How can you cut your bills right now? I know…and it may sound extreme, but it will work.
1. Block all collect calls, long distance, 1-900 numbers, and out of country calls from your home land line. It saved my family tons.
2. Use a 2 cent a minute phone card you can pick up almost any where to make calls from your home land line.
3. Pay close attention to those “package deals” the phone, cable company offers…yes you will save money on all the services they offer, but do you need all those services? I found it was cheaper to cut my phone to bare bones and basic DSL.
4. Garden…if your Pagan like me it will help you connect with Mother Earth. If not, geeze can it save on food bills! Pagans follow specific planting days as a matter of religion…well in my Tradition at least..but a good time to plant lettuce in the south is late Feb-Mar. This is also a great time to plant your flats of tomatoes, eggplants, squash, etc…
5. If you have kids get them involved in 4 H. This is a must. They have wonderful projects for home schooled kids and other kids. The poultry chain is a blessing educationally, monetarily, and nutritionally. They also have a wonderful Garden Contest. The kids learn so much. We do this not only for the yummy eggs and garden produce, but also for the wonderful education and self esteem boosting opportunities.
6. Learn to knit, crochet, sew or mend at least. Mending is most important as it saves on needing clothes as often. It also means you can pick up perfectly fine yard sale clothes that need a new button for nothing or next to it. Sewing is second most important because you can make anything out of a few scraps of cloth in path work style.
7. Buy second hand everything you must buy. I don’t mean just second hand either. Once you look around a second hand shop enough, you get a feel for a good price versus a “fair” price. If your kid needs shoes and you have to choose between holey ones for 50 cents and “fair” ones for three dollars…try to haggle the three dollar ones down. I don’t think anyone should pay three dollars for used shoes ever, but “fair” quality ones at that price is pure greed. I got the lady down to a dollar and settled. The only shoes I will pay three dollars for second hand is brand name shoes with out any wear marks.
As a note about hygiene concerns, always …ALWAYS wash stuff before you use it. If you do and dry it in a dryer, everything is perfectly hygienic. Shoes can’t be dried in a dryer, so use a disinfectant spray in all shoes bought second hand.
Quick Price Guide for second hand…from poor to perfect quality. (From just usable to almost new)
Kids shoes ……………………………………..10¢ to 3$
Pots and Pans………………………………….25¢ to 1$ each
Plates…………………………………………….5¢ to 50¢
Cooking utensils……………………………….10¢ to 25¢ (new is a dollar)
Books…………………………………………….10¢ to 50¢
Coats……………………………………………..50¢ to 5$
Hats………………………………………………10¢ to 50¢
Old Magazines…………………………………FREE to 25¢ (craft magazines a little higher)
Tools……………………………………………. 50¢ to 10$ (depending on the type)
Machinery…………………………………….. 1$ to 20$
Computers……………………………………..2$ to 35$
Game Systems…………………………………5$ to 30$
Vacuums………………………………………..1$ to 5$
Coffee Makers……………………………………1$ to 2$
Juicers…………………………………………….1$ to 5$ (electric..hand falls under utensils)
Bread Machine………………………………….1$ to 5$
Baby Equipment……………………………….1$ to 5$ (even cribs)
***you get the idea***
8. Use the internet for EVERYTHING. That means drop your cable bill and get a democracy player. Use Gutenberg for reading books, or the library if it’s closer. Trash the TV. Unload and sell the DVD/VHS player…and get with the times. No need for a morning paper…Google has news. No need for cable when one can access free legal TV. No need for music…just cruise MySpace Music. (or turn on the radio). So leave the garbage behind…besides you’ll save money on ..no cable bill, no newspaper bill, lower electric bill.
9. Set up a junk email, go to the freebie sites and apply for as many samples as you wish. This way you know what is actually worth the money and not before you buy it new…since your new purchases should be limited to…food and personal products.
10. Learn where you local dollar store is. A blessing for the broke folks. You can get 32 oz of shampoo, dish detergent, etc… all for a buck each. They even have undies, baby clothes, socks, school supplies, food, wrapping paper… If you really need something…it works. I usually hold out until NO OTHER choice…since the second hand store is so much cheaper. (Second hand note book paper 5¢ compared to dollar store notebook paper 1$)
11. Craig Lists, Local Community Fliers, etc.. always advertise free stuff. Keep your eyes peeled.
12. Learn how to cut back…this is the hardest part. Do you need a new shirt or would you like one? What is the difference between need and want? Need=It’s thread bare…Want=it has a small hole under the arm pit.
Do you NEED satellite TV? Do you need a new love seat? (side note: We used van seats as our couches until this past week for almost 5 years…no you don’t need a new love seat honey if you have a spot to squat)
13 Avoid anything eaten out. If it is a restaurant…even a cozy little dinner…you could make a similar meal cheaper.
14 Avoid Highly process pre packaged pop in the microwave and it’s done stuff…especially the name brand junk. It’s CRAP! Why even pretend it’s food. It’s not. Do you pick pizza’s off a pizza tree? Never heard of a pizza tree….then it must not be food! Pagans especially will know what I am talking about. Every isle is filled with stuff that Mother Earth couldn’t recognize as coming from her even indirectly with a microscope…if this is the case…it isn’t food. Your food should have some semblance to it’s former self. Even green bean casserole does better than macaroni and cheese. You can make out a green bean in green bean casserole…can you make out real cheese in macaroni and cheese? Have you ever heard of a macaroni vegetable? I know I’m taking it a bit far…but honestly.
15 Practice Organic Gardening…using sustainable methods. I know I said Garden…well it won’t save money if you pour lots of money onto your garden in the form of pesticides and fertilizers. I know this sounds wacky…but plants grew food before humans started gardening. Just be extra careful in picking seed that will grow well in your area…not GMO or hybrids…because then you can’t save the seed…which will allow you to save MORE money next year. It’s also better for the earth.
16. Go to bed with sun down and wake with it’s rise…if you can do that.
17 Use wood or a portable kerosene heater. That way you don’t have to heat the whole house…just the room your in.
18. Use sweaters, blankets, shaws, etc…before you turn any heat on. If you do this…you could keep you heat off down to 55 degrees while feeling only slightly chilled.
19. Use the crock pot. This little device is worth every penny spent. It saves time AND money. You can chop up a few veggies and fill with broth before school at 6 am and come home at 4 pm to dinner already cooked. Tastes better, healthier, cheaper to cook in and with, and saves me time….Mmmm. Great for Bachelors too…lazy man’s meal. (I usually only have tea for breakfast and this for dinner on school days)
20 Learn to make meals from scratch…easily. Pea soup is easy in a crock pot…but it takes almost 12 hours. So is chili. If you start with dried split peas bought in bulk at 33¢ a pound, a meal of pea soup for 7 costs about 1$. I know it would be tiring if you had it every day…but imagine if your dinner cost only a dollar just once a week. Surely you can suffer through delicious pea soup once a week?
