Are you doing anything new to save money?

[woman*mama*wife]

We're driving A LOT less. We're turning the AC off during the evenings and mornings...I don't turn it on until we're really warming up. I'm using a lot of homemade cleaners now. Line drying more clothes. Maxing my coupons to their fullest potential (ie - going where they are doubled/tripled - going in with a set list - only buyign the things we need and making sure I get the best price on those things)...I'm also learning to stockpile and how to make our foods last longer.

I created a website about living frugally and in adding the content and forum resources, I did A TON of research and have learned so much! It's become a topic of passion for me...especially as I face a hugely difficult time financially with upcoming medical bills.

[Soledad]

Originally Posted by shanny

I am trying to figure out how to cut the electric bill.... it has been a steady $130-145 for the past few months. I keep lights turned off, the ac is set of 74, no TV on if not in the room, optional rooms are closed off.... I keep the blinds closed most of the time... well the living room is half way up just so I can see if anyone pulls up... I don't know what else to do.... would putting tint on the windows really help??

I have begun unplugging appliances such as TV ,vcr, microwave , computer etc at night. My cousin did this and she said it helped her save money.

[Sandi]

I have a few power strips - one has the kids' computer, the TV, the wii. I read that anything that "glows" when it's off, is a vampire appliance - sucking energy. When we leave or are going up to bed, I flip the switch now as I leave the room.

I think it actually has made a difference in our power bill. It's been pretty low, but the weather has been moderate, too.

I also unplug the coffee pot, toaster, tea pot, etc.

[3Gs4Me]

I am another one of those bare bones mamas so it is hard for me to find ways to save money.

A few things we have done are:

I have not turned the AC on yet

We are TV free in the summer (it is only on about 2-4 hours a week the rest of the year for videos and PS2 but every bit helps)

We are eating more veggie based meals like kale over beans

I am pretty much not driving anywhere that is not local. I actually love this most of the time because it gives me an excuse to stay close to home.

We added 2 more raised beds so I am growing more food for us this year.

[maryalene]

Originally Posted by Indi's~Mama

I'm not English but I assume you mean British?! We don't rinse our dishes, just wipe them dry straight away Oh & our sink only holdsabout a gallon of water.
I heard that a certain culture doesn't use soap to wash their dishes, just plain hot water. I'd do that if DH wouldn't freak out

Do you have a problem with soap residue on your dishes? If I don't rinse really well, I end up drinking soapy tasty water from our glasses. Maybe I use too much soap?

[Kerri]

Yeah, in New Zealand we never rinsed dishes either. I never noticed a soapy taste. Maybe we use too much detergent here?

[tinyterror'sma]

Originally Posted by shanny

I am trying to figure out how to cut the electric bill.... it has been a steady $130-145 for the past few months. I keep lights turned off, the ac is set of 74, no TV on if not in the room, optional rooms are closed off.... I keep the blinds closed most of the time... well the living room is half way up just so I can see if anyone pulls up... I don't know what else to do.... would putting tint on the windows really help??

Originally Posted by ChasingChe

I have a few power strips - one has the kids' computer, the TV, the wii. I read that anything that "glows" when it's off, is a vampire appliance - sucking energy. When we leave or are going up to bed, I flip the switch now as I leave the room.

I think it actually has made a difference in our power bill. It's been pretty low, but the weather has been moderate, too.

I also unplug the coffee pot, toaster, tea pot, etc.

All those chargers suck energy too. I put all mine on a power strip and shut it off during the day.

Laptops use less power than desktops. Shut off the printer unless you're using it.

[tara]

I'm driving less often. I almost always try to combine trips and plan my routes thoughtfully, but now I'm also not saying yes to every outing. This week I will use the car twice for scheduled things: once for errands/food shop, and once to visit friends. We will have friends visit us, and we also walk to the library/pool/park, etc. [Actually, I did use the car one extra time this week, to take our cat to the vet, but that was not a planned trip!] My car is fuel efficient (about 30mpg) and I'm trying to make each $40-some tank of gas last two weeks.

I'm cooking from scratch more and scrutinizing my grocery list. For example, instead of buying yogurt in single-serving cups, I'm buying the quart of vanilla yogurt and mixing it with fresh fruit in my version of single-serve cups: little glass pyrex dishes with lids. I'm already making our bread. The veggie garden is ramping up, so I can cook some meals with homegrown produce. The last time I cut chard, I had the equivalent of $15 worth of chard if I had bought it. I can cut that amount (about 50 large leaves) about once a week and use it for several meals.

Tara

[Bikil]

I am also soooooo soooooo glad we got a CSA this year & it's paid for already for the whole season, yaaay!

[SketchyRecipe]

I'm buying cheaper box wine and trying to stay within 5 miles of home. If longer, I try to plan to take the scooter. I'm also much more careful about washing clothes/dishes/people after 8 pm and keeping the AC at a sweaty level.

[Korwynne]

well, we moved to the land of no a/c.. we've got a couple tower fans that we put in the room we're in, and we've got the blinds closed. I'm happy it's supposed to be in the 70s next week (and, mother nature, when I complained about 40 degree temps being the highs 3 weeks ago and how I wished it'd warm up, I didn't mean into the 90s. 70's are perfect, please!)

oh, and Becca - they don't double coupons here

Pacific Northwest Ballet has ended for the year, which saves me an hour drive each direction once a week. We're not going back next year. Too far, and too expensive at the moment.

The boards for a raised bed are in my backyard Eric did a 50 mile bike ride this am, so they're not getting built today.. but soon!

I joined mom's club, so I've got activities and playdates that are in my general area (within 10 miles max unless it's a special event), which is helping keep us busy. we went to two this past week - one was at a park down the hill, about 5 miles away, and the other was a water play date in our neighborhood that we walked down to

[stephanielynn]

i have been trying to forget that snack food even exists. outside of meals, when hungry, we have been eating fresh fruit, applesauce, popcorn, a cup of milk (until it runs out...organic...only buy a gallon a week) or water, or something i bake with what we have here, mostly. if i have veggies leftover from meals, i cut those up for snacking. this week, i've been munching on red/yellow/green peppers from meeshi's corn and bean salad. i have a bowl of nuts i crack and eat sometimes...leftover from the holidays...lol! we get plenty of calcium, some from dairy...why do i have to buy yogurt for a "snack?" i can bake some muffins and freeze them or make whole grain pancakes and freeze them for "snacks," and then there is not a need for rice cakes or crackers or some other carby snack. when i do buy a food item with snacking in mind, i make sure it can be used in another way as well. like raisins...we can snack on them, i can bake with them, i can make a trail sort of mix with some cereal (one box a week for dh) and nuts. there's not much i can do with goldfish or triscuits besides snacking. some days, i feel like the kids want a snack and i don't have anything they really want, so i just make dinner early. this is working well since dh is working some at night. it means we eat dinner early, get in the tub, relax/read/play a little, and then get to bed early.

it's saving me money. well...i shouldn't say "saving." it's freeing up that money from my grocery budget to use somewhere else where it's needed.

nothing else new!

[Kbsmama]

Hmmm.
I really have nothing new. I am exchanging milk pick up dates with two other women in my community. I am so thrilled to be doing that because I feel more connected to my community, am saving on gas, and I have opportunities for extra milk when they want to get rid of some of theirs! (We're getting 2 extra gallons this week for free because one of the families is on vacation!).

With that, I'll be making yogurt. We don't do yogurt all the time, but the kids usually like plain yogurt mixed with jam or maple syrup, so that will make for good breakfasts for a bit. I will also be getting kefir grains from one of the women this week, so we will be giving that a try and probably adding it to our smoothies.

Most important, probably, is planning meals. I slip back and forth in doing this, and it definitely makes a difference in our lives, not just with regard to the amount of money we spend.

We have been blowing through bucks lately as last week was my brother's wedding and this week we will travel to my parents (3 hrs away) for the 4th of July.

After this, we plan to lay low for the rest of the summer (and will probably have to because we'll be broke, LOL).

We have been taking advantage of lots of library programs and getting lots of books from the library, visiting a local park with a creek, and DH has taken the kids fishing a number of times.

[ElDucko]

Originally Posted by Soledad

You are my kind of girl.


I'm trying to be consistent with everything and limiting our weekend trips. So far so good.

As for washing dishes ,when I was a teen living in Puerto Rico we always washed our dishes this way.
We had two large bowls(lord I forget the names in English-but those plastic square ones will do) One with soapy water and one with clear water. And we washed our dishes that way for many years. We NEVER ran the water then. Dishes were washed in sequence too, glassware,dishes,cutlery, pots last. If clear water got grungy then you empty that basin(hey I was looking for that word before)and make that the clear one. Not too much soap either just enough(it's an art really)

Oh and if you want to know , at least in my family, they've stopped that. They let the water run now and say they can't do otherwise.

Just remembered I started using mamapads and I have made my own laundry detergent and have used the dryer once in two weeks.

that type of washing is how they wash dishes up camping. Things get just as clean there, except they have a lower standard for pots than my dad did/does for home, but ykwim. It's easy once you get used to it. I should do that here, except our water usage isn't needing to be cut. I mean, I should anyway, but ykwim. What I need is to cut power. I'm thinking we can't really, I just have to save up to get more insulation for the attic probably so we can save more in the winter. *sigh*

And for next year, get a good garden going. We would have this year except we never had spring. We had snow & hail in April this year so . . .

[Korwynne]

yep.. and now it's in the 90s and my tomato plants are not happy.