Here are some things I do to save money:
To save on the cost of stamps, I pay all of my bills online.
I have moved/consolidated credit card balances to get 0% interest and closed the acct on the old card. I think this may bring your credit score down some though.
I do not buy bread at the grocery store. I go the the local Wonder bread outlet and buy day old bread and freeze it. Actually its not day old bread...the date on the bread is 3 or 4 days out from the current date.
I try to cook some stuff from scratch. I don't buy instant mashed potatoes, I make it from scratch. I buy frozen juice concentrate instead of the big jugs of fruit juice. I make my own iced tea instead of the bottled stuff.
Try to stay away from prepared frozen food. Cook large batches of food and freeze it for quick dinners during the week and for lunch at work. I do this with spaghetti sauce, chilli, cookies, soups.
I do buy some generic grocery products instead of name brand.
I try not to buy junk food - no Doritos, Oreos, Twinkies, Entenmans, etc. If I want cookies, cakes, etc, really bad I make myself bake it. It's usually cheaper and keeps me from eating out of boredom.
I buy things in bulk from BJs, Costco, etc. like meats, paper products and cases of generic soda. I also buy my gas from BJs, Costco. I take advantage of bulk and freeze as much as I can.
I buy bulk from one of the local farmer's market. I get fresh corn on the cob and freeze it in gallon zip lock bags. It lasts me for about a year. I buy green peppers, chop them up and freeze it in zip lock bags. I use the peppers in recipes that call for
cooked green peppers. Can't use them raw. If you're really motivated, can your own food.
I make a grocery list and stick to it. I don't hit the food stores daily and do "impulse buying." I go to the grocery store every 3-4 weeks.
I do have a weakness for some designer names but I get them at places like Off Saks and outlets. I do consign my nicer clothes and household items and have a garage sale every year or so.
I color my own hair because I got tired of spending $75 every 3-4 months for a color. I don't go to high-end salons every 3-4 months. I will go to one of the cheaper franchise salons.
I take my lunch to work every day. No eating out for lunch.
I quit going to Starbucks 3-4 times a week.
I use coupons for groceries. I also use restaurant coupons.
I comparison shop. I will go to one store and ask that they honor their competitors price or coupons if they advertise that they will neet or beat their competition price.
I do shop at Walmart because sometimes they are the cheapest, although I don't like the store and I am an evil witch by the time I leave.
