Cheap Economy

Saving money tips submitted by Samantha (HereToday). Thank you, Samantha!

• Turn off those Lights! I could spend half the night following my family and turning off the lights they leave on. Instead, I showed my kids the light bill and I told them whatever we saved on the bill would be used for a treat. Pizza, movie tickets or rentals is a good incentive to save the lights.
• Each Saturday and Wednesday, farmers come from their outlying land with the freshest vegetables, fruit, eggs, honey, beeswax candles, and bread. The prices are very competitive, and most of the food is organic. If you have a farmer’s market near you, check it out. Bring your own bag.
• I am a big believer in cooking double batches whenever I can. I do this with mashed potatoes, soup, curry, stir-fry, etc. Take a nice container of stir fry, for example, and heat it up in the office microwave. You’ll have people come round to ask you where you bought such a heavenly lunch.
• Visit your local library and check out the DVDs they have for rental, all for free. You can find movies, series, history, dance, and much more. If your local library is stocked like mine, it could take you months to check out everything they have to offer. Check out the CD music they also have that you can check out for free!

You might not save on food but you will save time and energy costs. And you’ll learn how to make the best of leftovers. Sometimes my husband grills a bunch of meat on the weekend. We store it in an air tight container in the fridge and use the meat throughout the next few days. All I have to do is make sides. This is also a better alternative to have your meals in advance and stay away from frozen foods.

I had the cheapest family plan with Verizon: 700 minutes per month with 1500 text messages on my phone. I don’t use it other than to make phone calls or text message. Between me and my husband, we were using about 400-500 minutes per month. The bill was over $100 by the time you tack on all the fees.

About two months ago, he decides to try the Tracfone: a prepaid cell phone company. The phone came free under a  “Double Minutes” plan which means any card you buy will load double the minutes to your phone. It’s two months later and he still has over 300 minutes left with an initial investment of $80.

I got mine last month. It was a Motorola flip phone. I keep expecting problems but prepaid has really shaped up its act. I love my double minute plan. And they have choices for “normal” phones that aren’t those ugly prepaid ones. My initial investment was $30 for the phone (the better phones cost a little more) and about $30 for the minutes.

With a normal cell phone plan you pay for the same amount of minutes no matter how many you use. For people like me who don’t use their cell phone much, it becomes too much of an expense. Prepaid phones allow you to pay for what you use without being in a contract and subject to fees.

If there’s one thing you can live without, it’s cable TV. We have about 5 channels that come in and learn to make due with what’s on at the time. Plus, it has forced us to stop depending so much on TV for entertainment and spend more time with our creative minds. :)

If you are paying for lunch every day for work consider bringing leftovers from dinner. They are healthier and can save you money each month. I was paying about $7 for lunch everyday which adds up to about $140 a month. The same goes for breakfast. If you don’t have time to eat breakfast in the morning, consider purchasing breakfast bars or bananas.

Karen’s Tip: About five years ago we bought a wonderful 1990 Subaru from a very nice elderly man who had just lost his wife and had moved into a retirement village and didn’t need the car anymore. It was spotless and kept in mint condifion. As the couple were elderly, they hadn’t really driven it all that long. We have a great car and a good deal. Dealing with this nice elderly gent got us all what we wanted. It could behoove you to look into a deal like we did.

Molly writes: In the last ten to fifteen years, organic farming has exploded into popularity. This brings the price of organic down, which is good. I also like to drive out to the farms to buy from them direct. It’s a nice drive, you get to meet the folk who make your food, and it really keeps your interest up into buying lots more organic.

Molly writes: You can add any number of grains, nuts, seeds, etc to your trusty bread machine, and then let it run as you do your errands. When you come home you have wonderful bread that would be half the price of a custom loaf of bread from the baker’s or the store.

Vegetables and fruit from local farmer markets are tastier and cheaper on the wallet. I’m lucky enough to have a Mennonite store here in mid-Missouri. They bake fresh bread daily, have real butter, and a large room of homemade spices. I recently bought a cabinet full for pennies on the dollar (pictured right) totaling about $40 which would have cost me 5x that amount in normal stores.

Buying cars new isn’t always the best choice. As soon as you drive a new vehicle off the lot, it losses its value. Buying a used vehicle can help cut costs down to 1/3.  Of course there are downsides such as warranties with new cars. It depends on what your needs and wants are.

Look in the paper for used cars from individuals. If you go this route, here are some basic tips:

• Test drive the vehicle on various road conditions.
• Ask for the vehicle’s maintenance record.
• Hire a mechanic to inspect the vehicle.
• Get all promises in writing.
• Get a bill of sale upon purchase.
• Check the title and verify ownership.
• Check the blue book value.
• Note the mileage.