1) Do you run the water down the drain before you take a shower? I use to because I really like a warm (okay-hot) water, so I would let the water run. I still like my really warm showers, but now, I catch the water that use to run down the drain. The water can be used to flush toilets, water plants, or, if you catch it in a pitcher, it can be used in cooking or for drinking. Why give the water companies one penny more than you have to give them?
2) Do you pay to get your sewing machine cleaned and oiled? I use to, but no more. You know, they say you can learn anything on the Internet, Well, here's one more thing you can do for yourself! If you need help, just check out these two links:
Craftsy has free classes as well as classes you can pay for, but the adjust your tension class is free.
Niler Taylor has an article, "How To Clean and Oil Your Sewing Machine." It is step-by-step and easy to follow.
Both sites have videos to show you how. If you don't like these two, there are others and they will save you over $50 per time. I use to pay that money and then I was challenged to do it myself. All I needed was a can of air (like you use to clean your keyboard), sewing machine oil and a rag. The best thing of all is that it was incredible easy to do.
3) Do you buy fresh fruit for smoothies and end up throwing fruit away because it turns bad overnight? I use to, but now I do things differently. First, I wash the fruit and its container before I put it in the fridge. I leave out what I will use for the first smoothie and put the rest in the freezer. I didn't do this the other day because I was too busy. The next morning, most of my organic raspberries had mold on them. That will not happen again!
4) Do you grocery shop a lot? I do, but only for fresh fruits and vegetables or almond milk...in other words, perishables. I am on a quest to eat what I have-which is plenty. The pantry is so full it is hard to put anything new in there and yet, I would still go out and buy more food. Now we are eating what we have and my grocery bills are much, much lower. The problem is often that, when I would get home, I wanted to eat NOW and not have to go through the cupboard and find out what I could cook. Guess how I solved that problem? Sunday morning, I would look in the cupboard and make up a menu for the week. That way I knew what I had and what I needed to buy. Of course, I left myself the opportunity to mix the week's menus around and even knew enough of what I had to change it completely. Now I don't have to think-I can just cook. Oh, sometimes, I could just make it ahead on Sunday so it just needed to be heated after work.
5) Do you buy cut up chicken parts? Like legs, thighs or breasts. I don't really eat meat anymore, but when I did, I bought whole chickens and cut them up myself. Not only is it easy, it is also mucho cheaper! I played "grocery store." I froze them in parts. Then, when I wanted to use breasts, I just brought out the breast package. Again, easy peasy.
6) Drop memberships or packages that you don't use. This is a no-brainer. Unused gym memberships, time-shares, cable packages that are bigger than you need (or maybe you don't really need it) and any other thing that you pay to not do...dump it or sell it. (Thinking time-shares here. You may not get your money back but, at least it won't keep costing you!)
7) Find the cheapest way to buy things. For example, I was shopping in a Barnes and Noble far from my home one day. I discovered that, because I am a member (this is a membership that pays for me!) I could actually have the book I wanted shipped to my house for free and that it would cost me less than if I bought it in the store. (Bonus-I couldn't lose it on the way home.)
Other ways to buy cheaper, always hit sale racks first. Find out when close-out sales will start. Some stores, like Goodwill, have marked-down days for teachers, military, seniors and they also have $1 day in my area.
8) Fix things-don't replace them unless you can't fix them (or it is cheaper to fix them.) An example of fixing something easy is found here. I thought I would have to throw my scissors out but they work great!
The chain on my fruit basket broke. We had two choices-another fruit basket with another cheap chain or buy better chain for about the same price and fix the one we had. Guess which choice we made? It works great with the new chain and won't break anytime soon.
9) Keep cars and trucks in good repair. This idea will cost you money up front but could end up saving you thousands of dollars! My husband changes the belts on the our vehicles, checks the tires for air and tread regularly, changes the oil when it needs it and, in general, takes great care of what we have. Interesting to note, our vehicles never break down. Proactive car is always the best.
There are tons of way to stop wasting money so you can live on less. Check through your spending habits and see what you can do!
Credits: Dollars by jhnri4
$$$ by nicubunu
6) Drop memberships or packages that you don't use. This is a no-brainer. Unused gym memberships, time-shares, cable packages that are bigger than you need (or maybe you don't really need it) and any other thing that you pay to not do...dump it or sell it. (Thinking time-shares here. You may not get your money back but, at least it won't keep costing you!)
7) Find the cheapest way to buy things. For example, I was shopping in a Barnes and Noble far from my home one day. I discovered that, because I am a member (this is a membership that pays for me!) I could actually have the book I wanted shipped to my house for free and that it would cost me less than if I bought it in the store. (Bonus-I couldn't lose it on the way home.)
Other ways to buy cheaper, always hit sale racks first. Find out when close-out sales will start. Some stores, like Goodwill, have marked-down days for teachers, military, seniors and they also have $1 day in my area.
8) Fix things-don't replace them unless you can't fix them (or it is cheaper to fix them.) An example of fixing something easy is found here. I thought I would have to throw my scissors out but they work great!
The chain on my fruit basket broke. We had two choices-another fruit basket with another cheap chain or buy better chain for about the same price and fix the one we had. Guess which choice we made? It works great with the new chain and won't break anytime soon.
9) Keep cars and trucks in good repair. This idea will cost you money up front but could end up saving you thousands of dollars! My husband changes the belts on the our vehicles, checks the tires for air and tread regularly, changes the oil when it needs it and, in general, takes great care of what we have. Interesting to note, our vehicles never break down. Proactive car is always the best.
There are tons of way to stop wasting money so you can live on less. Check through your spending habits and see what you can do!
Credits: Dollars by jhnri4
$$$ by nicubunu
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