Looking for Tips on Saving Day to Day

[Lisa23]

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone out there has any tips on simple daily saving strategies. For example, I brought a box of teabags to work. Now I drink tea instead of buying coffee. Savings per week= $10.


Any ideas?

Thanks,
Lisa
Greener Pastures: Personal Finance on a Responsible Planet

[72Tiger]

One of the simplest I can think of is to install a programmable thermostat. It is basically saving money on autopilot. I guess it would be hard to actually put a discreet value to it, but they definitely do work.

[Lisa23]

Thanks, good idea. 2 of the 3 thermostats in my house are programmable, and it is very helpful.

Lisa

[Lynnae]

Shop less often. I try to only go to the store once a week. If it's not Monday, I don't set foot in a store. Less temptation = Less spending. Also, less driving around = Less money spent on gas for the car.

[gt0163c]

Some that I can think off off the top of my head:

Packing your meals/snacks instead of eating out. This applies to work situations, when you're out running errands or just about any time.

In the spring and fall (and winter on sunny days in most places), open the blinds during the day and close them at night. The heat from the sun coming in, especially if you have windows that face the afternoon sun, will help to heat the house meaning you'll use your furnace less. At night, the blinds will provide a bit more insulation over your windows. In the summer, do the opposite. Similarly, depending on the climate, you may be able to run the climate control less by opening and closing windows at the right times.

Take navy showers. Let the water warm up, get in and get wet and then turn off the water. Shampoo and soap up. Turn the water back on and rinse. If you need to condition your hair, turn the water back off, condition, turn the water back on and rinse. Uses much less water. I regularly do this in the warmer months (which, in Texas is all but about Thanksgiving through Easter) and notice a savings in my water bill.

If you won't drink tap water, buy a filter system or at least a filter pitcher instead of bottled water. This also ends up being better for the environment.

Try to do all your errands at once, starting with the one farthest away from your house, if possible. This will help to save gas and wear on your vehicle. If possible, walk or ride a bike to do some of your errands. Or, again, if possible, take public transportation.

Search out and sign-up for freebies on the web. There's a bunch of web sites/message boards that are devoted to helping you find free stuff. I get lots of samples including hair care, tooth paste, razors, some food. It's not a lot, but everything I get means that I have to buy a little bit less.

Learn to coupon and do rebates. Especially if you're in an area that double and/or triples coupons, you can often get a lot of things for free. This works especially well for personal care products (shampoo, deoderant, toothpaste). Similarly, check into the drug store rebate programs. Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid have some great deals and you can combine their store coupons/rebates with manufacturer's coupons to get even better deals.

[USCGamecocks]

Never fill up at the gas pump. Prices fluctuate so much you could be wasting money when it goes from $3.09 to $3.15.

Don't drink soda.
Dontdrinksoda.com - List of reason why. One not listed there, it's a waste of money.

When you go out to eat don't order drinks either other than water. At nearly $2.00 a pop that's a lot of money to plop down on a 18oz drink.

[mcnerd]

I need my occasional soda drink, but I make my own using a sodaclub.com unit and I control the amount of syrup and fizz. Their syrups already use less sodium and sugars. I also don't have all that space taken up by cans of soda and empty cans for recycling.

I seldom buy bottled water. Instead I use a Brita filter pitcher and tap water, fill up my bottles and add a squirt of lemon juice for a slight touch of flavor. Saves me a ton of money and storage space.

I've used an American Harvester Dehydrator for years. Nothing gets wasted. Produce that is getting too ripe, or I know I won't use it right away, goes into the dehydrator (onions, bananas, celery, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, bread, etc). Bread becomes croutons for my soups and salads.

If you haven't gotten the new Reynolds "Handi-Vac" units and bags, they are to die for. No need for an expensive vacuum sealer to get the advantage of vacuum sealing "everything". I still use my FoodSaver for major sealing jobs, but there are a ton of everyday stuff that having a recloseable vacuum bag makes life a big . I also the Handi-Vac for my First-Aid/Survival stuff to keep it fresher longer and to protect from the elements (rain/flood, etc.). Same for stuff in the car and the garage.

[rstlne]

Two things I do:

1. I fill up water bottles at home and bring those on road trips so that I don't have to buy bottled water.

2. I reuse plastic shopping bags from grocery stores as garbage bags.

[redsoxmaniac]

1. I do my major food shopping once every two weeks. Before I go, I take a look around to see what I have around and try and incorporate frozen food/ canned and dry goods into the next two weeks menus. I try to only go to the store if I ABSOLUTELY must. I use recipe sites and plug in available ingredients so that things I have around get used up. Once I shop the sales, I come home and create a Menu plan for a week at a time. I double up on a couple meals so I am stocked up in the freezer. This takes a little practice but if you do this within 2 or 3 months it will become second nature.

2. As others said I save from $1.50-$2.00 when I go out by not ordering a coffee or soft drink. This adds up over time if you are out once or twice a week.

3. I find a Brita pitcher very economical and having used a reverse osmosis system in the past, I like the convenience of the Brita.

4. Buy hot cups if you can't discipline yourself to use a thermal mug and brew your own hot drink before leaving the house. Great idea with the tea bags at work. On Sunday nights you could put together a bag of snacks for the office...some granola bars. Peanut butter cracker. Licorice sticks whatever. a bag of microwave popcorn.
I also keep bottle water in my car. I usually use a washable water bottle but in a pinch, I have fresh water when I need it.

5. Pack your lunch when you can. Leftovers from dinner or a sandwich and fruit are usually much better than what you'll get out. When I go out to eat, I usually order something that is difficult or too expensive for me to routinely make. That way it is a real treat.

6. If you go to the movies. Eat before you go and try to go to a Matinee....many theaters keep the matinee rate up until 6 p.m. Nothing wrong with an early bird special and a Matinee. Will keep 'date night' under budget.

7. Know that you have foods in the freezer that you can heat up in minutes so you won't stop and get take out. If you have to get fast food. Think dollar menu. Some pretty good buys. Never order take out drinks. It is usually 20-25 percent of the total cost.

8. Use services like paperbackswap.com to trade your books, cd's and movies rather than pay a service for the same thing.

Last of all, know that your not going to be perfect with all of these things all of the time but I try and adopt the things that I think will fit into my lifestyle. Try and plan when you have a good energy level so on a day when your guard is down your system is already in place.

[KelR1]

Sadly, I have a soda habit, but it's one of my only vices (that and chocolate!). And I can't save by buying generic soda. I just can't do it. It has to be Coca-Cola. But I do have a Brita, as someone else suggested, because my city's tap water is not so good.