Tell us a few little things you do to save money

[athena53]

We spent time to analyze our bank fees, including things like MERS on our various sheltered and unsheltered accounts. The review included monthly bank fees and even credit card admin fees on foreign transactions.

I wasn't this thorough but at one point I realized we were paying over $400 in annual credit card fees. (I know they can get as high as $400 on one card now, based on the glossy mailings I get for the ones that include airline lounge memberships.) I'm now down to two: the Fidelity 2% cash back Visa with no fee and the Marriott Visa, which does have an annual fee but has the longest history. I may churn the Marriott card at some point if a good sign-on bonus is offered elsewhere and would love to avoid Fidelity's FX fee. I left the country 3 times this year so that's starting to add up.

 

[HadEnuff]

What do I do to save money?

this may sound sarcastic, but probably the most effective thing I do is to look at an item before I buy it and ask myself:

How many times will I actually need this?
How long will it be before I put it in the corner and wish someone else would take it away?

 

[Totoro]

Our top tier is .40 kwh, avg .23 kwh.

I pay ~0.24, for production + (mostly) transportation.

 

[jollystomper]

What do I do to save money?

this may sound sarcastic, but probably the most effective thing I do is to look at an item before I buy it and ask myself:

How many times will I actually need this?
How long will it be before I put it in the corner and wish someone else would take it away?

+1

The other thing I have learned is that, despite commercial advertising, there are very few purchases that are urgent. I avoid "impulse" buying... I'll just add the item to a "wish list". I might review the list every 3-4 months, and find that 1/3 to 1/2 the items on the list I no longer have that much of an interest in.

 

[Hyper]

The cost of electricity is interesting. We will be moving into a new home in several wks (hopefully). We built it ourselves and I'm asinine about insulation. Our current home we remodeled and our electrical use is maybe 1 1/2 times the basic charge. Elec cost is about $60 a month total for 8-9 mths. A hot mth might be $90. -30 below mths have hit $110. We've been raped on homes we've had propane in the past and I refuse to ever get propane again. NG is slightly better than propane but the installation cost are so high we'd most likely never recoop those cost. We installed total electric in the new home so really want to see how it works out. We do have a wood FP in the new home also. WO basic charge and tax elec is aver .061 kwh. With is .103

 

[brett]

We make sure our car gas tanks are filled on Wednesday or Thursday. Gas always increases in price on the weekend, even more on holiday weekends.

True to form it went up by about six percent last Thursday, The price has been slowly going back down since Tuesday (Monday was a holiday).

We buy our gas from Costco or from our local co-operative association.

 

[socca]

I'd like to see some real world data since I am skeptical that lowering or raising the target temp by more than a few degrees would save money if you're just gone for the usual 8-10 hours. The system has to work extra to bring the house back to the target temp.

The local power utility claims that this is an urban myth. They state that elevating the target AC temp when you're not in the house saves money regardless of the duration, so that's what I do. If I'm going to be gone more that 10 minutes, I put the temp at 85F, effectively shutting off the AC. If I'm going to be gone more than a few hours, I put the temp at 82F so the AC runs enough to keep the humidity down. All of this fiddling with the thermostat probably saves me no more than a couple of bucks on the monthly bill, but it's a habit I've gotten into. My bill maxes out at around $80 / mo in deep summer for a 1700 sq ft Florida ranch. In winter, the bill is half that. YMMV.

 

[Meadbh]

I pay ~0.24, for production + (mostly) transportation.

From the BC Hydro website:
Step 1: $0.0858 per kWh for first 1,350 kWh in an average two month billing period (22.1918 kWh per day).
Step 2: $0.1287 per kWh over the 1,350 Step 1 threshold.

Rate comparison graphic is here https://www.bchydro.com/news/conservation/2016/how-our-rates-compare.html

 

[Meadbh]

+1

The other thing I have learned is that, despite commercial advertising, there are very few purchases that are urgent. I avoid "impulse" buying... I'll just add the item to a "wish list". I might review the list every 3-4 months, and find that 1/3 to 1/2 the items on the list I no longer have that much of an interest in.

I do this too. Amazon's wish list is very useful.

Another thing I do is to critically appraise even small purchases in the final days of my credit card billing cycle. It means I often have a "spending holiday" of several days every month. When the new cycle begins I often find that I no longer "need" the items whose purchase I had postponed.

 

[brett]

Just ordered a foil and cutter on Amazon for my Braun shaver. No rush as it is for my second razor. $59.95 at the local London Drugs store. $34. on line, delivered to my home.

Did exactly the same (buy on line) this past two months for a king size bed frame, lamps, leather recliner, etc. Even higher percentage savings on those items.

 

[USA]

Enjoy making our own powdered laundry detergent. With just two of us, a batch will last almost a year as it only takes 2 tablespoons a load. We know what's in it and it works very well.
I also use diluted vinegar to clean. Bought a batch of blue microfiber clothes at Sam's Club and use them often for cleanups which cuts down on paper towels, and works better.

 

[street]

Don't go out to eat very often. My wife only buys things on sale when grocery shopping.

 

[Music Lover]

Have you seen savings in your monthly bill? By how many degrees do you raise/lower the temp when you're not at home?

I'd like to see some real world data since I am skeptical that lowering or raising the target temp by more than a few degrees would save money if you're just gone for the usual 8-10 hours. The system has to work extra to bring the house back to the target temp.

There is plenty of real world data, and it's also simple physics...the closer the inside temperature gets to the outside temperature (for both heating and cooling), the less energy is needed to maintain that temperature. Therefore, by lowering or raising the temperature, the savings immediately begin and continue for the entire time. It also takes less energy to return to the pre-setback temp that it does to maintain the higher or lower temp for that entire time.

 

[lwp2017]

Ditto on YouTube for repairs. I fix everything myself, mainly appliances and kitchen & sewing gadgets my DW buys.

My most recent savings:

My 2006 Ford F-150XL pickup truck drivers side door control buttons (windows, locks) quit working.
Dealer estimated $800+ to replace the wiring harness.

While researching, I watched a goofy looking kid's YouTube video. He explained how to repair.

I opened the wiring sleeve cover at the door hinge. Ground wire was broken. Goofy kid was right!
It was so obvious- Ford used 8 strand ground wire in the harness, prone to high cyclic fatigue from door opening and closing.

I soldered in a scrap piece of electrical wire and had it fixed in about 30 minutes. My cost was literally pennies in material for the repair.