101 Tips to Help Your Budget (&YOU) at Homecwahm.com/ebooks/101TipsToHelpYourBudget.pdf · into how...

101 Tips to Help Your Budget (&YOU) at Home

Published by

Christian Work at Home, Inc.

P.O. Box 974

Bellevue, NE 68005

www.CWAHM.com

Copyright 2013 Christian Work at Home, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give or sell this guide to anyone else. If you received this publication from anyone other than CWAHM.com, you have received a pirated copy. Please contact us via e-mail at [email protected] and notify us of the situation. Please note that much of this publication is based on personal experience and anecdotal evidence. Although the author and publisher have made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete accuracy of the content in this guide, they assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Also, you should use this information as you see fit, and at your own risk. Your particular situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here; in fact, it is likely that they will not be the same, and you should adjust your use of the information and recommendations accordingly. Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms. Finally, use your head. Nothing in this guide is intended to replace common sense, legal, medical or other professional advice, and is meant to inform the reader.

Cover art mage courtesy of Aleksa D at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Contrary to what many believe, working at home isn’t all about making money. A big part of being a work-at-home mom (or dad) is finding ways to save money. This e-book is full of ideas to help you keep more money in your wallet.

Shopping 1. Insider Specials Saving money doesn’t have to be all work and no play. Check out websites like TheGroceryGame.com to find specials deals and members-only information on sales trends – and turn your savings plan into a fun activity that you look forward to working on.

2. Avoid Gimmick Pricing Stores work hard to be clever and their pricing games are one way that they try to entice you to buy more than you need. If your local supermarket has a “10 for $10” campaign, know that you don’t normally need to buy 10 products to get their sale price.

3. Save Money at Amazon I came across this great article a few days ago full of tips on saving money on Amazon. If you’re like me and do quite a bit of shopping via Amazon, there are lots of helpful tips: 16 Secrets to Saving Money at Amazon.com.

4. Sign Up “Sign up for newsletters/e-mails...I know how annoying it is having it all come to your regular account and clogging it up, so create a separate e-mail account that they all can go to and check it regularly! There are many stores that offer special discounts, sales, and coupons to their ‘subscribers’ only!”

Submitted by Anne Bennett

5. Print Out Coupons “If you don't have or want a newspaper subscription, this is perfect for you. A plethora of coupons are available online at RedPlum.com, SmartSource.com, and Coupons.com just waiting to be printed out and used! Remember when you’re doing this to factor the cost of ink and paper into how much you are saving. If it's costing you more in supplies than you are saving at the register, you are NOT saving money.” (Submitted by Anne Bennett)

Author’s Note: You may also be able to get these same coupons on a smartphone if you have one and that will save on the paper and printing.

6. Find Store Coupons “Most big box grocery and retail stores have their own coupons only redeemable at their chain of stores, either online or in their stores. Some stores allow you to use these in ADDITION to

manufacturer coupons for a single item, this is usually referred to as ‘stacking’ (i.e. a $.50 Target coupon for Brand X jelly could be ‘stacked’ with a $.75 manufacturers coupon for Brand X jelly, making the total savings per jar of jelly $1.25.)”


Bonus Tip From a Reader: “Save water. Shower with your husband!” LOL!

7. Consider Your Paper’s Worth “If you are getting a Sunday paper, USE the coupons inside!! Since the value of coupons has gone down significantly, I cannot in good conscience recommend getting one or multiple newspaper subscriptions for coupons alone. The savings should be factored in with the amount spent on the subscription; if your newspaper subscription (that you would not otherwise get) is costing you more than you are saving with the coupons inside, then it is NOT saving you money!”


8. Don’t Throw Away Your Weekly Shopper “Use the coupons inside of your weekly shopper! These are delivered (via mail or newspaper delivery depending on where you live) for FREE so everyone that you use saves you money with no cost to you!”


9. Be Prepared “Use transaction envelopes! I swear by these! If there are one or more complex coupon transactions (i.e. I will be stacking coupons and/or using ‘store points’ like at Walgreens) I like to write out the list of items, less coupons and ‘point’ value on the front of an envelope right down to my tax and total, so I know exactly how much I'll be paying out of pocket for each transaction. I then put the coupons for the transaction in the envelope! It saves me time and makes me feel less frazzled at the register! This also helps me to stick to my list of what I am getting. If there is a great deal that I just can't pass up, I pencil it in on my envelope. (Even if my tax amount is a little off, I have a pretty good idea of my total.)”


10. Price Match “Price match wherever you can! There are a number of stores that price match, and I'm not just talking groceries! Go price match crazy with movies, clothes, housewares, electronics, music, video games, and food!! Gas and time count for something, too, and the fewer places I have to go to get the deals I want, the better!”


11. Make a List Do you always make a list before you shop? For grocery shopping, one CWAHM reader says that having a list in the kitchen can save time and money. She uses a list she attaches to the refrigerator with a magnet. Anyone who uses the last of an item must write it on the list so she knows to buy it when she goes shopping next. If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t get purchased.

12. Buy Ahead Christmas & birthday shopping can be detrimental to your family budget. I’m still working on this particular skill, but I have friends that shop all year for these occasions in order to get the best deals possible. They also say that it helps to give them additional time to come up with unique/creative gifts. Instead of rushing around at the last minute, let’s challenge ourselves to shop ahead and save some $$.

13. Shop Off-Season This tip comes from Roshanda Pratt, CWAHM’s Media Director. Roshanda says that to save money she often shops in the off season, for example: buy winter clothes in the spring, etc.

Submitted by Roshanda Pratt

14. Count the Cost Before you buy groceries or other items in bulk, check the cost per unit (CPU) to determine which is truly the better bargain. I noticed this recently when our grocery store had crackers on sale. It ended up being cheaper for me to buy 3 small bags of the crackers (which were on sale) instead of the “family pack” (that equated to the same amount as the 3 small bags) at regular price.

15. Combine Trips CWAHM reader Tricia Kongos says that she often combines her errands to save gas and time. Instead of running one or two errands each day, consider choosing one day a week and running multiple errands.

16. Work it. When buying groceries, consider buying whole foods like cheese and carrots and then shredding or grating them at home. Buying the convenience items usually costs more, so you can save money by simply buying them whole and grating or shredding them yourself.

17. Aim High “NEVER buy at full retail price unless it's an emergency or the item is needed immediately.” That’s quite a challenge! You’ll need to take the time to clip coupons, know what’s on sale and shop around to meet this goal.


18. Think Ahead “Shop in as far advance as possible...for gifts, for food, for anything!! The longer you’re able to search for sales and coupons (or Groupons) the better!!”


19. Consider Bulk “Buy in bulk if you use it in bulk! It's usually, but not always, less expensive to purchase items in bulk, so if your family goes through a lot of an item on a regular basis - why not save money and buy it in bulk? Keep storage in mind when you do this!”


20. Know What You Use “Buy only what you will use. The Shredded Wheat may be on sale, and you may have a coupon that makes it $1, but if no one in your house will EAT it, don't purchase it!! If you have the extra $ in you budget to purchase it, DONATE IT!”


21. Shop Substitutes CWAHM Media Director Roshanda Pratt offers up an idea that she often uses, “Buy store generics or use cheaper alternatives.” Consumers often pay extra for brand name items when generics and substitutes often have the same ingredients. Check the labels, compare the prices and purchase accordingly.

22. Join a co-op! “You can usually find a co-op for everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to cloth diapers to kids’ items! Do your homework and make sure the co-op is legit and that there are not an undue amount of fees, because there are people out there who run co-ops and are out to make a profit, but there are good ones out there too! You can even find them on Facebook!”


23. Shop Full CWAHM reader Tricia Kongos remind us, “Do not grocery shop while hungry.” It’s amazing how much extra food we think we need when we go grocery shopping with an empty tummy. Instead, buy groceries right after a meal – you’ll get exercise and buy less.

24. Digital Coupons “Digital coupons are amazing; you don't even have to clip them!! Just load them onto your store rewards card and swipe the card at checkout! Be sure to make sure the correct amount is deducted from your total - even computers make mistakes.”


25. Know When to Shop There are certain months that you can get great deals on specific items. So knowing when to shop can save you lots of money. For instance: many airlines offer great deals in January; March brings many sales in sports stores eager to empty their shelves and get ready for the summer sports boom; and August is the best time to buy swimwear.

26. Snack in Bulk While they are convenient, buying the snack-size bags of crackers and cookies is often much more expensive. Instead, buy snacks in bulk and divide up into snack size portions and put in individual baggies for easy snacking.

27. Fuel Points and Free Stuff If you use a shopper loyalty or rewards system, make sure you get the most out of it. one CWAHM reader routinely saves 50 cents a gallon on gas using her grocery rewards card. And some stores send out coupons for free and discounted items! CWAHM reader Tricia Kongos shares, “I once scored a bunch of bananas and milk for free with a shopper rewards card!”

28. Use Rewards Mother of four Anne Bennett gives this great tip: “Use reward cards!! Now, I'm not talking about credit cards, but the free reward cards that you can accumulate points on for $ off! Especially if it is somewhere you shop regularly! Some cards can also be used to load digital coupons on top of your regular savings as a card holder.”


29. Shop Around CWAHM reader Tricia Kongos shares her tip to shop sales at different grocery stores and stock up on those sales items for future use. You may have to visit several stores, but if you use your time wisely, you can get some great deals and make it worth your while.

30. Get more than one estimate Before you hire someone for home repairs or take your car somewhere for repairs, take the time to get several estimates. Make sure that the estimates include both parts and labor costs. Don’t be afraid to ask for savings and/or reduced pricing.

31. Buy Used “Buy used wherever you can! There is no shame in buying clothes from a second hand store. Heck, there's some really nice stuff in a lot of them! The same can be said for shoes, furniture, home decor, movies, video games and systems, sports equipment and whatever else you can think of! I'd say a good 50% of items in my home are second hand. Clothes would be close to 80% (especially my kids!) and all of my kids have at least one pair of second hand shoes. Remember, second hand does not necessarily mean shabby - almost all of the second hand stuff I get is name brand - most people are surprised that it is second hand! Also remember

that consignment stores are not the only place to get gently used items; I've found the internet and social media sites to be great resources for this!”


32. Do your Homework When you need to hire out for work around the house or you need repairs on your car, do some research online. The more you know, the more you can save. If you have some idea what your repairs entail and approximately what they may cost, then you can cut out extras that are often thrown in to pad your bill. Research the companies, too, so you know who you can trust.

33. Shop Thrifty One fun way to save money is to buy second-hand. Shop thrift stores for great deals on home decor, kids clothing, all kinds of things! I was looking for new lamps for our guest room a few weeks ago and didn’t want to spend a fortune on a room that only gets used a few times a year. I stopped in at our local Goodwill and found a set of lamps for less than $10. I plan to spray paint them to freshen them up and add some matching lampshades that my parents gave me. And voila! Less than $20 for a set of pretty lamps for my guest room.

34. By The Bag Buy fresh fruits and vegetables by the bag when possible. Five or ten pound sacks are often much cheaper than buying them loose (potatoes, onions, apples, oranges).

MakingYourOwnFromHome 35. Homemade Cleaning Products Making your own cleaning products may sound like a chore (pun intended), but it can be easy and effective. Once I accidentally melted some wax paper onto a cookie sheet (that I had recently received for Christmas…). My mom advised that I sprinkle baking powder evenly over the cookie sheet, then pour a layer of vinegar on and then let it sit. Worked like a charm and cost me $0 as I already had both ingredients in my kitchen.

You can find lots of ideas and “recipes” on places like Pinterest. I also found some recipes here (but haven’t had a chance to try them out yet).

36. Learn To Sew Clothing can be very expensive, especially since we have to buy our kids clothes as they grow. In addition, sewing can allow you to create your own gifts, cleaning cloths – all kinds of things! If you don’t know how to sew, consider asking one of the women at your church to show you the basics. A few quick lessons can open up a whole new world for you.

37. Make Your Own Candles Another great way to add items to your own home, as well as create gifts for others is to make your own candles. You can find directions online and even how-to videos on YouTube. A sweet friend of mine makes her own candles. She uses them for gifts and even brings in some income by selling them.

38. Make Your Own Jewelry Sometimes a girl needs a little sparkle and jewelry can do just that. Jewelry, however can be pricey and many times it is “unnecessary” things like this that get cut when the budget needs to be trimmed down. So, why not learn how to make your own jewelry? Find ideas and how-to’s online and create your own masterpieces – many times using items you already have on hand!

39. Take up Canning What better way is there to keep expensive fruits and veggies on hand than to can them? A good friend of mine handed me some canned apple butter this past fall and I fell in love with the idea of canning. She cans many different foods; from homemade apple butter to vegetables - even pickles! If you’re unsure how to get started, ask around at church or do some research online.

40. Make Products You Would Normally Buy In an effort to cut costs as well as control the ingredients going into the foods her family eats, a friend of mine began making her own versions of things like marshmallows, graham crackers, and spaghetti sauce. Now she makes just about everything from scratch – and you can, too.

41. Homemade Soap Another way to keep a little extra cash in your wallet is to make homemade hand soap. There are hundreds of recipes and ideas out there, but here’s one to get you started.

42. Save Money on Homeschool Supplies If you’re a homeschooling parent, here is an article with great ideas and tips for saving a few dollars on supplies.

43. Do it yourself We see more and more DIY ideas, so why don’t we put some of them into practice? For us work-at-homers, here’s a great article on 10 Ways to Make a Cheap Standing Desk.

AroundtheHouse 44. Dye Your Own Hair A loyal CWHAM reader says: “I know, it’s scary to wander into the world of hair color at home but having your hair colored is one of the most expensive trips to the beauty salon.” One CWAHM reader says, “I used to always go to the salon to get my hair colored. I had seen my

sister get a bad dye job and I never wanted to have that happen to me! However, when it came time to drastically cut the budget, I realized I needed to give it a shot. Today, especially with the foam products, it’s pretty hard to mess up. And my husband gets a real kick out of helping me! I say I go to Chez Jean (my husband’s name is John) to get my hair done!”

45. Make a Monthly Budget “Make a monthly budget!! If you don't know the magic number of how much you spend each month on food, clothing, gasoline, car washes, eating out, etc., you'll never know where you can trim the fat and save money! You might not realize that your family spends $400/month on fast food and restaurants until you take the time to add up each transaction!! Then you can decide if that's a reasonable amount for your budget or if you need to lower that amount! It's so much easier to SAVE money when you know WHERE it's all going!”


46. Check Your Deductible CWAHM reader Tricia Kongos offers us this tip to help cut down on auto expenses, “Cut down on auto insurance bill by increasing deductibles.” Make a call to your auto insurance agent today and ask about reducing your deductible. Make sure to get all the details on what a reduced deductible will mean to help determine if the cost savings are worth the trade-off.

47. Combine Policies According to one CWAHM reader, many insurance companies offer discounts if you ‘bundle’ your home and auto insurance. Check to make sure your coverage remains the same or better and don’t forget to challenge the rates and get your preferred company to price match, if possible.

48. Create a Price Book Know a good deal when you see one by creating a price book. “A price book is simply a list of items that you normally buy, and what their lowest prices are at the stores you typically shop at. With this list, when you happen upon a possible “deal”, you will be able to quickly and simply tell if it will actually save you money.” Read more about how to create a price book here.

49. Washable Wins Napkins, diapers and other disposable items can easily be replaced by washable cloth versions to save money. To reduce costs even further, create your own reusable napkins and diapers from inexpensive cloth or items you already have at home. It’s also a great way to be more eco-friendly.

50. Go Natural Consider planting a garden to save on the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables. It can be as simple as a garden box with tomato plants or as big and full as you can fit in your yard! Do some research on what grows well in your geographical area and what time of year to plant different items and then get digging! It’s a great group activity for the whole family and good exercise.

51. Check Your Mortgage Insurance When you purchased your home, you may have been required to pay for private mortgage insurance (PMI). However, when your loan balance hits 80% you can request that this be terminated. Check with your lender to see where your loan stands.

52. Challenge Property Taxes The National Taxpayers Union says that more than 30% of homeowners may be paying more property taxes than necessary. They advise you to study your property assessment for any mistakes and, if necessary, file an appeal with your local assessor.

53. Tax Savings CWAHM reader Tricia Kongos offers this tip: “Save money on Income Tax preparation fees.” The IRS has some offers on their website.”

54. Replace Your Bulbs According to statistics, if you replace just five often-used lights in your home with super-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, you’ll see a noticeable drop in your electricity costs.

55. Find Energy Leaks If your house has drafty windows, doors, etc., you are most likely paying extra for heat or air conditioning that is leaking out. Look into buying or borrowing a thermal leak detector to find out where those leaks are occurring. You may have to pay for the product, but cutting your bills long-term may just be worth the expense.

56. Think Green CWAHM reader Tricia Kongos shares a great tip for saving some extra money each month on your electricity bill: “Keep lights turned off in house when not needed.” It’s so easy to forget and leave lights on when we leave a room, but by being more mindful about it, we can make a big difference in the long-run on our energy bill and the environment.

57. Keep It Cool CWAHM reader Tricia Kongos shares one way that her family has found that helps save money by keeping heating costs down in the winter: “Turn thermostat down in the winter and wear a sweatshirt!” I bet some of you readers are glad you live in warm climates!

58. Use Expiring Items Make a point to put food items that are nearing their expiration front and center so they will be used first. A study by the Natural Resources Defense Council reports that Americans throw away roughly 40% of their food, which equates to roughly $2,275 a year for a family of four.

IntheKitchen 59. Post Receipts Another great money-saving tip is to post grocery receipts on your refrigerator. This is a great way for your family to know what's in the cupboards. Also, seeing the total you spent at the grocery store at the bottom is incentive to eat at home rather than going out.

60. Think Fun According to experts, Americans, on average, throw away 14 to 25 percent of the food we purchase. That’s a crazy amount of food wasted. One way to use food more wisely is to make saving money (and food) fun! You can make it exciting by making a "game" of using up the food that's in your cupboards. Gather your kids in the kitchen and work together to see what you can create.

61. Make Groceries Last Longer CWAHM reader Jan Wolfe shared this link (click here) to an article with thirteen tips to help you make your groceries last a bit longer to save you some extra cash.

62. Shop at Home CWAHM reader Tricia Kongos shares that she often challenges herself to shop from her own pantry for dinner ideas. It’s easy to think “there’s nothing here to eat” when in reality, our cupboards are packed full. Challenge yourself once a week to use what you have on hand to create a meal.

63. Get a Plan CWAHM reader Tricia Kongos shares that one idea she has instituted in their house is to, “make a menu and shopping plan each week and stick to it.” When you plan out a menu each week, you can then plan out your shopping list as well. This will save both time and money.

64. Teachable Moments “Teach your kids to save money. They too can cut coupons and watch for sales on their favorite toys or clothes.”

Submitted by Tricia Kongos

65. Consider Alternatives Things like soda pop are expensive – and if everyone in your family drinks it, those costs really add up. Consider looking for an alternative for things like soda (for instance, SodaStream is a one-time $80), snack foods and even juice (buy a juicer and make your own!) to curb the rising costs for your family.

66. Cut out Soda I’m nearing the year mark since I’ve had soda. Not only has our budget increased by around $50/month, I’ve also lost weight! What more can I say to convince you that those sodas that taste so good are not worth the calories or the $$?

67. Cook More Another way we helped make ends meet when I first began staying home full-time was to eat at home for as many meals as possible. I found it helped me to want to cook if I tried out new recipes from time to time. There are lots of websites where you can get recipes and websites like MarthaStewart.com even offer cooking lessons via video.

68. Make Cooking Fun This one is SO hard for me. I love to bake, but cooking is not one of my favorite things to do. However, eating out adds up QUICK. So, to save some extra money each month, consider cutting out as much away-from-home eating as possible. Think about how much healthier you and your family will be eating homemade meals. One reader suggests - teach your kids to cook! Let them each pick out one recipe a week that they can make with you. Cooking is a very practical skill that they won’t learn in school!

69. This Tip Comes From a Fellow CWAHM: "One of the ways I am able to save money by staying at home is that my family is able to eat my home cooking rather than getting a bite on the run on the way home .It makes us healthier, also.

I use the crockpot a lot to give me the most time to work on my home projects and meals are hot and ready when we are. This year I bought 3 crockpot cookbooks to help me come up with new ideas. Often I use the old favorites but modify them - such as cooking the taco mix in the crock pot and adding the shells, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese etc. at the table."

Submitted by Kathy Wilson

70. Stay In CWAHM reader Tricia Kongos encourage us to save money by having a “family pizza and a movie night at home instead of going to the theater.” Or consider a family game night or other at-home activity instead of going out.

71. Freeze It There are many creative ways to freeze food items for use at a later date. For instance, use ice cube trays to freeze things like baby food, sauce, meat stock and even chopped fresh herbs in water.

Think ahead and buy extra bread, hard cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetable, and meat. These can all be frozen and used at a later date.

Entertainment 72. Bulk Tickets Movie tickets are costly, so check with your local theater to see if they offer bulk options. Many theaters offer blocks of tickets at a discounted rate.

73. Slash Your Cable Bill Get rid of Cable or Satellite TV: between free air stations (your local stations) and options like Roku, Apple TV, and the like, you can watch many show and movies for a fraction of the cost of cable! Subscriptions to Hulu Plus (regular Hulu is free on your computer), Netflix and similar services are less than $10 a month! It's worth looking into - we cut our satellite bill from $120/month to $19/month!! Before Christmas, our kids had trouble even making Christmas lists because they said they never saw commercials, so they didn’t know what they wanted.


74. Make TV and Movies a Treat Instead of a daily habit, one CWAHM reader suggests making TV and movies a reward or a family time treat. Take the kids to the park or pool, or play a board game with the whole family. Then use TV time or movie time as a reward after a good week of homework done and group exercise or activities completed.

75. Switch Drinks When you do go out to eat, CWAHM reader Tricia Kongos offers this tip: “Order water to drink at restaurants instead of soda.” This will not only cut down on your bill every time you eat out, but will also eliminate calories from your diet.

76. Know When To Go Going to the movies can be expensive, so find out when your local theaters offer matinee pricing and opt to go during those hours. It may not seem like a huge savings at the time, but every dollar ads up.

77. Party at Home I know the trend is to have kids’ birthday parties at fun places like the theater, roller skating rink or local gymnastics training center, but consider having birthday parties at home instead – even if it’s just every other year. Make it a little more exciting by allowing a slumber party, making mini pizzas together or renting a movie that your child has been looking forward to seeing.

78. Kids Meal Deals “Go out to eat to places that offer deals for the kids. For example, our local restaurant, Fire House Subs, offers a free kids meal (sandwich, chips, drink and dessert) for each paying adult.”

Doing some quick research ahead of time to find meal deals can save you cash and over time, it can really add up.

Submitted by Roshanda Pratt

General 79. Sell Used & Unwanted Items Another way to save some money is to sell your unused and unwanted items and use that cash to buy groceries or other necessities. This can be a little time consuming, so if possible, set aside a day each month to make returns and list items for sale.

80. Cut out a Car Payment When I first began working from home, we quickly realized that we had more bills than we had money for. One solution that we came up with was to sell one of our fairly-new cars to get rid of the car payment. Now - I still needed to be able to get around during the day - so we opted for the cheapest (yet still reliable) car that we could find.

I drove that ‘97 Oldsmobile – peeling paint and all - until it just wouldn’t run anymore. And by that time it was several years later and we were able to finance a car to replace it.

81. Stop Spending In our culture, living on less can be very difficult. We’re bombarded with new things that we “need” and new gizmos that we must have in order to be successful. For the next month, challenge yourself. Set a goal to only spend $25 a week (or whatever amount your family agrees on) and see how well you can do!

82. Cut out Vices This one seems simple, but actually putting it into practice can be much more difficult. Cutting out vices like smoking, liquor, etc. can save you hundreds of dollars a month. If your vice is something you’ve done for years, consider asking a friend to hold you accountable or seek out a treatment program at a church or ministry near you. A CWAHM reader states that cutting out these bad habits is not only economical, it sets a great example for your kids and it can be great source of spiritual growth for you and your entire family.

83. Generic Medications “Ask your doctor to write the script for the generic version of your medicine or ask your pharmacist. This works with over the counter drugs, too. My sister is a pharmacist and always requests the generic drugs when available. They are sometimes even manufactured by the same company.”


84. Check It Out “Use your public library to check out books or DVDs instead of buying them. Some libraries also offer e-books.”


85. Be Not-So-Loyal “Don't be brand loyal. I know it's tough, but unless they are PAYING you to continue to buy their brand or there is a SIGNIFICANT quality difference, there is no sense in this! Shop with your wallet in mind, not the brand label. Try the less expensive option - worst case scenario, you go back to the other brand.”


86. Go Easy On Oil Changes I recently read an article that quoted Philip Reed, senior consumer advice editor at car site edmunds.com as saying that because oil today is so much better than it was in the past, the old guideline to change our oil every 3,000 miles doesn’t apply today. According to Reed, a safe bet is “7,800 miles or longer.”

87. Find Cheap Gas There are websites (gaspricewatch.com) and apps (GasBuddy) available today that can help you find the lowest priced gas in your area. It’s also advisable to fill your tank early in the week – gas prices tend to rise as the weekend approaches.

88. Check Your Credit CWAHM Reader Tricia Kongos advises that people, “Obtain a free annual credit report: http://www.annualcreditreport.com. Check your credit report for any errors and be aware of identity theft.” Being aware of what is appearing on your credit report can save you time, money and headaches.

89. Swap it “Find or organize a swap meet! You don't have to limit it to clothes...think outside the box!”


90. Barter Why pay for things when you can barter? If you have a product (maybe you make your own candles or jewelry) or service (administrative work, cleaning services), you can many times trade those things with others. A win-win situation!


91. Do Some Research There are lots of ways to lower household bills, including your grocery bill. Do some research online to find ideas of what other people have done to lower their bills. Here’s a starting point – a great article I found, “25 Ways To Lower Your Grocery Bill.”

92. Pay Online Cut out the cost of stamps and checks by paying online. Most bills can now be paid online through the store or company’s website or through your local bank’s website. In fact, in many churches you can even tithe online.

93. Trade, Share, Swap How many of you have friends and family at different stages of life? One CWHAM reader says that swapping and sharing among friends and family can save so much it’s almost free! She and her friends and family give each other clothes, furniture and more to meet each other’s needs. When one gets offered a new couch, she calls to see who wants her old one. When one sister’s child grows out of clothes and toys, she saves them for the next one in her circle who will need them. When one sister loses or gains weight, they pass on their clothes to another. They rarely have to buy new items.

94. Carpool, Bike or Walk If you are able, consider biking to work or to the store. Or, if possible, carpool with others when heading to work, church or even the grocery store. Taking the kids to the park? Walk instead of driving.

95. Cancel Your Plans That gym membership you pay for, but don’t use – cancel it. That online movie plan that you forgot you had – cancel it. Find ways that your budget may be leaking money and cut those things out.

96. Use Cash only Studies show that people who shop using cash only – no credit or debit cards – spend less overall. The next time you grocery shop, try setting a budget and pulling that amount of cash out to use. See if you can spend only what you have – or less!

97. Go Old School While modern conveniences seem like the only way to do things at times, there are tried-and-true (usually cheaper) ways to do things. For instance, consider line-drying clothing instead of using the dryer. Install a line in your laundry room or even hang them outside if the weather permits.

98. Trash It Consider recycling or composting to save money on trash service. Or, if you have a pick-up or trailer, you could even haul your own trash to the dump instead of paying for someone else to do it.

99. Cut Out Haircuts Now, we don’t want to go crazy here and have everyone running around with long shaggy hair, but it is possible to cut out expensive haircuts. You can, of course, choose to grow your hair out. Or you can purchase an inexpensive haircutting kit and do cropped haircuts (both my son and husband allow me to cut their hair this way).

100. Clearance Sales Rock! Clearance, real clearance sales, can save you more than 60% off that item’s retail price. As one CWAHM reader says, “If you learn your favorite stores’ markdown days and season end clearance markdowns, you have save as much as 90% or more on your purchases. My husband always checks out the manager’s specials at the grocery store - that saves us at least 50% on meat and other expensive foods. And we know when our favorite retail stores do their markdowns. Often the sale people will tell you if you ask. And then you can save SO much! Especially when you shop their season end clearance sales; some store just keep marking things down until they are $1!”

101. Reuse Old Stuff In the end, one of the simplest ways to save money is to not buy new stuff. Find creative and useful ways to reuse what you already have. For instance, create tennis racket mirrors, candy themed pouches and even trash can tables.

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