Need to shave $200/mo off my spending
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive October 2004:
Need to shave $200/mo off my spending
OK, I'm trying to go back to PT, and I've figured my cut in salary will be about $200 per month. Of course, this last month, all sorts of expenses have made me doubt if I can do this. What would you look at first to cut expenses? Eating out, obviously. But where are the "hidden" pitfalls of your budgets? I need some ideas.
Unless you are already careful, I would say Wal-Mart items and grocery shopping also. I know that we don't budget right now, although I would like to. These places, along with eating out, are places I would like to cut back. I know if I was careful about making a list, buying on sale, and stocking up when things are on sale, I could probably save quite a bit each month. I tend to just wait until things are needed and then go shopping without much forethought. Good luck!
The best way to find that out is to write down EVERY penny you spend for a month. For example, lets say on fridays you go have coffee with friends, 5 bucks. 4 times a month, 20 dollars, it really starts to add up. For me it is things like the quickie car wash when i get gas, the candy for the kids at the checkout. Can you pack instead of buy lunches for the kids, can you save on gas and do errands in one day instead of leaving the house everyday. good luck
Cut out pre-packaged convenience snacks like individual bags of chips, drinks, etc. We just drink tea, water, milk, and occasionally Koolaid in the $.20 packets. Bulk shop with good sales. Make a list and plan out your menu for 1-2 weeks at a time. I was saving an avg of $40/week just by shopping for 2 weeks at a time with a quick trip in between for milk, deli meat, and fruits/veggies. I need to get back in the habit myself. Buy canned juice concentrate instead of jugs or bottles of premixed.
Ditto Pam.Those are all the things that I would have mentioned. When I switched from a regular grocery store to WinCo (like SafeWay or Albertsons) my grocery bill dropped about $100 each month. I hate running in there for a gallon of milk or loaf of bread (and we all know that we never just get that one item needed) so I started making sure that I had everything I would need until the next time I had a major shopping trip planned. There is the electricity also. Do you have a freezer in the garage you don't really need? Become more diligent about turning off lights and using fans. We even use fans in the winter to move the warm air to areas that tend to be a bit cooler. HTH
Don't eat or drink out. No daily lattes. Don't buy any item from a catalogue that comes home from a child's school. Get rid of cable. Get rid of cell phones. Stay out of stores. No scrapebooking supplies. Eat less meat. No lotto tickets. No cigs. No adult beverages. No sodas. Only use homemade cards for b-day cards, etc. Cut the amount you spend on gifts. Get rid of a car. Don't attend multi-level marketing parties. Make do with what you have.
I wrote down every cent I spent for a year and it was scar-eeee.
LOL Laura! I bet you were serious, tho!
We did the same thing a while back. I was alotted $180 per week in CASH- no debit/credit card, no check book! When the cash was spent, that was it.
You may find that simply by not working as many days, you will not spend as much on lunches (pack a lunch from home ahead of time and take to work) and gas.
I need to work on this a lot more, too, because I live around the corner from a grocery store, but I cut coupons and go through ads. I don't shop at just one store- I generally shop at two- ALDI's and the store next to my house, Meijer (pronounced MY-er)
ALDI, like any other discount grocery store, has a lot of off-brand food and household supplies. As I shopped there more and more, we tried more and more of their food and found some that we like and some that we don't. I don't drink coffee, but dh does and he isn't picky about brands as long as I make it strong enough. We get bread, butter, school snacks, and lunch meat there, but we aren't crazy about their whipped salad dressing (there is no substitute for Miracle Whip!) But, don't be afraid to buy it once and try it.
Anything I don't buy at ALDI I buy at Meijer, and use coupons there as well. (ALDI doesn't take them.) When you buy something that you have a coupon for AND is on sale, it's a great buy! And don't be afraid to try store brand food and household stuff. I like Meijer brand macaroni and cheese, and it's half the price of Kraft. I also use Meijer brand dishwasher detergent. I like it better that the brand ALDI sells because I want bleach in it.
Occasionally, I will go to the other grocery stores in my area as long as I can make it worth the trip with a great sale and several items, since they are a bit further to drive.
Yes, we cut back on cable (got rid of the digital box) and we don't have a cell phone. We got on a better home phone plan with a long distance carrier that only charges 4.5 cents/min for calls anywhere in the US at any time. There may be better plans out there. We shopped around and got a less expensive waste hauler. We got on the budget plan with our gas company (for heating) so that we pay the same amount each month and they still keep track of our useage. The goal is to get ahead in the summer so that we can stay caught up in the winter. One month every year, they will settle up so that we are even with them and start out fresh for another year. Since gas prices are going up, we may keep the thermostat down and put on a pair of sweats instead. I don't run the dishwasher until it is full, and I don't do laundry until I have at least 2 full loads.
There are a ton of other ways to cut corners. I dilute my dish washing detergent (for hand-washing the dishes) half and half with water. I also dilute liquid fabric softner (it's concentrated anyway). I stopped buying liquid hand soap for the bathroom in favor of the bar soap that's leftover from the shower when it gets too small. I don't like how strong and sweet Sunny Delight tastes (I buy the generic at ALDI by the gallon) so I dilute that with water as well and store it in empty milk jugs (washed out) in the fridge. I don't buy bottled water. Well, I reuse old bottles of bottled water by filling them with tap water and putting them in the fridge. I run them in the dish washer every week. I bought some individual bottles of the "Sunny D" juice drink at ALDI and, after the we got them all drank up, I saved them and ran them in the dishwasher. So, for the neighborhood kids, I give them Kool-Aid (generic) in the empty bottles. They are only 8 oz bottles, and they have caps on them which the kids are good at remembering to use, so they hardley ever spill and I can keep them ready in the fridge for them to get for themselves. And dh quit smoking.  (At five bucks a pack, who can afford it anymore?)
As for eating out, we still do that occasionally. I don't feel that I need a whole order of fries at a fast food joint, so when we take the food home to eat, I just order a sandwich for myself and I drink something at home, and it saves an extra couple of dollars. Ds hardly ever eats his fries anyway. If we go to Wendy's, they have great alternatives, such as the fruit cups and milk, and ds LOVES those, so it is not as if his dinner is wasted b/c he eats the WHOLE thing.
I made an investment last year and bought a stand alone pantry to keep all my dry food and canned goods in. I found that, without a central place to keep it all, I was buying stuff I already had b/c I forgot where I put stuff. I had groceries in several different cupboards as well as the hall linen closet!
Stores slash prices right after Christmas by half! I almost got all my ds' Christmas shopping done for this year in January. All stores (as you know by the Christmas stuff appearing on shelves in August) get stock in a season ahead of time and put them on sale. Back-to-school stuff goes on sale immediately after the 4th of July, and spring stuff comes in in January and February. Watch out for the clearance sales- summer stuff also gets clearanced in July, winter stuff in January and February.
BY ALL MEANS stay away from multi-level marketing parties. I have been involved in THREE different such businesses and spent a TON of money. I have traveled to five different states, paid ungodly phone bills, and have just tossed out hundreds of dollars' worth of "business supplies." I wasn't able to make any of them work for me. So, unless you are very disciplined, organized both in the home and with your time, have the support of your family, and are very motivated, those types of businesses may not be for you. Having said that, I admire anyone who has been able to make a business work for them.
That's all I can think of for now!
Hope this helps!
Wow! You ladies have certainly given me a lot to think about...I used to shop at Aldi's, way back when, but I have bad associations with that store, and don't think I can (first marriage issues...long stories! LOL) The other stuff, though, might be doable. I agree, if/when I'm home more, I can take the time to plan and to cook. We've definitely been going out more (even though we live in an area with only two fast food places nearby!), simply because I'm too tired or didn't plan anything. Having time to go to a "real" grocery store (as opposed to our local and expensive IGA) and use coupons is something I used to do, and could also do again. I spend $60 easily whenever I run down to the IGA to get things I need! It's awful! (I want to support the local business, but sheesh~)
Now, where do I get the courage to make the leap? Thanks again!
Great suggestions! I don't really have anything to add, but I am taking notes! lol Never hurts to save a few bucks.
Janet,
I'm not sure what state you are located in but I could definitly help you save in the food department. LOL
I only work two days per month so savings is my specialty. I too have most of my sons Christmas stuff up in the attic. It takes a little planning but so worth it to spend more time with the family! Feel free to email me at the Adelphia email in my profile, if you like.
Hmmm, what else?
How about cutting out newspaper delivery,& magazine subscriptions. You could switch to dial up for Internet. Switch to basic cable. Buy calling cards and save for long distance calls. Cut back on haircuts and opt for a pony tail or a low maintenance cut. If you get your hair dyed, try doing it yourself. Switch from name brand hair products. Turn your heat down a few degrees to save on your heating bill. Rent movies from the library, instead of going out to the movie or Blockbuster.
The other thing to try is menu planning. I try to do a lot of "cook once, eat twice." Last night I made a batch of spaghetti sauce. We had spaghetti and today I'll make a batch of baked ziti for the freezer for another night. I'll keep thinking!
|
Members
