Money Saving Tips
@BettyB (4117)
Summerville, South Carolina
May 31, 2016 2:28pm CST
Now that I have officially retired, I’m thinking about money. We prepared for this day so we should be fine, but I am a worrier.
What if this happens, or what if that happens?
Rather than fret over possibilities, I decided to focus on ways to save a penny here and a penny there. Here are a couple of my money saving tips:
1. I love to read. I used to buy a lot of books, but I was spending money we couldn’t afford. Now I spend time on Amazon and make a list of the books I would like to read. Rather than order them, I go to the local library’s website and look for the books. They rarely have all of them, but they will have some. Once I’ve read them, I go back to the website and check to see if they’ve gotten any of the others in. I still buy books, but it’s an occasional indulgence now rather than a regular expense.
2. Trips to the grocery store without a list is costly. You end up buying things that are already in your pantry, and you can’t always make what you planned without going back to the store to get the one item you forgot.
3. Paying bills online. I started paying most of my bills online as its free through our bank. I no longer have to order and pay for checks every few months, and the savings on postage is phenomenal.
4. Keep the closet doors closed. It sounds silly but closets don’t need to be heated in the winter and cooled in the summer. It doesn’t make a big difference but every little bit counts.
Do you have any money saving tips to add to the list?
17 people like this
19 responses
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
31 May 16
i've always been frugal, feelin' the need to justify any expenditure. the hubs, on the other hand, spends money like its the root'f all evil. i save, he spends like a mad demon. we've no cable 're fancy schtuff to cut back'n other'n my horses...i hope such doesn't come to that.
2 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
1 Jun 16
@BettyB the one here throws fits when he can't watch his football games. i tell him to go'n visit one'f his friends'n town, lol.
1 person likes this
@BettyB (4117)
• Summerville, South Carolina
1 Jun 16
@coffeebreakwhatever I'm not willing to give up the internet and my husband has to have the TV. They are the bulk of our entertainment and essential to my sanity.
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
31 May 16
I pay some of my bills online. For those who charge a fee to pay online, I pay in person, going to the bank and withdrawing the sum first, as using a debit card is also a fee - that's the utility companies here. Now I'm not going to have an option with the utility company as they are closing their payment center, so I'm going to be paying a fee from now on whether I like it or not, and I don't like.
2 people like this
@BettyB (4117)
• Summerville, South Carolina
31 May 16
We have internet but its not bundled with anything else.
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
31 May 16
Cut down TV bill by shedding HBO etc if you have them You can get DVDs at most libraries. Purchase more items at a store such as Dollar Tree. Keep lights off. It's amazing how many lights are left on. Combine shopping trips with other errands to save gas.
2 people like this
@BettyB (4117)
• Summerville, South Carolina
31 May 16
We're not as good about the lights as we should be.
@Juliaacv (56195)
• Canada
1 Jun 16
I love to save any way that I can. I read the local newspaper online, as it is free, and I make my own breadcrumbs-those are my biggest savings. We prefer whole wheat breadcrumbs, so I buy a loaf at the dollar store and put it into the magic bullet to make into crumbs. Good luck with your saving tips!
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
12 Jun 16
My tips are always about utilities and food, b/c these really seems to be where people are wasting money.
If you are not using it, turn it off! (lights, fans, etc.)
Don't buy what you don't need. So many insist on having HUGE meals, when really, much less will be enough. We don't eat meat, so of course we save a bit more than others can.
@fawkes62 (1276)
• United States
10 Jun 16
I use my bing rewards to buy digital books on Amazon. If I don't have enough, I don't get the book. I also check out digital books through the library. I used to use Checkout 51 and Ibotta, they are both apps for smart phones that give you rebates for buying certain items. I quit using them since they didn't have many items that I normally buy on them.
@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
4 Jun 16
I am also retired and living in a low income apartment so I've had to learn to live frugally. Coupons definitely help. No matter how many or how much. Even 25 cents off something is better than nothing. I frequently bring change to the store to convert it into dollars, so change doesn't get wasted. I don't have a car, so I don't have those costs, and our city has vans for the elderly/disabled. We pay a fee every month and we can then use those vans within the city limits for whatever travels we need. I use those as often as I can so I'm saving money on transportation. I am also allowed to utilize our local Food Bank once a month and that saves me quite a bit on groceries. I make sure to go every month and get whatever is available to me and freeze as much food as I can so things don't go bad, last as long as possible, and I have food in case of emergencies.
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
1 Jun 16
We are retired as well. The biggest thing for us was the money we saved just not going to work. I figure at least 300 bucks a month. As well I canceled my 110 dollar a month cable and went with netflix for 12 bucks a month. Huge savings.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29819)
• Momence, Illinois
2 Jun 16
@BettyB My hubby is not much of a tv kind of guy and mostly what I keep and cancel is my decision. He just says OK Honey to everything I do and say lol.
@BettyB (4117)
• Summerville, South Carolina
2 Jun 16
The closets don't need to be heated or cooled. It saves, a little, on the heating and cooling bill.
@ElusiveButterfly (45941)
• United States
2 Jun 16
I try to buy clothing at the Goodwill. Sometimes it is hard to find much, but I'll pick up what I can. I also pick up pennies that I find on the ground or nickel deposit bottles too. Wash off the bottle and return them when you get a good amount. Every penny counts. I have 2 coffee cans full.
@GardenGerty (169406)
• United States
1 Jun 16
Get efficient light bulbs, and black out curtains. Insulate behind any curtains that have a big heat or cooling loss by hanging a clear vinyl shower curtain. KEEP THE HUSBAND OUT OF THE STORE, as he will bring home stuff you really do not need.
@jaboUK (64346)
• United Kingdom
1 Jun 16
These are good tips, but I don't like paying for things online things online. I pay all of mine by direct debit. It costs nothing to do it that way.
I put most of my shopping bills onto a credit card that pays me half a percent interest on all purchases. Then I pay it off each month by direct debit. That way I incur no fees, and they actually pay me to lend me money!
@PainsOnSlate (21845)
• Canada
3 Jun 16
I like your ideas and we do all of the above. It does save money. I listen to books on CD while I paint and get all of them from the Library.
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
4 Jun 16
I try to hang my laundry outside. I've also always been frugal.
