Ways to Save Money & Live Frugally

Don't drive unless necessary, try to plan/consolidate trips.

Don't own 5 dogs.

 

Wow Dex... all good stuff.
AND... the cabin sounds like a bonanza pictorial coming from Dex when you guys return. Have fun!

 

Not 5, you mean not just 5 don't you!

 

There have been times that I have had to dip into my savings just to pay normal bills such as insurance, repairs, etc., all the time working a full time job. I managed to land a better job, now I am catching up, and making sure I repay all those self "loans".
Do I buy frivolous things? You betcha! But I try to keep them at a minimum, and ONLY after the bills are paid. I just spent $4000 on insulation and air sealing, and have no regrets. I am seeing a reduction in A/C usage right now, and after having another blower door test completed, I am eligable for half of that back from the power company.

All in all, I am reminded of the mantra I used to repeat in the 70's as I swept the floor with a rather well-worn broom, and patched clothing, and dumpster dived--
"Use it up, wear it out;
Make it do, or do without!"

 

Put your vampire electronic devices on a power strip and turn it off when not used.
Take "sea showers" - wet briefly, soap, rinse. Save heated water.
Vegetable garden. Heat with wood. Turn off lights. Sales.
Improve the house insulation. Close curtains and shades on hot sunny days.
Eat the rabbits that eat your bushes.
Eliminate debt.

 

Food is one thing we spend a lot on. Most of the cheaper food at the grocery stores is loaded with sugar and chemicals such as GMO corn and soy (thank you Monsanto.) Even the vegetables and fruits sold at most supermarkets are not as healthy as they could be. A lot of them are ripened with chemicals on large trucks in warehouses rather than naturally. So we buy a lot of local, organic fuits, veggies meat and poultry. It's not cheap but for us it's something we see as money well spent. I like the occasional piece of cake or junk food as much as anyone else but I find it amazing to see the horrible things most people eat and feed their children on a daily basis. Next year we plan to start a vegetable garden and grow some of the veggies we consume most often to mitigate our food costs.

You also mentioned gas. In my state of NH they just passed a 4 cent per gallon tax increase. I don't think most people realize that if they slowed down 5 - 10 mph on the highway and did this every day they'd save quite a bit of money over time.

 

+1

 

Its 90+ pretty much every day from may-september ...not every day but most. I am not sitting in an 85 degree or warmer house thats 70+% humid. Just have to pay for it. Yea I could use more fans etc but I have a wife and young son. Or power is super expensive too .

When water heater goes out I will get an instant heater to save hopefully.

Our water is like $6/1000 so it takes a lot of water to amount to something...dont worry much there unless its hot and we have to water garden then it adds up.

Dex did you say hundreds

 

Man, I love this thread.
Been doing these frugal type things most of my adult life.
This from Dennis is something I mention in threads on occasion too...."Second is to realize that the cost of anything is the amount of life you have to give in order to get it. Forget dollars, how long will you have to work to pay for it?"
Talk about hitting the nail on the head.
We pulled the carpet out of the whole house after being here 3 years, because with the dogs it became almost impossible to keep 'em clean.
Had vinyl flooring put in. Wasn't super expensive (even though I hated spending the money), but we no longer need to steam clean the floors on a regular basis. Good steam cleaners aren't cheap.
Sweep and mop....done. Not only are we saving money on cleanings, but now we spend a lot less time. The air in here is nicer too.
I manage 21-24 MPG from a 12 year old Jeep that's rated for 19 highway, by keeping the lead foot full of helium.
I don't runup to stop signs then slam on the brakes either. Last set of brakes lasted 5 years. Money saved.
Turn the water off when washing hands or brushing teeth. Takes very little effort, but keeps the well pump off a bit longer and keeps the water from going right back into the ground.
Why should I pump water, heat it, then let it run down the drain w/o it doing something. It's my biggest pet peeve to see someone letting the water run for 10 minutes (or longer) while washing dishes.
Bought a $10 lawn mower (garage sale) 3 years ago and added a $10 blade this year.........just in time for it to stop running.
Trust me, I've spent MUCH more on lawn mowers that didn't mow the grass any better.

 

I'll second that.

Back in May when it was mother's day I was talking about what husbands do for their wives on mothers day with a coworker who's much older than I am. I asked him if he was doing anything special for his wife since their children had long since moved out and weren't around to do anything special. He said "hell no I've been doing something special for her for the last 30 years that we've been married." he explained that throughout his entire marriage he'd always been the sole breadwinner in the family. He had always worked long hours to make a decent living so that his wife and kids would have a nice life. His wife, although taking care of the kids, never had to work. She was never tied to a job she hated out of necessity. So his gift to her was the ability for her to do whatever she wanted with her own time.

That crystallized it for me. For all of us, the most precious commodity or resource in life is time. It's the only thing we cannot obtain or create more of. Personally I've tried to maximize my income while minimizing the hours required of me on the job. The greatest thing money can buy IMO is peace of mind. Having enough money to cover the basics and a little rainy day fund so you're not losing sleep at night. This mentality, which also includes learning to derive happiness from personal relationships and experiences rather than material possessions, is how I've sought to live and a lifestyle that I will endeavor to impress upon my children.

 

Really?? Did they have a maid? My husband's day was 8 hours--mine was 24.
Sorry, you know I had to open my trap!

 

Dave I think I have got 5 years out of mst of my brakes! And you probably would think I drive like a jackrabbit at times. I think those that drive in towns or cities more eat brakes like candy!

 

It's OK. I get your point. I'm a father of two young kids and I know the parenting and housework never ends. However I think most people would feel less resentment toward taking care of their home and kids than they would for a job they hate or feel trapped in. Also as the kids get older you get more time to yourself. The woman in my story has pretty much all day every day to do whatever she wants with her time while the husband is closing in on 60 and still working.

 

I know people who's brakes only make it a couple years.

 

My work trucks sometimes dont make it as long but I drive it harder than my own but also a lot of it I think is due to the riding through deep mud puddles and sand, I think the added grit that no ones truck sees daily adds to them wearing down faster.

Some background for those who dont know what I do. I am a forester and drive many mines off road. Many in deep beach sand like ground and lots in deep red mud and puddles when wet. Many times the water is up to the lugs so the brakes are getting immersed. Well not the caliper but the rotor is picking up all that debris.