for savers -your tips to save money?

[mama2one]

this past year, we spent less

1) child did online school, so much less spent on school supplies & fees
2) didn't go school shopping for clothes- instead we let child "shop" in our closet & child changed/adjusted some clothes we no longer wore into "new" outfits for her
3) with covid, I rarely go anywhere so gas savings plus car insurance gave refunds to everyone
etc


do you have ways to save money?

 

[GallagherM]

Only pay for what is important. At my work place there are kids that are 16 coming in to work. At 16 I did not care about working. They are profoundly amazing full of energy and very helpful.

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

Buy expensive goods that last a long time. Buy less cheap and easily disposable furniture/tech.

 

[Sabertooth]

We use a variation of the "envelopes system" to manage our monthly expenses.
One "envelope" is for Groceries & Dining.
Another is for Cleaning Supplies & Toiletries, etc.
We have one "envelope" [Available] for irregular expenses that don't fit neatly into other categories.
At the end of every month, we restore the Available envelope to $300 from the leftover, unbudgeted money.*
That amount varies from month-to-month, depending on how much money was used from that envelope.
Whatever leftover, unbudgeted money does not go into that envelope is added to savings.
(If our savings is comfortable enough, we use the same strategy for offerings.)

*We actually budget $300+ for that purpose.
Say that the Available envelope has $200 in it at the end of the month.
We add $100 and put the remainder into savings.
If there is only $75 left, we add $225 and save the rest, etc.

 

[bèlla]

Principles

Quality over Quantity
Prioritize health over stuff
Beauty over boredom
Edifying versus escape

Practice

Function must be taken into account before quality is determined. Know when to spend and when a less expensive product will suffice. Items frequently used may constitute greater investment than those you rarely touch.

The body is our most important asset. Treat it accordingly. It is better to have less in another area than to neglect it through poor diet, movement, and products.

Spend time discovering the things that bring you joy and do them often. Don’t waste your life on a screen or welded to a television.

Feed your mind, heart, and spirit edifying morsels. Things that add to your person and walk with God. You’ll feel better about yourself and less likely to be wasteful.

Nurturing joy, contentment, and peace saves a lot of time and money. You won’t spend your resources buying things will little value. You can direct them where it counts. And you’ll get something out of it too. And maybe bless another while you’re at it.

~bella

 

[Toynbee]

If you don't need it, don't buy it.
If you think you need it, wait a week. If you still need it (and have the money to spend on it) go ahead and buy it. If you're not sure, wait a month.
Spending money is the only activity in which procrastination is a good thing.
Wait till [the need, or want] really hurts... then spend the money.
Exhaust all alternatives before opening your wallet.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

If you have to buy three of something that you rarely use or need to save $5, you really aren't saving anything.

 

[Toynbee]

If you have to buy three of something that you rarely use or need to save $5, you really aren't saving anything.

"But, it's an 'investment!'"

 

[Sodafox]

My husband and I do intermittent fasting/one meal a day. Meal planning is very easy with little to no waste. A majority of our fridge and pantry are filled with various drinks/teas with a long shelf life.

We also don't pay for cable TV, roku/hulu/Netflix etc. Our entertainment mostly comes from free activities such as hiking and free online games.

 

[tturt]

Searched online and found hundreds of ideas. An example was on the fool.com forum. Since the pros and cons of ideas were discussed., it helped us make some decisions.

Seems like this topic was proposed for a forum here but don't know the results.

 

[tturt]

Hre's a few -
-Drink water or use Propel packet ($.20)
-use ground turkey instead of ground beef for tacos,, meatloaf,
- mix groud turkey and ground beef
- eat boiled eggs with salads
- partially dry linens in drier then hang on rack
- hang dress clothes immediately after drying cycle
- keep car service up-todate: change the oil, keep tires with the correct pressure, etc
- pack lunches and snacks for work
- research reviews prior to purchasing items
- don't buy expensive cosmetics
- figure out what will be the total costs including interest then make decisions/purchases
- clean up spills immediately
- cook extra dish and freeze to avoid fast food purchases
- keep list of expenses for reality check
- popcorn for snacks (not microwave type)
- don't care about the current styles and trends - do what's personal choiceI- don't care what actor is endorsing
- use baking soda, vinegar, dish soap, salt diy for cleaning products
- cook bags of dried beans and split pea soup then freeze
- keep up-to- date documentation of home and it's contents and know exactly what your home insurance covers Video each wall, ceiling, floor
- car cameras to support your version of the incident

 

[tturt]

In fact, look at those insurance claim forms to see what they expect

 

[bèlla]

There are a number of Dave Ramsey groups online with lots of tips. I found them too extreme. But if eating rice and beans until you’re out of debt isn’t bothersome you might glean something from them.

~bella

 

[Sabertooth]

- partially dry linens in drier then hang on rack
- hang dress clothes immediately after drying cycle

Gas dryers are less expensive to run than electric dryers.

There are a number of Dave Ramsey groups online with lots of tips.

I discovered the "envelopes" system before I discovered Dave Ramsey. It works well enough by itself.
Instead of of actual envelopes, I have separate checking accounts.
When my bank started putting restrictions on free checking accounts, I moved to a local credit union, which is more accommodating to such.

 

[Sketcher]

I made a budget, factoring in high bills rather than low bills and averaging out once-a-year expenses over a pay period.

Then, I figured out how much I can spend weekly on food, gas, and other things while paying for everything else.

Then, I made it a point to spend less than that every week. Keeping under that magic number keeps me ahead.

 

[bèlla]

I discovered the "envelopes" system before I discovered Dave Ramsey. It works well enough by itself.
Instead of of actual envelopes, I have separate checking accounts.

He learned from Larry Burkett, the founder of Crown Ministries. I like their approach better. It’s biblically based.

~bella

 

[shineyourlight]

Things are a bit tight in the budget due to saving up for student teaching (I won't have a job for 3 months because of it, so I need to save money for it).

But, I have a spreadsheet on Google Drive of my whole budget. I work on an Emergency Fund as well as a savings account.

 

[Sabertooth]

He learned from Larry Burkett, the founder of Crown Ministries. I like their approach better. It’s biblically based.

~bella

I've heard that name before. What does he do differently?

 

[bèlla]

I've heard that name before. What does he do differently?

He teaches biblical stewardship and built his teachings around it. Dave studied with him and gleaned from Rabbi Lapin too.

I took Crown’s program. My daughter did Financial Peace. Our lessons were grounded in the word. Every session included prayer. The other is more secular.

~bella

 

[Sabertooth]

Also, share necessary subscriptions, where allowed.
I have a subscription for Norton Anti-Virus.
I am allowed to use it on five (or ten, I don't remember which) computers.
I let some of my kids use those other "chairs" and they let me use extra "chairs" in their subscriptions, like NetFlix, Hulu, etc.
If sharing only one subscription, you can divide the expense over the number of users or chairs.