Money Saving Tips! What are yours?

itsbob

I bowl overhand
Great Ideas and feedback everyone! My ideas in starting the thread were just to open the door. That makes alot of sense about the deductible.

I now "chase" the grocery store adds and stock up on the things we always use.
I have a foodsaver and buy in bulk when meats are on sale and seal and freeze everything.

I also buy most of my meats at Nicks in Prince Frederick when they are on sale...or Giant, sometimes Walmart.

Another idea is to check with your bank to make sure your not paying a service fee for your checking/savings acct. many ways to avoid that.

My brand new daughter in law is an extreme clipper. She left Wal Mart 2 weeks ago with $175 worth of stuff and they paid her $8 to take it out of the store.
 

GardeningGal

New Member
Great Ideas and feedback everyone! My ideas in starting the thread were just to open the door. That makes alot of sense about the deductible.

I now "chase" the grocery store adds and stock up on the things we always use.
I have a foodsaver and buy in bulk when meats are on sale and seal and freeze everything.

I also buy most of my meats at Nicks in Prince Frederick when they are on sale...or Giant, sometimes Walmart.

Another idea is to check with your bank to make sure your not paying a service fee for your checking/savings acct. many ways to avoid that.

and OF COURSE I shop at BJ's..I like BJ's meats better than a regular grocery store..but not better than Nicks.
 

Dupontster

Would THIS face lie?
This is a good thread to post this I guess.. Never happened before but yesterday I got a Home Energy Report from SMECO. They did a comparasion last month of my electric compared to my neighbors. I used 53% more than my neighbors.. They even had a little chart at the bottom that showed where I used 56% more and that it cost me $888 more per year. Then on the back it told me ways to save like cut 1 minute off your daily shower, use motion sensor outside lights, choosing an energy efficient freezer, etc, etc, etc. Has anyone else ever received anything like this?
 

libby

New Member
This is a good thread to post this I guess.. Never happened before but yesterday I got a Home Energy Report from SMECO. They did a comparasion last month of my electric compared to my neighbors. I used 53% more than my neighbors.. They even had a little chart at the bottom that showed where I used 56% more and that it cost me $888 more per year. Then on the back it told me ways to save like cut 1 minute off your daily shower, use motion sensor outside lights, choosing an energy efficient freezer, etc, etc, etc. Has anyone else ever received anything like this?

A friend of mine did, and found out they were 26% above the neighbors. They had the house built with every energy saving item they could find, so she was quite surprised. I definitely wouldn't consider them...wasteful, or anything. Makes one wonder what the investment was for.

In our home, (as in my friends) I wonder if it has anything to do with being stay-at-home moms with children. I asked her if most of her neighbors might be gone all day, perhaps that accounts for the differemce.
 

MMDad

Lem Putt
A friend of mine did, and found out they were 26% above the neighbors. They had the house built with every energy saving item they could find, so she was quite surprised. I definitely wouldn't consider them...wasteful, or anything. Makes one wonder what the investment was for.

In our home, (as in my friends) I wonder if it has anything to do with being stay-at-home moms with children. I asked her if most of her neighbors might be gone all day, perhaps that accounts for the differemce.

Most electricity is used to make things hot or cold, whether that is air, water, or food. The other family might do fewer loads of laundry, close off unused rooms, take shorter showers (or not bathe), open the fridge less often, have better insulation, or any of a number of other things. Turning off lights and TV do relatively little to impact your usage.

I upgraded my heat pump a couple of years ago from 10 SEER to 16 SEER. I'm saving as much as $100/month during the summer and $200/month in the winter. Programmable thermostat is also a great saver, but if you're stay at home you wouldn't have the setback like we do. Sure, it costs money to do these upgrades but that's a fact of life. Sometimes it takes money to save money.

There were tax credits when I replaced mine, so in the long run I ended up breaking even on my upgrade after only a couple of years.
 

GardeningGal

New Member
This is a good thread to post this I guess.. Never happened before but yesterday I got a Home Energy Report from SMECO. They did a comparasion last month of my electric compared to my neighbors. I used 53% more than my neighbors.. They even had a little chart at the bottom that showed where I used 56% more and that it cost me $888 more per year. Then on the back it told me ways to save like cut 1 minute off your daily shower, use motion sensor outside lights, choosing an energy efficient freezer, etc, etc, etc. Has anyone else ever received anything like this?

I love that. Was the energy report free? Was it on the premise to get you to put in their thermostat or something?
 

Dupontster

Would THIS face lie?
I love that. Was the energy report free? Was it on the premise to get you to put in their thermostat or something?

No, didn't sound like they were trying to sell anything. Yes, it was free. Just came in the mail. I didn't request it or have never seen anything like it..
 

LuckyMe143

New Member
I clean all vents once a week.
Make my own cleaning solution.
Do laundry between 5am-9am
Run dishwasher at night after 9pm.
Brick in the toilet tanks.
Drink water or tea.
Everyone uses 1 cup all day.
Coupons, coupons, coupons!
 
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GardeningGal

New Member
I clean all vents once a week.
Make my own cleaning solution.
Do laundry between 5am-9am
Run dishwasher at night after 9pm.
Brick in the toilet tanks.
Drink water or tea.
Everyone uses 1 cup all day.
Coupons, coupons, coupons!

Why do you have different times for laundry and dishwasher? I work in the morning so that won't work for me.

What's the cleaning solution recipe?

Brick in the toilet tanks. Do you see that much difference in your water bill? Guess every bit less you use does add up.
 

LuckyMe143

New Member
Why do you have different times for laundry and dishwasher? I work in the morning so that won't work for me.

What's the cleaning solution recipe?

Brick in the toilet tanks. Do you see that much difference in your water bill? Guess every bit less you use does add up.

I was always told its cheaper. I noticed when I didn't do it for a month my bill was higher. As far as the water bill you are allotted a certain amount of gallons for a price. If you go over they charge you. So far I have not gone over. I'll have to check old bills and compare. My all purpose cleaner is vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and dawn dish soap. I use to make my own laundry powder soap but I find the big 14 pound arm and hammer detergent cost the same to buy as to make and last just as long.
 

abcxyz

New Member

bresamil

wandering aimlessly
This is a good thread to post this I guess.. Never happened before but yesterday I got a Home Energy Report from SMECO. They did a comparasion last month of my electric compared to my neighbors. I used 53% more than my neighbors.. They even had a little chart at the bottom that showed where I used 56% more and that it cost me $888 more per year. Then on the back it told me ways to save like cut 1 minute off your daily shower, use motion sensor outside lights, choosing an energy efficient freezer, etc, etc, etc. Has anyone else ever received anything like this?

Yep we got one and were higher than our 64% higher than our "most efficient" neighbors. With the number of additional kids in and out of my house and the varied schedules I thought we'd be higher.
The funny thing is all of my neighbors got one saying they were higher as well. We think the efficient neighbors are the house that sat empty for months and the one where a single guy lives and was deployed for six months.
 

MarieB

New Member
Coupon Sites!
Do you have one? Please share.
Here are a couple I know of.
Grocery Coupons in Washington | Washington Post

Free Printable Coupons, Grocery Coupons & Online Coupons | Coupons.com

Has anyone had a problem with any of the stores in the area not accepting the online coupons?

I used to use grocery game. There is a monthy fee for it that was worth it for awhile. They offer one month free, and it's easy to cancel. Coupon mom is very similar and is always free. I'm currently "stockpiling" coupons again (no, I don't steal them :biggrin: ) and trying to figure out what the coupon policies are here in the stores so i can start again. You can also buy coupons online. I would recommend trying grocery game for a month to learn the system, and compare it to the coupon mom list during that month. Before you start either, stock up on at least several weeks of coupons. I used to get a double Sunday paper. I could tell you more about how it works if you'd like. I can't speak for the stores here, but I know several where we used to live stopped accepting online coupons. I never bothered with them much anyway, but I can post the ones I have bookmarked later. Some grocery stores have clip less coupons that ou can load onto your shopper's card. Maybe the stores here have them as well

Other than that, I mostly shop at BJ's and sometimes Costco. We are downgrading our Costco membership and upgrading our BJ's and getting their credit card. The cash back will more than cover the membership, the same as it did for Costco before we moved

For cleaning, I mostly use tea tree oil mixed with water.

We always make extra for dinner so that my husband can take leftovers for lunch.
 

somdfunguy

not impressed
Generic is 99% of the time as good as name brand. No coupon necessary. Coupons normally are for crappy unhealthy foods. Try to stick to the outside edges when shopping and you will save and feel better.
 

Dakota

~~~~~~~
Yep we got one and were higher than our 64% higher than our "most efficient" neighbors. With the number of additional kids in and out of my house and the varied schedules I thought we'd be higher.
The funny thing is all of my neighbors got one saying they were higher as well. We think the efficient neighbors are the house that sat empty for months and the one where a single guy lives and was deployed for six months.

We were locked into emergency heat last month so our bill was slightly higher. We had to have a sensor replaced but I've mentioned before that my heating system is 16-17 years old and actually (knock on wood) running well for the age.
 
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