coupons and other money saving activities

fascination

fascination

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so...dh and I have enjoyed a pretty stable financial lifestyle and we are blessed that, while he is in between jobs, we are not in dire straits, but we have taken steps to tighten the budget: getting rid of our land line, discontinuing our memberships to various things, coupons on grocery day, taking lunch to work...it occurs to me that even when he does land somewhere, we are likely going to continue most of these practices (the better to pay for lessons and all that)...wondering what you all do to conserve
 
I'm also a coupon clipper, mainly applicable to items I use regularly anyways (mostly toiletries). I'm not very good at timing sales, so if something non-perishable on my list is on sale, I buy 1-2 extras.

I've been making a more concerted effort to stave off impulse purchases. The rule is that I have to walk away (literally out of the store), even sleep on it, to decide if it's something I really really want and will use. Especially since this year is going to be a big spending year (dance, home improvements). This also allows me the chance to comparision shop online if applicable. In the interest of halting the clutter and money outgo, I've just generally been trying to be more mindful about acquisitions.

Coffee - Maxwell House instant coffee and flavored creamer. Judge away.

I've been brown-bagging lunch for years (the first year I switched over from eating at the cafeteria, I saved $1000 - not just an estimate, I have a spreadsheet). In general, I try to bring my own food when practical and possible instead of having to buy it from a restaurant/shop (e.g. events, travelling).

Borderline cheapskate moves:
* I usually carry my own mints, but if there are mints at the dance studio or someone offers, I will partake of those instead.
* If I am treating myself to a non-brown-bag lunch at work, I try to remember to bring my own can of soda (one of my vices), otherwise purchase from the vending machine, both of which are cheaper than what the restaurant charges.

Btw, hope things look up for your spouse on the job front.
 
thanks...we are blessed that he took some work with him which he is still able to do (and bill) in the meantime ...and I have gone full time at my job, but it would be nice to be able to exhale soon....he has an interview this week so we remain hopeful...at least right now there is enough snow and the snowblower is broken so we can shovel alot of frustration :)
 
IndyLady said:
I'm also a coupon clipper, mainly applicable to items I use regularly anyways (mostly toiletries). I'm not very good at timing sales, so if something non-perishable on my list is on sale, I buy 1-2 extras.

I've been making a more concerted effort to stave off impulse purchases. The rule is that I have to walk away (literally out of the store), even sleep on it, to decide if it's something I really really want and will use. Especially since this year is going to be a big spending year (dance, home improvements). This also allows me the chance to comparision shop online if applicable. In the interest of halting the clutter and money outgo, I've just generally been trying to be more mindful about acquisitions.

Coffee - Maxwell House instant coffee and flavored creamer. Judge away.

I've been brown-bagging lunch for years (the first year I switched over from eating at the cafeteria, I saved $1000 - not just an estimate, I have a spreadsheet). In general, I try to bring my own food when practical and possible instead of having to buy it from a restaurant/shop (e.g. events, travelling).

Borderline cheapskate moves:
* I usually carry my own mints, but if there are mints at the dance studio or someone offers, I will partake of those instead.
* If I am treating myself to a non-brown-bag lunch at work, I try to remember to bring my own can of soda (one of my vices), otherwise purchase from the vending machine, both of which are cheaper than what the restaurant charges.

Btw, hope things look up for your spouse on the job front.
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thanks for sharing...good ideas...I once heard a talk at church which I really liked in which the main idea of the homily was "can you live simply so that others can simply live?" it was the first time I really made a connection between my spending and my ability to help others...and it led me to the practice of asking myself each time I went to the store; "do I want this, or do I need this?"....sometimes I still get it, but I try to weigh my purchases that way and it really does make a difference....since my husband has been out of work I have been astonished by how much soap, shampoo, etc. is actually laying around here in this house...I am convinced that we have enough soap to last us the rest of our lives
 
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Ditto not buying drinks (coffee, water, etc.) away from home and only rarely buy prepared food or eating out. Big money saver. When I do eat out, it is usually a social event with friends and the always choose moderately priced places. It is easy for me to not buy things at the moment because I down-sized recently and am still getting rid of things.

On the other hand, I am buying some things for my new townhouse condo and fixing it up. I am taking my time with purchases, really weighing whether I need something, whether it is an item where it makes sense in the long run to get something more expensive, etc. I also use the "walk away and think about it overnight" method. If were not for the work on the condo, I would not be doing my part to help the economy. :)
 
IndyLady said:
I've been making a more concerted effort to stave off impulse purchases. The rule is that I have to walk away (literally out of the store), even sleep on it, to decide if it's something I really really want and will use. Especially since this year is going to be a big spending year (dance, home improvements). This also allows me the chance to comparision shop online if applicable. In the interest of halting the clutter and money outgo, I've just generally been trying to be more mindful about acquisitions.
Click to expand...

I did something similar and it saved me a fortune. My current rule is if I want something I have to wait for 48 hours. If I still really want it then I go ahead and get it, but a lot of the time the desire wanes and I end up realizing I'd rather have the money in my pocket.

I also started only replacing things once I'm totally out of them which stopped me from purchasing a lot of doubles. It might sound pretty dumb, but I can't count the number of times I'd be online, see an article about something as random as a new type of deodorant that does XYZ better than my current one, and then purchase it when I still had plenty at home. It also forced me to actually take inventory of what I have in the house (which included enough toothpaste to survive the apocalypse).

Also, a few years back when money was really tight for me, I went on a cash system. I'd go to the bank every week and withdraw my weekly budget to live off of for seven days. If I had any money left over it would go towards the next week (ie. if my budget was $200 a week and I managed to only spend $100, the next week I'd only take out $100 to bring me back to $200 in my pocket).
 
I saved a boatload of dinero by cutting way back on dining out and when i did eat out, it was decent food at average restaurants, not pseudojunk or $40 steaks.
 
This is pretty basic, but I use a reward credit card, put EVERYTHING on it, and pay it off every month.

That gets 2% back on all of my expenses except housing and primary utilities. It ONLY works if you have the discipline to only charge what you can pay off.

If you winding up flying a lot for dancing, a miles card might make more sense. We got 6-7 short-hop flights last year with our miles card (sadly discontinued).

I've heard that a good coupon strategy is to clip and wait, stores will often have a promo for the same item that stacks. I'm too disorganized to actually manage that, though.
 
David_D said:
This is pretty basic, but I use a reward credit card, put EVERYTHING on it, and pay it off every month.

That gets 2% back on all of my expenses except housing and primary utilities. It ONLY works if you have the discipline to only charge what you can pay off.
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Same here, at 1.5%. I card almost everything. (Somewhat of a bummer that I have to write checks to one of my current pros, I've always paid for dance via credit card at home studio and have earned a boatload of redemption credit as a result). Have never carried a balance. Also makes it easier to track expenses (I keep very detailed records and financial summaries and analytics).

This is not a money saving strategy per se, but tracking expenses and account balances - i.e. keeping a monthly income statement and balance sheet - can be very eye opening wrt where your money is really going. There are a few categories where I have made more of an effort to not spend so much or so carelessly when I saw how much it was really adding up to (e.g. aforementioned lunch expenses).
 
Sometimes when I think about money saving, I feel guilty about renting an art studio, when I haven't actually been making any work. Then I remember that the space gives me my garden, a space to practice hip actions (I have portable mirrors set up) as well as free use of the hall next door for ballroom practice.... it lessens the guilt knowing the whole package keeps me sane.
 
SwingingAlong said:
Sometimes when I think about money saving, I feel guilty about renting an art studio, when I haven't actually been making any work. Then I remember that the space gives me my garden, a space to practice hip actions (I have portable mirrors set up) as well as free use of the hall next door for ballroom practice.... it lessens the guilt knowing the whole package keeps me sane.
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I think there is a time to nurture self and the is a time to prune and pour oneself out...it seems as though you have been through some pretty depleting times and may need to replenish
 
I have been cleaning out my closets and sending clothes I no longer wear to the higher end consignment stores- I’m surprised that I made some $ on stuff that was sitting around and not being used. Online I have sent bags to Thred Up. Shipping is free. Stuff like Coach handbags etc get some return on the original investment.
I have also rented my dance dresses on sites like encore etc and put the money earned towards my dance budget.
I’ve stopped buying stuff in general and focused on decluttering. It is surprising how good that feels. And almost no one needs more ‘stuff’.
I’ve also donated things that can’t be sold or require too much effort.
I have started wearing scrubs to work, and found I no longer need a work wardrobe, and it’s surprisingly freeing. I used to use that excuse- that I needed clothes for work. I do pay for the higher quality, soft, comfortable wrinkle free scrubs, but still much less than owing a ton of work clothes.
 
"Cut the Cable"

I only pay for broadband internet. I spend more time with Netflix and Amazon Prime video anyway, so it just made sense to get a Fire Stick and go with that. Not paying for a house line and cable saves a ton of money on my bill every month.
 
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