I am just recently not working becasue of my RA. I'm waiting for approval for my LTD. I'll be without my income for a while. I'd like to know what you do to cut back on expenses and how you get by when financial times are tight. We live paycheck to paycheck. Not very smart on my part but the little savings we had is gone. Not driving to work everyday with the gas prices is a big help, but not nearly enough. I've called the cable & telephone co.'s and cut down there, and have been hanging laundry outside to help with electric bill. Any suggestions would be appreciated!Buy things in bulk if you can especially stuff like laundry detergent, dish detergent and shower/bath gel, pet food. See if you can pay your bills in small weekly or fortnightly installments, when the bill is due you have already paid most of it and you don't get hit with a whopping big bill (especially good for electricity or natural gas bills). Just a couple of little ideas. Hope they help.
I have a few tips here for you.
As far as the laundry goes, I go one step further with hanging clothes outside on the line. All year round I hang up my laundry. I bought 2 indoor clothes dryers and put them in a spare room. The only time I use my dryer is to fluff things up once they're dry from hanging. We recently bought a new front loading washing machine and matching dryer. The washing machine doesn't use as much water as the regular top loaders do. They use less electricity and you can wash more per load as well. I absolutely love my new set, but wasn't sure if I needed the dryer since I very seldom use it....but we got it anyway. I know you're not looking to buy anything like this at this time, but I put that info in in case there are others here thinking about buying a new washing machine. Oh...also when washing, use cold water.
What about newspapers? If you get those delivered, u can always cancel that and read news online.
It's amazing the amount of impulse spending we all do. I usually talk myself out of purchases before I leave the store. If I really don't need it, I don't buy it.
If you have a freezer, and the cupboard space, always stock up on sale items you use.
Have a yard sale for items you no longer need.
Go to the library...books, magazines, movies...no cost.
Check out different insurance companies for house or car. You may be surprised at how much you can save by switching over. We recently did this.
You'll find all kinds of "frugal living" type sites online. Tons of info out there.
Good Luck!
Maybe you could refinance your mortgage?? It may be too late for that.
Cook with beans and legumes. A bag of dried split peas is 50 cents. Makes a great soup with carrots etc.
Get rid of cable. Rent movies at your library.
Here are a few ideas for saving money that have worked for me:
I stopped washing clothes in warm water and went to cold water only for everything except whites. It is astounding how much oil we are saving (we have an oil-fired furnace and hot water heater).
I raised my deductible on my auto insurance policy and dropped the glass coverage - saved me hundreds each year.
Turn off the printer for your computer when you are not using it. It actually pulls quite a bit of power sitting there waiting for you to send something to print, when you only use it occasionally.
Volunteer at your local theater. Our local theater uses an all volunteer staff of ushers. We get to see all the shows we want to for free, just by taking people to their seats before the show. Once the show starts, we're done and we can sit and enjoy it along with everyone else! We call it our cheap date and do it a couple of times a month.
Check Craig's List and your local classifieds for free or low cost items people are just wanting to get rid of. My daughter just got a beautiful IKEA entertainment center for her 1st apartment for free, because someone was changing their decor. It's in perfect condition, with lighted glass shelves and not a scratch on it. All she had to do was get some friends to take it apart and move it out of the persons apartment for them!
Have your car serviced by students at your local technical high school. I haven't tried it yet, but friends of ours swear by it. All the work is done under the supervision of the instructors, and the kids really want to do a good job, so they put in the extra effort that your local mechanic might not.
Hope those ideas help.
Those are all really good ideas. I am not that good at saving money, but I can reduce my grocery bill by planning meals in advance and making my grocery list based on the menu. That way I can buy things in bulk/family size packaging. When I want to cut my grocery bill down I make tea at home instead of buying sodas and I also make use of beans and lentils. A big pot of red beans and rice is cheap, easy, and delicious.The previous suggestions all work well, but if you're in the same situation I was in a couple of years ago, then times are REALLY tight. I mean like how am I going to pay rent, light bill, etc.
Apply for food stamps. It's not a fun thing to do, but if you are without income and applied for disability, it's pretty much a shoe in that you will get them. While you are at the food stamp office, ask for assistance with utility bills, food, rent , etc. They most likely will have telephone numbers for places that offer assistance. Don't wait until the mid or end of the month either. These places run out of money the first week of the month. Call now for the month of June.
Ditch cable or satelite TV. I know it sucks, but that's a savings of about to per month. If you have both a home phone and a cell phone, drop one and go to the other as your main line. Also if you decide to go totally cellular, reduce your monthly minutes. Get rid of all extra monthly costs. No dry cleaning, no movies, no eating out...nothing!!! Again it just sucks! Also, what type of internet service do you have? If it is broadband, DSL, etc., can it. Go with some cheap dial-up. Another savings of -50 per month.
For me, it was a matter of swallowing my pride and just applying for everything under the sun. I didn't get much, but the help I did get save my butt!
Good luck,
Joe
Wow, what wonderful ideas! I can't wait to start trying them. Thanks, you guys are the best.Ps look for places that buy out over abundance of stoick from grocery stores you can get real good deals. I have one in ther area and we go at least once a month or so. I get all my noodles, some can goods and some other real good buys on groceries. There is nothing wrong with the items, just too much of them.
Lot's of good advice here!
Hey Meme...Steve and I do the breakfast thing for supper quite often. We'll have pancakes, oatmeal or cream of wheat. Very cheap meal and I actually feel better eating something like that than a heavier meal.
Here's a site I found that looks prety good
All are wonderful ideas and I have done many of them. Something else I am doing is unplugging things that I don't use much until I want to use them: printer, my stereo, I was able to empty and unplug the freezer and I turn off the circuit breaker to the hot water heater and turn it on about half an hour before showers and doing dishes and then turn it back off.
Good Luck
One of the ways I save/ get extra money is from my recycling. I save all of my glass jars/bottles, water bottles, juice/ soda bottles, soda/beer cans. I even have some of my neighbors saving for me. Once a week, I load up the car with my recycling and turn it in. It's a easy way to come up with to .Here's some links I use:
The Dollar Stretcher is my favorite.
Also check out your state employment and medical assistance web sites. Arizona puts informaton on theirs that tells you how to deal with unemployment etc. They call it the Department of Economic Security and help with things like food stamps. Other things that they might not mention, but are available are lists of where you can get free good boxes or food sites that allow to work for a box of food, utilities, rent, etc.
If medicine becomes a problem, check with your doctor's first. In some cases, local churches have funds available to help with medicines.
Deanna - The Dollar Stretcher is great. I spent all morning there. I realized I'm already doing alot of frugal stuff. Opening the dishwasher to let dishes air dry, buying meat in bulk & freezing it when it's on sale & stocking up on other things when the sale is good. We live in the country so I plan my trips to town when I can get everything done 1 day a week. I don't get newspapers & we eat out or order out about once a month. We usually have a garden with tomatoes & cucummbers, my guys could and usually do live off them in the summer. My parents have a large garden with all kinds of vegtables, so I buy very little produce in the summer. This willl really help exp. this year. I've been to the goodwill & salvation army before & gotten a few things there. We live in very rural area so they don't usually have alot to chose from. I buy all my cleaning & spices at either the Dollar Store or Dollar General. With everone's suggestions and the website links I think I can do even better. Thanks again.Glad you liked the site. Sounds like you are already doing tons to save money.Clearing out the closets and garage by having a yard sale or selling on ebay can bring a little extra money and get some junk out of the way at the same time.I've been wanting to do that, but have saved it for when I feel better and go throught the crazy cleaning spree. We have lots of yard sales around here. thanks for reminding me, I need to get to that.My house is overflowing with stuff but we live in a fairly new subdivision...I dont know how successful a yard sale would be here. If you advertise in the local paper you usually get a good response. There are free web sites for advertising your yard sales. You can usually draw more people if you get a few of your neighbors to have sales on the same day and then ad. multi family sale. I have an extra washer and dryer that are less than 2 yrs old that I am trying to sell. I could use the extra money right now.We live in a new subdivision and the yard sales here bring in tons of ppl. You should give it a try
Here are some things we fixed....
1) Phone company - we changed to lower cost companies and/or ones that offered incentives, always call the company in question and ask about specials, you can find some that they don't advertise. If you make long distance calls a lot, pay the extra for the calls to be included in your regular bill, this is more than regular cost, but in the long run can save money.
2) Cable TV- everyone needs cable most of the time where you live, but lower it to basics and maybe one movie channel if needed. If you have kids, take vhs recordings of favorite cartoons for days before it's shut off, you usually get until the end of the month before they turn it off (if you have kids and they watch cartoon network etc.)
3) Out to eat - no more!
4) Make your own food but check prices as sometimes pre-made food can cost less. Walmart .99 roasts a whole chicken for you in the deli and it is really good. Each pB sandwiches instead of deli meat. top roman noodles make good small dishes for spagetti etc. and you can get 4 - 6 for , make stews with crock pot with beef carrots and potatos as it makes a big batch for little money. Raw fruits make good sugar boosters when needed. Tacos with soft flower tortilla cheese and meat with lettac is cheap to make. Minipizzas with meat, tomato sauce and cheese on half english muffin etc.
5) Schedule errands on select days - go out tuesday and thursday to do shopping, bill paying etc. and do it all in one day. Also, some banks offer automatic bill paying where you can go online and pay it when ready (they don't always draft it out anymore) saves on gas.
6) Movies - if you love renting movies like we do, blockbuster offers a monthly payment around where you can rent as many as you like in one month. Rent on tuesday and Thursdays when you are out and return those days.
7) Buy Sunday paper - clip coupons and read ads before you shop.
8) Double coupon - some grocery stores still offer double coupon, also stores like windixie offer some buy one get one free every month.
9) BBQ - when we needed fun, we would BBQ our dinner and sit outside, make tea etc.
10) Go to lake, it's usually free in most states and you can enjoy the sun and relax without cost. Bring water with you and/or a snack.
11) Yard sale - if you have extra goodies, sell them. Also don't be afraid to shop 2nd hand stores as you can find great clothing etc. in wonderful condition.
12) Yard Sale hopper- some people buy cheap stuff at one yard sale, clean it up and sell it at their own on the weekends for more money also sell crafts, buy kid's clothing (always a plus to have baby clothes and plus size clothing for sale) etc. You can become a business owner with a yard sale. Also craft type items you can find at many can be turned into nice floral arrangements etc. if you are crafty to sell at your yard sale. Don't forget, you can also sell coke cans for from an ice chest on hot days with yard sales to make extra money, people always buy that.
13) Baby sit - if you find yourself out often, baby sitting in your home will help with extra cash. Compare your prices to child care centers but beat their price if you can by a couple dollars. Offering child care at night, really brings in the customers. Just make sure to take a free class at the YMCA or fire department in CPR & First Aid.
14) Always compare prices. You can shop online at Best Buy etc. for items and pick them up at the store to save shipping, but you can also check prices online and compare with other stores before buying.
15) eBay - sometimes you can buy what you need on ebay for less, just watch out for shipping prices as some add extra $ amounts to that and stick you there.
16) Clubs - unjoin any club membership you have, if you are at the YMCA, get out of it and walk the neighborhood.
17) Credit Cards - if you find a little extra cash, pay those off and "DO NOT" use them again unless emergancy happens. You just pile up more money out of your pocket each month.
My husband and i have been financially stricken many times.... most of our relationship, and have had to cut out sooooo much to make it. Remember to pray to go for help as you will be suprised how much he really does. With all the troubles (and we had a ton) we always had just enough money to make it. ALWAYS. When we had HUGE troubles, money would oddly come in. It built our faith tremendously, we had a child and struggles were hard cuz babies are expensive. But we made it.
Our worst time was in California and my husband's job was out cuz of rain (car wash) he made great money when it didn't rain. But rain was long and we ran out of money, right then someone got sick in his family and we had to move back home, we were about to loose everything and his family paid for us to move back home and helped get a job, car etc. The person was ok for years, but they were concerned on their health and wanted us there for support.
So, for me I believe god always helps provide, he helps those who help themselves and pray.
Don't worry, I'm not a church weirdo and don't go to church but should, but that's what works for me being low income.
I hope and pray for the best for you and that you get better and find another source of income to help.
I've been reading all of the ways to save money and I'm all ready doing most of them, but with housing prices soooooo high in Ca., I had to come up with another way to pay for my hugh rent increase.