As gas prices continue to go up and food follows, what are you doing to pinch the pennies to make ends meet? Here are some suggestions from the ThrifyFun community. Post your own ideas below.
Pinching the pennies as hard as we can! We are on a limited income, my husband has Alzheimer's Disease. I only drive to church, doctors and church because of the gas situation. Groceries are getting so high, I have to watch what I buy, use coupons,and check grocery ads. Just pray that things will get better soon. But we are truly blessed and our hearts and prayers go out to the people in the Midwest. So sorry for what they are having to endure.
By Billie
Well, I don't have a car, and don't drive at all, so the rising gas prices are not a worry to me in the personal sense. I walk, and catch public transport for which I buy a 10 trip ticket which works out cheaper than buying a daily one. I shop locally. As I'm a mature, single lady (low income) I look for the markdowns in various foods, bread, etc. and don't buy more than I feel I can use. I'm not a vegetarian, but eat little meat (outrageous prices here for meat in Australia). I eat other protein foods, canned salmon, sardines, tuna, etc, and buy those when on special.
By Ellie
I hang all my laundry. Drive only when have to. Have a bike also, and I put in a big garden. I picked my own strawberries and looking for a low sugar freezer jam recipe. Thank you.
By Connie
I make sure I only shop for food once a week. If we are out of it, we're out. I also shop with a neighbor which saves (only one car needs to go). We use fans in the summer and put heavy curtains on windows to keep the sun from beating in and heating up the house. I am also putting up a large fenced area to start a big garden that will be safe from the deer. I hope to get enough tomatoes to be able to can them.
By Liz
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I gave up my cell phone plan & bought a cell phone for $19.00+, and purchased $20.00 worth of minutes (about 300 minutes). The minutes lasted 4 months, so I saved a bundle over the usualy $39.99 per month plan. No difference in quality, in fact I like this phone better then the old one.
My best savings ever: when I lived in Louisiana I purchased sun screens for the house. They paid for themselves in saved energy costs the first 2 years. They were wonderful. The house was so much cooler, the shades kept people from seeing in during the day, I did not find that they darkened the house at all, I think they looked better on the house then the typical wire screens.
I've never heard of sunscreens for a house. Thanks for the tip, I will definitely check in to them.
It is late June and it is still cold here at night; I watch television at night with my coat on, if I have to, just to not turn on the heat. I am on a budget plan for my heating fuel, but I will never get the winter heat bill paid off if I only add to it with a summer heat bill! I recently had a yard sale and sold so much stuff that I was able to make a mortgage payment to the bank! Which tells me that I had too much stuff, and spent too much money buying it in the first place. I refuse to buy new things for myself now, I would rather buy from yard sales at discounted prices-let them pay full price for it! Whenever I do find something in the store that I think that I just have to have, I ask myself how many hours I have to work to afford that wonderful new treasure. I usually talk myself right out of buying it when I realize how hard I have to work to earn the money for it! I menu plan my week and use the grocery sale flyer and only buy sale items. I don't buy much meat, I just can't afford it; but, if I do buy meat I only buy the marked-down meat. I have never had a bad experience with the meat yet.
I am doing several things to save money. I was out not too long ago and found a bread machine with the kneader still it in at the used clothing and household goods store for 20.00 so I snatched it up as I had been searching for one for quite some time but that part was always missing. Now I bake all of my own bread with such a small amount of effort. I am looking to expand into making other things as well like pizza dough, buns and bagels.
I do my grocery shopping daily rather than weekly because I live right across from a grocery store. I find that I spend less money that way and I stick to my daily menu planner. For me, there is less waste because I don't put things away in the cupboards and forget that I have them there.
I never buy books but get them from the library, I line dry my clothing whenever possible as well. The landlord was very happy about that because I have an all inclusive rent where I live and he likes that he can save on the hydro bill when I dry outside. I try really hard not to eat out, make foods from scratch instead of purchasing prepackaged items and usually get all of our clothes at the used clothing stores.
I have a pay as you go cell phone with unlimited texting for 10.00 a month so that I can talk to my boyfriend and daughter whenever I need to, rarely make long distance phone calls but when I do I use a calling card or I chat with someone far away online. I enjoy pen pals but instead of mailing via snail mail we do so through the internet email.
I am sure that there are more things that I do but I am not thinking of them off the top of my head... I will post more as I think of them :)
We have cut off our cable tv and switched to netflix. For 29.99 we bought our kids a inflateable pool so we can stay home and play outside. Since gas where we live is 4.69 per gal we are doing everything we can do to make our house fun to stay home
I am encouraging my husband to eat fast food only with COUPONS (which I am collecting). Got a deal on an Entertainment card for the last 6 months of the year for lunch dates - I continue to collect his pocket change for my pin money - Many of these economies are old to me, but new to my husband! But he, too, is a little more vigilant nowadays.
1. Using clothes dryer less 2. Using oven to cook more than one meal at a time (freezing 2-3 meals for microwave defrost) 3. Less driving 4. Mending rather than replacing 5. Less makeup (I'm beautiful anyway!) 6. No restaurant food. 7. Less convenience and pre-packaged foods 8. Eat what we buy, buy what we eat 9. Not dieting (eat what is on sale) 10. Canceled all subscriptions.
I admit I am still wasting but trying. We get our meat at this store, 5 packs for 20 dollars. Yes I have my a/c's on, it is because I am 48 and am taking meds and am premenapause. I do unplug the toaster and stuff now, will do it with the computer. I have it hook up to a big cord and just turn off the switch. Don't go out to eat much because of autistic little girl so instead we go to fast food and try the value menu. Go to the library to get movies and books haven't been to a movie since The Passion of the Christ was on and saw that in the afternoon. Mostly get videos for daughter. Also check out goodwill store, they had a lot. Also have a prepaid cell phone which is great, don't text just use it to call hubby at work. And no credit cards. Hubby said no. I shopped too much before married and killed my credit so learning a lot.
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