There are many ways to cut your costs as I have discovered over the last couple of months. The following is a list of my favorite ways to cut costs. And yes I have tried them all!
10. Video on Demand. I probably would have cut out the cable completely when I quit my job if it hadn’t been for the fact that my hubby actually works for the cable company and we pay a discounted price. What we did change was date night. It may not be as exciting, but instead of getting all dressed up and paying upwards of 50 bucks to go to the theater (plus babysitter costs), we put the kids to bed, pop some popcorn, grab a drink, and search the free movies on demand using our cable service. If there is a new release we just can’t resist we occassionally purchase a movie, either way is cheaper than going to the movies. This has been a lot of fun for us because we can still get all dressed up and turn the lights down low. And it doesn’t look weird when we “old folks” decide to sneak a kiss during the movie either!
9. Kool-aid, tea, and water. Those delicious sodas can be quite expensive and even full of sugar. We drink a lot of water (out of the tap, bottled water makes no sense unless your tap water is unsafe). Additionally, I will make kool-aid (store brand of course) and tea (this one has to be lipton, I buy when it’s on sale or I have a coupon) for a special treat. Not only am I contributing to better health of my family by drinking a lot of water, we’re also saving money. And yes, Kool-Aid does go further than soda.
8. Im potty training my kids with just pull-ups during naptime and nighttime. That’s right. Im crazy and I have to clean up a lot of spills, but it is actually seeming to work, plus Im saving money by not having to constantly buy pull-ups! You may want to start off by getting the kid used to a potty chair, but mine seem to have done better by simply being stripped of their pull up safety net.
7. Cut your hair at home. Now, this one isn’t for everyone, but it works for us. The two boys (dad and my 3 year old), dad cuts and I trim the 2 year old girl’s ends. My hair I will trim, but when I do need a shaping cut, I do go to a professional. Because I trim it myself, I actually go less, which is the biggest savings of all the haircuts. If you can save yourself 8 bucks by cutting your kids hair at home, why not? If you are afraid you are going to mess it up, ASK for help or research the internet for hair cutting techniques.
6. I talked about this one when I was discussing my grocery bill, but buy store brand items. Store brand products are normally made by the exact same name brand companies, just packaged differently. And you can save a ton of money buying on the cheap.
5. Turn the thermostat up during the summer, down during the winter. Now I love to be cool just as much as the next guy, but I also hate seeing a high electric bill. I have found that keeping my thermostat right about 69 during the summer (some say it should be 72, but I would have a stroke) works best for me. Whatever you do, don’t continuously change the temperature. In the winter, 67 works good for us. Because we have an upstairs and downstairs, the upstairs tends to stay warmer in the winter, so we hang out there rathen than upping the temp.
4. Thrift store shopping. That’s right I said it. Shop those thrift stores, some even donate their proceeds to a good cause (such as Goodwill). YOu won’t be able to buy everything at thrift stores but there is nothing wrong with buying clothes, books, and even toys at a thrift store. Saves a lot of money, especially when you have kids that are as little and make as many messes as mine do. I buy them new outfits, but mostly for special occassions. for everyday play clothes, thrift stores and yard sales are excellent.
3. Flea markets or bent/dent stores. I would never recommend you purchase a dented can as far as food goes, but I would suffest that these stores sometimes offer some really awesome deals, especially on cleaning and bath products. Sometimes the product may not be in the best of shape and make have a broken top or the pump doesn’t work. For general merchandise (excluding medicine) this should be ok. I have bought many bottles of broken baby shampoo (namebrand) for less than a dollar!
2. If you must eat out, eat cheap. We have encountered a few times where we have been out and about during lunchtime and just could not get back at home. So, with two screaming children and not much money, we’d have to eat out. Now this is not something we do very often, so it’s always a treat. When we do go out, we do not look to buy the most expensive thing on the menu. Even for a family of 4, we can eat at a casual dining resturaunt and spend less than 30. First, we get water to drink instead of the higher priced soda. Second, the kids menu is normally large enough (and the kids appetite small enough) that the kids can split a kids meal, and maybe steal from fries from mom and dad. If you’re kids are older or eat more, you may do better to buy them their own seperate plates. finally, we eat what we like, but we do not go overboard. If we do get steak, we get the smaller size because neither of us can eat a huge steak.
And my favorite cost cutting tip???????
1: EAT AT HOME!!!!! Yes I said that too….right behind telling you to eat cheap when you go out. EAting at home has so many positive aspects that it is hard for me to understand why no one wants to eat at home anymore. Regardless, making meals from scratch are much more cost effective than purchasing them pre-made. No tip to pay, no extra sides to order, and no screaming kids (except for your own) to deal with!
These are just my favorite cost cutting ideas, there are many more. If you have any, please feel free to share them.
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