Times are tough and if you’re like me, you’re looking for ways to cut costs in your everyday life. Some people may not get why I’m upset about SIRIUS raising rates, but it all adds up. Here are some things we’ve done around our house to save money:
Work:
- Car Pool – Now that my wife and I car pool, we actually drive 5 miles more per day, but save $10/day in parking. There’s also more freeway driving, so we get better gas mileage.
- Bag Lunches – My wife takes food to work rather than eating out now, which saves a lot. I eat lunch at home & take care of leftovers, so we don’t waste food.
Utilities:
- Cancel Home Phone – Not really necessary these days with skype, cell phones and email, unless you need to use a fax machine, but then there’s always eFax.
- Cut Cell Phone Bill – I realized that I don’t text enough to need an unlimited plan, so I switched. Of course, once I’m eligible for a new phone, it will be hard to resist a Blackberry with a data plan.
- Cancel Pest Control – We had it for a while and it seemed to have worked, but now we’ll see how we do without it. So far so good.
Entertainment:
- Cancel SIRIUS – Two recent rate increases made this an easy decision & I don’t listen to it for more than an hour or two a day.
- Cancel Book/Movie Clubs – My wife loves these and even though she sent books back, it was still a charge on our credit card and wait for a refund. I’m glad to be rid of these.
- Don’t Renew Magazines – I’m a firm believer that everything in magazines can be found for free online. They’re a waste of money and trees. My wife is letting all subscriptions lapse.
- Lower Netflix Plan – One movie at a time is enough for us right now, especially with a RedBox around the corner. We may cancel it entirely in the future.
- Record Movies – I took advantage of free Showtime this month on AT&T U-Verse and recorded a bunch of movies that were on our Netflix queue.
- Buy Used Books – Many used book stores will also buy books in turn for credit, so you can then buy books at half price.
Home:
- Switch to CFLs – Almost every light in our house is a compact fluorescent and those that aren’t don’t get used much.
- Cover Windows – During the heat of the day, block it by keeping blinds and drapes closed.
- Open Windows – When it cools down outside, open windows and turn off the air conditioning.
- Recycle – We saved our aluminum cans and plastic water bottles to take the recyclers. We don’t buy those anymore, but family members save theirs and the CRV goes to our son’s account.
- Sell Baby Stuff - Craigslist is great – you can get barely used baby items at great prices & turn around and resell them for about the same price. You, basically, got to use it for free. A local Craiglist type site is SactoClassifieds.
- Swap Baby Stuff – If you have a baby, chances are you know others who do as well. We swap, or rotate clothing & toys among friends & think of it as free off site storage.
Food:
- Veggie Garden – Its fun and worthwhile not having to buy lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. It’s also healthy and educational for our son! He loves picking tomatoes, even if they’re not ripe…
- Eat Less – Generally, we over indulge, so if you split a meal in half or leave enough for lunch the next day, you can save money and lose weight.
- Generic Food – Many name brand foods have identical generic counterparts that cost much less & taste the same.
- Ditch Bottled Water – Our fridge has a water filter, so why not use it? We refill bottles and rarely buy them anymore, which is also better for the environment.
- No More Soda – A while back I stopped drinking soda. I’ve had some a few times at BBQs, but I don’t buy it.
Other ideas that we could implement to save even more money:
- Cancel Cable – We would still have Internet, but I think we’d be miserable without decent TV
- Cancel Netflix – Getting rid of the lowest level they offer would save almost $10/mo
- Turn Off Computers – I tend to leave my desktop PC on all the time as I never know when I can jump on and get some work done
- Change Thermostat – Since my body tends to run warm, I’d be miserable during the summer
- Reduce Water Usage – Once they start metering water, we’ll need to decrease our sprinkler timers.
- Change Auto Insurance – I’m a faithful kind of guy, but if I need to, I’ll shop around for cheaper insurance, like at esurance.
