Note: One purpose I have in keeping this blog is to share ideas with others who may be looking to save money. This list is in no way to tell you how I think you should (or shouldn't) spend your money! Just wanted to give some ideas that work for us.
Things we don’t spend money on:
1) Cable/Satellite. We have a regular old antenna/digital converter box combo that works just fine for us--we get the major network stations and we figure it will keep us from watching too much TV. Recently, we also joined Netflix and are able to stream movies and TV shows through our Nintendo Wii. It is every bit as good as having cable with the selection they have, plus it’s available anytime! And for $10 per month (compared to at least $40 or $50 around here for the most basic cable), a great value.
2) Toothpaste/deodorant/shampoo/etc. These are usually free, or just a few cents. I play ‘the drugstore game’ to get these free most of the time. Sometimes it means buying 4 or 5 at a time, but if they’re free, does it matter? It keeps us from paying full price when we actually need them.
3) Coffee and tea. We get these for free because I work at a certain name-brand coffee shop. I get a free pound of coffee or box of tea every week. I know this is something that’s specific to us and won’t help everyone else, but it really has saved us a lot of money! I also have a single cup Keurig brewer, so I do occasionally buy a package of K-Cups. They’re really expensive, though, so I plan on getting a reusable K-Cup filter to put my free coffee in.
4) Credit card interest. This past year, we were able to eliminate all credit cards and all credit card debt between the two of us. It is so liberating, and I highly recommend doing everything you can to maintain a cash-only lifestyle. Student loans and a car payment are enough for us to deal with, and credit cards just open up another can of worms. I don’t like ‘em!
5) Disposable diapers. I know cloth diapers aren’t for everyone, but if you’re a parent of young children and REALLY want to save money, give it a serious thought. More on our cloth diapering experience later, but in short, we spent about $350 on everything we needed to keep Liam in cloth diapers until he potty-trains. If an average disposable diaper is around $0.20 (this is usually on sale and/or with coupons) and he uses an average of 8 diapers a day (that’s being generous), that totals about $1,500 for two and a half years of diapering. For ONE child. We spent $350, and can use them for more than one child! Enough said.
6) Summertime fresh vegetables. We have our own garden, and are able to raise enough veggies to eat, plus enough to can/freeze for later in the year. Nothing like getting organic produce for free!
7) A home phone line. For us, this would be totally and completely useless. We both relied exclusively on our cell phones before we were married, so it only seemed natural to keep it that way. Plus it’s another monthly bill we don’t have to deal with.
8) Takeout pizza. We love pizza around here, enough to have it once a week for dinner. Except, we don’t buy it. I make it at home, using my bread machine to make the dough and making the sauce from scratch (ahead of time, and stored in the freezer). The prep time is a fraction of what we’d wait to have it delivered, and it’s so good, and healthier too. And when it costs around $4 for two 8-cut pizzas (which provide lunch for the next day too, plus usually a snack!), I certainly don’t miss paying 4 or 5 times that much. We also occasionally have a frozen pizza.
9) Newspaper subscriptions. We read the news online, and I usually buy a Sunday paper to get the coupons (which pays for itself, most of the time.)
10) (Most) Prepared/Convenience Foods. Any way you look at it, convenience items cost more and make your grocery bill higher. I make big batches of homemade meatballs and freeze them, then I always have something to pull out for a quick meal and can prepare them in a variety of ways. I store canned salsa from our garden (though this past year, it didn't last very long! we like salsa) and freeze homemade marinara sauce. Lots of times, I use Penzey's French Vinaigrette seasoning mix to make our own salad dressing. Even cutting back on just one or two prepared items each week will save money.
Hopefully this will give one or two of you an idea for saving a little money!
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