Things are tight over here at my house. Financially speaking, I mean. The work I normally do to earn money (research analyst) has been sparse at best this year so far, so I have really had to tighten things up.
Which reminds me of a quote from The Philadelphia Story: "Belts will be worn tighter this winter."
Okay, back to my post... I am way too easily distracted. But I am working hard to par back our spending and thought I would share a few things that are helping.
1. Working within low electricity cost hours. Our electricity company has designated hours of high and low cost. Right now it is from 1 pm to 8 pm. If I can do laundry, the dishwasher, vacuum, etc. as much as possible during the low cost hours we save money. It is not a lot, but still helps out a bit.
2. Growing a garden has also helped me to save a little on the grocery bill. Right now I have a plentiful crop of zucchini, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes. What we don't eat now I am trying to freeze to use later. I have had a few parsnips and carrots as well. I may still yet see cucumbers and green beans... they seem extra slow this year. And once I traded some of my extra veggies for homemade yogurt a friend enjoys making. Yay for swapping!
3. Don't go to the grocery store more than once a week. A penny saved is a penny earned. I am doing as much as I can to avoid going to the store except once a week on Saturday. If I start to run low on milk then I add a pint or two of powdered to the partial gallon in the fridge. If it looks like we will not have enough bread, then I make a loaf.
4. Limiting air conditioning. The air conditioner is a huge part of our electricity bill this time of the year. But right now it still gets into the low 70s at night. So we have been only turning the air conditioner on only from about noon to 7 pm. The house stays cool with the doors and windows closed for the first two hours; then we open up the windows and turn on a few ceiling fans. So far, so good.
5. Choose free entertainment. Swimming, reading, and board games are some free entertainment ideas we are tapping into as much as possible lately. Hopefully one of the end results is my kids will learn it does not take a lot of money to have fun and feel entertained.
What ideas do you have for saving money? Any ideas for earning a little money here and there?
Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 23:25
Have you ever checked out Pinchingyourpennies.com? I love it; it saves me hundreds. It is pretty big in Utah, but gaining quite a following in AZ as well.
ReplyDeleteThe AC is definitely a problem in our house. My husband would run it at 68 all day long. We have big windows that face the west, in our tiny condo, so it gets HOT!
ReplyDeleteI found that if I plan out my meals I save a lot too. If I only buy what I need for the month or week than the grocery bill is a lot less.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing is to make most of my meals, not pre made foods like corn dogs or pizzas. If you make your own, you save a bunch.
I have truly enjoyed your posts. Since my early retirement due to Ra at the age of 52, I have looked into many ways to pinch a buck or two. I shop as much as I can at dollar stores especially for cleaning supplies, I cut coupons as much as I can, take advantage of double coupon days at our grocery stores, I try to keep a well stocked food storage...use the cannery its cheaper and I do not go out to eat.
ReplyDeleteI calculated I saved over $3,000 dollars a year at the grocery store alone. Oh, disconnect any thing you are not using...I am saving on my electric bill $80.00 a month after I disconnected those appliances that were not in use. Good Luck.
Hey, the adding powdered to the gallon is a good idea!!
ReplyDeleteMy only tip is that I sit down at the beginning of the month and plan out meals for like 3 weeks, but I try to plan them so it uses all the same kind of foods so I can get them at Sam's. For example--I get one bag of frozen chicken and a bag of elbow pasta. From that I can make chicken soup, chicken alfredo, chicken parmesan, chicken and mac and cheese...you get the idea. It saves us quite a bit!
Dear Sisters,
ReplyDeleteI hope that I will reach some of you and that I will have your support as I take action into my plan. As some of you know I am just a teacher, with a big heart and love for children. I recently wrote a novel: The Black Parade: The Phantom Series. Some of you may have already seen it on my facebook. It’s an adult total chick lit urban fantasy novel written to capture the mind of those willing to laugh out loud, tremble a little, and possibly even cry. My whole purpose in posting this, is so will go to my web site: www.thephantomseries.com and help me raise money for St. Jude. I am trying to raise $5000 by December. So, please help my cause and go to my site or check out The Black Parade on facebook. I hope to hear your comments and I know you will enjoy the read, because it is totally for us Mormon moms who need some clean fantasy in our lives.
I need to start watching our dollars here too!
ReplyDelete