STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Alegria · Kate Spade

Frugalness

littlebean · Kate Spade

One suggestion that I have is to make large meals that with inexpensive ingredients. I LOVE to make soups and other dishes with beans/lentils since it is super cheap as well as tasty.

small fry · Chanel

Iam so happy you posted this. I need ideas too although I have already cut expenses as much as possible since I will will be paying for child care now.

Do you have any things you want to get rid of? maybe a garage sale. I put some odd and ends in my friends last weekend and made 73.00

cahabo · Kate Spade

I like to get the Sunday paper for the coupons. I often find coupons for all kinds of free stuff too. Not long ago I had a coupon for a free bag of cat/dog food! I save lots of money with my beauty product coupons. I'm such a coupon queen that I even have a coupon organizer! biggrin

lynnie · Chanel

if you were to keep track of every dollar and dime- where would it be going?
I am a pretty frugal person (except w/clothes, though i don't buy a lot of them) so its hard for me to cut corners for a lot of things since I already don't spend money on it. My #1 expense is food. I get nauseated by food that isn't super fresh, so i end up throwing things out a lot. i HATE that feeling of wastefulness. I agree that lentil soup is great and cheap- i posted an amazing recipe a while back that ends up costing about $10 for a big pot- but i spent $4 of it on bacon. If you cut that out (not sure how it would taste, still good probably), it would be around $6 (just lentils, some veggies, beef bouillon soup, can of tomatos, sugar, a little vinegar) and make a few meals.
For any gifts, you could ask for giftcards to places like target.
when money is extremely tight, i think the best thing is try to earn some $$ in your spare time. you could do yardsales, sell on ebay, baby sit (are you at home during the day? maybe you could watch a couple of kids during the work week), freelance..

Kelly · Hermes

try buying tons of things on ebay - you can get random stuff like razors on there. If you already are using cheapy razors, then it won't really be that much savings, but if you use a quattro or a venus, for example, you can get them for 1/2 off

check out thegrocerygame.com - it's a website that tracks grocery sale trends and coupons. You get the paper every week, cut out all the coupons, and file them according to date. Then, the people who run the website watch the sales, wait for the lowest possible price, find a coupon to pair it with, and you can get things for crazy cheap. You get a shopping list every week and stock up on things while they're on mega-sale. I did it for a few weeks and loved it (there's a one-month $1 trial). I only stopped because I have a small apartment and have nowhere to store everything (since the idea is to stock up when things are on sale). When I move into my new house this summer, I'm definitely doing it again. One week I had a bill that was originally $75 and I paid $30! And looking around on the forum on the website, I didn't even reach my full potential. Lots of the members were regularly paying only 25% of their original bill. It's amazing.

My grocery store has those shopper saver cards, and they also have gas stations at some of the bigger stores. For every $100 I spend on groceries in a month, I get 10 cents off per gallon for one fill-up. The gas station already usually has some of the cheapest prices around, but especially with my Kroger Plus Card I save a lot by doing that. Maybe see if anywhere around you does something like that?

NCshopper · Hermes

Find a friend that has a membership to a warehouse store, like Costco, BJ's, Sams, etc. Buying in bulk can be a lot cheaper. It's a bit more of a cost up front, but when you have to buy toilet paper/paper towels/cleaning products only once or twice a year, it's pretty nice. But you do have to make sure that the stuff you buy is stuff you'd buy anyway, and the same thing goes for coupons--if you buy a lot of crap just cuz you have a coupon or a warehouse membership that you wouldn't buy otherwise, then you're not doing yourself any favors.

For other ways to cut costs, get a library card and check out books, dvds, and books on tape for you and the kids. Another fun thing is that if you sign up online for places like Baskin-Robbins or Ben and Jerry's, they often have a free cone day or something. That can be a fun way to treat yourself and your kids. Cutting back on eating out (if you eat out a lot) is a HUGE way to save some money. Packing lunch for your kids will also help save.

Also, you mentioned that you have an Expedition that you're still paying off and it's guzzling gas. Is there any way you could trade in the car for something a bit more economical? It might not be an option, but if you could, you might be able to get a cheaper car that doesn't use as much gas.

I hope some of this is helpful. I try to live pretty frugally too, and sometimes it's frustrating because I feel like I'm doing everything I can to cut expenses and *poof!* the money is gone anyway. Grrrrrrrrr.

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

Most gas companies will put you on a budget plan. This way you are spending the same amount each month, instead of paying a bill that varies a lot. It averages out your use for the year. I think the electric company will do this too, especially since a lot of a/c units use electricity, now would be a good time to do that, before the bill goes up for the summer.

Since groceries are a concern because of your growing boys, I'd be on the lookout for some recipies that will go a long way and don't have very expensive ingredients.

My grandmother has a depression-era "bacon spaghetti" recipe that my mom would make becuase it is so different. Basically, you brown the bacon and sautee some onion, then you use tomato soup as the base, add the bacon and onion and add a little white sugar, and serve it over noodles. It obviously doesn't taste like regualr spaghetti, but its yummy, and inexpensive.

Also, fajitas aren't too expensive and feel like more of a treat. The cut of meat they use isn't an exspensive one, and onions and peppers aren't to bad, especially if you can get the peppers froma farmers market for vegetable stand. Add some flour tortillas and a little cheese and you are good to go.

Sav-a-lot grocery store may be a good place to try too.

HTH
-gd

Cortney1982 · Chanel

I would get rid of the cable completely.

Definitely get the Sunday paper for coupons. I'd get them every week and save at least $15 when I would put $100 worth of groceries in my cart. And get a coupon organizer to make it easy.

Teresa · Kate Spade

aAre you a member of a church or religious organization? Often times they have programs for this type of situation. At my church they will help you out with meals, childcare and even bills! I know it is a bit hard on the ego, but I dont think you'll find more compassionate people than at a church. Also, are your children getting free lunches at school? Or are you waiting for that to be processed also?

luckyclover · Dooney & Bourke

I use coupons a lot. I also do points programs anywhere they are offered. Walgreens has a rebate program...some discounts but a few different things each month that are free after the rebate. You can get shampoo, toothpaste, general stuff you are going to use anyway for free that way. You can also get samples of things and coupons from websites. Right now you can get a sample of cereal from www.kashi.com and a free 7 day trial of coffe-mate creamer on the coffee-mate website. I think you can still get a free razor on the quattroforwomen website. PG.com is another good place to look. It's small and not going to make a huge difference, but every little bit helps and it's fun to get "surprises" in the mail from time to time smile

-- Edited by luckyclover at 23:33, 2007-04-22

Kelly · Hermes

luckyclover wrote:

You can also get samples of things and coupons from websites. Right now you can get a sample of cereal from www.kashi.com and a free 7 day trial of coffe-mate creamer on the coffee-mate website. I think you can still get a free razor on the quattroforwomen website. PG.com is another good place to look. It's small and not going to make a huge difference, but every little bit helps and it's fun to get "surprises" in the mail from time to time

I love getting free samples! I probably sign up for a couple every week. Walmart.com has good ones, usually. Then I get a little surprise or two every week, and I can feel like I'm pampering myself even when I don't have much money to spend on things I really want.

travelgirl · Kate Spade

Saving money is actually a hobby for me and I have been saving money for so long I cannot even imagine not being frugal. Here are my tips:

-Sell your old clothes to consignment stores or on ebay.
-Sign up to do market research studies or focus groups (I make tons doing this and it is usually pretty fun too!)
-Coupon-Ttara123 suggested thegrocerygame.com and I second this! You can save a lot of money by utilizing coupons.
-I also agree with NCshopper's idea of downsizing your car (save money on gas and mileage)
-Listen to Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard on the radio for lots of money-saving tips and inspiration
-Sign up to do secret shopping (check out volition.com for ideas)
-Use restaurants that have "kids eat free" days or eat out during happy hour. Sometimes it can be cheaper to eat out than to buy groceries!h
-I also second the idea of utilizing your local library for lots of good entertainment (borrow dvd's, cd's, magazines)
-Consider getting rid of your home phone and just use your cell...
-Pick up side jobs whenever you can

ladysi78250 · Dooney & Bourke

travelgirl wrote:

Saving money is actually a hobby for me and I have been saving money for so long I cannot even imagine not being frugal. Here are my tips:

-Sell your old clothes to consignment stores or on ebay.
-Sign up to do market research studies or focus groups (I make tons doing this and it is usually pretty fun too!)
-Coupon-Ttara123 suggested thegrocerygame.com and I second this! You can save a lot of money by utilizing coupons.
-I also agree with NCshopper's idea of downsizing your car (save money on gas and mileage)
-Listen to Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard on the radio for lots of money-saving tips and inspiration
-Sign up to do secret shopping (check out volition.com for ideas)
-Use restaurants that have "kids eat free" days or eat out during happy hour. Sometimes it can be cheaper to eat out than to buy groceries!h
-I also second the idea of utilizing your local library for lots of good entertainment (borrow dvd's, cd's, magazines)
-Consider getting rid of your home phone and just use your cell...
-Pick up side jobs whenever you can

Travelgirl, I have always been interested in becoming a mystery shopper, which mystery shopping agency have you done or reccomend from Volition.com?

Aurora · Marc Jacobs

If you have the time (I'm not sure since you mentioned kids + school year) you could sign up for some reward programs/get paid to sites and earn some extra money that way. I do 4 consistently and earn about $50-75 a month doing them when I have some free time at work/home/weekends. They are sometimes a pain since you are mostly signing up for spam but you get paid various amounts per offer. I highly recommend gmail accounts dedicated to these sites. If you want to get started just shoot me a pm. I can give you the ones I use and tell you how/when they pay.

I haven't mystery shopped but I hear you can make $$ off of it.

Suasoria · Chanel

A couple of my ideas were already mentioned, but here's another one: have you checked if you're eligible for car insurance discounts? If you're no longer working, and have cut back on driving, you could be considered a "part-time driver." Call your agent and ask what they can do for you if you haven't already. If you own your home, get home and auto coverage through the same provider for another discount.

You say you're still getting a paycheck. Perhaps you can change your deductions to have less taken out in payroll taxes. Even a few months of doing this may be helpful, and by tax time next year hopefully you'll better off financially.

Call your credit card companies and ask them to lower your interest rate for being such a valued customer. Watch for free balance transfer offers with lower fixed rates - Amex Optima will almost always take your balance for a low rate. Juggling debt around can make a huge difference - just read the fine print and pay attention if the rate sneaks up again.

If you do own your home, see if you can refinance to lower your payment or to take out some cash. If you rent, ask for a rent reduction. It costs the landlord less to give you a $30 discount for a whole year than to have the place vacant for one month!

If moving is an option, check out www.coabode.org, a service that matches single parents so they can share living expenses including childcare in a "Kate & Allie" type of situation.

You may also be eligible for other assistance benefits, such as WIC/foodstamps, reduced cost medical for you or the kids, disability, housing assistance, etc.

Regarding surveys, enroll in Zoomerang, Ipsos I-say, and others. Sometimes you'll get up to $20 for just filling out an online survey.

I'm going to keep thinking...

Vanessa · Kate Spade

I recommend creditboards.com's Money Management section.
Here is a thread where tons of people give ideas on how to get $50 more each month:

http://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=45756

Avoid eating out but when you do, use restaurant.com if your area participates. You can get $25 certificates for $10, and towards the mid/end of the month, they have coupon codes for 50 or 60% off (google to find them). Works great for parties of 3 or so. Order the largest portioned entrees so you have leftovers. Some of them are for carry-out too which is great. My friend gets them for the local pizza joint and uses them to order pizzas when her kids have friends over. This way she can feed everyone for <$10. HTH!

mikacat · Coach

if you truly are on the verge of Bankruptcy, I would get rid of the cable and cell phones completely and wouldn't eat out at all. I would trade the Am Ex points for gift cards for food or gas.
sell ebay
babysit or tutor or clean houses to make more money under the table
yard sales
do free things with the kids---parks and free city events
can you get help from your church or the park district or food bank?
Roll change
can you get help from your friends or family?
i would defer the student loans even longer
sell the car and get a cheaper one

are your sons old enough to babysit or mow lawns?

cut food expenses by eating more noodles, soup, spaghetti, vegetables, chili
Possibly give up meat to save money?

-- Edited by mikacat at 22:36, 2007-04-24