pinching pennies

[Miss.Maggie]

Here are some ways I have come up with for our house to save money

1. Stop getting paper plates, not only save money go green!
2. Use cloth napkins, same as above
3. Make our own iced coffee (this is for my starbucks loving mama)
4. no more just "grabbing a burger" while we are out, we can wait
til we get home to eat
5. packing soda and snacks for trips.
6. I take my lunch to work but I am going to start packing DF's


any other tips would be great! Share what you do.

[[Elizabeth]]

we have a four song rule in our house for our showering time
we do a family potluck every saturday night, usually a hell of a lot of food!!

[Miss.Maggie]

thats a good shower rule

[Marley]

* Don't grocery shop until the cupboards are bare. Be creative with what you have.
* Leave the debit card at home and use cash. Easier to keep track.
* Nix eating out. If you want a fast meal get something like rotisserie chicken where you can take the remainders home. You get a lot for your money and can have leftovers. Fast food is expensive.
* Drink water more than anything else.
* Stay out of the clothing stores.

[[Elizabeth]]

Another thing is slowly upgrading your appliances that suck energy *you can usually get a meter at the local library*

[carolinagirll]

We drink water and Milk that's it.

He has a allowance to eat lunch each week.

Make a list before we go to the grocery store (stick to it and we go twice a month)

[KSP123]

i buy cases of diet coke (i drink at least a couple cans a day) and leave them at my desk at work. every morning i put a few in the fridge. this way, i don't have to buy soda to have with my lunch. it's a small savings but it adds up.

also, i saw an article that broke down the cost of bringing lunch v. buying lunch. if you live alone and buy food for just one person and you buy all the ingredients for a turkey sandwich, you end up paying more than if you grab a subway $5 footlong and have it for lunch 2 days in a row. I can totally believe it too, because, as I'm sure many of us that live alone know, it's so difficult to keep food fresh for as long as it takes just myself to eat it all! i thought that was interesting food for thought!

when i really need to pinch pennies and cut back, i steer clear of malls and stores--if i'm not tempted, i can't buy!

[BubMunkeyBles]

1. Don't grocery shop while hungry, go right after you eat
2. Take cash out weekly, leave debit card at home and don't use it, cash makes you think twice
3. We cloth diaper , prefolds and covers are cheap
4. Walk to places that are close instead of driving
5. Consolidate shopping trips so your not driving as much
6. Use generics when possible (medications, spices etc)
7. When you need a fancy meal do it at home, put linens on the table and go the whole 9 yards(I love making fondue at home with a recipe which duplicates the Melting Pot's)

[BabySealEyes904]

I agree and do most of those already, always good to get new tips!

..... but I have to be honest the real reason I clicked on this topic was because for a second I thought it was "pinching penises" and I had to..

[Miss.Maggie]

Originally Posted by BabySealEyes904 I agree and do most of those already, always good to get new tips! ..... but I have to be honest the real reason I clicked on this topic was because for a second I thought it was "pinching penises" and I had to..

that would be a great topic for a thread