15 Things I Do To Save Money Meme

August 29, 2007

Tiffany tagged me with this meme, and frugality is one of my favorite subjects so I’m happy to oblige! Of course, if you’ve already read hers, many of mine will sound awfully familiar. We’re cyber doppelgangers, after all.

  1. I try as often as possible to buy used to keep things out of landfills. Thrift stores, eBay, yard sales, books and CDs on Amazon.com, etc.
  2. I breastfed my kids. So not only did I save on the cost of baby formula, but I saved on Doctor bills too, and probably orthodontia in the future since mine nurse in terms of years, not months.
  3. I’m a minimalist and don’t enjoy shopping, so I have few clothes/shoes, minimal furnishings (less to dust and clean around!), etc. Of course, if I had an unlimited budget and the new 2008 IKEA catalog, it might be different. LOL
  4. I have a well worn library card and use it for cheap entertainment (movies, kid videos, and of course tons of books but also other free stuff like seeing the symphony for free, professional storytellers, African dancers, etc). Before I buy a book I get online and reserve it using my library’s website, and read it to see if I want to make the investment.
  5. Homeschooling, oddly enough, saves me a lot of money. I save money on clothes and lunches, and since I design my own eclectic curriculum, I get a lot of my homeschool stuff used at yard sales and homeschool swaps and for free online. There’s also no gas running kids back and forth to school.
  6. I’ve learned to cut the kid’s hair. By watching the stylist carefully, reading a book on cutting hair and just common sense, I can do a good job of trimming the kid’s hair so that they can go several months inbetween getting a professional cut.
  7. Hand me downs. I save the kid’s outgrown clothes that are still in good shape and keep them for the next kid, or give them away. When you do this, people will give stuff to you. I’ve found that there are two kinds of parents: people who think that accepting hand me downs is shameful, and those who think it’s great. I’m definitely the latter! I get all kinds of great stuff from parents who are too busy (like working outside the home Moms) to deal with consigning or selling their used stuff.
  8. I don’t buy toys. They get more than enough from the Grandparents and stuff they buy themselves from their own savings. I prefer to give my kids experiences. We have an Atlanta Zoo pass and have made good use of that. In the long run, it’s cheaper to buy passes to places you’ll visit more than twice, especially with a larger family.
  9. We don’t eat out much. Maybe once a week I’ll take the kids to Moe’s on kids eat free day. It’s healthy and cheap.
  10. I avoid any and all nuisance fees. I don’t “do” bounced check charges, late fees for anything (from movies to bill and credit card payments), I only do free checking accounts, etc. Right now I’m spending ZERO in interest on my credit card because I transferred my (already very low) balance over to a new card and will have it paid off before the introductory 0% interest expires.
  11. Tracking my spending. For several months I’ve written down every purchase I’ve made. At first, I surprised myself at how much money I spent in certain categories. But now, the simple act of having to write it down really makes me think twice.
  12. Choosing to be a stay at home/work at home Mom. I avoid spending extra money on cas for commuting, daycare, work clothes, lunches out, convenience dinners etc. I also earn far more than I could ever earn outside the home. In fact I earn over 4 times as much per hour as I did at my last job, which was a supervisor at Starbucks. :-)
  13. Cloth diapering all 4 of my kids. Not only did that save a lot of dough on diapers, but I’m convinced they train earlier. Similar to this is using other cloth alternatives to disposable stuff, like my beloved Act Natural Microfiber Mop (instead of Swiffer style gadgets) and microfiber cleaning cloths.
  14. Low maintenance beauty. I don’t fight nature too much. A little makeup, a pair of well fitting indigo jeans, cute top and girly sneakers or flip flops is my look. I have wavy/curly and very thick hair and don’t try to fight it. I’m wash and wear, baby! I choose hairstyles that fit my hair texture and that don’t need cuts every 6 weeks. I don’t do manicures because when I’m stressed I just tear into my cuticles anyway, and I do my own toes and hair removal procedures. I don’t do trends and prefer a classic look that won’t embarrass me when I look at pictures of myself in 5 years.
  15. And finally, one thing I do to save money is to actually save money. LOL! On the first of every month I have a set amount automatically transferred from my checking to savings account. I also use a debit card that rounds up my purchases automatically and puts the change in my savings account. I LOVE this. So when I pump gas, for example, I always pump a penny over, intentionally. I never miss the change and it really adds up.

So what about you?

Alyssa at Life From my Laptop

Gala Darling

Barb at Feels Like Magic

Lynette at Moms Gadgets

 

 

 

Posted by carrie | Filed Under Uncategorized 

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Comments

7 Responses to “15 Things I Do To Save Money Meme”

  1. Lynette Chandler on August 29th, 2007 7:42 pm

    Oh wow now you’re putting me on the spot LOL.

    You’re a lot like me in the wash and wear department.

  2. Tiffany@naturemoms.com on August 29th, 2007 9:26 pm

    Great list! I need a mop like that….unfortunatley Amazon doesn’t have any in stock right now I see.

    And I have never heard of a debit card that helps you save change. I need to ask my bank about that!

    But I do have a PayPal debit card and account and I get 5% interest on my balance every month and 1% cash back on all purchaes so that adds up. :)

  3. Lori on August 29th, 2007 11:04 pm

    Wow Carrie — What I’m most impressed about is the haircuts! I think I may have to look into that as well. With four kids that isn’t such a small expense anymore.

    For years I went without haircuts at all to save money… but just recently I did go in and get several inches taken off. And I’ve got to say — I might have to make that a regular thing :)

    I also breastfeed extensively and am grateful to have avoided that expense.

    Cool Meme. :)

  4. Sharon@New Urban MOm on August 30th, 2007 4:07 am

    Well I’m with you on the shopping…I hate it! I’d like to develop the habit of writing down every purchase. I’ve tried to do that before but didn’t stick with it because I kept forgetting. I like the idea re: the zoo pass. The best part about your list is that it sounds like great fun and good experiences for the family.

  5. How To Save Money on August 30th, 2007 7:32 am

    That was a good read and very practical!

    If you want more tips on how to save money, visit my blog http://learnhowtosavemoney.blogspot.com/

  6. Jill Norvelle on September 3rd, 2007 3:33 pm

    I breastfed my kids, wash dishes by hand, hang my clothes to dry outside in the sun, I cut my kids and husbands hair, shop at resale stores and then sell the good ones back when my kids out grow them, I shop at the end of the seasons for clothes for everyone in the family, I will make foods from scratch and make big batches and freeze them for later use, I grow my own herbs and compost the soil, I made my own babyfood, I will walk to the store down the street rather than drive, we have a programable thermostate and use fans, I burn wood in the winter to help with heating costs, clip coupons, and shop at a wellness company and earn all my safe consumable household products for free by referring others to the store…get info here… http://www.Mommieshome.biz

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