Today's post is a little different from normal. Instead of tips and tricks or advice or whatever, I'm going to list some ways that my husband and I are saving money. They're not huge things that are saving us a large amount, but every little bit helps when you're trying to get out of debt! (Which we are. Desperately. Because debt is annoying!)
1. Coupons. Seriously, did I even need to mention this one? ;)
2. Turning down the AC. I'm going to let you in on a little secret (that everyone knows): I don't like being hot. I don't handle heat well at all. I hate being sweaty and sticky and uncomfortable. Still, though, I like to turn on the AC only when necessary. Our unit was out for 5 days last week, and... I survived! I learned where to put our 2 box fans for maximum air movement, so now we only turn on the air for a few minutes in the evening (typically when the house temperature reads over 80 degrees). I like the thought of making this month's electric bill less than last month's... let the games begin!
3. Changing when we do laundry. This one may seem silly, but hear me out. Because of the lack of a proper vent in our rental home, running the dryer makes it extremely hot and humid in the whole house. We do laundry when it is cooler outside (early mornings and late evenings) so that we can open up the windows and let the hot air out/cool air in. Doing laundry when it is too hot outside makes it stifling inside, and we don't wait to run the air too much!
4. Packing a lunch. I know I mentioned this one in an earlier post as a "tip," but I didn't actually take my own tip until a few days ago. One morning, I was running around trying to get ready, and I didn't really have time to eat breakfast or make a lunch. So, on my way to work, I drove through Tim Horton's and got a breakfast sandwich, donut, drink, and an iced coffee. First of all, let's not even talk about how many calories I consumed. Secondly, I spent about $6 just because I didn't have time to eat breakfast and also because I knew I didn't have a lunch.
That night, I went to the grocery store and stocked up on lunch items and some Pop-Tarts. I went home and portioned out all of the snack-y items (pretzels, animal crackers, etc.) into baggies and then put them into paper lunch sacks. Now, all I need to do in the mornings is grab a lunch bag, throw together a sandwich, and grab some fruit and a drink. If I haven't had breakfast yet, I'll grab a Pop-Tart (which have also been portioned out). Problem solved- there is no excuse for me to waste money on food now!
Side note: I've also noticed that portioning out the snacks and putting them in the baggies makes me completely forget that they're in the house! I don't snack on them mindlessly and then wonder why I don't have anything to pack for my lunch anymore.
5. Scouring Pinterest for recipes. If I lived alone, I would rotate the same 5 meals week after week and never try anything new. My husband, on the other hand, likes a little more variety. So, instead of buying expensive cookbooks (or having an unhappy man!), I look at Pinterest every few days to find new recipes, or ways to change things that I already make. This allows us to eat out less often... and really appreciate it when we do!
5. Regarding gasoline. Based on what I've seen, there aren't a large number of ways to save on gasoline besides walking, biking, and carpooling. Since I work 32 miles from home (and nobody else from work lives near me), none of those are an option for me, so I've made several discoveries that allow me to make the most of my gasoline!
- Filling up when our tank is 1/2 full. We're paying less each time (since filling half a tank costs half as much as filling up an empty tank!). It also makes me feel much better when I'm stuck in traffic if I have at least half a tank of gas!
- Using rewards systems for buying gas. Thomas and I have a Speedy Rewards card that we use every time we go to Speedway. If you buy a $25 gas card, you get a certain amount of Speedy points that you can redeem for free food/drink items, cents off of gas, or even gift/gas cards! Every time we need to get gas, we buy a gift card so we get those extra points. I can't even tell you how many free items we've gotten! The card has extra perks, too, like free fountain drinks when you buy 6, free bottles of Pepsi after you've purchased a certain amount, and more! If you don't have a Speedy card, I'd definitely recommend getting one.
- Leaving earlier. This allows me to relax a little and set the cruise control, meaning that I'm using less gasoline. I'm also not tempted to blast past anyone on the 2-lane road and use a bunch of gas as I speed by them at 70MPH! Don't tell my dad! ;)
- Rolling down the windows. As I said earlier, I hate being hot... but I hate paying for gas more, and AC uses more gas than I care to talk about. If I get into my car and it's obnoxiously hot, I usually run the air on high with the windows all down, just to get out all the hot air, and then I turn off the air and leave the windows down. If it gets too hot again, I'll run the air for a few minutes (windows up!) and then turn if off (windows back down!) just to cool off. I've found that it's really helpful to have the front windows 1/3 of the way down and the back windows all the way down. It keeps me cool but doesn't mess up the hair. (Very important!)
Wow... that's a long post. I hope it's helpful, though! Happy Thursday!
***Please note that I am NOT (NOT NOT NOT) a financial person... just a blogger who shares little bits of her life. Your results may vary (but I hope they don't)!***
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