My family is needing to cut down on spending in the near future. There are a few things we will not skimp on such as organic grass fed milk for our son, certain organic purchases on fruits, veggies and nuts, etc. we’re considering switching to cloth diapers because we currently have 2 under 2 in diapers, and it’s extremely expensive. We also mainly eat vegetarian, and buy things on sale often. I’m just wondering what other people do to save the most money! I guess I’m looking for ideas to trim our budget!
What are the things you do to save the most money?
byu/pi_inthepan inFrugal
Posted by pi_inthepan
15 Comments
Cooking by myself instead of eating out
Step 1 for assistance is to post your budget.
If you switch to cloth diapers, consider flats with a hemp doubler and a shell. The doublers are expensive, but they hold so much pee! The flats dry super fast and do not need any fancy folds. They are also relatively cheap.
What do we do? We hang dry everything. We track every mile and drop of gas aka we combine trips. We swap with neighbors for items. We live in the basement during the Summer (no AC) or in community cooling spots.
We do not waste food ever. Everything gets used and often sequentially.
We have very, very honest discussions about why we’re doing what we’re doing, our resources, etc.
We work as a team.
No cable or streaming services. Public transit.
I dont buy organic anything and I shop produce in season, which berries are nor right now
Check your credit card statements to figure out what you’ve actually been spending money on.
Track what you spend in the future to decide what you don’t mind doing without.
There’s not much point in me telling you to drop down to one or zero cars and take cheap vacations if you guys either are already doing those things or if you’ve got some very practical reasons that you can’t.
I ebike to commute / run errands.
Main thing, especially now, shop for food on the cheap. I check prices between Aldi’s, Walmart, and other local grocery stores, for the cheapest price. I am fortunate enough that these stores are all very close in proximity , so YMMV. Check your insurance rates for home and car, not kidding. Find ways to lower electric/gas/water bills.
Is this satire?
Can you post a breakdown of what your typical monthly expenses are currently? That would be the easiest way to determine places that you could cut back.
Cooking at home is the biggest
Shop in bulk at Asian grocery stores, it’s where I get my rice, lentils, and spices. Much cheaper. Learn how to make cheap and healthy meals from pantry staples (lots of beans, pulses, whole grains).
Cut out all of your subscriptions, use Libby/Kanopy.
Use buy nothing groups.
Do free activities (parks, libraries often have museum passes, outdoor concerts, etc.)
Cloth diapers are a great idea, make sure you have a washing machine with a sanitize or ultra hot feature.
Don’t buy yourself things as a treat or because you deserve it as a reward. Think of other ways to treat yourself that are free.
Get a CSA since you want to focus on quality produce, cheaper to buy ahead of time than to buy every week.
Carry snacks on you at all times so you aren’t tempted to eat out because you’re hungry.
Remember that we humans are very adaptable, there are things that I thought I couldn’t live without ten years ago that don’t even cross my mind anymore. It’s not about depriving yourself, it’s about living within your means so you don’t have to stress so much about money and you can focus on enjoying life and being present with your family.
I’m sure this comment section will be full of great ideas!
type out the budget. see where EVERY expense is going (rent, car, food, subscriptions, clothes, etc).
sort from highest to lowest, reduce whatever is in the highest that you have control over, while not giving up health/safety.
for most families, the biggest wins are usually housing, cars, food waste, and recurring bills. meal planning around what you already have, buying less convenience food, cancelling forgotten subscriptions, using things longer, and avoiding impulse shopping often beats tiny coupon tricks. diapers and baby costs can be a real lever too, so that’s a smart place to look.
I posted this in another thread but I’m low tech so i don’t k ow how to link it.
Yup. I’ve been keeping a closer eye on expenses and they are indeed going up but you can try to fight back.
Today, I got the letter that my property taxes were lowered on appeal. They went up in Tue recent assessment. Normally, I appeal myself but I didn’t have time so I tied out one of those services that appeals for you for a percentage of the savings. I did that so I estimate the appeal will save me $30 a month or so.
My phone bill is cheap – $240 a year through Mint. I used to have the unlimited $360 a year plan but I cut back. My phone is not new, it cost under $500 a few years ago. My computer I bought used from my previous employer. My iPad is about 10 years old.
My insurance has gone up significantly in the last few years, like 50% more for my homeowners insurance. I had already shopped around for lower insurance so I don’t want to try switching just yet. I signed up for paperless billing and my agent says that’ll take 15% off my bill. It’s something.
I refinanced the house to save more than 1%. I rolled over my HELOC balance into the mortgage too.
My husband loves eating out but that’s expensive so we’re shifting our restaurant purchases. We go get food, no delivery. We do very little sit down restaurants, mostly we go to chipotle or Burger King. I buy Burger King gift cards from Sam’s club at a 17% discount. Chipotle I can use my credit card points for gift cards ($25-35 feeds our family of 4). I buy in the app to get discounts and accumulate points. We also keep a couple of frozen pizzas in the freezer for when we’re too lazy to cook. That provides a meal for under $10 for 4 people. M
I use ibotta and fetch to earn back a little bit from my shopping.
I always shop at Aldi but I check prices more and more. Tuna was on sale a while back so I bought probably 20+ cans. I’ve stopped buying some things at Aldi and shifted those purchases to Costco because they’re cheaper. I was at Costco and checked the price of garlic powder on amazon. Amazon was cheaper so I ordered it right then and there in the Costco. I get loss leaders at the regular grocery store. I plan to start doing extreme couponing at Walgreens for personal care items since dollar tree isn’t as cheap as it used to be. I thought we spent about $600 a month on groceries but I think it’s more like $700 realistically. During the peak extreme couponing, I could spend $100 a month a person, easy.
I wanted to get a dog but I just can’t afford it. I got a cat instead during the Bissel clear the kennels event so I didn’t have to pay an adoption fee. That saved $100.
We drive old cars including a hybrid. I have a credit card that gives 4-5% back on gas.
We stopped taking vacations. We can’t afford it and my husband should work as much as he can in the summer while I’m home with the kids and we’re not paying for daycare.
We used the FSA and dependent care FSA to save on taxes this year. Hard to keep medical expenses down though. Health insurance premiums are around $700 a month.
We have a small house in a nice neighborhood. Most of our furniture is second hand. Clothes, we don’t spend a lot on. Sometimes we go to thrift shops, sometimes Ross, sometimes buying off amazon. We have a lot of second hand clothes from family for the younger child.
I’m still in the negative every month.