Financial Friday: 8 Ways to Be Frugal & Beat the System

I read THIS ARTICLE on "6 Extreme Ways to Go Frugal & Save," and thought I'd hit on some topics of my own...things that I do myself that helps save me money.

#1 - Do-It-Yourself

As a new home owner, there are a lot of things I'm learning how to do by myself. It's not fun, but I need to do it...plus, I will have to teach my kids one day. If something breaks, research it and try to fix it yourself. If you can do it yourself - DO IT! No need for maids, a lawn service, pool cleaners, fast food, car wash, oil changes! Learn how to do it yourself - you will save a fortune!

#2 - Clip Coupons

DUH! You don't have to be a pro at it, or do it all the time to save money. Even cutting coupons of only the products you use on a monthly basis will save you hundreds, sometimes thousands per year.

Some people think people use coupons because they HAVE to. Where that might be the case with some people, for others, they use coupons because they WANT to. If ONE little piece of paper (that takes 5 seconds to cut) saves you over $1.00 on average - WHY NOT??

#3 - Out of Season Shopping

I do about 90% of my shopping out of season, when items are marked down 50-80% off. I buy clothes out of season, holiday decor out of season, gift wrap/wrapping paper, shoes, anything really. By the time that season rolls around, I don't have to pay full retail price!

#4 - Cancel Your Junk

If you really think about it, how much money are you spending each month on cable, cell phones, internet, memberships? You certainly don't have to eliminate these things, but I would consider your options. Cable - you don't HAVE to have it. Instead of watching TV, watch a movie, read, work out. If you prefer to have cable, shop companies to compare prices. And consider the lower cost option available. Cell Phone - You could always cut down your cell phone minutes, unlimited texts, etc. Internet - This is something I HAVE to have in my house. We are always on the computer, researching, Brian's working on his school work. So we shopped companies to find the best deal. If you don't NEED internet, you could always go to a friend's house, or even your local library. Memberships - A gym membership is nice, but unneccessary. Consider buying your own equipment if excercising is that important to you. In the long run, you WILL save money.

All those extra things that you can live without - cancel them. Lawn Service, Netflix, Memberships of any kind (gym, tanning, golf club)

#5 - Borrow Things

How many times have you been without something and went out and purchased it? There have been a few times where we needed a certain tool that we didn't have, and Brian was going to go buy one. We would end up spending a fortune over the years if we did this. So we asked neighbors, friends, relatives if they would let us borrow theirs. There's $20 we can keep!

We like to watch a lot of movies. Well, we got robbed of all of our movies (among other things) last year, so we've been renting for $1.00 per night (mostly with free codes). You can always check with other people to borrow movies. Oh - and you can rent for FREE from your local library.  Really - what's the difference?

Our vacuum cleaner went out a while ago, so we borrowed one for a while until we were able to purchase one.

Really...you can borrow anything to keep from spending.

#6 - Re-Use, Re-Use, Re-Use

I can go on and on, and give you tons of examples of how you can reuse things. I'll just list a few. Now - these things won't save you a TON of money right away, but will over the long run. ReUse plastic baggies. ReUse leftovers in a creative way. ReUse chicken/beef broth. ReUse foil. I bet you can reuse ANYTHING you can think of. Got a rip in a sofa? Consider a cover up & keep using it. Got a glass of water you didn't drink? Consider using that to water plants. ReUse towels/wash cloths (saves on laundry). Wear your clothes more than once. If you didn't stink it up or stain it, consider spraying it with Febreeze and wearing it again another time.

#7 - Get Rid of Your Credit Cards

It is SO easy to rack up a hefty credit card bill when all you do is "SWIPE!" You tend to lose track of what you spend when you don't use cash. If your CC spending is out of control, take them out of your wallet & hide them. If you go shopping & OOPS - no money?...You don't spend. Instead of using credit cards, consider using cash. Come up with a mini budget and see how much you should spend on every day purchases like groceries, entertainment, dining, etc. Paying in cash will make you think twice about every purchase. "Do I need this? Do I need that? Can I do with out this?"

#8 - Get Rid of Your Car

Obviously there are lots of ways you can go about doing this. You could ride a bike, car pool, take the bus. If you think about all the money that goes into the upkeep of a vehicle, these options might be a better choice. You could share a car with a friend, or even your partner/spouse.

You could also consider selling your car (if you aren't upside down), pay off the loan, then get a cash car. You think you're not saving money? Well, you are! You just went from having a monthly car payment to ZILCH! You could save several thousands of dollars by doing this!

My husband and I have tried living off 1 car, but it's impossible for us. He goes to school 20 miles south of where we live, then he goes to work 40 miles north of his school. I work 30 miles north of where we live. So it's literally impossible for us. BUT - 1 thing we do do is - whoever will be using more gas & driving more miles will drive the car that gets the better gas mileage. We save a little by doing that.

Just some ideas...

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