Deals.Woot

Instead of making it rain with $1 bills, I make it hail with nickles.

@portezbie: You reminded me. I also started brown bagging to work too. I am amazed at how much money that saves. I feel a little left out when most of the others go out to lunch, but at least for now it is well worth it. :)

I have an excel spreadsheet set up to show not only my current income and expenses, but also estimated finances for the remainder of my fiscal year. So knowing what i expect to get from work, what I spent monthly on bills, average spending for food and gas, and expected monthly savings, I have an idea of how a purchase now affects following months. That helps to keep me in line from buying frivolous purchases and helps me map out the long term affects of financial change.

I researched our utilities and changed trash/recycle service (saved >$100/yr), installed better insulation, and am trying to talk my husband into ditching our Satellite service in favor of Netflix/Amazon.

I brown bag it at work four days a week. I still go out on Fridays, but I save a ton by eating leftovers Monday through Thursday.

I ditched cable in favor of OTA TV plus Netflix streaming. This had the added benefit of making more productive, as I only watch TV when I want to and not just to "veg out."

I combine trips to save on gas. Instead of going to Target one day and the grocery store the next, I do both on the same day. This habit actually adds up to a noticeable savings on gas as well as time.

I don't impulse buy. If I determine I really want or need something, I try to watch for deals before purchasing.

Make my coffee at home.

Bought my heating propane in bulk in advance.

Changed my power provider to a cheaper one (NY is deregulated)

Bought my health insurance through my Chamber of Commerce instead of work and saved $70 a month.

"Use it up, wear it out, Make it do, Do without" is our household motto. We are a one income, two adults, two children household so this is a must.

In addition:

cut the cable (no TV)
cancelled the paper
don't eat out
pay cash (where possible)
use heating and cooling conservatively
participate in food ministries
shop discounts or closeouts
brown bag it to lunch everyday

All that said, prices are going up, my paycheck is going down, my son is a senior which means graduation expenses and college visits. Life is rough but we are doing our best.

These are all great ideas. What a smart thread!

As for me, I try to be smart -
- heater down, heated blanket use up
- coffee machine keeps impulse coffee runs down when working at home
- if I'm looking for a certain appliance or thing, check woot first!
- invest in higher quality things vs things that will be tossed out/break in a year
- I read lifehacker, they usually have neat tricks and ideas sometimes (http://lifehacker.com/5872627/the-best-time-to-buy-anything-in-2012?tag=best-time-to-buy for example)
- Thrift stores and second-hand clothing stores are not just for hipsters!

That said, I know I can always do better and think this thread is helpful for that.

We're saving for a wedding, so we are trying to save on top of having an already tight budget

-Brown-bagging
-Buying freezable food items in bulk (meats, etc)
-Paying attention to the "cost per unit" part of the price tag at grocery stores (saved a bunch on dog food last night)
-buying long-lasting things at a higher price as opposed to cheap-o junk at a lower price (works well with clothing, appliances, etc)
-DIY-ing (I own a sewing machine, which makes custom drapes or a new dog bed possible and cheaper)

The best thing I've done is open a savings account with a different bank than the one I primarily use. That way, I can't transfer money as easily if my checking account balance is getting low. It also tricks me into thinking I have less money than I do because it isn't factored into the "total balance" when I'm banking online. I have a checking account attached to it, so I can use it in an emergency (I never let the balance drop below what I need to survive for a month).

Start with a plan that is cash only. I'm more of a Dave Ramsey person, than a Suze Orman. You think a lot harder about spending $100 that's actually in your pocket than "just put it on the card" and deal with it later kind of mentality. A good budget is actually freeing, because you add in the things you want/need and let yourself do them. If your budget doesn't allow those things, which probably means you are spending more than you are making, then you'll feel restricted on what a "budget" stands for.