Drop the Shop

I used to love shopping, it didn’t matter whether it was inside the store or window shopping, I loved the excitement of seeing nicely arranged, new and colorful things. Now I’ve learned that if I stay out of the stores—unless I need something, I’m less likely to decide that I must buy some “wonderful” thing. And then the something that goes with that thing…things I often didn’t even know existed until I saw them!

Sometimes however, shopping is useful in order to know who has what, so you’ll know where to look when a need arises. Okay, so I still enjoy shopping but more often than not, when I get home I appreciate what I already have all the more. The key is being disciplined and purposeful in your shopping, knowing what you truly need and can truly afford.

Respectable Discounts

If someone in your household is eligible for a senior discount, make the most of it. Though the qualifying age for senior discounts varies—and continually changes, many businesses and organizations offer them. Banks offer free checking, grocery stores—especially natural food stores, and thrift stores offer percentage discounts on certain days while restaurants often offer “early bird specials” for seniors in the late afternoon. If a policy isn’t posted, it doesn’t hurt to ask—if a business doesn’t offer a senior discount perhaps they will if enough people ask (sometimes one or two inquiries is all it takes for a new policy to be written—depending on the size of the business). Even the U.S. National Parks Service offers a special deal for those 62 and over and those in their car. http://www.us-parks.com/golden-age-passport.html

Cable Cuts

I’ve often read that a way to save money is to cancel your cable TV service. I haven’t tried this one since we’ve never subscribed to this obvious financial drain and don’t plan to. Of course, canceling your contract may cost too much so it may be best to wait until it’s finished—unless after you do the math you find that you would still come out ahead. (Some may live in areas that don’t receive TV reception any other way. Then the question is, “Do you need to eat, pay your bills—fill in the blank more than you “need” TV?)

Till the Last Drop

*Cut open empty bags of sugar or flour and in the folds you’ll find as much as a quarter cup more of sugar or flour!

*Discount stores sell plastic “keys” to roll your toothpaste (and other products) tubes flat so you can get the most out of them. However, they only roll as far as the “shoulders” of the tube; a pair of pliers works nicely to squeeze out two or three more brushes full. Then if you really want to get the most out of your tube, cut it open with some clean scissors and scrape the insides with a rubber spatula. This probably works best on plastic tubes; I haven’t tried the metal ones.

*Turning cartons of milk or juice (oil bottles too) upside down for a few minutes with the lid on can loosen a teaspoon or more from the sides of the carton.

Clean Clothes Warm Heart

Know someone going through financial strain, who doesn’t have a washer and dryer? Invite them over from time to time to wash & dry a couple of loads in your machines. It could save them as much as $15 and it’s a great way to get to know each other better.

Cash Flow

Sales and discounts give great opportunities for “stocking up” but during lean times it can be more important to keep your “cash flow”. It’s a good idea to only buy one (or two if it’s something you’ll need right away such as a food item) of the sale item until you know that your bills can be met along with any unexpected expenses.

Obvious or New

Many of the ideas I’m writing may be very obvious to some who have been at resource-stretching for a long time. Yet, I’m including everything I can think of just in case someone hasn’t heard; I learned long ago that not everyone has the same framework of learning or experience. Some of the practices will seem too small to make a difference but they can add up more quickly than you think. Most are things I’ve tried myself—maybe I read it somewhere but I’ve made them part of my life and now I want to share them with you. Even if you have plenty of money/resources, you may want to try some of these things for your health, the health of God’s creation and to free up resources to help others.

Personal H2O

Personal plastic bottles of water bought in multiples not only add up in cost but apparently put us at risk from leaching BPAs. Replace your plastic habit by purchasing stainless steel water bottles almost anywhere (as low as $4.99 each)and fill them with your own filtered water—better for you and better for the environment. Most must be hand-washed and not put in the dishwasher. We tried the BPA-free plastic bottles but they leaked, broke and melted; they were much more expensive than the stainless steel for their size.

Calling Home

If you still have a “land line”, a pre-paid phone card can make costly monthly charges for a long distance service unnecessary. Stores such as Walgreens and Wal-Mart sell the cards in increments of $10, $20 and up, with more minutes—and a better per minute rate for more money (i.e. a $30 card will have more and cheaper minutes than a $10 card). You buy what you need (within those amounts) and use it when you need it (though they often expire in a year but can be added to). Unlike monthly rate services, they’re portable so you can use them at someone else’s house or on the road (the rate per minute is higher on pay phone calls, which means your minutes are used faster).

Coupons?

Use coupons wherever you can—for groceries, restaurants, even car & home repair, but don’t let them entice you into buying something you wouldn’t normally buy. The same goes for “sales”—if you can’t use it, don’t truly have the money for it or it will cost you more for extra components or space to house it—it’s not a bargain!