What's the number one thing that you've done to save money on everyday expenses?

Answer 1

*Coupons Help a lot. Also look at the your grocery store ads.. many times the weekly coupons are for items on sale at the stores that week!
* Not sticking to only one brand of shampoo, soap, paper products, etc Buy whats on sale and what you have a coupon for.
*Bring your lunch and snax to work. I treat myself out once a week.
* Make your own coffee at home in the morning and use coffee singles ( coffee type teabags) for extra coffee during the day.
*To save gas I run all my errands around town in a clockwise manner. ..I also stop off at places on the way to work and on the way home.
* I only get my newspaper delivered on SUNDAY. During the week I read the newspaper at work for free..if I need to clip something I make a photocopy.
* I rent all my dvd' from my local library FOR FREE. Yes, they do have new releases! Put in hold on the new titles and when they are in your library will call you. They have NEW books too and books on tape too!

Answer 2

There are a number of things you can do to save money on those everyday expenses. First....you must have a budget and be fully aware of where you money is going. If you don't have a budget, start one. Once you have a budget, tracked your expenses, then you are in a position to make some informed decisions on how and where to cut back on expenses. Typical areas including brown bagging for your lunch, buy a big order big enough to last a week or two, do not make multiple trips to the convenience and grocery store and use coupons, of course your order needs to be based upon how you are paid. Hit local thrift shops. You be surprised the good deal you can get including clothing. Your driving habits, if bad, can cost you an arm and leg at the gas pump, plan your trips to minimize wasted time and gas, You can cut your electric bill by doing laundry on weekends and running the dish washer after 5:00 PM, If you are buying beer and cigarettes....STOP.... they cost a lot and are killing you, Turn your thermostat down as much as you feel comfortable. Make sure you hot water heater has a blanket to keep in the heat. Last but not least.....CUT UP YOUR CREDIT CARDS......! These are but a few ideas which work. I suggest you visit several web sites and do some research [for example http://www.betterbudgeting.com/ ]

Answer 3

You can bring a lunch, skip that morning coffee at starbucks, buy generic or store brand products at the grocery store and things like this.

Personally, I do the generic thing at the grocery store...I can't tell the difference, but I also cut my monthly bills which has helped a lot.

If you're phone bill is more than $40, you can save money by switching to a VoIP service providing you have broadband. If you don't, switch to a different long distance provider. I have some as low as 1.9 cents per minute

If you have dial up and pay more than $20 per month, switch to a cheaper plan with all the same features and possibly more. I offer Dial Up Internet for just $14.95.

Do you have cable? Drop it to Basic coverage and get a netflix account.

Little things that add up.

Answer 4

Start using cash....set up an envelope for each everyday expense catagory (grocery, gas, eating out, pets, car, etc)
Budget an amount of cash each week for these envelopes. When the cash you budget is gone...you don;t borrow more or charge it...you just don;t get it. The key is to budget realistically and know it will take a month or 3 to get it going smoothly...but it is the best way to keep spending under control...
Hope that helps....for a great complete strategy to money check out "the Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey

Answer 5

I just started doing this since 2 weeks ago and I have been saving a lot. I still live at home so I eat at home and bring food to work. I don't spend on little things anymore..for instance coffee, little snacks, ect. I try to snack at home and bring whatever I have from home to work. I only take out cash out of the ATM once a week which is usually for gas. I am doing this until I have brought down my debt and I balance my checkbook often just so I can keep track. =)

Answer 6

When I needed work outfits, I went to www.weekenders.com and bought three outfits -- pants, top and jacket -- in three different colors. Now I just mix them up: the black pants with the cream top with the red jacket, the red pants with the black top, etc. Add in a few scarves and accessories. Once I did this, I don't have to keep buying clothing, and it looks like I'm wearing something different all the time. I also trade clothing with my friends, which is terrific and it helps them to get rid of things they no longer wear. When I want to wear something different, I go to ebay and get a bargain. I rarely buy clothing, but I always have nice things to wear. I always laugh at the women who feel the need to have 50 different pairs of shoes costing thousands of dollars: no one has ever noticed that I have only two sets of work/dress shoes that I wear, and I also have only one purse.

Answer 7

Brining lunch to work rather than going out definately helps. So can little things like turning down the heat a few degrees.

Answer 8

If I need to buy something, and I remember that I saw at another nearby store, and it was cheaper. I will go to the nearby store. Now if it was cheaper and the store was far away, I would just buy it there, you spent more on the gasoline, going somewhere else.