What are some ways to save money?

Question

Do any tricks work for you? My mother is leaving, my dad just lost one of his jobs (so now all we have is 28,000 dollars a year), and we can't afford the rent, so we are moving into a cheaper place. To knock it all off, our car isn't working that well lately (it is old). I would be grateful for any tips that work for you.. Thanks.

Answer 1

I would find out if you qualify for food stamps.

Make your grocery list from grocery store sales papers. Always keep the lights off unless you must use them. Recycle everything....somethings you can get a little money for. Make gifts for each other rather than trying to buy things....make things from nature.....pick wildflowers...give a lot of love to each other. See if you can get free lunches at school. Waste not. Share clothing with friends. Good luck....it sounds like you are a special and kind and thoughtful child.

Answer 2

The best thing to do, and I mean the best, is to watch each and every penny that goes out.

Ask yourselves if you really NEED something before you buy it.

Do you eat out? Stop. It is very expensive. Don't even buy that soda or whatever.

I hear a lot of people say "Its only a dollar, its ONLY 50 cents" and that all adds up! Do not nickle and dime yourself to death.

Take good care of what you already have. A lot of things are wasted because they are mistreated and break prematurely

Dont buy prepared foods. They are always more expensive.

Shop sales. Go through the mailers and make a list of things on sale from each grocery store and make a game plan to go to each one (plan a route that is the shortest) and buy what you need. If you live in a fairly populated suburban area then this should work well as you should have lots of choices

If all of this seems like too much trouble, then you aren't that desparate.

The biggest message here is to change your lifestyle!

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

I would say move to a place that has transport so that you can use the buses and trains if you have to .Sometimes this is a lot cheaper than the up keep of a car petrol rego .
Recycle as much as you can ..pennies make pounds .use your plastic bags save on buying garbage bags etc .Freeze food in season . buy in bulk .home cooking .turn lights off .wear an extra jumper before turning the heater on .
pot plants and cutting sell them . eBay . secondhand shops.
every purchase stop and think do you need or just want .
Don't buy the paper if you have the computer there are the news programs on that .
Hope it has given you a few ideas .

Answer 4

*Unplug all of your appliances at night. Electricity still runs through them even when they are turned off. It sounds silly, but unplugging your satellite dish every night alone saves $25 a year. Imagine how much unplugging everything else would save.
*Don't spent any of your change. Put all of it in a jar & save it. Your change will really add up. When the time comes that you really need money for something, roll the change yourself (coinstar takes almost 10% in fees) and take it to your bank.
*Your dad may still qualify for unemployment for the job he lost, looking into that wouldn't hurt.
*Besides unemployment, your family might qualify for state assistance. The worst they can do is say no, so give it a shot.
Good luck!

Answer 5

I'm not a huge fan of living off the government, but in your case I would say you probably qualify for food stamps, reduced lunches at school, cheaper health insurance, etc. Help out if your old enough by getting a job, even if its something small like babysitting or cleaning houses. Try to shop sales, discount shops, yardsales, etc. Don't eat out, cooking certain foods at home is much better. Don't waste money on things like cds, tobacco or alcohol, etc. Rent movies instead of going to them, and get books from the library. Try to watch water usage, and turn your thermastat higher in the summer to lower electric bill. Best of luck!

Answer 6

My husband hides money in the check book. I am sure your dad will know what I mean. If he gets a check for 500.00 instead of writting 500.00 as a deposit, he writes like 450.00 so there is 50.00 floating in there that he will forget about and then if he writes a check and he thinks he is overdrawn he really isn't, and how he keeps track of it is his bank statement. I hope I explained this right I am sure I did, we have saved over two thousand dollars just by doing this, just do this with every check he gets and he will see a big difference, if you don't see it you won't spend it. Unless he doesn't use checks then I don't know.

Answer 7

Get a part time job to help out! Start doing more jobs around the house so that your mother and father can find a job faster! You cant save money or cut costs if there is no money to start with!

Answer 8

i am sorry for you. first of all you could have part time job the news paper carrier for your area and can call and find out if you can get small route. or maybe you could work short order cook few hours a week. something like that to help out. not sure how old you are so its hard to say. sometimes people make candied applies and sell them for money 1.00 pice. its all the little amounts that count plus your dad will have to pay child support get your mom on that.

Answer 9

Start saving cans.Go for walks and pick them up.I get about $50 a month for what I pick up.Go to the store very early and you can get cheaper meats.Save left overs for another meal.Clip coupons.Stock up when things are really cheap.Don't buy clothes or shoes unless they are on sale.Hit the yard sales.

Answer 10

Save money in a bank account, save change in a jar and take it to coinstar when it's full and put it in the bank. Sell your old and unwanted things. Maybe get a part time job to help out and save that money.