Ways you have conserved spending?

[Moose242]

1. Buy things you know you will use (and that don't go bad) in the largest possible size. Includes toilet paper, shower soap, razors, shampoo, dish soap, laundry detergent, etc

2. Eat at home. I eat on less than $5 a day. I have a giant ass bag of rice that I bought last year. I am still eating out of it a couple times a week.

3. Call your cable company and tell them you are thinking about switching to another company due to cheaper rates. Usually you will either get something for free or they will lower the cost.

4. Dont run the heat during the day when you are home and minimize use at night. I keep the heat off and use an extra blanket. My bill last month for electricity was $90.

5. Use cash or debit cards for everything. Don't use the credit card if you can't pay it off that month. This is a simple concept, but everyone needs to be reminded from time to time.

6. Ride a bike. I know some folks live in suburbia and nothing is around, but if I need something from the corner store I ride up there.

7. Drink and smoke less. Hard one for me, but I have minimized smoking and drinking lately in order to save money. I was amazed at how much I saved by not going out to bars as much (used to go twice a week or so).

[Sgt Beavis]

Stopped eating out. (saves $200 to $400 a month)

Killing DirecTV and using Netflix for my TV entertainment. If DTV lets me keep my account down to a bear minimum with a very tiny cost, I'll keep it and only buy Sunday Ticket every year. I really don't watch much TV at all. (saves about $80 a month)

Sold my Mustang (I telecommute) (saved about $500 a month.. not counting gas, insurance, and maintenance)

Killing my soda pop habit (really the only bad habit I have) (saves maybe $50 a month)

shopping around my car and life insurance (don't know yet)

Cutting back on monthly allowance budget (right now $400 split between the wife and me. Looking to cut it back to $200 a month)


Edit: One of the things that really stopped me from eating out is that a value meal at McD's cost me about $7 to $8. I can get two red trout fillets for less money at Market Street and feed the two of us. A couple of sweet potatoes ups the cost by less than $1.

[TENGRAM]

heh, he said "soda pop"

[bcoop]

I feed a family of 3 for around 50 a week and we have all the food we want, 3 healthy meals a day with no junk food

Can you expand on this? I can't feed just myself on $50/week. Unless I ate nothing but beans, rice, and cornbread. And I can't do that 3 meals a day/7 days a week.

[95ragtop]

I am with DOHCTR on the rice. I have some 2 lbs boxes of brown rice that I cook with canned chili or mix in a can of tuna, a protein shack and a fiber bar is usually breakfast, and lunch is a sandwhich with a V-8 drink.

[YALE]

I go to work all the time. I'm not out spending money willy-nilly while I'm up here, and all my savings ended up netting me a nice haul for my birthday/TG/xmas season spending spree.

[slow99]

We save shitloads, but if I could find a way to kill my wife it'd be even more.

[YALE]

We save shitloads, but if I could find a way to kill my wife it'd be even more.

Make her follow your degree path and shadow your moves at work. Problem solved.

[sosoe]

As well as some other folks here, stopped the soda, eating out, buy used parts for the car, and a lot of other things mentioned above. As well Ill buy a $5.00 cooked chicken at sams and eat that all week, chicken sandwich, chicken salad, chicken this chicken that.

[SMKR]

syphoning gas from my wife's car has really helped me cut my gas expense

[Frank]

If its yellow, let it mellow, if its brown, flush it down!

[LS1Goat]

Eating out less. Packing a lunch. Ordering water instead of soda. Replaced all the incandescent bulbs in the house with CFL bulbs. Retrofitting the house. Making your trips count to save gas. Telecommuting at every opportunity to do so. Clipping coupons. Washing using cold water most of the time, instead of warm or hot. Leaving my 11 MPG Mustang collect dust and leaves in the garage. Turning off the damn 350 watt Plasma TV when nobody is watching it.

[black2002ls]

Gave up the copenhagen, moved closer to work (this cut my fuel bill, granted my truck is running right, by a full tank ~40-50 a week), Stopped eating out as much, started coming home for lunch instead of grabbing a burger.

I gave up soda a long time ago, when I had a kidney stone.

[Sean88gt]

I've cut out everything I don't need... no more Impala, no more bike, no more DVR or satellite (using free off air antenna), no more Sirius, no more eating out, no more alcohol, no more smart phone, got rid of newer car for older cash car... my only luxury currently is internet and a gym membership. Really, I don't miss much, it's all fluff. And I've been lucky the economy has not impacted me, I'm just trying to get ahead. I almost have my house paid off

Heading down this path myself. Do have cable but am rethinking my position on that.
Get any kind of reception on the free digital signal?

[LS1Goat]

Gave up the copenhagen, .

Good luck on that. I've had zero success thus far in that endeavor. And you can get Cope Extra Long Cut Natural for $3.49 at RaceTrack.