buy SOME things in bulk. paper products, easy freezing stuff, and things that store well. DONT buy big boxes of cereals, and rices that will either go bad or get pantry bugs after long shelf sitting. Stock up on things like Olive oils, and staples when you find them. Get a freezer, and invest in a food sealer. My food sealer has more than paid for itself. We dont buy pre processed foods, and I make all my own stuff. I marinate steaks, chicken, and so forth, BEFORE sealing it into a air tight bag, and when I pull it out, its ready to go. I freeze, can, and organize. I have an UPright freezer, so things are not lost on the bottom of the chest never to be seen again. If you do buy big boxes of cereal, cut the amount in half and seal up half to use later, so it stays fresh.

Store flours, cake mixes, or rices in the freezer for 24 hours and you will never see food wasted from pantry bugs.

UNplug things not in use. you do get used to it. That blinking VCR light takes up energy to sit and blink when not in use. Energy Star appliances. Replace your light bulbs with the new energy bulbs. They last a long time and burn a fraction of the energy.

Dont just cut coupons, and then run the store. have a meal plan made out. know what you are eating for the week when you go to the store, and the ingredients greatly reduces the impluse buys. I shop the outter edges of the store, and stop at the top of each isle. I look at my list, look at the isle and if nothing in that isle is on my list, I dont go. Saves me from even seeing store bought cookies or junk.

check the air pressure on your car tires. this greatly increases your gas savings to have them properly inflated.

FREE books, dvds, vcr tapes from the local library. I got books on tape from the big city library. I never have to go there, and download them directly to my mp3 player. pay attention to the channels you actually use on your Tv, and see if a very basic package would be a better fit than one filled with fishing shows, and basketball. Many comapnies will offer a discount if you tell them you are disabled on SSDI.

Use your AAA cards, your AARP cards, you MS cards, ASK when checking out, Do you discount for any clubs? My local grocery store uses points towards money off a local gas station when you use your store card. I barter EVERYWHERE! circuit city to Macys. "is this the best price you can offer me on this? Do you have any incentive coupons that you distribute? If I paid cash would you transfer that 3% savings onto me? Do you have any web based specials? then say, ah, you know what, its maybe not the right time to buy. Most managers will cut your purchase by at least another 10% on top of your sales prices, and give you one of the coupons they have hidden. I got my $200 mp3 player for $49 by the time I left the store. NO rebates to fill out either.

learn to enjoy free things. sunsets, bike rides, DVDs that you already own. books that are already in your house.

It's just me, now, so I don't sqeeze much but I still try to save a buck everywhere I can. I can't forget when, we as a family, had to scrimp....It's instilled in my brain..

This one saved us over $200 per year - check your homeowner's policy, and see if they offer a "prime time" discount. That means that since I'm a stay-at-home mom, we get a large discount...probably because we're less likely to have a break-in since someone is home all day? Not sure why, but it was really good to see that I was helping us to save money!

The other biggie for us is we don't have cable or satellite TV - we have a $15 antenna, and get all the major networks plus the CW...which is plenty for us. If it works for us out here in "the sticks" I'm sure it would work for others.

Something I learned from my dirt-poor grad student days is that you can use a cable jack (like the one in the wall in an apartment) as an outdoor antenna. Don't plug the coax all the way in - just touch the two metal surfaces to each other...a little tape over it, and you've got an antenna - this really works!

I cant use the new energy bulbs. They set off my optic nerve. I have to wear sunglasses when I go to the grocery store sometimes, because they have the huge industrial size types of those bulbs. Gives me a baaaad headache.

I'd rather have my wasteful incandescent light bulbs and be pain free. But, I unplug things around the house if we're not using them and turn off the lights in rooms we're not using, so I think that makes up for a few incandescent bulbs that I have in my room. (I have the lighting muted in my room so that my eyes dont freak out from the light. Even the incandescents can cause me problems occasionally, but at least not constantly like the special bulbs do)

I feel kind of bad. Much of what dh & I can do now to economize is the result of what we did before the crunch hit. If we had to start from scratch now, it would be much harder.
I know that if you are going disability check to disability ck, or worse, waiting for approval, telling someone to get $ saving equip. and do bulk buying is like Marie Antoinette's "let them eat cake."
But, all that aside, here is part 2 of my pinch your pennies tome.


Non food shopping:
Do it on line better variety, sales, and usually no sales tax, it also saves your energy for more important things, like people.

Check out the Garden Web Home Site forums before major purchases or remodeling. We bought a top line front loading washer and dryer with delivery for less than the cost of just the same washer locally.

If you need to replace ANYTHING that MIGHT be related to energy efficiency, check online for federal and state tax credits and refunds, and check your local utility & water companies to see if they have any refunds or rebates for Energy Star items.
Makes me sick, but we wre proactive, way in advance of the benies and GA is just now starting to catch on. Bahhh!

Rain barrels:
We made several and bought 2 recycled ones on-line. Helped when we couldn't water outside here, but it also helps with our water bill now that limited watering is again allowed.

Cars/gas:
Anticipate red lights, slow down and coast, you really don't need to drive fast to a red light.

If you're stopped, turn it off. You use less gas turning it on then you do idling for long.

I used to plan out a route/trip for better gas use, now I have to maximize ME use, instead, but dh still plans it out. It's like a menu for your mileage.

Learn when to check your oil & do it after it has been changed. Mechanics often overfill, hard on your mpgs and on your car. Insist they remove any excess.


Hot climates, get a decent window tint. Cooler= less A/C = less gas.
Also, shop in the AM or at night, or on line, cooler, less gas, easier for us MSers also.

If you are trying to buy a Prius (might apply to other hybrids now also) and are faced with a many month wait and a jacked up price, go to "Priuschat.com" and search.
Sometimes it is cheaper to order out of state and fly to pick it up, then it is to get it where you live, specially if you live in certain regions.

Credit card use:
buy on Awards/Bonus type cc & pay off IMMEDIATELY...
award bonus dollars can be applied to owed amount.

We have a friend who pays for everything, including utilities and food, this way. She never has finance charges, and always gets a large dollar amt. toward her bill through awards bonus.

I'm worn out, bet you are too if you read all of this.

Just thought I'd mention that there's a similar thread in the Social Forum (thank you RW ).

It doesn't matter which one you reply to because we can all use every hint we can get right now for saving money. With this in mind, I just wanted to make sure you knew it was there.

Here's the link : http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread56047.html

I just had a question. How much do you save a year by stocking up on meet. Do you know depending how old , the least your bill will cost is $150 a year to run that, and thats if its an apartment sz one.

We eat a lot of chicken , with meat being so expensive. We can often get the family pack - 5-10 lbs - at $1.99 a lb for boneless white meat.

Bag it in portions and freeze it.

Then, I use store brand italian dressing to season and bake it. Throw some chopped red potatoes in with it and you have a meal.

Painting? Ask at the mixing counter if there are any dented cans or mixed-wrong colors they'll give you a deal on. We just got a can for $6 - on sale for $16.99, reg $21.99. It's white, just too dented to shake.

OK, I'm not good in the kitchen unless it's Hamburger helper. Can you give me a more detailed recipe for this chicken thing you're talking about. And I'm dense enough I need DETEAILED!!!!

Doydie, you can buy many different marinades at the store, and I particularly like a mild sweet chilli blend. Marinate your chicken pieces for a couple of hours (or overnight in the fridge) then cook them on a tray in the oven for 30-40 mins on medium heat. Serve with salad, noodles, rice or any veges that you like.