Weddingbee Boards Topic: How are you $aving?

Weddingbee Boards Topic: How are you $aving? http://boards.weddingbee.com/ Weddingbee Boards Topic: How are you $aving? en Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:38:46 +0000 moderndaisy on "How are you $aving?" http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/how-are-you-saving#post-476378 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:12:52 +0000 moderndaisy 476378@http://boards.weddingbee.com/ We started bringing lunch to work which saves us each $50/week (conservative estimate factoring in what we pay for ingredients to make our own), a total of $400/month. We also strongarmed our cable/internet/phone provider and successfully got them to reduce our bill by $40/month. There is finally competition in Manhattan! We both recently got new jobs that pay more, and that 'extra' income goes directly into our savings accounts instead of us 'living larger' and buying more expensive clothes, going out more often, etc. Logistically we are saving money on our wedding by having the ceremony and reception right next to each other - we don't need to provide any transportation. We almost never order takeout and always use leftovers for dinner the next night or lunch the next day. This saves a ton of money! Since FH's family is in Michigan and we live in NYC, I insist on buying plane tickets way in advance before the prices get crazy. And the biggest way we save money is by staying in my ground-floor brownstone apartment paying rent well below our means (which I negotiated a discount on for a two year lease) when we should be living in a newly constructed highrise doorman building like everyone else our age! Dancy905 on "How are you $aving?" http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/how-are-you-saving#post-476266 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:37:31 +0000 Dancy905 476266@http://boards.weddingbee.com/ Great ideas ladies! Keep em coming! For groceries - we do the majority of ours at Stop & Shop, Costco & Stew Leonards (which I think is only in NY & CT but the dairy and fresh fruits & veggies are cheaper). We've given up Whole Foods. I love it there but it's just too $$$ and we only buy a few things from Trader Joe's cuz some of their products are cheaper than most chain grocery stores.  I signed up for the Stop&Shop circular to be emailed to me too. A co-worker of mine just told me about <a href="http://www.thegrocerygame.com." rel="nofollow">www.thegrocerygame.com.</a> Anyone ever hear of it or use it? it's a website that does the research for you. It has a list of the best deals so you don't even have to look at the circular. You cut coupons from the paper or internet every week and it tells you what coupons to use and when.   It does have a cost ($10 p/month for 1 store & $5 for each store after that) but, they have a free trial, which is what I'm going to sign up for. My coworker said she was hooked after the free trial & the site's already paid for itself in savings. MissyDoodle on "How are you $aving?" http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/how-are-you-saving#post-473379 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:27:06 +0000 MissyDoodle 473379@http://boards.weddingbee.com/ @Daniellemybelle- I had to save up for my kit fee for school (it was $1500), so what I used to do when waitressing was round down, like if I made $78 that night, I'd put the $8 away and I wouldn't ever cash in my change at the end of the night. Its money you don't ever notice and it adds up CRAZY fast.  Its hard for us to live frugal. Don't get me wrong, I always use coupons and we rarely buy things that aren't on sale when we go grocery shopping, but when it comes to going out to eat and doing things (we woke up the morning Cedar Point closed and decided to go) we are bad at that.   I haven't really started saving much because I just graduated from cosmetology school, so I'm in the process of getting my license but somethings we do are- Everytime I pay for something with cash, I always pay with the next dollar up and put the change in a jar, and when thats full (which is about $175 give or take) I cash it in. FI was working as a mechanic until he got his new job, so we scrap aluminum. It takes a while to get $50, but its not hard to do, it just takes up space in the garage. I'm going to go work at a chain salon (great clips, fantastic sams etc) 2 nights a week ontop of working in a regular salon and put everything I make from that paycheck into a seperate savings account. Plus everyone who I cut/color/wax at home, goes into that seperate account.     mskalinin on "How are you $aving?" http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/how-are-you-saving#post-473207 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:43:06 +0000 mskalinin 473207@http://boards.weddingbee.com/ You can get a digital converter box to receive over-the-air signals still in your analog TV. They were free for a while but I think at this point you would need to pay for it. Plus, if you have a newer TV and have internet through a cable provider, you can usually get the HD channels even without subscribing to a cable package. Its what we do right now and we get 18 channels (including ESPN). Other ways we save money: - We usually eat at home, but when we do go out we only order water for drinks. Ordering coke or something else can add $6-$10 to your bill. - We don't have a cell phone, only vonage. - Always tunr all lights off and unplug power cords at the wall, this saves on electricity. Our bills range from $25-$31 per month (we don't pay for heating). - CouponMom.com is very helpful! - We also don't keep snacks in the house, this helps save money and keep us healthier, too! Jacqi on "How are you $aving?" http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/how-are-you-saving#post-473127 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:10:25 +0000 Jacqi 473127@http://boards.weddingbee.com/ @Mandy- you should put that money in a savings account to start earning some interest! Instead of keeping the money in the jar for a visual, you can make one of those thermometer posters to track your savings. I cut and dye my own hair, pluck my own eyebrows, do my own nails, etc. Luckily I don't have easy access to a gourmet coffee shop on my way to work anymore, so that definitely saves me. The biggest place I've noticed we've been saving money is on food. I used to find new recipes and then purchase everything for that specific recipe (easily $40). Between the 2 of us, we'd go to the grocery store a couple times a week. Now we plan out our weekly meals and write a shopping list and our grocery bills are sooo much lower. Also, we don't drink as much, so that really saves us money (and calories!). And I also love my crock pot :) kit_cat on "How are you $aving?" http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/how-are-you-saving#post-472564 Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:38:31 +0000 kit_cat 472564@http://boards.weddingbee.com/ There have been some great ideas already!  Here are some of mine: 1. Both bf and myself have cellphone plans with unlimited evenings/weekends...so we decided to cancel our home phone.  And we bought a long distance phone card which we use periodically with our cellphones.  This has saved us $55 a month. 2. I can't live without internet so instead we down graded to lite speed.  It just takes a little getting used to. 3. We also downgraded our cable to their basic digital cable. 4. Instead of going out for dinner we eat in most of the time.  Every other friday we'll get a bottle of wine, light some candles and then watch whatever movie that is on local tv. 5. Bf had some student loan debt so to save on the interest we found a 0% interest balance transfer credit card for 15 months.  We transferred his debt and are trying to have it paid before the time runs out. 6. Once or twice a month instead of a movie night we'll go for a drive and then go to starbucks for a coffee.  7.  We try to put all our monthly expenses (i.e. groceries, utilities, cable, internet) thru our credit card which in turn gives us a 1% cash back.  Of course we pay our credit card in full every month.  The cash back is a nice perk. 8. I make many slow cooker meals which lasts us almost the whole week! 9. I've signed up with many retailers that send out e-mail notices for coupons. 10. Before I go grocery shopping I check all the grocery store flyers to choose which is best to shop at.  I always buy groceries with a list and try to stick to only the items on the list! Its all I think of for now.  I'm sure there's more but it just becomes the norm that I don't really think about it being cost saving..I guess thats a good thing. Hope its helpful. mary-alice-me on "How are you $aving?" http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/how-are-you-saving#post-469471 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:13:30 +0000 mary-alice-me 469471@http://boards.weddingbee.com/ Good tips!! If you have an HDTV, you can still use an antenna. HD over the air reception is really great, but this only works if you get reception and if you have a newer HD tv. I also love retailmenot and just started Googling for coupon codes. Of course, this only works for things you're already going to buy. We all know that getting a deal for something you don't need isn't saving. I'm sure this will really come in handy for holiday gift shopping. I still get Netflix. I'm on the plan for about $8/month that gives me 1 DVD at a time plus unlimited streaming. I watch all I want, even though not everything is available on streaming. One thing I do is to give myself little splurges so I'm not tempted to make a big splurge I can't handle. Like, a dinner out with a coupon (try looking for gift certificates on resturants.com) or getting a coffee out ($4 instead of $40). I also like saving FOR something rather than just saving. It also makes it harder to raid that savings stash when you already have plans for it (wedding, vacation, house, car, etc.). MstoMrs on "How are you $aving?" http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/how-are-you-saving#post-454223 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:09:07 +0000 MstoMrs 454223@http://boards.weddingbee.com/ Great ideas ladies. My biggest thing is trying to get my CC debt paid off, while I'm in grad school. FI is doing alot more since I'm a full time PhD student, and of my money goes towards my living expenses. LatteLove on "How are you $aving?" http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/how-are-you-saving#post-453699 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:13:57 +0000 LatteLove 453699@http://boards.weddingbee.com/ We're living frugally by necessaity.  DH's loans are deferred while he's in grad school (and thankfully they're federal subsidized!) We spend all of my paycheck on the necessities, so now much savings going on, although that would nice.  The goal is to get used to living on what I make now so when I get raises/promotions and DH gets employed, we can pay off loans and put away savings with the rest of the money. Some money saving tips: <ol> <li>we tag along with DH's mom to Costco and buy what we can store, in bulk.  So I'll get a large package of porkchops or chicken or cheese, and we'll split it up into small package and freeze some for later.</li> <li>Because we live in SoCal where things grow year round, I've been searching farmer's markets for some produce that is cheaper (and better) than grocery store.</li> <li>We never go out to lunch, and I stopped my starbucks :-(</li> <li>We have a date night about every other week, and try to find a palce with a special or use coupons</li> <li>We have one car and drive to work/school together.  Obviously this isn't possible for most people, but I work at the school DH attends, so we can for the most part, survive one vbehicle which is less gas, insurance, car payment, etc.</li> <li>Decorating our house with DIY projects and thrift store finds.  This is great motivation because even though we're renting a place, I hate for it to look bare, so I'm forced to be creative and frugal.</li> <li>I used retailmenot and other coupon code sites, as well as coupon.com for grocery coupons.  It takes time, but we have more of that than $ right now!</li> </ol> It's not always easy, but we know we're setting ourselves up for a better life!   mouse on "How are you $aving?" http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/how-are-you-saving#post-451787 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:50:49 +0000 mouse 451787@http://boards.weddingbee.com/ It's always a good idea to call your cable or internet provider to see if they have any specials going.  Or try switching to a competing one for a better rate.  You could also give up your internet connection and try to get your internet fix at local cafes/libraries/universities, though this definitely wouldn't work for everyone. Make your coffee at home in the morning instead of buying it every day--this can save SO MUCH $$. I've been selling leftover stuff from the wedding.