Your best money saving tips here, please

by LDH 42 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  dubla

  some good tips so far, but......

  6) Do you really need cable/sattelite tv?

  um, yeah. no amount of money saved is worth losing espn......ill gladly pawn all my collectibles first.

  aa
• 

  ISP

  Goto to the discount store and buy the biggest box of cornflakes you can see. Try eating them for all meals.

  ISP
• 

  Fredhall

  LDH,

  If you want to save money then swindle your friends. USE THEM!!!!
• 

  puppylove

  Lisa, try frugal-moms.com. Great website for saving money. Go to the discussion boards. You can be a guest for free for 1 month, the it is $25 a year (absolutely worth it). I cut my grocery bill down from about $700 a month to about $250 using their tips.

  They are doing a server upgrade today, and should be back up later this evening or tomorrow.

  They have forums for about everything under the sun, SAHMs, support, travel, debt reduction, grocery challenges, etc.

  If you join, email me and I will give you my screen name.
• 

  LDH

  Freddie poo-

  I would never intentionally swindle anyone. It's bad Karma, you fuzzy little kitty cat!!!

  Geordie, Is that your retirement plan philosophy??? Dude that's SO JW!!!! LOL.

  Here's my comments on Larc's Coupon thread:

  OK guys, for the record I don't have anything against coupons per se.

  However, they don't work for the way I shop for my family. What do I mean?

  If you'll notice the layout of a grocery store, they're all the same for a reason. On the outer walls you'll find:

  MEAT
  DAIRY
  PRODUCE
  BREADS/BAKERY

  There are *never* any coupons for these items. I cook everything from scratch, so I'm very rarely in the middle aisles of the grocery store--the coupon aisles. THOSE are the aisles that drive up your grocery bill. Prepared foods and non-necessities. Snacks. Liquor. Ice Cream.. ETC.

  Also, I belong to Sam's Club--which doesn't accept coupons. Now, truthfully when I buy an 8 pack of Del Monte canned corn or whatever, I probably only save a few cents per can. But, the convenience of having it sold wholesale works for me. Easier to carry etc.

  As far as cleaning supplies, if it can't be cleaned with baking soda, bleach or ammonia I don't own it. Laundry supplies I also buy at wholesale. Smart and Final carries their own brand of detergents, dish and clothing, which I find to be just as good as "tide". Or whatever.

  Also, when we moved we purchased a new fridge--so the old one went in the garage. I also purchased a 17 cu ft chest freezer for meats, juice and veggies.

  This REALLY helps. My husband LOVES sweet relish, the Vlasic kind. A 32 oz. bottle costs $3.59 at the supermarket. At Smart and Final, a two gallon jar costs $3.59!!!!

  Yes it's kind of inconvenient to have to repackage everything, but I have mastered the art of wholesale shopping. I ditched coupons about six years ago.
  Wanna know a secret? I didn't even buy my freezer at retail cost!!! I went to Circuit City and asked them if they had any returned/dented/damaged models for sale. (They typically keep them in the back room until a special sale once a year.)

  My luck--they had a 17 cu.ft. freezer for $145!!! The best part, is they always honor the original manufacturer's warranty--so you are always covered. Now maybe I wouldn't want a "dented" model in my kitchen but WHO THE HELL sees the freezer in the garage?!?!?!

  By the way, I've had it for 4 years and I've never had ONE problem. Not one.

  If you go this route, take a voltimeter with you and make sure the condenser coil is functioning properly--you don't want to get nailed with huge utility bills! Ask them to plug the freezer in for 24 hours and go back the next day to check it out. Plug it into the voltimeter and make sure it's only pulling the correct voltage.

  I have amazed hubby many times by doing things NOT by the rules, LOL. Now, he wouldn't have it any other way. Last month Food Maxx had Minute Maid OJ for 50 cents a can--I bought four cases. All in the freezer .

  Lisa
• 

  SUSCARRA

  DO NOT HIRE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AS EMPLOYEES!

  (1) they will rob you blind and when you catch them redhanded, you are unloving and selfish. (It's not their fault, because if we paid them more they wouldn't have had to steal)
  (2) they come to work an hour late, take a two hour lunch break or don't show up at all
  (3) take off from work to go on a Bible study with the CO, and tell no one about it and you get chewed out because the work wasn't done. Lost a few wonderful accounts because of that.
  (4) Will vilify you to the business you work for, cut your prices in half, and steal your account.
  (5) Will use your business supplies to run and start their on business.
  (6)they will take your business vehicles to go on trips and forget to tell you and then stick you for the repairs they had to make while on their trip.
  (7) they will use all the gas in your vehicle and not fill it back up.
  (8) they will lie about everything no matter how much evidence you have against them.
  (9-1,000,000)I'm getting a weak tummy just remembering, I have to stop now.
  I have had a few JWs who were excellent employees, but the majority thought that we should view it as a previlege to have them work for us.

  One way to save money is not to be a JW.

  SUSCARRA
• 

  Fredhall

  LDH,

  I was just kidding. However, many people do not how to spend their money. But, here is my true advice. If you rich, then live rich. If you are middle class, then live middle class. If you are poor, then live poor. Be balance with your money.

  Fred Hall
• 

  Flip

  Most likely any one reading here already has a computer.

  In that case, install Quicken and then get a PDA and install pocket Quicken on both so you can synchronize the data.

  Record all purchases...errr...umm...religiously.

  By tracking your purchasing habits and bill payments, it shouldn't take long before you realize where your finances are hemorrhaging money and how to plug the holes.

  Or simply run your household like the WTBTS does theirs.

  Some folks will personally find you obnoxious and heartless. However, you’ll save like a bandit.
• 

  RedhorseWoman

  I was going to suggest eliminating expensive cleaning products, but I see you've already done that. I've switched to baking soda, white vinegar, and green soap for pretty much everything....bleach and ammonia are tough on septic systems.

  We went to the Home Show here last weekend, and I picked up a mop and cleaning cloths made out of microfiber. They require NO cleaning solution....they work just fine with plain water. I did quite a few windows with them, and they clean with no pressure and leave no streaks.

  We also got a vacuum packaging machine. When you buy things in bulk, you risk losing a lot to freezer burn. Vacuum packaging extends the viable freezer life of meats and anything else you care to package.

  I also got a food dehydrator. This summer when fruit is plentiful and cheap, I intend to dry my own snack fruits for the winter.

  I also check out eBay for anything I'm considering purchasing...including clothes and shoes. It's a great way to get beautiful (generally new) items for a small fraction of the store price.
• 

  zev

  I use my stop and shop card

  but then again....who the hell knows what stop and shop is outside new england?

  -Zev
  Learn about the Wtbts and the U.N.
  ** http://www.geocities.com/plowbitch69 **