I thought we could all pitch in here and come up with ideas that save $5-$10. Applying 10-20 money saving ideas a month could save $100!

Here are some we do or are trying to do:

Skip little treats when we are out. (Which means we always take water bottles with us, and snacks for longer outings.)

Never get any beverage but water when we do eat out.

Line dry all clothing for a month.

Bake more simple treats; find recipes using oil instead of butter, recipes that don't call for exotic ingredients or chocolate (vanilla sugar cookies vs. chocolate chip cookies).

Cut convenience; buy 5 pounds of carrots vs. 5 bags of baby carrots.

Join a co-op (either local or something like Azure Standard).

Make one easy gift a month.

Don't buy annuals or even cut flowers.

Make greeting cards from what you have at home.

Wrap gifts in decorated white paper. Reams of white paper are cheap from online art supply stores, and they are multi-purpose. Newsprint ends or butcher paper could be used as well.

Put the word out. I mentioned to my MIL that we bought a display bookcase/big book holder for a steal at the thrift store, and she brought me 8 big books to use with the boys. When she realized that DS#2 is at the early reader stage she gave us about 40 of the beginning reading books she had for her classroom.

Stay home.

Use what you have.

Please add more!

cut some ingredients - when we make iced tea (saves us from buying soda!!) we use 1 less tea bag than we used to, and have cut the sugar by 1/2 cup as well. Not going to save $5 per gallon, but it does add up!

buy generics of foods that you can (there's some that just don't have a comparison!)

Use your library instead of netflix or trade movies with friends. Same with paperback swap (shipping costs do add up, but it's nice when you want a book to keep or as a gift - dd just spent $8 last week mailing out books!!).

Great idea! I love your list.

Mend a shirt.

Set the AC one degree higher

Turn on a fan

(can you tell we're having a record heat wave in Hotlanta?)

Ah... my electric jumped $35 last month. I think it was worth it though... lol Whew it has been hot.

We went to the old house and put the thermostat 15 degrees higher and turned the hot water heater way down.

Stupid house. Got an electric bill for $139 for last month over there :vent:
The realtors aren't supposed to be turning our AC down and leaving our lights on!

Sorry - tangent

drink coffee at home - that's a big one for me
have DH pick up groceries on the way home (no extra errands)
rent from redbox ($1) and return on time instead of on demand movies

we're watching the older, complimentary on demand movies rather than renting.

*Take water from home instead of buying bottled water out (I've been reading about how awful bottled water is, in so many ways)

*Change a few bulbs to CFBs

*Pay bills online and save stamps (if you have enough bills, this could add up to $5/month LOL)

*Switch one "meat" meal to beans and rice or pasta, each week

*Cut coffee consumption in half

*Wildcraft some herbs growing in your yard or nearby woods/wild area for tea :) (red clover tea anyone?)

*Use tp instead of facial tissues for sneezes and runny noses

*Use cloth instead of paper towels

use vinegar ,baking soda & tto for cleaning!

If your pets are overweight stop overfeeding and save on pet food.

Rethink expensive pet food vs. "cheap" pet food. My dog eats expensive stuff, but only needs 2 cups a day, vs. 6 cups of the cheaper stuff.

Feed kibble rather than wet food. My vet explained recently that all wet/moist food is designed to be supplemental and that kibble meets all nutritional needs. If your pet prefers wet food, add very hot water to kibble and let sit for 15 minutes (this is also good for older pets).

Read the newspaper online (and some magazines too).

Have a "no drive" day at least one day a week, then stretch it to 2, 3, 4...

Learn to eat porridges for breakfast. Cornmeal mush, rice porridge, and oatmeal are only pennies a serving.