What are the " little things " you do / can do to save money ?????

[Graceie]

so we have made a couple  big ish cuts cable for one and are in the process of renting out a room

also spending less in general " buying less stuff "  buts its really vague and I'm trying to come up with has many things has possible

so far Ive cut next flix down to stream only 2$ per month savings

reduced the diaper service to 60 instead of 70 per month saving 3 a month

not getting drinks out so no juice , soda and such with meals out not sure how much her probably alot

also working to reduce energy useage

[sunnysandiegan]

Do you have actual expenses for your family over the last year (or few months)?

It works well if you can compare real life expenses and see where you are and what would happen if you did x, y, or z. I use Excel to make it super easy.

You can call up all the companies you pay and discuss your accounts. When DH's pay was cut, I did that and some places offered me lower rates for the same services. I opted to lower other services in order to lower our total expenses.

[Graceie]

Ok the onley regualr bills we have is phone and internet I should call them and see if it can be lowered

[EviesMom]

If you have credit cards, sometimes they will reduce your rates if you call and ask or threaten to switch to another card.

If you've been in a routine of eating out with friends, changing it to having friends over is another "little thing" possibility. Or packing lunches if you usually buy.

Any little thing that you know you do normally but can change habits around can help bit by bit. IE- My kids often want vending machine snacks at the Y (which are actually reasonably healthy things), but if we're trying to cut back financially, I have to move toward taking our own cheaper but still kid-appealing snacks with us. 

[LeighPF]

The best way to find your little things is to record everything you buy. It is also the best way to reduce your spending. It is a PITA, but that is part of the point.

[sunnysandiegan]

insurance companies

[Vancouver Mommy]

I've eliminated my (overpriced) online grocery delivery and now shop weekly with a meal plan. I try to keep grocery costs under $150 a week (but realistically I think this is not happening). I have stopped buying juice except for special occasions.

[SundayCrepes]

Washing and reusing ziplock bags.

Freezing leftover vegetable cuttings. When you have a bagful, making broth (I just read about this tonight.)

Using used envelopes for grocery lists.

When making a recipe that calls for a tablespoon of tomato paste, portioning the rest of the can into one tablespoon blops on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Freeze them then put in storage container. Next time a recipe calls for one or two tablespoons of tomato paste, just take it out of the freezer.

Buy subscribe and save off amazon.com. I do this with pullups, diaper wipes, cereal bars, etc. (These bars http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YT0POA are over $4 a box in the store. Buying through subscribe and save I paid $2.50 a box the last couple times I bought them.)

Contact your grocery store and see if you can buy a food you use a lot of by bulk. A couple stores in our town will give you a 10% discount if you do this.

Measure your laundry detergent, don't just guess.

Change your air conditioning and heater filters per the instruction manual.

[zebra15]

I am still doing a 'compact' of sorts around here meaning this house is a NO BUY ZONE.  We have tons of things here to use up, I dont need to go to the craft store, office supply store, etc for a very long time.

I utilize the library for most things and I have e-reminders for when the items are due to hopefully avoid late fees.  This month we can pay our late fees with donations to the foodbank 1 item is 50cents credit so I will probably pay my bill by cleaning out my pantry!

I declutter and sell what I can on craigslist, the kiddie resale shoppe or halfprice books.(the money recouped either goes to debt or a fun day out for DS)

I pack lunches.snacks when we go out and try to avoid the drive thru and vending machine

[Lega]

Instead buying water, get the filter,,,

Most of grocery stores give coupons if buy a lot (like 5$ off of 35$)...I always look online for coupons before do my shopping. Buy only food you really need and it is good for you (in long run, your family will end up healthy, so that is big savings)..Look for deals and always compare unit price when you buy something,,,Take advanage of sales - I always buy winter shoes in spring and summer shoes in autum,,,.I don't by prepared frozzen food, except frozen vegetables - it doesn't take to long to make a meal (am not talking about slow roasted ribs),,,Make your own desserts. Plan your laundry,,,Buy energy saving light bulbs,,,Shut off TV power, cable box and computers when you don't use them,,,Wash car w/ hands. Buy bagless vaacum cleaner. Don't take baths, just shower (make sure shower head is water saving),,,Buy whole chiken, take of bones and use them for soup,,,Buy big pieces of meat and the slice them into portions how much you would use per one time,,,Cook bigger meals, so they would last for couple days,,,I make big pot of rice, it can stay in the fridge for 5 days - it's time and energy saving,,,Buy all you can online - it always good deal somewhere waiting for you (always compare how much price + shipping is, not only the item price)....Sign up for Mypoints.com - collect points, get gift cards. Sign up for deals in various stores, they will send coupons by mail or email (like Joan's, Michael's, Bath & Body, Lowes)...Look for deals your credit card offers(like discover - if you buy true their site, you kan safe up to 20% on certain stuff)...Look for deals from your car insurance company (Geico has privilege site - all the kind of coupons for online and in store,,,they have cheap credit monitoring too - 40$ per year). When it's time to renew car insurance, compare all possible choices...Get vehicle with small engine - I always feel bad for those w big trucks and SUV w 6 or 8 cyl,,,Walmart has the best prices for cleaning suplies.

[Gator-mom]

Riding the bus to school/clinical 3 X's a week (goal is to double the number of days out of one gas tank.)  I have a free bus pass through school, so that helps

cooking dry beans, freezing them in 2 cup portions instead of buying canned beans

attempting to start a garden

using scraps of paper for grocery lists

Re-use anything I can..yogurt tubs, zip lock baggies (or better yet, use tuperware instead)

Everyone takes a lunch every day

Making meal plans based on what we already have int he house

NO MORE JUNK FOOD!

We pretty much don't buy anything unless we have to, or it will pay us back down the road (i.e. gardening supplies)

[zebra15]

I packed breakfast and lunch for tomorrow for myself and DS. Im subbing for highschool so I need to leave by 630am. I do NOT need to stop anywhere (drive thru/gas station) for any thing. Its all packed!  There even is extra for snacks and extra sodas for myself so I dont hit the afterschool vending machine.

While Im subbing I am going to make a meal plan for next week.  Since its highschool they are pretty independent and really just need me for attendance and 'crowd control' issues.

[rhiandmoi]

At each shopping trip, put one thing back. There is almost always one thing in the basket you don't actually need.

[freestylemama]

Some things that we do that save money are:

-always bring a bottle of water and snacks with us in the car or in our bags if we're walking for errands

-make coffee at home

-use our memberships (we belong to the Y, zoo and local museum so we use these places for the majority of our entertainment)

-use the library

-limit ourselves to eating out only once a week

[doubledutch]

it helps if you post your budget and some basic info about your situation.  if you don't have a budget, this is the time to write one!  the idea of creating and following a budget was intimidating to me, but if you can look up your bank statements and credit card info online, that will help you figure out what you've been spending where.  knowing where your money goes is the best way to figure out where you can cut back . . . which can actually be really fun.