Please list things you know you can cut out to save $

[KELLYLYNN]

here's some that i did

cleaning supplies i get at the dollar store
only got basic cable
cut long distance off my home phone.
make a list when i go grocery shopping and take coupons. and i pay cash only
cut up credit cards.. cash only.
pack lunches for me and my husband for work
started a savings account taken right out of my pay check for emergency's only.
only wash clothes when i have a full load.
buy clothes/shoes etc only when needed, not because i want them
don't go out for dinner once a week like we use too that one i miss.....
cut out getting my nails done, and my tans miss that too...
made a budget that we can live on, and we only buy what we need not what we want.... ( this is the hardest one, cause when i go shopping and see cute baby outfit, toys etc. i want them ) but not right now.....
but once im out of dept. it's going to be so nice...... i need that dept monkey off my back... he's killing me....

[ellie81]

Originally Posted by KELLYLYNN

here's some that i did

cleaning supplies i get at the dollar store
only got basic cable
cut long distance off my home phone.
make a list when i go grocery shopping and take coupons. and i pay cash only
cut up credit cards.. cash only.
pack lunches for me and my husband for work
started a savings account taken right out of my pay check for emergency's only.
only wash clothes when i have a full load.
buy clothes/shoes etc only when needed, not because i want them
don't go out for dinner once a week like we use too that one i miss.....
cut out getting my nails done, and my tans miss that too...
made a budget that we can live on, and we only buy what we need not what we want.... ( this is the hardest one, cause when i go shopping and see cute baby outfit, toys etc. i want them ) but not right now.....
but once im out of dept. it's going to be so nice...... i need that dept monkey off my back... he's killing me....

Those are good and strict!!! Good job
I think eating out is always very expesive, also going out to lunch everyday takes away a lot of money that you can save instead. Just pack up your lunch! Cook double the amount the night before so you have leftovers for the next day.
Making you own cup of coffee can save a lot, becaue when you get the coffee you also get a donut or a bagel or something else
DVD from the library is a good option or getting the Blockbuster by mail is cheaper than renting in the store.
Buy generic brands! you can save sooo much with that. Even if you get coupon for the name brands, generic are usually cheaper than that.
Wash you clothes 2 times week, but not everyday

[yorkiesmiles]

Lots of good tips already --

*I believe in clipping coupons; also trading coupons with others - give them what you won't use in exchange for ones you need.

*Buy an organizer to keep the coupons in - they usually have heavy paper ones at the $1 store -- or I found a cloth one on clearance at Target.
Organize your coupons. I have also found keeping the coupon organizer in the car is great, so if you have to run in for something, its always with you

*At Target, go down the end isles -- that's where they always put the clearance items -- when they get special sizes in or promotions and they don't want them on the regular shelf anymore they put them on the endcaps - ie a tub of Crest, with a free travel size marked down a $1 from just a regular sized tube & then with a coupon - saved me $$

*When eating out do not order soda/pop/coke or even ice tea, etc. -- just get ice water ask them for some lemon to add a little refreshment -- we all need to drink more water and restaurants mark up their drinks soooo much

*spend lots of time on YT -- that will keep you out of the stores -- lol

*keep track or your spending

*the library is also good for renting cds

*unplug the phone recharger, curling iron, etc. when not in use - the pennies this saves adds up

*open the windows and breath some fresh air -- I only use the air conditioner when the humidity gets unbearable

*when winter comes, resist playing with the thermostat -- put on a sweater, sweatshirt, use a blanket

*use a programmable thermostat - that can adjust the thermostat for when you're gone

*I know there are others I try to use....

[KELLYLYNN]

Here is a web site too, that i use to find a product that i was looking for the cheapest price you can get it for, i got my son a jumperoo a couple months ago, the stores wanted 86.00 for it, i went on this web site, and got it shipped to my house for 60.00... it will give you a list of sites, stores, etc. and the prices that there asking for it does your shopping comparisons for you.... http://www.become.com - it's a great web site, my sister uses it all the time for kid toys, etc... - plus if you can get free shipping that is so nice.. i got 15 % off the jumperoo - plus i called the store and they gave me free shipping too.... boy am i pittyfull... but hey i saved money....
anyways my dad gave me the money for the jumperoo cause he wanted to buy him a walker, and i told him i ordered this jumperoo and he said he'll just give me the money for it..... Thank God for Grandparents....

[cheryl000]

Oh! I forgot to mention baby things that I do to save $$$!

-My doctor told me that buying babywater is a scam, there is already enough minerals in regular filtered water in most areas.
-My doctor told me that the generic formulas are the same. (This saved me 50%) They don't have the overhead costs of advertising like the namebrand ones.
-I use cheap diapers during the day when I change her often and the more expensive diapers at night. The cheap diapers save me about 60% off. Buy the cheap diapers in bulk!
-I ask friends if they have any old baby stuff to sort through. It gets a chore done!
-I ask for clothes on holidays and birthdays for the kids.
-I only buy baby clothes when they're on sale.
-I buy/sell baby stuff on craigslist
-I ebay the used clothes that are still in good condition.

[cheryl000]

Oh! I forgot to mention baby things that I do to save $$$!

-My doctor told me that buying babywater is a scam, there is already enough minerals in regular filtered water in most areas.
-My doctor told me that the generic formulas are the same. (This saved me 50%) They don't have the overhead costs of advertising like the namebrand ones.
-I use cheap diapers during the day when I change her often and the more expensive diapers at night. The cheap diapers save me about 60% off. Buy the cheap diapers in bulk!
-I ask friends if they have any old baby stuff to sort through. It gets one of their chores done AND it gets you cheap or free stuff!
-I ask for clothes on holidays and birthdays for the kids.
-I only buy baby clothes when they're on sale.
-I buy/sell baby stuff on craigslist
-I ebay the used clothes that are still in good condition.

[Jenn218]

Whoa!
Those are all great tips....keep 'em coming!!!

[J_is_my_initial]

I shop for books at a used book store. I can get a historical romance (my favorite) for 1.25. I don't have to worry about getting it back to the library on time or how hard I am on books. Stains and crumbled pages. When I am done with the bag I get I take them back and get 1/2 credit back for more.

[flgurl69]

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.

[flgurl69]

Originally Posted by KELLYLYNN

Here is a web site too, that i use to find a product that i was looking for the cheapest price you can get it for, i got my son a jumperoo a couple months ago, the stores wanted 86.00 for it, i went on this web site, and got it shipped to my house for 60.00... it will give you a list of sites, stores, etc. and the prices that there asking for it does your shopping comparisons for you.... http://www.become.com - it's a great web site, my sister uses it all the time for kid toys, etc... - plus if you can get free shipping that is so nice.. i got 15 % off the jumperoo - plus i called the store and they gave me free shipping too.... boy am i pittyfull... but hey i saved money....
anyways my dad gave me the money for the jumperoo cause he wanted to buy him a walker, and i told him i ordered this jumperoo and he said he'll just give me the money for it..... Thank God for Grandparents....

This is a great site! Thanks!!

[yorkiesmiles]

ok, another thread also made me think of this $ saver I use:

at Target if you have one of the Target coupons - for say Pantene Shampoo & a manufacturers coupon for Pantene - you can use them both!!

Having a Target Red card is great -- only if you pay it off every mth, because the intrest rate is out of this world - 19 or 21% - but for every $ you spend Target will donate a percentage to any school that you designate. Then they also mail you their coupons and little catologs with coupons - sometimes for $$ of clothes, shoes or personal care items . Then after you spend a a bunch of money - I think its $1,000 - which unfortunately in Target doesn't take long - lol --- they send you a card for 10% off on everything on any day you choose

I did all of the above when buying stuff to send my daughter off to college in Aug. I spent like $400 there but saved over $100

Also, saved tons of money for college stuff at Bed, Bath & Beyond -- all those little blue cards they mail out & there was even one in our newspaper today - they have expiration dates on them -- but they really never expire!! Plus they will let you use one for every item you buy!! My store would only let me use 5 at a time, but my mom's store in Fla has no limit.

If you have a JC Penney card they too send out coupons - I don't shop there much, but they do mail out $10 coupons to use on any item $10 or more -- so you can even get small items for free.

More tips:

If you get a rebate on something that requires a form - follow thru & fill it out & mail it in!!

Buy an Entertainment book - they might cost $30 - but you can make that back quick -- just going to the drycleaners -- plus there will be tons of restaurants - even expensive ones, fun activities & all kinds of savings on hotels. This is another thing I keep in the car - because you won't use it in the house for the most part.

Be organized at home - so you don't have to go out & buy something that you already have, but can't find -- ok, I'll confess there are days I'm working on that one!

[Suzy]

Gap has the deal where if you spend $200 and put it on their store credit card, they give you a $10 gift card.

Buy meat in bulk-my husband LOVES chicken wings for parties...a frozen 2 lb. bag costs about $10. I bought a family pack of fresh chicken wings this weekend, and for 4.5 lbs. it was on sale for $4.81!!!, but I cleaned them, and then froze the package into three smaller ziploc bags. What a deal!

For whatever reason at Walmart, 6 packs of pop are only $1.50, while a 12 pack is $3.98. The kinds are limited, but it saved me money when buying pop for the YT meetup and a BBQ this weekend.

Shop Target clearance-along the endcaps. I'm not sure if someone mentioned this yet, but I got 4 Christmas gifts knocked out today just by shopping there. It's great-and I got most of it for 75% off, some for 50%, and some for 30% off. Can't beat that!

When buying from a Target gift registry, note that the items that end in .29 or .89 are the clearance items or items on sale. (For example $12.29 for a toss pillow.) These are great items to buy for the registrant, because 1) these items sell out and disappear quickly 2) they're on sale for you 3) your gift looks like more even though you spent less 4) they're still returnable with a gift receipt! LOVE IT!

Pay bills online-you save the stamp, the envelope, and your time filling out all that paperwork. My bank has online bill pay-just set up all your billers once, and it literally takes a few clicks, and all your bills are paid. You can schedule them to come out of your account each month too, if you have one bill that's always the same, like a cell phone bill. That way, you don't even have to think about it-your bills just get paid!

Never pay for checks. When it's time to reorder, find a bank ad either online or in the paper that is offering free checks with the opening of a checking account. If you show the ad to your bank, they will match it and give you your checks for free!

Use plastic grocery bags as poo pickup bags on walks instead of buying them. You have the grocery bags anyway!

[KELLYLYNN]

Originally Posted by flgurl69

This is a great site! Thanks!!

i'll be doing my christmas shopping on this site... remember to, sometimes if you call them they will give you a discount on the shipping or free shipping, the babycenter.com gave me free shipping on my jumeroo....

[KELLYLYNN]

JC Penneys, always has good sales, i buy all my baby clothes there, and if you get the sunday paper, they always have coupons in them like buy 75.00 worth of clothes and save 15.00, they had baby clothes buy an outfit and get one for 1.00.. plus i used the 15.00 coupon and saved big bucks, my sister and mother got shirts for only 2.00 on clearance.. can't beat that... i needed winter clothes for the baby, i saved a lot....

[tammy8833]

im new at the budgeting and saving money, i found www.frugalvillage.com there are coupon trains, list of free samples to sign up for all the time, great tips and recipes for saving money and more. i havent mastererd budgeting and actually saving. i usually plan my meals, the make a list and check my coupons then go to the store, if i stick with it i save lots, and can get out of the store for under $60.00 a week for 3. right now im working on filling up and everything so when the new baby gets here i dont have to leave for a month or mo at least and im working on double batching my meals so i have plenty of meals in the freezer already made.

i rarely buy paper towels anymore, i might buy a, .55 pack every two weeks. i cut up old shirt and stuff and use that for clean, drying, dusting, etc...i think that helps me save money.

i add water to my laundry detergent when i get about half way down, i only use about half a cap full anyways with each load.

the bills that charge you i mail them checks in the mail early, example i have a credit card that if i pay online or over the phone they charge 7-11 bucks but if i mail it there is no fee, electricity charges 4.00 so when i can i mail that.

i have never been able to get free checks with my bank so i buy them at walmart.com for 5.00 plus shipping

im a stay at home mom, and since there is no reason to really go anywhere i can make it in my suv for about $20-30 weeks.

im gonna try breast feeding this second kid..so that will save money..im trying to potty train the first..that will save money..i do my own dog vaccines...saves money (except rabies)...i feed the dogs purina..still good food and i can get a 10lb bg for 10.00 and it lasts over a month...i download preschool worksheets for my toddler and for socialization he goes to the old babysitters or the play room for a few hours...

thats all i can think of right now..ill be back..lol