1000 Ways to Save Day 2!

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If you missed day one of my new series, 1000 Ways To Save, you can read it here! There will be ten days total with 100 money saving tips listed each day! Its a challenge for me to find tons of little ways to pinch pennies and some big ways too that I haven’t thought of or tried before.

I tried setting today’s post up in categories for the most part vs. just randomness all the place. I’m what you call a “gold personality.” If you’ve taken those color personality tests, I’m the one who has to have order and organization; I just feel better when things are just so.

Anyway! Here we go with day 2!

First and foremost…

101. Tithe. I believe that giving a percentage of your income to God reminds you who He is and that He is in control of your finances and NOT YOU! Also, I believe in tithing because God says to do it in His word, so out of obedience, I do it. If you are already tithing, consider the fact that tithing is just the bare minimum that God asks of you. We as Christians should be the most giving people in the world! Which brings me to number 102.

102. Give! The more you give, the more you receive! “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.” Prov. 19:17 “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.” Prov. 3:27

103. Stay Honest. I have been amazed by what is happening in our economy right now. Not because I didn’t think something like this would happen, but because so much of what has happened has stemmed from people being dishonest! Cheaters never prosper, and they also take their country down with them apparently! I loved the way Lennea at BeingFrugal.net put it in her post HERE.

Make a little extra moolah!

104. Use inboxdollars.com to bring in some extra cash. Fill out the occassional survey and read e-mails. That’s all there is to it! Again, I can refer you! (This is the only one I’d recommend.)

105. Double check the bottom of your Safeway receipts. I once had an offer for a paid survey and made $15!

106. Babysit! This is such easy money! Put an ad up on craigslist and watch the calls come in! be sure to have character references available.

107. Sign up with a tutoring company. We did this with Club Z and Nate makes $20/hour tutoring once a week! Not bad eh? (PS, you don’t always have to have teaching experience!)

108. Work for your local high school selling tickets at sporting events! We do this and it works great. Who you contact depends on your district. For us, it was the events secretary.

Tips for food/grocery savings…

109. Stop going all the time! Just go once a week. If you need something, make a rule that you have to walk to go go get it. (That’s what keeps me creative!) Gas is liquid gold remember? The average person spends 20 minuted in a store at a time! That’s a lot of time to put yourself in a possible overspending situation. Get what you need for the week, and don’t go back for another week!

110. Ask for coupons from friends/co-workers. I need to work on this one. I think there may be a part of me that is secretly ashamed to do this! I can totally see the merit in it, I think I just need to buck up and ask!

111. Eat meatless at least once a week, beans and rice people! Dave Ramsey says to eat nothin’ but beans and rice until you are out of debt. This is an awesome idea, and we still use a lot of meat. One of the things I am going to be working on this coming month is trying more bean recipes. Check out some of the ones I’m thinking about HERE at beanbible.com.

112. Pick wild berries when you can! Nate and I did this twice this summer and I made two yummy blackberry pies! These berries are organic, of course, and cost a fortune at the store! I was so proud of myself when I made those pies!

113. Save those butter wrappers! I have yet to do this one. I heard it from thehappyhousewife.com. Save your butter wrappers and use them to grease pans before baking. There is always bits of leftover butter on the wrapper, and it gets the job done without using other supplies!

114. Build a stockpile. This is still a relatively new concept for me. I only recently started stockpiling. I used to only buy what we needed for the week and nothing more. Nate was constantly telling me there was nothing to eat. It was very discouraging! Now that I’m stockpiling, I’ve got food that I purchased on super sales ready to go when needed! I love the way Denise presents it HERE in her video at the Centsible Sawyer.

115. Set a limit on what you can buy that’s not on the list. Everyone says “write a list and stick to it!” But if you are super into couponing, like me, you can occasionally find great prices on things that weren’t originally on your list! I have had to train myself to restrain. If it is not a healthy item, then I don’t buy it. If it is over $.50 after the coupon and it’s not on the list, I can’t buy it. This is such a hard one for me! But if I let myself go over budget a couple bucks each week, I’m going to be $8+ over budget!

116. Determine if your club membership is truly worth the money. We also think this is a toughie. We used to be hard core Costco shoppers. And you know what? We were not saving any money. In fact, we were spending more than what we would have if we hadn’t shopped there. We haven’t renewed our membership, and I do miss it because there were so many amazing products and things to look at! But you know what? I can’t afford to spend $8 on oranges and $7 on cereal! I try to get my cereal at about $1 a box! In the end, we save more by not shopping there. It may save your family money, and that’s great. I would challenge you however, to do the math to see if it is saving you as much as you thought.

117. If having a club membership is worth it to you, share it! We have friends that share their membership with other friends and only pay half of the membership fee each year. It is cheaper to do this and it would be even better if you carpooled there when you shopped! (Plus held each other accountable to not overspend!)

118. Don’t forget the less traveled stores! Ethnic food stores, drug stores, Big Lots, discount grocery stores, outlet stores and so on! Sometimes you can score some sweet deals! We have a local bread outlet a co-worker told me about that I have yet to go to. She said she got TONS of bread products for less than $20! She freezes the excess and has enough bread for her family of 4 for the month!

119. Rebates. I think rebates can be a great tool for saving money. Beware! You must remember to send them in! I send in rebates once a month when I do the final bookkeeping at the end of the month. Its a habit now so I don’t forget. Also, if you have a coupon for something that is free after rebate, you can make money buying something! Crystal at moneysavingmom.com is amazing at this! Check out her deal scenarios each week!

120. Request your Walgreens rebates on a gift card! If you do this, you get an added 10% to your total rebate! I’ve got about $15 in rebates coming for this month, which means I will receive an extra $1.50!

121. Challenge yourself to see how long you can go without shopping again! Donna wrote about this at thedollarstretcher.com. It sounds great to me! I am basically doing that until the end of the month because I am already at budget for the month. Read more HERE!

122. Put one thing back! I read this tip in a book by Elizabeth George. She does this every time she goes to the checkout counter!

123. Use the front basket of the cart to hold your guilt! Or your impulse items, that is. If you found something on impulse that was not on the list, stick it in that front basket for later evaluation. As your shopping goes on, if you’re anything like me, you’ll feel so guilty you’ll stick it back!

For the home…

124. Stop buying cookbooks! I know they are fun, but it just seems so silly to do that when there is such a plethera of amazing recipes available to you on the internet for FREE!

125. Getting a package? Save the packaging! You can cut down your own shipping costs by reusing what was sent to you! I like to save those padded bubble envelopes and reuse those! They work great for shipping books when I sell them on half.com.

126. Dirty oven? Clean it the frugal way!Just use baking soda and water! Check out what Lennae from beingfrugal.net does HERE!

127. Recycle! Its shocking to me how much people throw away that could be recycled. I found out about this over the summer when I was back in my home town. They only thing they recycle there is newspaper and pop cans, the city doesn’t have anything else set up! So, my parents trash cans filled up so fast! I was stunned! We take our little trash out about once every other day because I recycle more than I throw away. The more you recycle, the smaller your city trash can size can be. (I realize things may work differently in other areas.) Where I’m from, you choose the size of your bin, and they charge you from there. Why not recycle more and pay less? Its much better for the planet too!

128. Make your own compost! I’ll admit, this does not appeal to me. I’m not a composting type of gal! But, if you garden, you really may want to consider trying this. Here are some great sites to check out: howtocompost.org and eartheasy.com!

129. Extend the life of your clothes. I am working on this one in our house. I am not good at keeping up with the mending. I bought a small sewing kit from the Dollar Tree and have everything I need, I just need to do it! Also, I mentioned yesterday that not using your dryer will save you money, it’ll also keep your clothes newer longer! All that lint? That is fibers from your clothes!

Concerning water/energy conservation…

129. Save left over pasta water! You can use it to A) water plants, B) pour into dishes that need to soak before washing, C) some people save it for making soups? I’ve never tried that, but hey! Sounds like a good idea! I dump mine into glasses that have milk yuckies in them or pans that need some soaking as well.

130. Reuse shower water. This is a total stretch for me, but in the interest of being open to new ideas, I’ll talk about it. Clog the shower drain and catch that water that falls when you shower. Take a bucket and pour a bucket full of that water into your toilet to flush it. Weird? Kinda! But you are not using any extra water to flush your toilet! You could also reuse that water to soak some clothes in that need some stain care.

131. Rinse dishes with cold water. Water is water, right? Hot water does require extra energy to heat up. If you can, use cold water to rinse dishes before sticking them in the dishwasher. I also try to wash hands with cold water.

132. Make friends with your crockpot! Not only does this help the grocery budget, it also helps the energy savings! Crockpots and microwaves use a lot less energy than the stove!

133. Use the stove top! Avoid the oven when you can– its an energy hog!

134. Skip the preheat! If you must use the stove, skip the preheat. You’ll have to pay a little more attention to the time it takes to cook/bake, but it will save so much energy!

135. Have a family energy meeting. I can go around and turn stuff off and unplug stuff and do all that, but if my husband is constantly leaving things on, where aren’t going to get anywhere! We’ve had a few heart to heart talks about this, and my hubbie is much better than he used to be. Get your family involved in the energy saving pursuit! Chart your energy usage, make it a math lesson!!

136. Try an energy free night. I tried and failed somewhat. I need to get a new lighter or some matches! I was planning on having candlelight and flashlights only and leaving just the alarm clock and fridge on for one night a week. I’m still hoping it’ll happen soon!

137. Eat by candlelight! We haven’t tried this one yet, but it sounds fun!

138. Full loads and only full loads! When you run the washing machine and dishwasher, only run them on full loads. You’re water and energy usage will be so much more efficient.

139. Turn down the water heater. From what I’ve read, you can turn down your water heater by 5 degrees F and be okay. I haven’t tried this one yet either!

140. Married folks… shower together! Its fun at times and cuts down on water use!

141. Air dry. If you have a drying cycle on your dishwasher, try just letting them air dry instead.

142. Don’t exhaust your fans! (Like my pun?) If you’re like me, 10 minutes tops.

143. For the summer… here is a great energy saving tip I found for airconditioners:

“Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units but not to block the airflow. Place your room air conditioner on the north side of the house. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating in the sun.” (www1.eere.energy.gov)

144. Shade trees! Shade trees can save you up to 25% on cooling bills as well!

145. Fireplace tips… keep that great heat indoors in those cold winter months! Read some great tips on how to maximize your fireplace HERE!

146. Embrace the shower! Showering uses up much less water than bathing. I notice a difference in my bill even if I only take just one bath a month!

147. Water Heater Maintenance: Another great tip from www1.eere.energy.gov:

Although most water heaters last 10-15 years, it’s best to start shopping for a new one if yours is more than 7 years old. Doing some research before your heater fails will enable you to select one that most appropriately meets your needs.

Read more HERE!

148. Task lighting. Consider task lighting for your rooms verses lighting up the whole room. (IKEA has very inexpensive task lighting!)

149. Replace your waterbed! I’m hoping most of you already have, but if not, I looked at a chart that stated waterbed heaters cost on the average about $80/year to run! A regular mattress is just an initial purchase. (www1.eere.energy.gov)

150. Defrost regularly! This one is new to me! Apparently, built up frost and such affects the effiency of your freezer! Don’t allow frost to build up over 1/4 inch. (www1.eere.energy.gov)

Concerning your gift budget…

151. Send e-cards! Oh I love these! I know my friends and family are totally wishing I hadn’t discovered this, because I now send them all the time!! I love Hallmarks, they are cute and so funny and FREE! Plus, no postage!

152. Evaluate your gift giving habits. I love it when people are natural givers; I think giving is so honorable and good. (I am working on this!) But I feel like its easy to let the cost of the gift determine its value to the receiver. I don’t like that at all. In fact, I believe it is so much more meaningful when we work hard to make/find an incredible deal on something someone we love would really enjoy! Evaluate what you spend on giving, evaluate your heart behind your gift giving and then set a doable and workable gift budget.

153. Regift. There I said it. It can be done tastefully I believe. I have written on this topic before, read more HERE.

154. Become a frequent flyer in the clearance aisles! Notice I said frequent flyer and not frequent buyer. You can find a lot of great deals by frequenting those clearance racks. I check my regular stores every time I visit. However, I don’t buy anything unless I know well who and when I will give that gift to!

155. Keep a list! If you’re like me, you have a gift pile growing all year long. I keep mine in the office closet and often forget what’s in there! I keep a list and then also write on there who I am planning on giving the gift to and when. It helps so much!

156. Entertainment books. I think these make great gifts! Our school did a fundraiser selling these for $20. I also know that if you use mypoints, you can get points for ordering them through my points.

157. $20 too much? Yeah, it was for me too. So I only bought one for us to help us save money on entertainment, but I’ve found other ways to give to my school. I clip box tops for education! I have a challenge in my classroom, teachers vs. students. We keep a working graph of how many box tops they have brought in and how many I’ve brought in. The winner gets a special prize! The kids bring in more and I bring in more! (Last year my class made $107 for our school!)

158. Need a frugal wedding gift? Read my post HERE on how to give a great gift for $5 or less!

159. Use your freebie skills! Once you are a coupon maniac, you can often get some great items for free after rebates/coupons. These items often make great gifts! This month Walgreens had Revlon nail polish free after rebate. I kept mine, but paired with a foot scrub from the dollar tree and some toe seperaters? What a great gift!

160. Make a candles from your candle leftovers! All you need is a container, any old jar or even candle jar will do, bits of old candles, and a wick! (I would even try taking wicks out of existing cheap candles from the Dollar Tree. You can get them sometimes in packs of 6/$1!) Read the how-to HERE!

161. Use technology! Of course this is assuming you already own the technology. But my hubbie makes videos and power points for family members for gifts all the time! This is especially meaningful to our family that live far away as they don’t get to see us very often.

162. Bake! I’m planning on baking some breads for holiday gifts this year. Homemade bread is hard to come by these days with everyone being so busy! Its fairly cheap and so thoughtful.

Concerning beauty/supplies…

163. Cut your own hair! I cut my hubbie’s hair and I am getting kind of good! (If I do say so myself.) Check out my post HERE for more.

164. Not comfortable cutting your own? Try going to a beauty school. Our local school doesn’t charge, though some do, a smallfee. Most of these students are quite talented and appreciate the practice!

165. Keep your used tea bags! Tea is one of the best kept secrets in frugal beauty. I found this awesome website with wonderful tea tips. From www.care2.com, here is my favorite!

“Sweet Feet
The tannins in tea help to fight odor-causing bacteria. Simply soak feet in strong tea for several minutes, then pat dry.”

Click HERE for more ideas!

166. Make your own cologne! After reading THIS ARTICLE, I think I may try this! I am allergic to most artificial scents. (I especially can’t have them touch my skin.) So this is such a great idea! All the ingredients are natural!

167. Another tea tip! Steam up some green tea for a great facial refresher! Blotchy? Just pat that tea on your face and the antioxidents in the tea aid in soothing and improving your skin!

168. Want amazingly soft hands? This is a tip from my ASB advisor from high school. Put lotion on and wear gloves over your hands while you sleep. You will wake up with extremely soft hands!

169. Honey makes a great face wash! Honey’s a natural antibacterial and works well as a face scrub. Wash it off with warm water.

170. Baking soda for your hair? I have read that adding 2 spoonfuls of baking soda to your shampoo reduces product build up on your hair.

171. Keep pantyhose in the freezer? Apparently, this helps them to last longer. Sounds weird. Does anybody do this?

172. Oatmeal as a facial. Don’t like the idea of tea or honey? Try oatmeal! Mix dry oatmeal with water, smear on face and let dry. Wash it off and check out the results!

Consign your junk!

173. Making the most of your stuff… I clean out our closets once a season and take the gently used items to our local consignment store. Here are some things I’ve found to be true: Iron and clean everything before you take it in. If it looks gross, they won’t sell it. Make sure before you spend all that time ironing that your stuff is in good condition. No stains? No holes? Your good. Make sure you take your stuff in the correct season. They won’t sell swimsuits in February, sorry.

174. Accept hand-me-downs, even if they aren’t your thing. Why? Because they might be someone else’s thing! You know how to consign, how to sell stuff in a yard sale and how to donate for tax deductions!

When it comes to banking and paying bills…

175. Set up auto bank deductions for your bills. I have done this with my utilities, students loan, and insurance payment. This is different than online bill pay, though that works well too. I set this up directly with the company that I am paying. I feel better about that and I don’t even have to go online to set them up each month. It stays automated! Therefore, no late fees!

176. Block the door! When I have had something vital that needs to be sent, I put them in a way that I can’t get out the door that day without moving the item! I’ve done this for packages, bills, rebates, b-day cards, invites, and recycling!

177. ING. I love INGDirect! We have been banking with them for awhile now and our savings have grown beautifully. They have a high interest rate, and what I like is that you have to request a transfer to get it back into your regular checking account. That extra step makes me think twice before I transfer– that’s important for me! Interested? I can refer you!!

For your entertainment…

178. Have you been to your library? I went and it scared me. There were all kinds of homeless people there. It freaked me out a bit as it was very crowded. I’m going to try a library in a different neighborhood and see what I can find. I know there are so many resources at the library. Books, DVDs, storytimes, public speakers, newspapers, magazines, sometimes even classes. Check yours out before you buy another book!

179. Starbucks gift cards. They are for more than just gifts! You can register your gift cards and get special rewards and gifts! Nate and I both have registered gift cards and we each got a free Vivano drink, mmm. You can also get a free drink when you purchase a bag of coffee beans!

180. Are you a cheap date? The cheaper, the better! I found a fun sites with a cheap date idea video. Click HERE for more!

181. Going to the movies? Don’t buy treats at the theater, go to the Dollar Tree! You can get the same candy, often with more candy in the box, for $1 or even2/$1! Woohoo! That saves you like $6!

182. Avoid going shopping for entertainment. When I was in college, that is what we did. We went to the mall. We went to Target. We spent money. Then we came back to the dorms and had real fun just hanging out, playing games, jamming on the guitar, playing video games, sledding, that was the fun stuff– and it didn’t cost us anything!

183. Build a fort! Nathan and I do this for a cheap and somewhat quirky date night! I usually make popcorn and cocoa and we cuddle up in our fort and watch a movie!

184. Friends are resources! They have movies too! Borrow! Share!

185. Take advantage of all things local. Seriously. We need to save gas, we need to be frugal, keep it close to home. Nate and I went for a hike with friends one day and it was amazing! We hiked to the top of a local waterfall!! Another thing is that when faced with two choices, choose the closest one. I’m facing that decision for a pumpkin patch trip. Joes is closer, plus a dollar cheaper! Do your research and stay local.

Paper products…

186. Go with cloth! I now use cloth napkins and they work great! They don’t add that much to my laundry load either.

187. Paper towel Challenge! Challenge yourself to only use one roll of paper towels a month! When faced with the choice of paper or cloth, you’ll be more likely to choose cloth! It works and prevents waste!

For the handyman/woman…

188. Got a rotting problem? Check out how Christy dealt with rotting wood in her home at her blog Christy’s Thrift decorationg. Click HERE!

Concerning cars…

189. How many cars do you really need? My husband and I share a car, and it is so good for us. We’re forced to carpool everyday to work, we stay home a lot more. We combine trips, and we only pay insurance and licensing for one car!

190. Cut the warm up. This may depend on your vehicle. A friend of ours told me that after two years of living in Europe, where it was not acceptable to warm up your car, he no longer does and his car still runs well. We try to do the same as it seems like such a waste. If your car can handle it, try it.

191. Junk in your trunk? Make sure you don’t have a whole lot of stuff dragging your car down, it affects your gas mileage.

192. Wear that baby out! Use your car until it dies! Then buy your next one with cash!

193. FREE CARS! This is Dave Ramsey’s take on saving for cars. Click HERE.

194. Yard Art? Or car? Got one that you just can’t save? Donate it! Make sure that the company you donate the car to provides free towing. (I donated my car and I was thrilled that I didn’t have to pay another towing fee!)  You will get a nice tax deduction for this!

Random tid-bits…

195. Got yucky sponges? Zap them in the microwave to kill germies.

196. Watch out for certain sites. I’ve been getting a lot of junk in my mailbox for free gambling websites with big payouts. This concerns me. I feel it is so important that we do what we can to extend our dollars, but I honestly feel that gambling is not the way to stretch dollars. Just my two cents.

197. Got water spots? You can remove water spots from wood furniture with toothpaste! Rub gently with toothpaste on a damp cloth. (I’m going to try this one!)

198. Strengthen your nylons! Soak them in a gallon of water with 2 cups of salt overnight! Rinse and hang dry! (I want to try this!)

199. Be informed! Here is a list of the top ten telemarketing frauds! Click HERE for more!

200. Take time for you. You will be less likely to crash and splurge if you take time to give yourself rest, have a little frugal fun, and maybe even enjoy a treat. Especially if your family depends on you to keep them on track, you need to make sure you are filling yourself up so that you have enough and even more than enough to give.

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