FC Community
Discussion Boards => Off-Topic => Topic started by: rkdtlb on October 20, 2009, 07:32:31 pm
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During this day and age, we all could learn a thing or two from one another on how to reduce our spending and still live pretty good. What tip can you give here to help someone else with this.
My tip:
Eating Out: Use your resources wisely and be flexible. There are usually coupon books and receipt surveys that will allow you to save money on your meal. Make it a point to only eat out if you have a coupon.
For e.g., I have now begun calling the number on the back of my receipt to get a free sandwich (two to choose from) with the purchase of any size fry and drink. I buy the value sized drink and fry and therefore get a meal everyday for $2 (2.14 with tax). This restaurant is only two minutes from my job and I can choose how I'd like my sandwich. Eating out for less than $11 per week is much better than $25+ dollars per week.
What's your tip?
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Cut cost down by saving electricity.. Good for the enviorment while saving money =D
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here are some tips that my family and I follow to save money.
1.) conserve energy.
A: Don't drive anywhere unless you have to, and if you have to, try to do multiple stops in one outing.
B: Turn off, and unplug, lights and appliances that you currently are not using. Shut off your PC instead of putting it into sleep mode.
2.) Repairs
A: Try to repair what you can, yourself. A lot of little home, car and PC repairs can be done quite easily with a little research, and you'll save loads with out paying labor costs.
B: Ask friends to help or do it for you, if you can't. A lot of people are good at carpentry, electric work, PC repair etc. And I find friends are willing to help for free or for cost.
3.) shopping
A: For the most part, buy what you need and not what you want
B: Do your research before you make any large purchases. For example, you may need a new computer and that $1,200 model is looking mighty nice... but do you really need all the power and graphics and other things you don't understand? especially when there are sub $200 models that will handle what most users need them for...
C: Don't go food shopping when you are hungry. In my case, I usually end up buying a lot more than I intended and going well over my budget.
I know it seems like common sense, but those are just a few things that a lot of people just don't think that can save you some money day-to-day
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Well, I found out that a little money can go a long way! I found out a crowbar only costs about 5$ compared to a new car you can get using one. ;D Kidding but here are a few:
Energy saving bulbs can save money in the long run
ALWAYS get store brand
Coupons, they add up quickly
You usually save money purchasing in bulk
Avoid eating out at ALL COSTS!! No matter it be a fancy restraunt, or dollar menu, you can still make the same items for ALOT less at home. Dollar menu items are usually skimpy. Think like this.
4 nuggets at fastfood can cost a dollar or more
hundreds of bulk nuggets can only cost you a few cents for 4
I'll keep thinking for more but I hope that helped :)
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Only use ur money for what u need and not for what u want cuz right now the way things are we need 2 save money
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Since I'm divorced now I really have to watch my spending. Try to save on electric bills by turning off and unplugging what I don't use. Burn candles at night. Changed all of my light bulbs, clean my furnace filter, back of the fridge and have sealed my windows already for the winter. I never let the water just run.
Coupons. Buy one-get one free if I know I'll need it. One trip to the store in a week instead of one everyday, saves me from getting stuff on impulse and gas. I tend to buy more food that I can get different meals from. Basics like Milk, cheese, eggs, butter, potatoes, I buy in bulk...I can make a # of different things. I don't buy name brand and I shop at stores like Aldi and Save-alot.
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the old Depression motto- if you don't have it($), don't spend it.
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U can live with spending alot of money but u need to watch what u spendin ur money on cuz dat money u spendin on sumthin u don't need dat money can go to sumthin u need
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My tip? Cut out the fast food and restaurants all together. I am so freakin tired of how lazy Americans have become. :BangHead: :angry7: :BangHead: :angry7: Pasta $1, pasta sauce $3, Bread $2 = $6 almost over-estimation for 3-4 people. Honestly, sit down and work out a budget. My husband and I spend about $50 each week on groceries for all our meals. Our issue is budgeting for alcohol, we drink a lot of wine and beer.
However, the recipe idea is a good one, but its usually not too rewarding (sorry free fries isnt going to get me to buy anything extra). Personally, I have been either calling or going online to comment on products and I have gotten a lot of coupons for either free or discounted food. For example, I just bought some Smartfood popcorn and one of the bags wasnt sealed properly, so I went online and filed out a complaint and they sent me a $1 coupon and a $0.55 coupon. I did another complaint to Pillsbury and they sent me 2 coupons for free products up to $3.50. Coupons are a great way to save money to, I generally save 30% between clipped coupons and store savings.
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let ur food reach room temperature before cooking it, it'll save more power than u expect~
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Do large loads of laundry when baskets get full instead of small loads every day.
Turn off your monitor when you're walking away for 10+ minutes. You'd be amazed how much power those things use.
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Live in a place that's enjoyable. You don't need to use the AC. You don't need to use the things inside your abode because it's so nice outside!
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my tip-COUPONS!!
I regularly go to the grocery store and get $300 worth of groceries, filling up the shopping cart until there is stuff falling out of it (I have four growing kids and three are teen/preteen!! lol) and I average paying $100-120 for them just because of matching coupons to sales. I have gotten *really* good at this and we have not been hungry since I started doing this!!
I also have enough "free after coupon" hygiene stuff to last a year-shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, deodorant, no excuse for anyone to be "stinky" in my house lol
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I'll be honest, I have had my fill of cutting corners because we were broke. Now I am in a race to see if I can spend everything I can earn before I die. I go on trips 3 or 4 times a year, go out to eat every time we feel like it, and buy whatever I want so the kids have to get me peanuts when they need a gift to give me. There are two ends to the pipeline that constitutes a family budget, so you can reduce your spending or increase your income and I like the last option best. Fusioncash is just ONE way to do that.
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I'll be honest, I have had my fill of cutting corners because we were broke. Now I am in a race to see if I can spend everything I can earn before I die. I go on trips 3 or 4 times a year, go out to eat every time we feel like it, and buy whatever I want so the kids have to get me peanuts when they need a gift to give me. There are two ends to the pipeline that constitutes a family budget, so you can reduce your spending or increase your income and I like the last option best. Fusioncash is just ONE way to do that.
You are an inspiration, I wish I could do that! I hate being broke. I hate cooking! I would eat out every meal if I could.
I dont think I'm smart enough to figure out how to make that much money though or know enough people
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thats a good topic to talk about.
i find myself spending tho i dnt have many bills because i live under my parents roof
i still dnt want to spend all my money yet save
i used to go out to eat alot and dnt much ne more
i also learned that if u turn of ur electricity by the cercuit breaker (sry cant spell well)
on some places in ur home
it may help save u hundreds of dollars
some examples could b if u have cable or satellite or watever anbd u have the light thats always on it
or even microwaves
u can turn it off there at times when u dnt use them that way its something less to pay money for when u dnt even look at it or use it most of the time
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This is good stuff..keep the ideas coming...I'm going to print some coupons right now.
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I'll be honest, I have had my fill of cutting corners because we were broke. Now I am in a race to see if I can spend everything I can earn before I die. I go on trips 3 or 4 times a year, go out to eat every time we feel like it, and buy whatever I want so the kids have to get me peanuts when they need a gift to give me. There are two ends to the pipeline that constitutes a family budget, so you can reduce your spending or increase your income and I like the last option best. Fusioncash is just ONE way to do that.
hope your right on that because I will be spending alot of time on here to see if it really pays off hope it does
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I'll be honest, I have had my fill of cutting corners because we were broke. Now I am in a race to see if I can spend everything I can earn before I die. I go on trips 3 or 4 times a year, go out to eat every time we feel like it, and buy whatever I want so the kids have to get me peanuts when they need a gift to give me. There are two ends to the pipeline that constitutes a family budget, so you can reduce your spending or increase your income and I like the last option best. Fusioncash is just ONE way to do that.
hope your right on that because I will be spending alot of time on here to see if it really pays off hope it does
There is no hope about it, it IS right and all you need to do is stick with it. This program has been paying me for over two years and I have gone from getting $25 every few months to over $300 my last payment simply because I quit hoping and wondering and threw everything I had into getting referrals. That's where the real money is to be made.
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These are the ways that I save.
1. Coupons, coupons, counpons, It is free money use it.
2. Promotions such as mycokerewards. Got a free toaster just other day. My old one died.
3. Grocery store promotions. I always look for buy one get one free, or take advantage of double coupon.
4. Goodwill and Yard Sales. There is alwasy a bargain to be found.
5. I buy my sons close a season in advance, I never pay full price for clothes or shoes.
These are just a few things that I take advantage of.
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I make only $10.50/hr at my job (35-40 hrs/week), yet I make enough money to live on my own (Apartment rent is $635/mo) and pay for my college tuition completely out of pocket, buy food, pay bills, etc., while still having about $50-100/month in spending money. Its really not hard.
I think the thing most people waste the most money on is food. If you're smart, you can easily feed yourself for under $3/meal.
-NEVER go out to eat at a sit-down restaurant except for special occasions.
-Keep fast food to a minimum. For how much you're spending on one meal, you could probably buy two or even three meals.
-Don't order delivered pizza. Getting a delivered pizza will probably cost you $15 MINIMUM once you add the delivery fee and tip. For those $15 you could easily buy THREE frozen pizzas from the grocery store, possibly up to 6 if you buy the cheaper brands.
-Try the store brands of all your favorite foods. If you're convinced that there IS a difference, have a friend help you and give you a blind taste test.
-Avoid buying soda. If you really don't want to just drink water and feel that you really have to have something sweet, buy a variety of Kool-Aid packets and a pound of sugar. It will last a long time.
-NEVER EVER buy bottled water! Its been shown time and time again that bottled water is not magically safer or cleaner than tap water. It is not better for you. And in fact, most bottled water makers are simply selling you tap water in a bottle. Video link! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfPAjUvvnIc) If you really want to add some extra filtering to your water, get a filter from Brita or Pur. I have a Brita pitcher and I love it!
-Force yourself to eat your leftovers. Living alone, most packages of food are meant to feed up to 4 people. I have a big appetite, so I end up eating half the package, but I make sure to eat the rest either later that day or the next day.
-If a food dish has microwave instructions, use them instead of the oven instructions. A microwave will use less power to heat the food than an oven will.
There are also a lot of habits to do to save money...
-Turn off the lights if you're not in the room. Right now, I have only one light switch on. Also, replace incandescent bulb with compact fluorescents. While they cost a few dollars more, they not only last longer, but consume a small fraction of the power.
-Drive conservatively. Accelerating quickly not only destroys your fuel economy, but it often doesn't save you much time, if any at all, depending on where you hit the red lights. On the highway, wind resistance grows exponentially with speed. Most cars are designed to get the best fuel economy at around 60 mph. You can go up to about 70 and only lose a couple MPG, but past that and it plummets.
-Trade in that SUV for something more economical. You can easily cut your fuel costs by half. Depending on how much you drive and your driving habits, the savings in gas costs could actually pay for the car.
-Try to find a home near your workplace, or a job near your home. If you have to drive an hour to get to work, you're doing it wrong. 30 miles to work and 30 miles home, even if you drive a car that gets a decent 30 mpg, and with gas prices at a low $2.50/gal, you're going to spend $100/month on gas just to go to work 5 days a week. I live about 3 miles from work, and average 26 mpg city/34 highway (Car is stickered at 24 city/32 highway!), and only spend $30/month on gas.
-Pay off debt before putting money into savings. People like to think that they're saving for the future by putting money into a savings account, the money is better off being put towards paying off a high-interest loan than sitting in a low-interest savings account. Do the math and you'll easily see why.
-Turn down the heater and put some more clothes on.
I'm sure I'll think of other things later.
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this is good...keep it coming.
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Thought of a couple more...
-Don't buy lottery tickets. Yes, you will win every now and then, and sure some people win big jackpots, but the odds are highly stacked against you.
-If your bank charges you monthly fees just for having an account, find a new bank. Shop around. You're not stuck with one bank just because that's where your money currently is. You can take it all out and move it to a new one. Research the fees that other banks charge.
Now I know this one will stir up some arguments, but I live by it...if you're a healthy individual, don't pay for health insurance. Consider how often you've gone to the doctor the last few years and consider how much you would have paid out of pocket if you didn't have insurance, now compare that with how much you've spent on your insurance. For me, in the last 3 years, I've spent a total of $300 on doctor bills. Meanwhile, the cheapest health insurance plan I could get on would cost me $50/month, and I would STILL end up paying $200 for those bills due to annual deductibles. So what would that $50 a month give me? Pretty much just the piece of mind that if I ever got seriously injured, I'd only be out $5,000 instead of $10,000. That's not worth $600/year for me. The only serious injury I'm likely to sustain is falling down the stairs into my apartment, which wouldn't really be bad since its carpeted, or some sort of car accident, which my car insurance covers.
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Be Savvy, know what is on sale. shop for bargains, and use willpower not to spend money on stuff you do not need, or will not use.
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use coupons and we recycle our bottles and any metal we dont use anymore..
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Cut coupons all the time. Eat at home. Cut down on your power bill. And also buy only what you need not what you want.
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Cut coupons all the time. Eat at home. Cut down on your power bill. And also buy only what you need not what you want.
Where is the fun in that?
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Cut coupons all the time. Eat at home. Cut down on your power bill. And also buy only what you need not what you want.
Where is the fun in that?
Its not that much fun lol
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Thanks for the great ideas!
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This isn't really spending money, but, I always put away 5% of very check I get (even little old fusioncash checks) and 1/2 of what the receipt says I saved on my bill at the grocery. It makes a great Christmas fund and feels earned too, if you know what I mean.
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I think the you could save a lot of money by not eating out...instead just cook at home!! This will save a lot of money!!
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by sharing our goods and looking after our utilities, cant spend too much.
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I will agree to everyone that says don't eat out as much. I used to eat out all the time, & just recently I took it upon myself to check out all the receipts.
It's amazing how much we pay for fountain drinks in resturants, It's probably 5x the amount of just buying a 2-liter from the store. But I guess that's the price of convenience, in this case, a "cold" drink.
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Yeah I went to one restaurant once you spent $2.50 for a cup of soda and we didn't find out until we got the check that they didn't give free refills. Pretty ridiculous. I mean, what sit-down restaurant doesn't give refills nowadays? We didn't leave a tip and will never be going back again.
Seriously though...a $9 dinner at an inexpensive restaurant will easily run you at least $15 once you add your drink and tip. Its just not worth it.
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I'll be honest, I have had my fill of cutting corners because we were broke. Now I am in a race to see if I can spend everything I can earn before I die. I go on trips 3 or 4 times a year, go out to eat every time we feel like it, and buy whatever I want so the kids have to get me peanuts when they need a gift to give me. There are two ends to the pipeline that constitutes a family budget, so you can reduce your spending or increase your income and I like the last option best. Fusioncash is just ONE way to do that.
At first, I saw this post as was appalled at your suggestion to just spend spend spend, but then I took note of the idea of increasing income. Of course, people act like its so hard to do that, but really, you can do it with only three words.
STAY.
IN.
SCHOOL.
Don't drop out of high school. Go through with it. But don't stop after high school. Figure out what you want to do with your life and earn the degree you need to do it. Is it easy? No. Is it expensive? Yes. Will it pay off in the end? Definitely.
I've learned the hard way. I slacked off in high school so bad I spent a 5th year there and STILL didn't graduate. I gave it a big round of "*bleep* it" and did nothing. It took almost 10 years for the wake-up call to occur. I'm 27 now, still living paycheck-to-paycheck on a $20,000 a year income level. I decided I was tired of it. I got my GED (I scored in the top 2 percentile!) and started taking classes at the local community college. In about two years, I'll be transferring to a state university and completing my Bachelor's in Computer Science. I knew in my teenage years that I wanted to be a programmer. I still DO want to be a programmer. A job like that requires hardcore education, but you can make a lot of money doing it.
My dad works at Intel, inside the fabrication units where CPUs are made. He makes about $80k a year and has incredible benefits. Two weeks paid vacation, one week paid sick every year, and then every 7 years he works, he gets a sabbatical, which is SIX CONSECUTIVE WEEKS of PAID vacation! That's of course all in addition to a very generous health/dental/Rx plan.
College pays off. It really does. You just gotta go for it. Turning off lights and all that might save you a few dollars a month on your electric bill, but that's pennies compared to the extra thousands you could be making with a good education.
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:thumbsup: I closed up all the rooms of my house that I don't use. I live in my bedroom, with my comp., t.v., and a space heater..I also grow fruit and nuts, and have a veggie garden.. I can fruit in the summer, and make a lot of jelly. I dry some veggies , and freeze a lot too. I seem to be able to make it by depending on myself.
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Thought of another...
Buy in bulk, especially for things that don't expire! For example, why buy a package of 20 trash bags for $4 when you can get a package of 80 for $10? Its not like trash bags go bad after awhile. Yeah, its more to spend at once, but you won't have to buy trash bags again for a long time!
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I also put away what I save at the grocery store and with coupons, which I admit, I never used much before and I thought I was a tightwad then...
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:thumbsup: I closed up all the rooms of my house that I don't use. I live in my bedroom, with my comp., t.v., and a space heater..I also grow fruit and nuts, and have a veggie garden.. I can fruit in the summer, and make a lot of jelly. I dry some veggies , and freeze a lot too. I seem to be able to make it by depending on myself.
I am almost tempted to propose to you ;0)
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Another thing that we do is recycle cans. The last time that it took them off I had two truck loads and got 30.00. You can use your cans to buy more pop. ;D
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These are all fantastic ideas. I also use coupons when grocery shopping every week. I buy things I need and avoid buying things I don't need based on promotions at the store. I don't eat out all the time only special occasions. Bag lunches, walk instead of using the car, and turn off electronics and lights when not in use. There are hundreds of great ways to save money without compromising your lifestyle.
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Read
Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Robert T. Kiyosaki
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Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
Barbara Ehrenreich
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Another thing that we do is recycle cans. The last time that it took them off I had two truck loads and got 30.00. You can use your cans to buy more pop. ;D
You can save a lot of money by not buying soda, not to mention saving a bit on your health. The extremely high sugar content is pretty bad. Also, don't fool yourself into thinking that you're OK because you're drinking diet. While the harmful biological effects of artificial sweeteners are constantly being contested, the mental effects have been proven. When you eat/drink something that tastes sweet, but doesn't actually have any sugar in it, it does wierd things to your head. Your brain thinks you've taken in sugar, and so it does all the things it needs to do to handle that sugar intake. But when it figures out there wasn't actually any sugar, it creates a craving for more sweets. As a result, you might cut out the sugar from your soda, but you're likely to have a strong sweet tooth for something else.
A lot of people are suggesting coupons. While you can certainly save money with coupons, you have to be careful that you only buy things on a coupon that you would normally buy without one. In my case, I save money by never buying snack foods like large bags of chips. If I get a $1 off coupon for a family size bag of Doritos, using it isn't saving me money. Its COSTING me money because I'm buying something I wouldn't normally buy.
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Some of the ways i save money is not eating out, trying the recycling cans thing let u know how that goes. If you have a Kroger's grocery store near you it is always double coupons, the coupons can't be over 50 cents though to get the double. when you wash clothes make sure it is a full load not a half save on water and electric. go to matinee movie instead of night time save about half on ticket. and sneek in snacks and drinks so you don't have to buy any ;). If you drink coke products do the rewards points online, we get our magazine subscriptions through that. Also there is a discover card called road access and you get cash back just for buying gas, as long as you pay after you charge then no finance fees. those are just a few that i can think of hope it helps
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Another thing that we do is recycle cans. The last time that it took them off I had two truck loads and got 30.00. You can use your cans to buy more pop. ;D
You can save a lot of money by not buying soda, not to mention saving a bit on your health. The extremely high sugar content is pretty bad. Also, don't fool yourself into thinking that you're OK because you're drinking diet. While the harmful biological effects of artificial sweeteners are constantly being contested, the mental effects have been proven. When you eat/drink something that tastes sweet, but doesn't actually have any sugar in it, it does wierd things to your head. Your brain thinks you've taken in sugar, and so it does all the things it needs to do to handle that sugar intake. But when it figures out there wasn't actually any sugar, it creates a craving for more sweets. As a result, you might cut out the sugar from your soda, but you're likely to have a strong sweet tooth for something else.
A lot of people are suggesting coupons. While you can certainly save money with coupons, you have to be careful that you only buy things on a coupon that you would normally buy without one. In my case, I save money by never buying snack foods like large bags of chips. If I get a $1 off coupon for a family size bag of Doritos, using it isn't saving me money. Its COSTING me money because I'm buying something I wouldn't normally buy.
Why are you knocking about the pop. This is not a thread advising people what they should eat or drink it is about how to save money. If you buy pop that you can get some of the money back out of the cans. By the way chips can make you fat.