When I had 6 kids at home I could make one hole chicken into two meals for 8 people easy. We drank cool aid or water. Breakfast was oatmeal. Kids took a packed lunch to school. I did a lot of shopping from thrift stores. We rarely ate out, but made home made pizza at home that were even better, we did not buy into cable TV and played board games. The family was so much closer in those days and my boys today are trying to do much of the same things with their kids. It isn't difficult to save money. If you don't "need" it, then don't buy it. Those "B" days will end for you if you play your cards correctly. :D

Free Tv
 

You can get free tv on the internet. When we moved recently we didn't get cable because we're just renting until we find a house to buy. I didn't want to deal with the costs of hooking it up. Of course people at work and my dad make fun of us but I actually like not having it! It saves me $45 a month. I prefer actually watching tv and news on the internet. Usually the website has it on for free. I get to watch the same thing everyone else does without as many commercials! I love Mtv.com, vh1.com shows and

http://www.tv-links.co.uk/

has LOTS of cartoons, movies, and shows (I watched all of Reba). We also use blockbuster, which is less than $20 a month.

Ok, seriously....reading this entire thread made me feel like crap. LOL. After reading what everyone posted...I just realised OMG - I spend SOOOO MUCH MONEY!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: On just "stuff" - that I DO NOT even need. Home decor items, CLOTHES for my babies (I go TOTALLY overboard with that), shoes, bags, going out to eat with hubby, etc. Good lord. I need to seriously re-think my spending :eek: WOW! Just WOW.

Brooke, I feel you! I am STILL struggling with it. It seems we do well one week, then crappy the next with our budgetting. I don't know if I"m doing something wrong or if it's just THAT HARD.

What do you find yourself spending extra money on? If it's the stores, try to go there less. Avoid the mall especially! Those places are DESIGNED to get your $$

Girl....seriously, I think it is just THAT HARD. lol :eek: I'm not kidding though....I have tried to put myself on a budget before and I always fall off the wagon :( OMG, if my hubby were not married to me, he would be BANKIN'! lol. I'm serious - he doesn't spend a DIME! ON ANYTHING! I don't know how in the hell he does it!!! :eek: Ahh I know, I guess cause he's a man :rolleyes: Most of us women are just cursed with the urge to shop and spend money :rolleyes:

What works for me is I count 'savings' as a bill! So each paycheck when I pay my bills I automatically deposit money into my savings account as a bill. I leave myself a certain amount in my checking account and that is what I have. No more! So if its $100 a week and I spend it on coffee & water, then thats it... doing this I have learned to cut back on things. I realized I was spending $40 a month or more for coffee at dunkin donuts! i have cut back to 2 a week now and I spend about $20 a month now.. a little more manageable! :)

We do this too. Ideally of course you want to have a cushion in your checking acct, so don't do this unless you are extremely good at bookkeeping! (I balance my checkbook *daily*) When we get paid I only leave a few hundred dollars for non-bill things like gas and groceries. The rest goes to bills or savings. It helps us not spend if we see there is only $200 in the checking acct. If I leave $800, guess what? We manage to spend it all by the time we get paid again.

Once we get all of our debt paid off, then I will relax a little bit and build up a reserve in the acct. I also helps if you have a bank that will automatically transfer from savings to avoid an NSF fee, just in case. Even though the money is there, it's separate, and I *hate* transferring money into checking unless it's an emergency. So it does feel separate, even though it's really not.

quicken
 

when my husband spent $39.95 or whatever on quicken i was frustrated. i thought that seemed a bit expensive.

but when i started playing around and actually being able to see what we spend i thought it was great!

it is amazing how much you can save by taking your lunches to work and not buying starbucks. our grocery store has packs of flavored coffee and also you can try some fun creamers. if i set the pot to start automatically there is less of a "feeling" or "craving" to stop at the starbucks drive thru.
i buy alot of store brands. but i still splurge on toilet paper, tissues, and good quality paper towels (but i did find a great store brand at randall's yesterday!)

i don't ever use the full amount of laundry detergent. we just don't get our stuff that gross.

i jUSt started a subscription to gamefly since my wonderful husband will throw down $59.99+ for one game and have it beat in 3 days (plus at blockbuster you have to have a credit card on file to rent xbox 360 games.) this sucks when he doesn't like the game at all after 2hrs of playtime. he doesn't know i got a subscription, so i can't wait for the first games to arrive at the door!

if i find something i like (express editor pants size 4...) i will try it on and then see if i can find it on Ebay for less. this goes for items for my son also. my wonderful groom will turn his nose up at most of this stuff, but i don't mind. alot of it's new w/o tags anyway (NWOT).

my husband and i also carpool to work. i drop him off and pick him up.
i kept my membership to bally's b/c by the time i get home from work, work out, and eat, it's to late to head out.

water your grass in the evening to save on your h2o bill.

if you like to go out sometimes, have a drink at home before heading out (make sure someone safe is driving) because most bars around here charge 4-8per. also, try to have dinner at home first. the later you go out, the less you have time to spend. (for us that's a 30-70 savings).

if you're really desperate, ramen noodles with scrambled eggs, ramen noodles with shredded cheese, and ramen noodles...

see a movie before noon (or check your theater times) and get the matinee rate. have lunch before you go so you don't need munchies. or carry an oversized purse with your own munchies in it!

i haven't ever done this, but if you have a friend in about your size range, you could do a swap. update your stuff and give her some more options!

if you feel the need to redecorate in your bedroom you could try a duvet cover. you could possibly make one with 2 large sheets and then put little ties on them. viola! add in some cute wal-mart pillow cases and even make your own throw pillows.

a friend of mine says her friend had some leftover paint she wanted to get rid of. it was only a few weeks old. enough to do a small living room. she took advantage of it and helped save the earth a little:)

thanks to everyone else for their answers!

Had to add a few more...

Oprah had a great show on back in like Jan... where she teaches women how to budget and make more money and pay off debt quicker. There are so many GREAT resources online for learning how to budget and save money.

1. take lunch/coffee to work that you make at home
2. food shop a couple times a week for a little bit. I am single and live alone, I found when I did a big shopping I threw away a lot of stuff bc it went bad before I could eat it. Now I shop 2 - 3x a week and I actually eat ALL of what I buy. Its just a quick 5 min stop on the way home from work.
3. This is my New Years resolution for this year - FINISH WHAT YOU START. If you go out to eat, take home your leftover and actually EAT them! If you get a mail in rebate, MAIL IT IN!
4. Fill up your gas tank. I find that if I fill up my tank for $35 it lasts all week. If I put $10 in it, it lasts for a day thats it. So in 3 days I pay the same amount as I would have for a weeks worth.
5. If you have storage room buy in bulk. I go to BJs and buy TP, Papertowels, Pasta and anything that will keep. Its much cheaper, you just end up with a lot.
6. Buy one of those Brita filters for your sink. Its WAY cheaper than buying bottles of water. Invest in a good water bottle that you can carry with you and a good travel mug for coffee. Best thing I ever did! :)

Food shopping often is so true. I buy 2 bananas at a time. I used to feel stupid not buying a whole bunch but then I would throw them away!

Also, our water tastes nasty even if you filter it. We use my dad's Sams Club membership and buy 32 bottles for $4.25, and then 6 gallon packs for like $5. We go twice a year and buy like 8 cases. I hate Walmart, but I think they are loosing $ on me so it's OK. :D We don't have a Costco. I do make a point to keep it in the car, at work, in my purse, everywhere so I NEVER buy a $1 bottle of water or a $2 fountain drink.

HI
im trying to learn how to be frugal and i found this website www.frugalvillage.com they have something interesting stuff. its just like yt but no yorkies are on there that i know of.

Here are something i know help out here

i take old shirts and cut them in to rags (socks, pants anything works) so i uses these instead of paper towels to clean the counter, to dust, to clean the floors, blah blah. and i buy the 10 $1 at cvs sponges to clean the toliet and the dishes (not with the same sponge..lol) i only use the paper towel for dinner and if you arent messing no worries on using it up. i have a 2 year old and instead of cleaning him after dinner with paper towels he either gets a bath, and i wash him with wash clothes.

instead of buying the swifter wet towels, i have tons of baby wipes, b/c i have a baby and tuck them in the swifer and i might add some soapy water to the floor and bam the kitchen is clean i also use it on the hardwood floors, for some reason the wipes pick up more dirt. the smell of the vinegar does not linger at all

Vinegar cleans almost anything, floors, glass, tarnish, counters, etc.if you google the uses it limitless. add the vinegar to your homemade rags and you just saved money on cleaning supplies. laundry detergent and softner cut in to half wether its liquid or powder. supposedly vinegar works as a softner too but i havent try that yet

buy the good toliet paper, the cheap stuff for .88 doesnt last at all

grow a small garden for veggies

good luck i'll be reading for more great tips too = )

also some companies will mail you coupons or samples if you ask them

i just go online and email them

example i emailed sunsilk they sent me gift cards with coupons and samples, then i got coupons in the mail with get one free, buy one get one, and $1's off. so when i go to use it i will probably get tons for little to nothing

also i dont buy the pricey dog food, mine eat purina and are very healthy sometimes they eat pro plan and sometimes they eat just purina.

my opinion is all that organic stuff is over rated (not trying to offend people who like organic):)

if you have kids let them pick out toys at the $1 tree

i rarely buy the box fruit juices or juice anymore we drink cool laid and tea but i gotta have pepsi sometimes

off brand named ceral is just as good as the name brand

i like save a lot grocery store for dry good and can goods its all off name but it all works when you cook. like the cream soups are .49 or less when in food lion they are .89-1.19 a can, broth .39 a can at food lion .89 a can of veggies $.33 we buy cases. add some butter or salt to everything or chicken broth to stuff and the flavor is really good. boxed mashed potatoes 2 for a $1, same for stuffin the list goes on. we also buy cases of the mac n cheese for my son i think its $5 for 20 boxes last time i was there that had chef boy r d spagettiO's for .25 a can my 2 year was in heaven. those things are over $1 a can at the food lion!!!

There are some very good ideas in this thread. Savings are direct deposited. I keep a calendar with all bills, checking deposits etc noted so I can mark when each bill is paid and know pretty much were I'll be financially. I get weekly Harris Teeter e-mails and take advantage of the buy 1 get 1 free deals, especially on meat. We use a Brita water pitcher instead of buying bottled water. I don't go to the mall unless I really need something and check out the bargains at Marshalls and TJ Max first. I stopped having mixed drinks when we go out to dinner unless it's a special occasion and now I've opted to order water instead which has helped me loose a few lbs. I stopped getting acrylic nails and pedicures, now my nails are healthy and I polish them myself. When we are going on vacation I check out Restaurant.com for which restaurants in the area accept their certificates.

Lots of good suggestions. I'm going to try them, cause we're drowing in bills.