Living on a limited budget

I have found a lot of people looking for extra cash during the month of December. Here are some tips to help you save money. They might not help in time for Christmas, but they can really add up over a year. Some of these are things we do regularly, some might just be things I have heard of. By changing some of your spending habits you can really save some cash over the long haul. Have you received a cost of living raise only to find it barely covers the amount you have to pay for gas compared to pre Katrina? Think about just the gas prices. I am paying $15 to $20 more per week to fill up my tank compared to three years ago. I hope some of these tips will help.

Break Machine – I have to drink a Coke and have some crackers everyday at morning break time. I have to. I could spend $1.10 every day doing that. Instead I buy a 12 pack of Coke at $4 and packs of cheese crackers. I have switched to the Austin brand, which Winn Dixie usually has on sale for $1 for 8 packs of 4 crackers(I eat two packs each day). Now I spend around $6.50 every two weeks instead of $11 through the vending machines. Saved $2 per week.

Groceries - Bertolli has some fine tasting dinners that are very easy to cook. They are pricey at $7 per bag, but that is a good dinner for two. If we go out to eat we are lucky to eat dinner for $20, which includes water as a beverage. Usually the two of us can cook a good dinner and have leftovers for lunch and sometimes dinner the next day. Buy in bulk if you can, but only if you can finish the items before they go bad.

Thrift Stores – Don’t be afraid of shopping at a thrift store. We have found clothes with the original tag at amazingly low prices. Shirts and jeans for $2 each. Even if you don’t have a decent thrift store there is always Wal-Mart or Kmart. I feel just as well wearing Route 66 jeans as I do a more expensive pair.

Garage Sales – This is where you can really find some bargains. Dishes, silverware, clothes, tools, furniture. We resell at an antique store and have found lots of items that need only a little TLC before they are ready to be marked up and sold again.

Restaurants – Eating out can be very expensive or very reasonable. My parents have found several places where they can both eat for $10. Two people can easily split a burrito supreme and be satisfied. Especially when you get free chips and water to drink.

I collect soft drink cans at home and work. I walk the plant everyday at lunch and fill up a five-gallon bucket. I have groups of people saving them for me. I take them home and crush them every night. All of those cans add up over time. Every three months I make enough money from the cans to fill my gas tank. Do you want a free fill up? I have also been saving empty inkjet cartridges from work. Those can be recycled for money too. I get $1.50 for each cartridge from my printer. I use www.tonerbuyer.com Do you have any copper wire lying around? Try stripping the copper wire and recycling it. I made $35 on just wire recently.

Avoid multiple trips to a store for items. Keep a running list and make only one trip per week. This will help cut down on compulsive spending. An example is that I could go to Dollar General everyday and buy something I need, plus I would be inclined to purchase some junk food or something not really necessary.

Learn how to do repairs yourself. I have a headlight out on my truck. Instead of taking it somewhere for service, I read the owners manual and saw that it is as simple as raising the hood, unplugging the old light, turn counterclockwise, pull out, put new light in, turn clockwise, plug it back in.

I save the Coke Rewards numbers from all of those 12 packs. Plus I find some at work. I redeemed those points for my wife and I to watch a movie at Carmike Cinemas. We rent movies from Movie Gallery, every week I get an email for new releases. On that email is a coupon for renting one and getting one free. That cuts our movie rental spending in half. Also most of the new releases have a $1 credit if returned the next day.