How do you save money!

[Leigh]

I'm someone who is bad at saving money so i will definitely be reading this thread for ideas and tips

[Jar]

I never spend change. I hate digging for it so I put it in a jar until it adds up and then I wrap the coins and put it in my savings. I also have an online savings account and every pay check I have an amount automatically transferred to it from my checking so I don't really see it. I do the same with my 401.

I also try to only buy food that's on sale. I make a list every Thursday and stick to it. Anything that's on sale I stock up on, divide up and freeze into individual portions.

I also have an excel spreadsheet with a 5 year budget but so I can see times that I might run short on cash

Ok now that's just crazy

[Soft*Silver]

little things add up. I learned to make open faced PBJ sammiches. I turned off lites when I wasnt in a room. I reused plastic bags until I could afford to buy the plastic sammich keeper.

Some of it is to stop compulsive buying or buying into compulsive shopping gimmicks. such as

I dont supersize my meals. That helps with the diet too. In fact, when i can, I split a meal with someone. If we are still hungry, we can order dessert! Now thats nice!

I turn down offers of home demo parties. Or if they insist I go, I leave all my money, cards and check books at home and tell them I am going to do this. Thirty One bags are such a grossly overrated group of bags. I dont want to offend anyone but really? Fifty bucks for a bag that I can get in the dollar store for $5? Tupperware is another money eater. Nice product, hefty price. And then you see them at garage sales for a quarter in about 5 years..with no lids

I buy used everything. Clothes to furniture. I consign also, to other stores. It GIVES me money. Not alot but $5 is $5.

I make a list of all the things I wish i had, when I need them. If I end up not getting them before summer, I take that list with me and give it to some friends, for garage sale hunting.

I buy after holiday sales. LOTS of Christmaswares. Cards, paper, tags, stockings, trees, bulbs, etc. I can consign some of these too!

I go to cheap movies or not at all. If its a MUST SEE, I will go to a matinee.

There is just Chrissy and I...so buying bulk foods is a waste...but we have found some items we can buy in bulk and split w friends of ours. Like dog food. Cereal. Toilet paper.

I no longer buy most magazines. If I need to read one, I go to the library. Or I ask freecyclers to give me theirs when they are done with them. A few I have to buy because of my trade or because its important to me. But most I can live without

I use freecycle..its a group on yahoo and there is one for every area. The purpose is to recycle and reuse rather than throw it in a landfill. I have gotten furniture, clothes, books, magazines, purses, planting containers, urban rubble, tents, car parts, etc

There are also Buy Sale Trade groups on FB and Hand ME Down groups on FB. I watch carefully...I can get some pretty good buys on there. Most of my Christmas presents have come off of there

I mention consigning...if you do it all year and dont collect your money from the sales, you can pick it up for a lump sum. PLEASE tell the shop owner you want to do this, because you might catch her off guard and not have the funds at hand Its a nice way to plan ahead for a holiday, a graduation, a vacation, etc

[Okiebug61]

Originally Posted by Jar

I never spend change. I hate digging for it so I put it in a jar until it adds up and then I wrap the coins and put it in my savings. I also have an online savings account and every pay check I have an amount automatically transferred to it from my checking so I don't really see it. I do the same with my 401.

I also try to only buy food that's on sale. I make a list every Thursday and stick to it. Anything that's on sale I stock up on, divide up and freeze into individual portions.

I also have an excel spreadsheet with a 5 year budget but so I can see times that I might run short on cash

Ok now that's just crazy

Jar your 5 Yr budget planned out is awesome. It is much easier to plan when you know where you are.

Red and I are not brand specific when it comes to a lot of different foods, so we will use coupons on top of sale items to purchase items for less.

I recently downloaded Ibotta and just yesterday alone I collected an additional $6.50on items they had listed that we bought and the money was deposited into my pay pal account before I even got home.

The stores on Ibotta have the exact same offers so you do not have to drive across town to purchase an item. All of our stores on our list are pretty much with in a 3 -4 mile radius so we do take advantage of a sale item that is at our Homeland grocery store because they have double coupons up to $1.00. There have been many items for the holiday meals that we ended up paying pennies compared to the normal price and they are on my ibotta.

I have all of my store reward cards on an app called keyring making it so easy to use them all.

[Jar]

Originally Posted by Okiebug61

Jar your 5 Yr budget planned out is awesome. It is much easier to plan when you know where you are.

The stores on Ibotta have the exact same offers so you do not have to drive across town to purchase an item.

I have all of my store reward cards on an app called keyring making it so easy to use them all.

I've budgeted this way by hand even before excel. I wouldn't know how to manage money without this plan

I'll have to check out Ibotta and keyring. Haven't heard of those two.

[DapperButch]

because I SUCK at daily budgeting.

I kick ass when it comes to retirement savings and larger vision savings (paying towards my mortgage every week instead of once a month to pay it off faster), but the daily stuff, I just don't...well, just don't do it.

I have some weird things, like I always get water with any meal out, will NEVER EVER under any conditions get "delivery", I buy generic/no name brand items in most cases, but the daily, "I always bring my lunch to work" type stuff I don't do.

I will eagerly read this thread for ideas from you all. I know the first step is more awareness as to what I spend/what I spend my money on, but I avoid this first step (so that I don't have to change my behavior).

This is another thread those here may enjoy: http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/foru...ead.php?t=5819