or movies.

4. only turn lights on when needed and make sure the kids turn them off!

5. Go to a farmers market for fresh veggies and fruits. I can load up my trunk for under 20 sometimes.

6. Buy generic!!! I buy store brand cans of sauce, cheese slices for grilled cheese, popsicles, diapers, wipes, shampoo, soap, cereal, canned fruits and veggies, sour cream, etc.(you get the picture), dishsoap

7. you can make your own laundry soap by using bars of ivory, zote, or felsnaptha, washing soda, and borax. You just grate the bar of soap and add one cup of each of the others. I have added oxyclean, tide stain removal crystals since I can get them cheap as well. It only takes 2T to clean a dirty load and I have had good success with them. I do not use this on my kids clothes tho. I use All free and Clear for them but, for my husband and I and our towels it works great! You do have to stain check it and pretreat it first. It isn't Tide but, I like to make it with the kids too!


Good luck!! :hug:

[Clara]

must have/cut backs

Hey,
Years ago I went through a lean period. So hear are some of the more uncommon cut backs I did.

We Doubled up kids in bedrooms then closed off air vents in the unused ones only returning for clothes. That saved a lot on heat bills.

Hung thick blankets at end of hallway, at all bedroom doors.

Moved all electronics, including all TVs to the largest bedroom.
We used headphones so we would not have to hear each others.
There is an added bonus to this- the electronics gives off a lot of heat and kept that room warm and cozy all winter.
If you have central heat buy encased oil room heaters, [the enclosed oil type that looks like old fashioned steam radiators]. They produce a slow steady heat while using little electric. They are very cheap to run by leaving them on full time. They only use electric to heat the oil which releases heat slow and steady. I ended up with one in each room that we used the most and turned the heating unit off & that was in PA. mountains where it gets down below 0 often. You will be surprised as to how much less your electric bills will be.

If you have to put one of the heaters in the rooms with the child care kido's - my state requires you have some type of fence around it so the kido's can not reach it even though it never gets hot enough to cause discomfort if touched.

Add the clear plastic shrink wrap OUTSIDE all windows including their casing. This stops ALL wind and that always helps.
Insulate, Insulate, Insulate!

Use the bottom door air leak stoppers. Mine are shaped like a long snake and fit tightly at bottom of the doors. I also made some for my windows out of beach towels and placed them between the window and storm window.

Utility bills were my biggest budget drain then came the autos.
There I stopped using one auto and dropped it's insurance coverage which was not a lot but helped. Then we were forced to plan all auto uses carefully so a lot of the small run around town was done during the same trip.

You can contact me through PM if more tips are needed.
I really feel for you, but you are getting a great head start and lots of good advice. :hug: happyface

[Starburst]

If I had to save money I would cancel my cable service and just keep the internet to watch shows and movies on Netflix and/or Hulu

You can also get a Rabbit TV adapter for your computer and you can have 100s of channels and classic TV shows through the internet. The service is only $9 for the first year and $10 per year after that.

[Laurel]

Review your pricier expenditures. My husband regularly checks and sometimes changes auto insurance because he finds a better deal. My friend just lowered her homeowner's insurance by $1200 a year by going with another company. That saves her $100 a month. If you have more than one car can you sell one if you think you can get by without it?

Do at least part of your shopping at Aldi's if you have one. It is a good place to get fruits/veggies.

Laurel

[Josiegirl]

Thank you for all the ideas so far. I cut cable out 2 years ago.

I will definitely call the electric company and see if they offer any kits because I still use regular light bulbs.

I try not to use the dryer at all but both dds have used it this summer plus we've had the A/C on from time to time. Just paid my electric bill and it was 38 bucks more this month than last. My 20 dd will be leaving for college in 2 weeks so I'll cut right down to bare minimum then, no extra lights, no dryer, no extra fans, A/C, etc. And the heat is always down a bit during the colder months. I do have to do some more insulating though.

Clara, you said to insulate with the shrink wrap on the outside of the windows instead of inside? Does it stay on even through all kinds of nasty weather? Unfortunately my whole playroom is filled with windows and a lot of air is lost through them because they are old windows.

I was dancing around with the idea of getting rid of my landline but I get a bundle deal with my internet. I think I'd rather cut out my cellphone but that's a complicated issue as it's a family line with 4 phones on it. Everyone else has those smartphones and I still have my original flip phone. I pay the $250 monthly bill for that and my dh pays the $300 a month mortgage.

I'm planning on cutting grocery spending A LOT when dd leaves and I only have 3 dcks instead of 12. I'll need to get strict with myself and cut out diet coke; that's been my one indulgence.

As for insurance, I have everything insured through one agency(it was tricky finding dc insurance at the time) so I do get the multi item discount. Down to one car which is paid(thank God for that!)

I'm also trying to buy ahead, nonperishables that are on sale; just to get me through until I start getting calls again.

Lots of good ideas so far! PLEASE keep them coming!! I'm sure I'm not the only one who could use them!

[itlw8]

stay away from garage sales auctions and thrift store. You can save yourself broke. If you need something fine but shop with a list do not buy a bargain for the future you need money NOW.

grocery shop with a list do not buy it with that coupon of you do not NEED it now.

Stock pile is good but now is the time to USE that stockpile not add to it. Plan menus from what is in the freezer. buy only what you need you need fresh fruits and veggies but use what you buy they have a short shelf life.

Do not browse stores you will see something you need and buy it or lots of them but if you go home you might live a year or more without that bargain or need. I grocery shop with dh he is in a hurry so we do not enter the other areas of the store.

my weakness is art supplies.. no matter how great the bargain I do not need glue and markers the cabinet is full.

[itlw8]

yes go after the diet coke. I finally beat the diet pepsi habit. it is twofold caffine addiction and the bubbles. I kept cutting back and when I got to 1/2 can I stopped. no I have not kicked the caffiene I drink unsweet tea. and lots more water. I recently bought some flavored water that is my treat every few days when I need a change. Lemon in water is good also.

Please do it. My two knee replacements may not have been needed or as young if I had not drank soda for so many years. my blood pressure is down without the sodium, the acid eats away the enamel on your teeth

I think they were right about the artificial sweeteners making you hungry I have lost 6 lbs just buy cutting out diet soda. I snack less also.

[Cradle2crayons]

WOW Los of great ideas here.

During e summer, our power bill runs us more than 300 a month, and that's with the air at 74, all lights are off unless they are necessary, etc. our unit is HUGE. In e winter, I save by using small electric heaters. They pull very little electricity compared to our huge unit. Also, I make my own detergent and I throw a dry towel in the dryer to speed up the process and decrease energy usage.

My biggest spending is groceries and household supplies like cat food etc.

S, I plan meals very very carefully and buy ONLY what I need according to my menu. I don't load down my freezer or pantry with stuff on sale and then let it sit. I do plan meals and the menu around what's on sale for e week though. In the summer, because my family has a huge farming business, I put up, can, freeze etc almost everything. Including beef, chicken, deer, rabbit, even down to mincing my own onions and peppers. I can tomatoes, fruits, even home made soup!! I love taking the canned home made soup camping!! Oh gosh it's so much better tasting than frozen.

So, if I were you, I'd analyze the biggest spending items and see where I could save ere. If necessary, that 250 phone bill would have to go bye bye.

[preschoolteacher]

You could also make sure you're deducting everything you can for your business and keeping really good records to lower taxes!

[Starburst]

yes go after the diet coke. I finally beat the diet pepsi habit. it is twofold caffine addiction and the bubbles. I kept cutting back and when I got to 1/2 can I stopped. no I have not kicked the caffiene I drink unsweet tea. and lots more water. I recently bought some flavored water that is my treat every few days when I need a change. Lemon in water is good also.

Please do it. My two knee replacements may not have been needed or as young if I had not drank soda for so many years. my blood pressure is down without the sodium, the acid eats away the enamel on your teeth

I think they were right about the artificial sweeteners making you hungry I have lost 6 lbs just buy cutting out diet soda. I snack less also.

:confused:???? I'm guessing you were trying to post on two subjects at once?

[julie]

:confused:???? I'm guessing you were trying to post on two subjects at once?

The OP mentioned that she needs to work on getting rid of her diet coke addiction. This post fits here.