Saving Money

They haven't done that in Adelaide so everybody is still stupidly using plastic bags despite all the media attention. I think it should be more than 2c, in some Tasmanian towns the've banned plastic! Too bad people can't just make the seemingly little effort to recycle their plastic bags or use green bags.

 

Lately I have been trying to eat for under $1.50 for dinner $1 for lunch and 50c for breakfast, which is about 15 minutes wages, less than the time i'll spend eating and buying the food.

I don't have any tips that aren't obvious except that i've found a good way to make cheap healthy breakfast cereal (which are often very expensive). Buy lots of dried fruit, seeds and nuts from the supermarket or market in bulk. I make a large container of the mixture then i buy a large bag of rolled oats in bulk every few weeks and add a few cups of the fruit mixure to make muesli. Its delicious and doesn't contain sugar or processed wheat like commercial mueslies (which i think ruin the taste).

My fruit and nut mixture is as follows:
Dried pineapple
Currants
Prunes
Sunflower seeds
Dried apricot
Almonds (very expensive and i only buy these for health reasons, though you only need about a tablespoon a day to benefit from them). Perhaps peanuts or whatever is cheap in your area could be substituted.

Coconut is good too but i can never find it in chunky form. The possibilities are endless! I serve mine with organic yoghurt i am able to buy at wholesale price. delicious!

The above is a very healthy meal. Rolled oats are some of the wholiest of grains you can buy and they don't cause problems like wheat can.

If you have the time and energy, maybe toast your oats with vegetable oil with honey or sugar.

 

Yeah, I agree it should be more than 2 cents, at the least it should be a 40 cent rebate. I suppose if you use alot of bags the 2 cents would add up. I thought that rebate was all over Australia? I didn't even know we had a rebate on paper bags until I bought some myself and was like "Hey! 2 cents rebate!". That muesli sounds delish, I'll have to make some damnit.

Geez I hate when people use plastic bags and want them for like one thing, like they go into the store for an apple, and they ask for a bag 'b/c they have to walk up the stairs". Or people who wait in a queue for 20 minutes for three items and bitch at me about it... "Hello? Ever heard of 12 Items or Less?".
OK I'll stop now.

 

I know, they're horrible, nasty animals, humans are. I work at a servo and hundreds of people ask for bags for their cigarettes and milk and just odd things that they could so easily carry. Whats worse is i live in a wealthy area (where i'm probably the poorest) and i'm always the only person at the supermarket using green bags. What do they need to do the right thing? To have guns pointed at them?

 

I read one post about taking $20 per pay check. I always skim 10% of my paycheck to put away. If you always have this in place, you don't miss the money (like when it goes to tax, insurance, etc.) and you'll be on your way to a new car.. house.. sterio whatever.

Sometimes the more expensive patchouli works better so you don't have to keep re-buying the cheap stuff (this is true of other things too)

Get bulk rice and mix in my veggies or leftovers or what ever I can find.

Learn how to make repairs on your VW micro bus yourself.

I get my furniture from well-to-do appartment dumpsters, they toss out nice stuff so they can fit their new stuff and kid themselves they are really rich.

Don't keep up with the Jones.

Make your own tie-dyes and batiks

I work festivals that I want to go to (parking lots, kitchens) I get to see the shows I want and I don't have to pay (sometimes nothing) full price.

A day in the park is probably more fun for kids than all of the expensive toys you could afford. Same goes for family, friends, etc. Next time go to a public park instead of an expensive bar with your friends.

Good luck and keep saving, but remember money is just a tool you have to enjoy life too

 

buy clothes at salvation army or ask for clothes from your friends and family.
eat simple meals
dont buy what you dont need
that simple

 

Communal living:
-more incomes
-more ways to split rent & utilities
-more ideas
-more bonding
-more people to mind the hatchlings (no paying for childcare)
-more reason to buy in bulk!

 

Things depend on your lifestyle. One way to save money is to marry a rich person and have that person pay for EVERYTHING. How I have done it is:
Roll coins, sell junk on ebay, put away 10% of my salary into a savings account on the other side of the country.
I buy food that is on sale. I use the freezer (even for milk!). Compost. Raise hens. Conserve wherever possible... like the laundry.
Be specific as to WHERE you want to save and a huge list can be created

 

The best thing you can do is be aware of it every day. Stop listening to what corporations are tell you that you need. Do you *need* to shower every day? No. Shower every other day and save 50% on all your soaps and beauty supplies.

Do you need a nice car? No. Drive the cheapest car you can afford and don't take out a loan. That will make you an American wage slave. Don't make the bank richer at your expense. Just buy everything cash.

Do you need to live in a nice house? No. Just get something that's safe and liveable.

Do you need to eat out? No. Cook everything at home. But don't be naive and fall into the "I can eat cheap Ramen" philosophy. If you don't eat healthy, you'll have high medical bills which will sap all of your savings. Eat right and exercise. Don't skimp on food, just don't eat out.

Exercise. Do you need to join the gym? No. Walk. Run. Swim. Ride your bike. Run up the stairs instead of taking the elevator if you're in a high rise. Walk instead of driving - you'll save gas $$ too.

Look at what you are spending on monthy expenses and cut them down as far as they can go.

Little by little it all adds up. Be aware at all times of ways you can save money.

 

I don't think I have read it on this thread yet but af far as saving money on laundry goes... I know people who will wear something once or even just half a day and then throw it into the dirty clothes pile. WEAR your clothes. That means actually wear them until they are dirty (read: stained with either mud or blood) For me I actually don't count mud as dirt unless it comes above my knee.

extra bonus clothes... especially delicates last much longer when NOT washed constantly...

 

great thought on clothes. anyone who knows me knows i wear the heck out of mine!

 

yeah i agree wear your clothes until they are dirty.and i mean dirty also me and my wife save alot of money putting it in the bank that way we dont see it.therefore we dont want to spend.also it grows intrest with time and more money for free is ok with me.

 

Thats insane! Wow. What does your grocery list look like. I need to know.

 

This is a great thread. I don't have much to add, except be aware of any special programs your utility companies run and make sure to apply for them if you qualify.

 

1. steal
2. buy from local grocers with cheaper prices and better food
3. if anyone offers a meal, take it, you won't have to pay for it later
4. Get connects to walmart and the like
5. dumpster dive
6. consume less

EDIT: I'd also like to add that there are very good tips in here for anyone who is clueless about saving money.

 

Such a great thread. It's the little stuff that adds up. Here's my list.

1. Cook as much as possible.
2. Buy bulk. This applies to everything from food to your public transit pass to your yoga class pass (if you go a lot).
3. Don't use ATM machines that aren't your bank's. If you must, withdraw the maximum allowable.
4. Walk, run, bike, ride a horse, whatever it is you can do to avoid driving.
5. Stop paying for services that should be free. I've programmed 1-800-Free411 into my cell phone and no longer pay my price-gouging service provider a dollar a call.
6. Don't buy coffee at Starbucks. Not only do you avoid supporting corporate homogeny, you manage to save enough in a month to buy your own espresso machine.
7. If you can, plant a garden.
8. Buy used, be it clothing, books, furniture, etc. when you can. There is so much character and personality to be found in recycled things.
9. Give. The more you give, the more you'll receive.

 

For home energy savings for Winter:
*Use small space-heaters instead of turning on the central heating unit.
*Dress warm; wear socks and slippers.
*Shower immediately after exercising, and not when you're cold; you won't need the water to be as hot to be comfortable.
*Open up the oven as soon as you're done baking to release the warm air into the house.

For home energy savings during Summer:
*Open up the windows and doors in the house while its still early and cool and close up and close the curtains as soon as the sun starts warming things up. The temperature of the house will be significantly cooler for the rest of the day.
*Fill a spray bottle with water and mist yourself whenever you're hot. It works instantly to refresh and cool you off and its free.

Can't really think of any more for Summer right now but I think thats just because its been Winter for so long that I've forgotten.

Anyway, doing all the things above can really add up and make for a significantly smaller electricity/gas bill at the end of the month.

 

ok i guess after me catching up on this posting ill drop in my 2 cents...

cheap and good food ideas....
http://hillbillyhousewife.com/

free/cheap things to do.....
http://www.thriftyfun.com/

cheap gift ideas and food stuffs....
http://www.heart4home.net/

all kids of info...
http://www.stretcher.com/index.cfm

not really looked at this one...
http://members.aol.com/Moneymstr/cheap.htm

all kinds of ideas....
http://www.thefrugallife.com/

im sure ive missed 2 or three so when i come across them ill add em.



***********************
here are my 2 favorite CHEAP feed about 4 on under about $2.50


my husband lived off this for years before i moved in.
1-2 boxes cheap (3 or 4 for 1.00)mac and cheese
add
one can tuna
1-2 can peas or peas and carrots.


***********************
this next one is my secret recipe..... (not now)
small amount left over meat ( i do chicken with a lil honey)
rice any kind white.

sauce
one can cream mushroom soup - as is or thin with 1/2 can water. (honest dont thin more than 3/4 can water for this recipe.)

soy sauce (need about 2/3 table spoons for small can and 3/4 or more to taste for Walmart big can. you can figure out what that is in packets and "barrow" from the office condiment over flow bin from all those that pay for lunch or just walk into chinese place and say my wife/husband was just in here and didnt get enough)

1-2 teaspoon garlic powder * thats all ive used but hey try minced or what not*

and maybe a lil sugar/sugar substitute for taste

we place rice on the plate 1st then sauce and meat on top.... i always start by making a lunch size container 1st b/c this concoction is sooooo good the 2nd day and even cold.

 

i havent read through all the posts yet, but Steal This Book by abbie hoffman is filled with money saving tequniches. classic read for any hippie anyway