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Saving on the little things
  • What little thing have you cut out of your budget that is helping you save big?
  • Bottled water! It's been a revelation. I invested in a filtered water bottle (Brita, around $7 at any large grocery store where they keep the water filters) and now I can drink water literally from anywhere without worrying about it. Replacing the filter every few months costs about as much as 1 bottle of water. And it fits in my purse - they come in different sizes. It's also so much easier to drink the daily recommended amount of water with this bottle. And, feeling a little more like a superhero by saving the environment isn't so bad either.
  • I love to read and use to buy books all the time. I thought I was saving money because I would wait for paperback but I would read it once and then add it to my bookshelf and create clutter. Then I discovered the library and I honestly haven't purchased a book in 6 or 7 years. Sometimes there is a small wait but I have been able to read so many wonderful books over the years without ever paying for them. Bonus, the library also rents DVDs!
  • I had a light bulb come on watching a show about coupon use. So one day I saw 4 coupons for 40 cents off Soft Soap and said ok that is something I use everyday, I'll try it out. Using 4 coupons for hand pumps and I bought 4. I checked out paying only 9 cents per bottle, the store had doubled the coupons and the item was on sale for 89 cents. I now use coupons whenever possible -- it's free money -- like a matching savings account.
  • I created an email filter so that online coupons and "special offers" went straight into a folder called "shopping" instead of directly in my inbox. This has kept me from impulsively acting offers that I get and spending money on things I don't actually need at the moment. The offers are still there in my folder, so when I do want to purchase something, I search my "shopping" folder for recent coupons and offers on the items I want to purchase.
  • I bike to work whenever possible! If I bike 5 days a week, I save $22.50 by not taking the train. That's a potential savings of $90 a month.
  • i cancelled my netflix account and when my cable provider has preview weekends on premium channels, i record as much as i can so i have extra stuff to watch.
  • Coffee - I now make it at home instead of buying out. Same for lunch - I bring lunch instead of buying. It actually saves both money and calories, so that's a win-win. Once in a while I still do treat myself so I don't feel like I'm missing out, but I try to bring from home 4 out of 5 days.
  • Public transportation. I changed jobs about 2 months ago, and went from working in the suburbs of a major city to working in the city itself. I take the bus or metro to and from work, and as a result I save a lot of money on gas and wear and tear. Getting to and from work now costs me $3-4 a day, working out to $15-20 per week. Gas was running about $3.75 a gallon when I started this, so it would be at least $40 every week or so to fill my tank.

    Added bonuses have been that I'm less stressed since I'm not the one behind the wheel in rush hour traffic and I also walk more so it helps me stay active.
  • I haven't gotten my hair cut/colored in 10 months. I know that might be a bit drastic for some... but think of what it has saved me!
  • We have unplugged and shut down everything in the house that we don't use to lower our electric bill. I was able to reduce my landline bill by 25 bucks when I called to cancel the whole thing. I'm going to call DirectTV and get rid of 35 bucks of premium stations. I now clip coupons and we are beginning to eat soup and salads for dinner a few times a week. We take lunch to work now instead of eating lunch out.
  • You can pretty much find coupons for everything from food to restaurants. I try to use coupons whenever I can, and I also shop at stores like Aldi, Save-A-Lot, and Bottom Dollar. I know my prices on family favorites, so I know what I can get away with buying generic to save or if I must buy brand name using coupons.
    I also buy my husband tshirts from Goodwill, I find all kinds of neat college sports tshirts in excellent shape for $4. For my son, I always check clearance racks at the end of the season, and get huge discounts on his winter clothes, summer clothes, etc. for next year, when he will be taller and a size bigger.

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