What do you do to cut costs in your household?

[PingSpike]

Its frustrating because you spend a lot of time shopping around to cut a bill down and then your property taxes go up a bunch and food gets more expensive and you still come out behind!

I've refinanced my mortgage several times and look around for better deals on insurance pretty often. My largest bills after the mortgage are food, property taxes, heating oil and gas. My wife isn't much help on the food front and nothing can be done about property taxes. Anything that might improve the monthly outlay on heating or gas requires a massive upfront outlay meaning it would take to long to pay for itself.

All I have left is to attack the food budget really. My TV spending amounts to $45/mo total so there's not much to kill there. I could slash my internet speeds down some I suppose but that isn't a big bill compared to food costs.

 

[TridenT]

Most of my money goes towards rent or food. That's about all I buy. Maybe I fill up my tank of gas once or twice a month if I am not doing any special trips. Sometimes pay for some other entertainment related things. ($7-$12 every week or two for going out to stuff. I usually volunteer in order to get in for free. Helps me and helps them.)

I don't pay for a cellphone bill or car insurance. It's $35/month for my iPhone plan and my parents pay for it. I'd pay for it if they asked me to but they don't want me to. Car insurance is something else they pay for (Their wish, not mine). They have health insurance for me as well. I pay the 25% of the bills that I get though. I try to shop around for everything. It's not always possible. I pay a hefty amount for the hospital I go to, but it's not easy to shop around for hospitals. It's hard to find people who actually can give you a solid number after insurance and all that jazz.

I don't think I buy much of anything else. I do buy food at work sometimes because I can't bring a whole kitchen. I would prepare meals at home if I ate anything that could be had that way. I bring oatmeal to work and a couple other things but right now I'm out because I'm waiting on a sale at Safeway. So today I'm probably going to go to Safeway and buy oatmeal at the jacked up price anyway because I'm losing money by caving in and buying food at work which is really expensive ($7 for a small meal). It's problematic and my appetite isn't always predictable.

The only thing I've bought for myself as a gift within the past month was the $14.77 (tax) that CS:GO cost me. I can't even play it right now because my computer is having serious software/driver issues. (Format seems to not fix it. It didn't have this problem before I formatted for the first time in over a year.)

The words buying a car and cutting costs should never be in the same train of though.

this

 

[Exterous]

Air conditioning is definitely not one of the things I cut out. My comfort is worth a lot to me, so I can spend the extra $40 a month to have it on all the time during the summer.

Same here. We didn't like it but then we would go outside and realize how freaking hot it was....

First thing you have to do if you want to save money is to make a budget with everything on it.

Then go down the list and separate them into two categories of a) can live without (cable tv, eating out, ect.) and b) those you can't (housing, food, etc.).

Then think about what you could cut in each item.

For example: I cut phone land line, only have cell phone for $30/month, and DSL for $25/month. I also increase my health care deductible to $5K (I do have that amount in the bank and I am very healthy), cut back on eating out and buy less clothes and dvd. Driving my paid with cash vehicle instead of getting another one even I am financially able to.

I also use my cash back reward credit cards for almost everything and pay them off to earn cash back plus extense warranty. I also max out at my reward checking accounts (3 to 4% interest).

Saving money = spend less and wisely, maximize income and saving, minimize expenses and taxes/fees.

:thumbsup:

Something else we do it have a weekly allowance. The weekly allowance we can spend on whatever we want, lunches out at work, the bar with friends, a new SSD etc. We may have to save for it but we individually make that decision based on what we would like to buy more. She can buy as many shoes or purses she wants as long as it comes out of her allowance

We found ourselves spending much less money that way. We also have a monthly budget for activities together. That way we don't have to worry about who is paying for dinner out of their allowance. We do occasionally still pay for a night out out of someone's allowance though - its adds a bit of romance and consideration back to "I'll take you out for dinner" since everything else is a joint account

 

[mvbighead]

I use google voice for my land line. No 911, but we have a couple cell phones for that. And, it's free.

OTA/Netflix/Hulu is a good choice. Plenty of viewing options, and very, very cheap. Prior to that, I was paying upwards of 100 just for cable. Now, it's about $25.

One that I haven't seen mentioned yet, don't get soda or a purchased drink when you do decide to eat out. Typically, a beverage is $2+ at most places. Just drink water, and grab a can of soda after your meal if you want one.

Also, if you have a significant other, splitting meals at places can work well for both your health and pocketbook. Burritos at Chipotle and Qdoba are far too much for one person, when split, they are a good enough portion. We might add in chips and guac at Chipotle, but that's $3 vs. the $7 for another burrito.

 

[RockinZ28]

I run a portable AC in the bedroom, or roll it into the man cave, instead of running central AC all day.

Have FIOS tv+internet, but I use a $4/mo CableCARD instead of paying for multiple $10+ set top boxes.

Dropped texting plans and use Google Voice for free.

Use multiple credit cards for all purchases for 1-5% cash back on everything. Pay balance in full.

 

[kyrax12]

What's the point of having landlines when you already have a cell phone plan?

 

[JoeyP]

Oh forgot about renting books for free from the libary instead of buying them. Don't know how much my wife has spent this year on books...but it's a lot. Some of them you'll have to wait a bit to get, but most should be available that you want.

My library has used/donated paperbacks for sale in entrance, for 50 cents a pop. Some go for almost $10 new, and I have a few that are in NEW condition (no spine creases, no bent back cover, no dog eared pages). Now I have a ton of sci-fi and fantasy to last me a while.

 

[vi edit]

What's the point of having landlines when you already have a cell phone plan?

Reception quality. Minute concerns (local calls). Not wanting to talk on a cell phone all the time, although that can be largely mitigated with the newer bluetooth synching phone systems. Alarm systems. And so on.

 

[SandEagle]

i eat cottage cheese for dinner

 

[JoeyP]

What's the point of having landlines when you already have a cell phone plan?

So when you're out gallivanting with your cell phone, the people at home can still send and receive phone calls. Also, not everyone has reliable cell signal at home. We've gone to VOIP so it is still kind of a landline, but the reasons remains.

 

[Spungo]

Wipe my ass using my hand then save water by only washing it once per day.

-bookmark and subscribe to mailing lists for every liquidation store in the city
-never impulse buy something. check online for a better price
-only buy things when I need them instead of buying things I might need in the future
-mostly buy food that doesn't spoil
-set computers to automatically go to sleep after X minutes
-use dish soap for everything then save money by buying bulk dish soap
-keep a large supply of food at work so I don't feel the need to buy fast food
-wait at least 1 week before buying something big like a computer monitor or TV. the urge to buy something often goes away within that time.
-buy cheap beer
-keep the house temperature low during winter and use electric heaters to heat individual rooms. heating 1 room to 100F with electricity is much cheaper than heating an entire house to 100F.
-shovel snow instead of buying a snow thrower
-use a push mower instead of a real lawn mower
-keep things well organized so I find things when I need them. this way I don't end up buying 4 hair brushes because I can't find any of them.
-buy "methanol" instead of "fondue fuel" (they are the same thing but one is 10x more expensive)
-buy "acetone" instead of "nail polish remover" (same thing but more like 100x as expensive)
-put special plastic film on the windows for added insulation
-use a credit card for all purchases because that makes it easier to figure out where all my money went. using cash often leaves me thinking "where the hell did all of my money go??"

Ride my motorcycle whenever possible to save on gas.

I'm going to start riding by bike more often when buying small things. It costs less and it's good exercise.

What's the point of having landlines when you already have a cell phone plan?

Legacy purposes? My parents still have a land line because they've had that same phone number for 20+ years. All relatives, friends and businesses know what number to call.

 

[TridenT]

Legacy purposes? My parents still have a land line because they've had that same phone number for 20+ years. All relatives, friends and businesses know what number to call.

You can transfer landline telephone numbers to a cellphone...

 

[EagleKeeper]

We gave up landline when extra phones on cell plan were $10.
Bulk buying at Sams.
Stuff that I can not get; will negotiate with local stores to get in bulk.
Renew Sams when they have a membership sale. Save $10-20 and the extra onths jsut become extended.

driving; stay off brake - slow & steady acceleration and off the pedal well before neding to brake.
Plan trips; kill impulse trips.

If I can wait a couple of days for a purchase; check Amazon.
Try to get price matches to cut travel

Brown bag
Dump soda
Frozen juice cans - 1/3 cheaper

Cold water washing if possible.
Fans for cross vent of open windows when temps are below 75

CFL bulbs
Motion detection timers on areas that the kids frequent.

Library for reading material and movies.
If hit the theater; no food and use a rewards card - 10% off

 

[KentState]

We have done a couple things, but I would like to do more.

1. Take public transportation for work. $6/day to commute 80 miles.
2. Eat at home 99% of the time.
3. Only rent movies at Redbox instead of theater.
4. Make coffee at home in the morning.

Things I want to do soon

1. Drop DirecTV since we can do Hulu and MLBTV.
2. Sell car and get something more economical.

 

[HydroSqueegee]

eating out will crush your budget. still flip flop between eating out too much and eating at home all the time. gotta work on that.

 

[makken]

I'm currently trying to cut back a bit too, but I don't know where I can get more savings out of...

My current monthly budget is:

1200 rent
17 electricity
4 gas
30 cellphone
40 internet
155 health insurance
250 transportation (subway +gas and car maintenance )
120 food
100 misc supplies
Total: 1916/month.

There's really nothing I can do about rent, health insurance, cellphone or gas (its a 4 dollar minimum charge)

The main places I want to look at are misc supplies and food. I usually do a sandwich for lunch and rice + whatever meat is on sale for dinner, don't know if there's anything more cost effective. Misc supplies has been killing me since I live in an area with no Walmart.

Subway to and from work is 175 per month, and I drive around 20 miles per month, so I don't think I can do much for transportation. I can probably get another dollar off electricity cost if I really tried, but that would leave me running around in darkness most of the time.

I'll admit I splurged on internet (currently paying 40/no for a 50mbit line) but can't bring myself to give that up.

Any suggestions?

 

[Gunslinger08]

-keep the house temperature low during winter and use electric heaters to heat individual rooms. heating 1 room to 100F with electricity is much cheaper than heating an entire house to 100F.

Remind me not to stop by your house. I prefer not sweating indoors during the winter time.

 

[tHa ShIzNiT]

Any suggestions?

Not really dude, you're pretty trimmed down as it is. 17 bucks a month for electricity? My bill is 45 bucks a month roughly and I thought that was insanely low. When I lived in vegas it got up to 300 a month (during AC heavy months). And 40 for internet isnt splurging either, thats still relatively cheap!

 

[waggy]

Plus AC will reduce humidity in the house, which will lead to longer life of the structure and healthier living conditions (no mold, etc...)

that's usually the main reason my AC goes on. when the humidity goes up to high i turn on the AC.

 

[TridenT]

I'm currently trying to cut back a bit too, but I don't know where I can get more savings out of...

My current monthly budget is:

1200 rent
17 electricity
4 gas
30 cellphone
40 internet
155 health insurance
250 transportation (subway +gas and car maintenance )
120 food
100 misc supplies
Total: 1916/month.

There's really nothing I can do about rent, health insurance, cellphone or gas (its a 4 dollar minimum charge)

The main places I want to look at are misc supplies and food. I usually do a sandwich for lunch and rice + whatever meat is on sale for dinner, don't know if there's anything more cost effective. Misc supplies has been killing me since I live in an area with no Walmart.

Subway to and from work is 175 per month, and I drive around 20 miles per month, so I don't think I can do much for transportation. I can probably get another dollar off electricity cost if I really tried, but that would leave me running around in darkness most of the time.

I'll admit I splurged on internet (currently paying 40/no for a 50mbit line) but can't bring myself to give that up.

Any suggestions?

Why don't you get in on something like Zipcar if you only drive 20 miles per month?

 

[soulcougher73]

I just stop buying "stuff" that i dont need. Plus not having kids helps (glad i made that decision long ago ).

 

[kalrith]

The words buying a car and cutting costs should never be in the same train of though.

If one drives a lot and buys an inexpensive econobox, he can actually save money by buying said car. I have a 60-mile round-trip commute 5 days every week. My car gets 22mpg on the highway. I can buy a used econobox for $2k and save $1,100 per year in gas. After two years, the car has paid for itself and will save me almost $100/month in gas.

When my son was born, we canceled our satellite ($80/month) and cell-phone ($60/month) plans. We switched to prepaid cell phones (~$15/month for 2), Magic Jack ($15/year), and OTA (free). My son is 3 1/2 now, and we've saved $5000 since he was born!

 

[TridenT]

When my son was born, we canceled our satellite ($80/month) and cell-phone ($60/month) plans. We switched to prepaid cell phones (~$15/month for 2), Magic Jack ($15/year), and OTA (free). My son is 3 1/2 now, and we've saved $5000 since he was born!

That's a good option if you don't talk to people often when you're out of the house or have use for texting or smart phone features when you're without wifi access. I text frequently when out of the house (I use google voice when I'm at work because I have no reception) and use my smart phone a lot without wifi access (Maps, finding businesses, facebook event stuff, lots of information lookup, etc.).

 

[Tweak155]

Money saving and spending are a mental thing. We generally would not have money issues if only bought the absolute minimum that we needed. This generally doesn't translate into what you should logically do, though. For example, even though it is grossly cheaper to live in Detroit in a $1000 house (I've seen houses go for $1), does not mean you should choose this in order to save money.

So, what you should be doing is asking yourself "do I need this?" for EVERYTHING you buy (READ: every time you choose to spend money). I prefer this method over sorting over my expenses each month. I tally them up on occasion, but generally don't need to worry if you follow number one rule.

If you're comfortable to spend extra, ask yourself "how bad do I WANT this?". This is to add a level of pressure to not buying it. Also assign a value to what you're buying - don't go based on what the sales tag says you're "saving". If the tag tells me I'm saving $100 and only spending $200 on a pair of pants (making this up), obviously a pair of pants is not worth $200. This is also a mental thing and why sales are so effective. If you look at the pants and say to yourself "Yep, these are worth $200", then fine. But this is where rule 1 helps kick in anyway. So, rule 2 is assign a value to the item you're buying. Either it has to be at or under your assigned value, or you're willing and able to lose the extra money. This should be exceedingly rare.

3rd is to make it as extremely simple as possible to save money. I did this by having my checkings & savings at the same bank and allows online transfers. I extremely rarely go from savings to checkings (train yourself that this is a very bad thing), but every other week put from checkings to savings.

Also 4th - and this is if you have control - use a credit card for everything. It is free money back. Otherwise use debit / cash.

I've never had an issue with money but I have people ask me how to save more frequently than some people. Using this simple procedure (by nature for me, just outlining it here), I've saved a lot of money the last 2 years when our income went up.

 

[kalrith]

That's a good option if you don't talk to people often when you're out of the house or have use for texting or smart phone features when you're without wifi access. I text frequently when out of the house (I use google voice when I'm at work because I have no reception) and use my smart phone a lot without wifi access (Maps, finding businesses, facebook event stuff, lots of information lookup, etc.).

Obviously it's not for everyone. I've never had a smart phone, so I don't have anything to miss . I used to call my brother often at lunch on my cell phone and had to cut that out. I don't do much texting, and texts use one minute, which is about 9.5 cents. Compared to a cheap cell phone plan of $60 for 2 phones, My wife and I can use 631 minutes/texts and spend the same $60. We're never even close to that.

The nice thing is that we can use our cell phones a lot while out of town, maybe spending $30 that month. But then when we're at home, we might use $12-15 per month. With our old plan, we spent $720 every year regardless of our usage (unless we went over). Now, we spend $250 per year at the most.

My son had a lot of health problems in his first year, which meant a lot of medical bills and really expensive formula ($120/month). It wasn't a choice of whether we would cut our bills, but it was a choice of what we would cut. We decided to cut all monthly bills that we could besides trash ($15/month) and DSL ($37/month). We also stopped going out to eat and cut our utility bill as much as we could.

Some nice things about those changes are that we've gotten used to them and in many ways like them. Even though we could afford smart phones, satellite TV, and going out to eat more, we see them as unnecessary. We go out to eat once per month, and we watch about one-third as much TV as we used to. The changes not only helped with our budgets, but it helps our health (by not eating out and being more active) and helps our family life.