Tell us how you save money!!!

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bob

Administrator
Staff member
By the way, here's the first, and most basic, rule of saving money.

NEVER pay interest on your credit cards. I'm not saying "don't use them", that's not practical in todays world, where some of the best deals are online, and you also get buyer protection when you use a credit card.

All I'm saying is to pay them off, in full, every month. You'll save so much money you'd be amazed.
 

Jade

New Member
I keep the thermostat down to 66 or 67 most days during the winter and somedays just run the gas firepace. We turn it down to 64 at night. We got almost all energy star appliances for this new house. Our big problem was with our AC system last year, it was faulty from the very beginning. It was finally fixed by the beginning of December, ha. I wish that I could have gotten some assistance from the manufacturer with our big electric bills. Oh well, at least it is finally fixed.
The pump died on our furnace and soaked the carpeting in the finished side of our basement, that added hundreds to the electric bill from a constantly running dehumidifier and a space heater.
Everything was covered under warranty, but things aren't made the way they used to be. A repair guy from Sears told me if you don't buy high end appliances they will only last 7 or 8 years. I was pretty dismayed about that. We did upgrade the appliances that we put in our kitchen, so, I hope that pays off.
We never go out to eat, if so, it might just be out to lunch at MacDonalds if we are out doing errands. Any time friends ask us to go out to eat, we suggest that they come over here.
 

Dale

Super Moderator
Staff member
Bob, I don't like to do rebates etc. either and if you shop well you can get the item as cheap somewhere else.

Also I use my credit card but pay the balance off every month. I do get 6 points for every $1 I charge but that is the only points type program I am involved in.

Also I buy on EBAY. I can get the best deals on EBAY. My husband wears SAS shoes because of his feet and I get them for a whole lot less on EBAY, usually less than 1/3 the price and yes you can buy new in the box shoes at EBAY.
 

Annette99

New Member
Never go out to eat, shop at salvation army for clothes, I wear out blue jeans at the knees with the up and downs of children and gardening and can always find good jeans there for 3.99 a pair. Water heater os set low, fanatical about lights left on, have power strips on tv,vcr,dvd player so when I shut it off it's one switch, also computer area,. buy food in bulk at Sams, grow my own veges and freeze them, Make my own cleaning products, using bleach,and dish soap mixed with water, baking soda, vinegar, borax, reuse gently used paper towels, clean my own house, change my own oil, cut my own hair, it's all one length, do my own nails.
 

bob

Administrator
Staff member
A repair guy from Sears told me if you don't buy high end appliances they will only last 7 or 8 years. I was pretty dismayed about that. We did upgrade the appliances that we put in our kitchen, so, I hope that pays off...

He's correct. They no longer make them to last, or to be repaired. It's all disposable.

The reason they only last 6 or 7 years is that they put pumps and motors in them that are barely large enough to do the job. They cost a bit less than bigger ones, and the fridge is supposedly more energy efficient that way.

There are two downsides. Ever notice how most modern fridges seem to run just about all the time? They make more noise that way, and I sometimes wonder if it doesn't use more energy too.

In any case, since the motor runs nearly all the time, it wears out faster than one that ran less often would. So, instead of lasting 20 years, now they last about 2 weeks longer than the warranty period.
 

Dor

Active Member
I also read my meter. The water company just left and I read it also, they do make mistakes. A big one was made last summer.

I am still eating left overs from Sunday. I am going to freeze the rest of the Barbeque. My daughter took her lunch today so I think we have had enough. She wants to bake potatoes tonight and use some of the sausage. Sounds good to me.
 

Dale

Super Moderator
Staff member
A friend of ours opened a used appliance store in January of this year and I work a few days a week there in the store. You would be surprised the people that buy used appliances. I think the manufacturer uses some plastic parts and that cuts the longevity of the appliances.
 

Spider_Lily

Active Member
I love to have yard sales you can make pretty good money on things you no longer need.I also save with coupons.Today at the supermarket chicken breast were $3.00 for a 9 piece pack with huge chicken breast.I bought 4 packs.Divided it into ziplocks and put in my freezer.
 

Kya D

Active Member
If they are as good then buy generic
Reuse grocery store bags or take reusable cloth bags
Get books and tapes from the library instead of buying them or buy used
Never buy new when used will do
If you are a senior take every discount you can get you’ve earned it
Keep your car tires inflated to the right level
If you have a 500 dollar deductible your insurance will be much less than a 250 or 100 dollar deductible
If you get a rock chip in your windshield get it fixed before it cracks and needs a new windshield. Insurance will usually pay in full for rock chip repair.
 

bob

Administrator
Staff member
Get books and tapes from the library instead of buying them or buy used...

Hey, quit picking on me! :)

Actually, libraries are a great idea, especially for books like novels that you'll read once, and then never look at again.

If you are looking for a new book, or even used, you can save money by buying them online.

OK, time for a bit of shamless self-promotion.

Of course you've all heard of Amazon.com, one of the largest online retailers. However, do you know that you can order something from them, and help support this site at the same time?

If you shop on my bookstore site, http://www.garden-guidebooks.com/ you will pay the exact same price you would at Amazon.com. The reason for that is simple, you're actually buying the book from Amazon.com, not me. You order directly on the Amazon.com site, with it's top notch security and great customer service. They also have a great return policy.

If you get to Amazon.com via my bookstore, it tells them "Hey, Bob sent me!"... Amazon then pays me a small commission for every sale. It's kind of a "results based advertising payment" where they pay me for sending them a customer. It doesn't cost you anything extra, and it helps me keep this place going.

You'll find a link at the top of every page, titled "Garden Bookstore". While we specialize in garden books, you can actually buy anything Amazon.com sells, in all departments. Your help is great appreciated.

I don't get rich off of this, and I don't plan on quitting my day job. It simply helps me cover my direct "out of pocket" costs, things like server fees and bandwidth that I write a check for every month.
 
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Dale

Super Moderator
Staff member
Bob I buy books quite frequently from Amazon.com as well as CD's. Can we order CD's from that site as well. Glad you mentioned it, had know idea. Tell us more.
 

PRH

Well-Known Member
Since I started working at a recycling plant back in Dec.,I see some nice things that others drop to be recycled. But before I had that little job,I owned my own T.V./VCR shop and have loved anything worth while in the electronic field. ( let's face it,some of that stuff costs quite a good chunk of change these days ) I have gotten several reel-to-reel tape players sitting along the road,I picked up a couple stereo units,( I sold one of them ) silverware,drinking glasses,coffee cups/dishes,etc. - Something else I have done for years is I would buy a cassette tape and play the crap out of it because I enjoyed it. It would have a squeeky problem sometimes rubbing against the inside shell of the cassette tape and instead of buying a brand new tape. I would take the shell apart and put the tape in another shell and I would be :p once again with the tape! ( done this with 8 track tapes and video cassettes. I have cut off power cords from other items and used them on other things that needed a cord at the time.I have bought blank tapes and had a friend tape me one of his records so I wouldn't need to buy 1 myself. The list of things is endless and as the saying goes "someone's junk is someone's treasure! " My niece has this sorta thing in her life and once she saw a toilet along side of the road ( nothing was wrong with it ) when she got home, she told her husband to go get it!
I have several flower pots that I have found too! ( it is addictive and everyday I find alittle something,that puts alittle :) on my face as I fix it to my taste and make it feel at home once again )
Yes,I do regular shopping smart too! ( plain common sence and you'll go far )
Cool topic!
 
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Dale

Super Moderator
Staff member
We all need to share our ideas to help others try to get by in these trying economic times. I have read everyone one of the posts in this topic and gleaned some great ideas.
 

swindy

New Member
Who started this thread ??? Ahhh Dale it was you, great thread, so many hints on saving $$$ Hope to see more posts.
 

Mainegal

Super Moderator
Staff member
I recycle/compost everything that I can. I never have much trash. Sometimes, it's 3 weeks before I get a bag full. We have to buy our trash bags from the town, they are a $1 for 13 gal and $2 for 32 gal each. I use freecycle alot too for wants and giveaways. I have gotten some nice things/ plants for free. Buy 99.9% of my clothes at Goodwill. I'm lucky as I can get new LLBean jeans for $5-10. Can't buy a pair of jeans at Walmart for that. My friend cuts my hair most of the time, I used to have her kids all the time when they were little and take them to hockey. I give her plants and bouquets of flowers from my garden. I have yard and plant sales. I sold almost $400 of plants last summer @ $1 a pot that I dug out of my garden and collected plant pots from friends, neighbors, even got some from NJ when I was there in Nov., from freecycle, the local farm stand, (my mom barters with them). I put a sign on the side of the road last summer and put it back out this weekend that says "wanted 4 & 6" plastic plant pots". I got alot of them last yr. People even brought their pots back to me after buying my plants.
Buy in bulk and on sale and freeze/store it. I have a gas dryer and stove. I think they are alot cheaper than electric. Would love to hang out clothes again but I won't cause of the ticks. They come in the house from the clothes and I get enough just being outside. I use my grill all yr round. I always make enough for a couple of meals. Got rid of my home phone and only have a cell. Turned my heat down to 62° this winter and used electric heaters in the room instead of heating all of the downstairs. That saved me alot. Try to remember my cloth bags when I go to the store. Search for the cheapest price when I need to buy something. I use my Discover Card for everything that I can put on it and pay it off every month and save up the free $$ I get. Used $100 when I went to meet Crabber a few yrs ago, took $100 when I went to visit Randy, bought the curtains for my living room when I built my house from that free money. Have almost $200 saved again. It's free, doesn't cost me a cent for the money. Pay all my bills on line, so don't hardly ever use any stamps. Most of my monthly bills go right to my discover card every month so only have the mortgage, light and discover bills to pay every month.
 
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Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
We don't carry much cash. Usually we each have a few dollars we pull out on Friday and that's it. I pay bills and then we decide if we can or want to go somewhere by howmuch is left.We turn off everything when we are at work or not home. And yes I do dry all of my clothes on the line;) When the market turns around I want to really consider moving to a smaller house. I have emotional attachment though so not sure I will really do that.
 

Kya D

Active Member
When I was raising me kids the law was laid that if it is square or denim then it had to be hung on the line. With 9 kids in the house all of the bedding, towels, and levis were hung. That was over half of the laundry. With teen age girls I gave up the fight over hanging the unmentionables.
 

Dale

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dawn those "unmentionables" last a lot longer if they are not dried in a dryer. I try to take mine out before drying the other clothes.
 
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SassyWVGirl

New Member
Guess I'm spoiled. That dryer is the one thing I can't do without. I hate the feel of clothes dried on the line. Love the smell, but hate the feel. I like that fluff I guess. But I do wash in cold water 99.9% of the time and don't do a load unless it's a full load. Do most dishes by hand unless we're having a large crowd to warrant the dishwasher, turn the furnace and AC back, turn off extra lights, keep water usage to a minimum (it's like pouring liquid gold down the drains around here), took a job for a bit less pay but with great hours only 4 blocks from the house so I've prolonged the life of my poor little old car, and I'm using little to no gasoline a week, and I buy generic everything except Miracle Whip and Jiff and diet Pepsi. Those are the favs I haven't found a replacement for yet.
 


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