Cutting expenses—your best money saving tips?

[daylatedollarshort]

Where we've lived, that would not work unless the spouses have different surnames, so we could pretend a new family had moved in. The ISPs work by address/family, not individual names.

It must depend on the ISP because it goes by the individual account in our area.

 

[k-man]

I wish I could convince DH to do this with the flea meds! We use the generic, but buy the smaller dog size. He’s too worried he won’t split the dose correctly. The cost differential is annoying!

We do this for our dogs. I have a 48 lb Airedale and two miniature schnauzers, one 18 lbs and the other 20. I buy the extra-large sized Heartguard. That's super easy because I just cut it in half, give one to my airedale, then cut the other 1/2 in half again....and give one to each schnauzer.

For the Advantix II that I use for them, I buy the extra large dose again, and use a dropper to pull it all out, and then apply the appropriate amount to each dog....one of those vials works out for all three. This took more practice to get the drops correct for their size, but doing this is a huge savings...roughly $300 a year.

 

[VanWinkle]

If building a new home, consider geothermal heating and cooling. The advantages are long lasting with utility bills reduced by 30-50% for A/C
and heat. The initial cost, tax breaks, and savings add up to a payback in
4-5 years. After that, the savings are considerable for many years. I am into
year 10 on my system with no problems and yearly all electric home monthly
average bills under 90.00 per month. I live in Illinois, so there is considerable weather for heating and cooling.

 

[Music Lover]

If building a new home, consider geothermal heating and cooling. The advantages are long lasting with utility bills reduced by 30-50% for A/C
and heat. The initial cost, tax breaks, and savings add up to a payback in
4-5 years. After that, the savings are considerable for many years. I am into
year 10 on my system with no problems and yearly all electric home monthly
average bills under 90.00 per month. I live in Illinois, so there is considerable weather for heating and cooling.

Savings will be dependent on location and energy costs. Gas in inexpensive here (Canadian prairies) and the total cost to heat my house is less than $500. That's for an entire year. Geothermal payback would never happen in my lifetime.

My monthly energy bill (electricity and gas combined) averages just over $100 a month. We have electric stove and HW tank, and central AC.

 

[finnski1]

Savings will be dependent on location and energy costs. Gas in inexpensive here (Canadian prairies) and the total cost to heat my house is less than $500. That's for an entire year. Geothermal payback would never happen in my lifetime.

My monthly energy bill (electricity and gas combined) averages just over $100 a month. We have electric stove and HW tank, and central AC.

That's what I was thinking as well. Although my heating cost are higher than yours( about $1800/year for heat and hot water) my electric bills are only averaging $64 /month. So about $2500/yr for heat, hot water and electricity. For NH that's very good.
I can't really complain too much. Geothermal( actually a ground source heat loop) systems are very expensive to install around here.

 

[kcowan]

We bought a new 2400 sq.ft. Condo and revised the plan for the 3rd bedroom to be a 3rd guest bathroom and a combo pantry, workshop, linen closet and laundry. We provide recommendations for nearby Airbnb places which suits everyone.

The second BR is a den.

 

[ksr]

Sometimes rosemary does not survive the winter. But buying a new plant in the spring takes care of that. My sage bushes are 15 years old and I’ll prune them when the flowers are done. They are 3 foot+ shrubs now.

Don’t plant mint. Extremely invasive.

I have rosemary in a large pot and bring it inside (by a kitchen window) for the winter. It thrives indoors as well.

And I so agree about the mint. I made the mistake of planting it in my yard years ago, and it took several years to get rid of it. Growing it in a pot would be OK, though.

 

[Koolau]

I have rosemary in a large pot and bring it inside (by a kitchen window) for the winter. It thrives indoors as well.

And I so agree about the mint. I made the mistake of planting it in my yard years ago, and it took several years to get rid of it. Growing it in a pot would be OK, though.

I used to mow lawns for a living (if you call that living) back in the HS days. One lady had mint everywhere. It smelled so good every time I mowed. YMMV

 

[Gumby]

I have rosemary in a large pot and bring it inside (by a kitchen window) for the winter. It thrives indoors as well.
.....

After losing a couple outside rosemary bushes to cold winters here in Connecticut, I made a small (~2'x2'x3') greenhouse that just fits over our bushes. Nothing fancy, just a wood frame with an open bottom, one solid side (the North side) and the top and other sides covered with a double layer of clear plastic sheeting. The inside of the solid North side is painted black. I set a few small sealed plastic water bottles among the rosemary bushes to act as a heat sink, set the greenhouse down over the bushes and put a couple bricks on top to hold it down.

I install my little greenhouse in November and remove it in late March. During the winter, if we need fresh rosemary, I go out, lift the greenhouse and snip off what we need. The bushes have flourished through every winter since I made it.

 

[ksr]

I install my little greenhouse in November and remove it in late March. During the winter, if we need fresh rosemary, I go out, lift the greenhouse and snip off what we need. The bushes have flourished through every winter since I made it.

I love this idea!

 

[daylatedollarshort]

The free app Locast streams all the local TV channels for major cities for a requested donation of $5.50 (or more) a month compared to ~$30 to add local TV through our local ISPs. I found it on this link: Eight apps that let you stream local news for free - https://www.makeuseof.com/apps-stream-local-news-for-free/

 

[pacman1234]

-Phone: Use Tello service at $11 per month. Also have average moto g phone versus an iphone.
-Low Housing Costs: Monthly Rent of $1,200 for 2 bedroom in Chicago representing about ~5% of our gross income. Most friends have bought homes already (mid 30s). This is with 2 adults and 2 toddlers.
-No cable tv. Only have Netflix & Hulu.
-1 car for 2 adults. We simply don't drive that much.
-With 2 young toddlers, avoid buying new clothes and high end products (i.e. uppa baby). We buy all clothes at resale events (at $2-$5 per item)
-Buy most furniture second hand on facebook/craigslist with exception of bedding. Literally have saved 10s of thousands of dollars compared to peers.
-Not completely vegetarian, but try to make veggies the focus of most meals. We try to shop on outer aisles of grocery stores at ethnic stores. We soak and prepare beans versus buying them canned. Try to avoid packaged items. Also try to limit dairy and meat purchasing/consumption. Avoiding packaged items is difficult with a toddler. Shop at Aldi if can't get items at ethnic stores.
-For restaurant eating, we normally do take out at mexican, thai, or chinese restaurants for about $9-$12 per person. We don't eat at restaurants very often. Never order wine when we do. Also don't really pickup pizza, we try to select the least unhealthy frozen veggie pizza at the store.
-Do most reading online or from library. Don't buy book or magazines.
-Use work laptop as personal computer to avoid purchasing second computer.
-Don't do many vacations now with young toddlers. However, when we did, we usually try to game credit card points for hotels and airfare. We were also big on driving trips previously. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this, but we have driven 20-25 hours straight through to avoid staying a hotel. Strategy here is that one person sleeps while other is driving. Now that we are older with toddlers, this likely won't work.
-Work clothing. In my early career, I actually used to buy brooks brother clothing. As I wised up, I began buying business casual shirts and pants at costco or on amazon or 25%-50% of brooks brothers pricing. The key here is buying clothes that fit (i.e. slim fit)
-Personal clothing. I really don't buy much. I see what Marshalls has first if I need something which is rare.
-Fitness: Have a $10/month membership compared to the $100/month high end gym nearby. Also do a lot of body weight exercises, such as burpees, pushups, etc.
-Haircuts: Spouse and I cut each others hairs. This isn't really about the money but more for saving time.
- many many more.

 

[Koolau]

-Phone: Use Tello service at $11 per month. Also have average moto g phone versus an iphone.
-Low Housing Costs: Monthly Rent of $1,200 for 2 bedroom in Chicago representing about ~5% of our gross income. Most friends have bought homes already (mid 30s). This is with 2 adults and 2 toddlers.
-No cable tv. Only have Netflix & Hulu.
-1 car for 2 adults. We simply don't drive that much.
-With 2 young toddlers, avoid buying new clothes and high end products (i.e. uppa baby). We buy all clothes at resale events (at $2-$5 per item)
-Buy most furniture second hand on facebook/craigslist with exception of bedding. Literally have saved 10s of thousands of dollars compared to peers.
-Not completely vegetarian, but try to make veggies the focus of most meals. We try to shop on outer aisles of grocery stores at ethnic stores. We soak and prepare beans versus buying them canned. Try to avoid packaged items. Also try to limit dairy and meat purchasing/consumption. Avoiding packaged items is difficult with a toddler. Shop at Aldi if can't get items at ethnic stores.
-For restaurant eating, we normally do take out at mexican, thai, or chinese restaurants for about $9-$12 per person. We don't eat at restaurants very often. Never order wine when we do. Also don't really pickup pizza, we try to select the least unhealthy frozen veggie pizza at the store.
-Do most reading online or from library. Don't buy book or magazines.
-Use work laptop as personal computer to avoid purchasing second computer.
-Don't do many vacations now with young toddlers. However, when we did, we usually try to game credit card points for hotels and airfare. We were also big on driving trips previously. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this, but we have driven 20-25 hours straight through to avoid staying a hotel. Strategy here is that one person sleeps while other is driving. Now that we are older with toddlers, this likely won't work.
-Work clothing. In my early career, I actually used to buy brooks brother clothing. As I wised up, I began buying business casual shirts and pants at costco or on amazon or 25%-50% of brooks brothers pricing. The key here is buying clothes that fit (i.e. slim fit)
-Personal clothing. I really don't buy much. I see what Marshalls has first if I need something which is rare.
-Fitness: Have a $10/month membership compared to the $100/month high end gym nearby. Also do a lot of body weight exercises, such as burpees, pushups, etc.
-Haircuts: Spouse and I cut each others hairs. This isn't really about the money but more for saving time.
- many many more.

Interesting and informative first post. Suggest an intro in the "HI, I AM..." Sub Forum. Welcome!

 

[tb001]

-Phone: Use Tello service at $11 per month. Also have average moto g phone versus an iphone.
-Low Housing Costs: Monthly Rent of $1,200 for 2 bedroom in Chicago representing about ~5% of our gross income. Most friends have bought homes already (mid 30s). This is with 2 adults and 2 toddlers.
-No cable tv. Only have Netflix & Hulu.
-1 car for 2 adults. We simply don't drive that much.
-With 2 young toddlers, avoid buying new clothes and high end products (i.e. uppa baby). We buy all clothes at resale events (at $2-$5 per item)
-Buy most furniture second hand on facebook/craigslist with exception of bedding. Literally have saved 10s of thousands of dollars compared to peers.
-Not completely vegetarian, but try to make veggies the focus of most meals. We try to shop on outer aisles of grocery stores at ethnic stores. We soak and prepare beans versus buying them canned. Try to avoid packaged items. Also try to limit dairy and meat purchasing/consumption. Avoiding packaged items is difficult with a toddler. Shop at Aldi if can't get items at ethnic stores.
-For restaurant eating, we normally do take out at mexican, thai, or chinese restaurants for about $9-$12 per person. We don't eat at restaurants very often. Never order wine when we do. Also don't really pickup pizza, we try to select the least unhealthy frozen veggie pizza at the store.
-Do most reading online or from library. Don't buy book or magazines.
-Use work laptop as personal computer to avoid purchasing second computer.
-Don't do many vacations now with young toddlers. However, when we did, we usually try to game credit card points for hotels and airfare. We were also big on driving trips previously. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this, but we have driven 20-25 hours straight through to avoid staying a hotel. Strategy here is that one person sleeps while other is driving. Now that we are older with toddlers, this likely won't work.
-Work clothing. In my early career, I actually used to buy brooks brother clothing. As I wised up, I began buying business casual shirts and pants at costco or on amazon or 25%-50% of brooks brothers pricing. The key here is buying clothes that fit (i.e. slim fit)
-Personal clothing. I really don't buy much. I see what Marshalls has first if I need something which is rare.
-Fitness: Have a $10/month membership compared to the $100/month high end gym nearby. Also do a lot of body weight exercises, such as burpees, pushups, etc.
-Haircuts: Spouse and I cut each others hairs. This isn't really about the money but more for saving time.
- many many more.

I love so many of these!

We definitely fell into the buying expensive brands trap with the kids. Now all of their clothes are bought used. We do try to buy decent quality so we can resell them later. I’ve also been doing the kids haircuts.

I’ve found a couple of clothing brands that don’t wrinkle and seem to last forever, so I’ve taken to just getting the new colors every other year or so. We can’t seem to find anything but relaxes fit at Costco!

 

[4legsgood]

planting self-sowing and easily propagated plants

I've spent a lot of money on plants over the years that's for sure, but the past couple of years instead of buying more plants I'm propagating plants from what I've got and also this year trying to establish a couple of self-sowing poppy and calendula areas. Mowing less (no small kids needing play area) and enjoying making more plants from the plants I already have. I don't even look at the nursery section of stores anymore. The yard looks better with larger sections of the same plants, and with all needing the same care makes for easier maintenance.

 

[anethum]

Cilantro doesn’t germinate well, and I’ve had no luck with tarragon.

French tarragon will grow for me but not robustly, and my plants rarely survive the winter here (DC area). Also, it must be propagated vegetatively, not by seed. A few years ago, I discovered "Mexican tarragon" and now I don't bother with French tarragon anymore. It's a plant in the marigold family native to Mexico, but I find the taste of the leaves to be virtually identical to French tarragon. It can be easily grown from seed, and thrives in the hot summers here, unlike French tarragon. The leaf shape is similar to French tarragon, though larger, IOW nothing like the shape of other marigolds. It produces small yellow flowers, though not in profusion. The seeds look just like other marigold seeds. The Mexican Spanish name for it is "pericón". I have occasionally seen plants for sale here, but I start my own from seed indoors and transplant it outside.

As for basil (which I grow outdoors), it is important to prevent it from going to seed. I cut it back severely periodically, and it produces lots of new leaves before starting to flower again.

I also grow Thai basil from seed. It grows just as easily as Italian basil. The leaves are smaller, and the flowers are very different, producing some beautiful clusters of purple flowers.

In one small area of my vegetable garden, I allow dill to go to seed. I've already had plenty of dill to use this year. I will help scatter the seeds on the ground when the plants die, and the following spring, they germinate without me doing anything. The same thing happens with epazote, a Mexican herb frequently used in Mexico when cooking beans. I don't even scatter the tiny seeds. It's sort of a weed, but it doesn't get out of control like mint.

One other plant I start from seed is stevia. The seeds are tiny. It sometimes survives mild winters here, and will also self-seed to a limited degree. I have friends pluck a leaf and I ask them to chew it. Pure sweetness!

 

[Gumby]

For vegetable gardeners, grow from seed instead of buying expensive seedlings at the nursery. This year, everything in our garden was grown from seed that we started in the kitchen and then set out to the garden as seedlings, or direct sowed. For even greater savings, try your hand at seed saving. It's easy and you can do it with any non-hybrid/heirloom. This year, all but two of our 29 tomato plants (of 5 different varieties) came from seeds that I saved from last year's crop Also eggplants, zucchini, butternut squash, pumpkin, dill, basil, radishes, okra, green beans, peas, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatillos and asparagus.

 

[1242Vintage]

Doing my own lawn and yard care is saving me $50 a week. Doesn’t take that much time and I get the added benefits of a little sunshine and exercise.

 

[RetireeRobert]

Money-saving tip?

When you want to dine out, go to Applebee's and order the 2-for-$22 deal. Get two entrees and your choice of one of five appetizers. Make one of the entrees a grilled oriental chicken salad, and it is enough for two meals. If you choose as your appetizer the 2 side salads, those are each good for one lunch. So, for $22 you can get five meals. Other entree? Order the top sirloin steak of course, with two sides and eat it all at the restaurant. If you feel like splurging after being so cleverly thrifty, order mushroom toppers on your steak for $1.69 extra. MmmmMmmm!

 

[daylatedollarshort]

If you are a vet, check for discounts. Chase has free premier checking, free and discounted safe deposits boxes, free checks and more for veterans and active duty military. I just ordered our checks that would have cost $24 without the vet discount.