Welcome, Pebbles! Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are experts at stretching the buck. They're trying to pay off school loans (belonging to Pebbles) while NOT creating new ones (Bamm-Bamm has gone back to school). Pebbles is amazing and has agreed to share some of her tips here, with us! Take it away, Pebbles!
Living on less doesn't have to be a drag – turn it into an adventure! And here's how:
Find creative ways to prolong the usage of your things. Maybe you can use a pair of dress shoes for another year if you fill in the scuffs with permanent black marker. Maybe you can keep your old leather purse if you burn off the frayed edges with a match. Maybe you can use that bath gel you were going to throw away as a gift for a friend or a pre-soak for those dishes in the sink. Got an old dish towel no longer fit to be hung on the oven rack? Cut it up and use it as a washcloth or dust rag.
Shop the cheap stores. Not everything you buy needs to be the finest quality. Shop for basic things like paper products, toiletries, nonperishable food items, cleaning supplies, holiday decorations, etc. at stores like "The Family Dollar," "Aldi's" or "Big Lots." When doing this, Bamm-Bamm and I have found that we save $200/month or more!
Simplify your life. Do you really need 100 TV channels? If you can get by with the basics, discontinue your cable and spare yourself $30+ per month. If you can't live without some of your regular shows, watch them online for free! You can probably delete options from your cell phone plan (like unlimited text messaging), cancel your weekly subscriptions (check out newspapers and magazines online) and reduce your electric bill (unplug things like that clock radio you never look at and the empty scented oil warmer in the bathroom.)
See what you can trade with your friends and family. Maybe if you work on your mother-in-law's blog, she'll let you do your laundry at her house for a year. lol. It'll spare you the $10-$15/week you would have otherwise fed into the coin-gobbling washer and dryer in your apartment building! Got a friend who wears the same size? Get together and exchange the clothes and/or shoes that you may have otherwise donated or thrown away.
Use up all the food in your pantry. Even foods that are nonperishable will eventually get thrown away if they've been collecting dust in a cabinet or basement for years on end. Every four to six weeks, Bamm-Bamm and I make a point of spending one week finishing the food in the pantry. It cuts out more than half of our grocery bill for that week - plus it clears out all those random cans and boxes that get pushed to the back corners.
Don't let your wardrobe exceed your need. Don't buy anything just because it's your style, you like it, it's on sale or it matches something you already own. Buy things you need when you need them. For example, how many pairs of pants do you really need for work...two or three? When one gets a stain or a rip, shop around, find a deal and buy one more to replace the decommissioned pair. Buy for a purpose, not just because you think you might someday use or wear something.
Delay gratification. You might not believe this, but when you really really want something and you force yourself to wait a week before buying it (even if you're already standing in the store lusting over it), 9 times out of 10 you'll either find it somewhere cheaper or decide you don't really want it after all. If you decide you can't live without it, try selling something you already own to fully or partially cover the cost so the purchase doesn't affect the bottom line of your checking account.
Use rewards programs. Bamm-Bamm and I get between $25 and $200 back each month by using our BP gas rewards card, Office Max rewards card, Best Buy rewards card, etc. for our regular, everyday purchases.
Track your spending. This is something that Bamm-Bamm and I were forced to do during our pre-marital counseling last year. After only three months of tracking every dime we spent on an Excel spreadsheet, we were able to see how much money we had been unknowingly spending in surprising areas (like renting movies and going to the theater). It helped us to make small changes (like waiting for movies to come to the $2 Budget theater) and better manage our finances.
Find ways to do things yourself. Pay attention the next time you go in for a haircut, hair dye, pedicure/manicure, spray tan or wax. It's easier than you think to buy the supplies (at a store like Sally's or online) and do your own beauty maintenance at home. Maybe you don't want to always cut your own hair (and possibly your family members' hair) but if you can trim it enough to extend the length of time between professional visits, you'll save money. If you're worried you won't be able to do something all by yourself, recruit a friend and have an at-home spa day together!
Buy what you like again and again. Love that pair of jeans you bought a year ago? Chances are, if you bought it at a department store, it will still be in stock and now on the clearance rack, likely reduced by at least 50%. Instead of buying a completely new style, buy another pair of the ones you already like and save!
Shop online. Major retailers are constantly getting rid of their overstock and you'd be surprised at how ridiculously cheap you can buy clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc. by looking at the clearance sections of their websites.
Learn about product ingredients. You'd be surprised at how often the ingredients of expensive face wash, makeup, and hair care products are exactly the same as the cheaper options. (For example, the $40 "ProActiv Acne Treatment" products are formulated exactly the same as the $20 Walgreens product "KlearAction.") Find out which ingredients work for you and shop based on those, not based on brands.
If you buy the wrong thing - return it! Yes, it can be a little embarrassing - but know that 95% of stores have extremely flexible return policies and will usually give you a full refund or an in-store credit even if the item has been opened or used (as long as you roughly put it back in the originally packaging and KEEP YOUR RECEIPT!) You're not going to personally offend the sales clerk.
Pay your bills online. It will save you the cost of several 42 cent postage stamps each month. Maybe it only saves you $2, but money is money - no matter how small. Plus it spares you the trouble of writing out a check and getting it in the mail.
And best of all...
Anything you haven't touched in six months or more - sell. For anyone who wants to earn a few extra bucks each week without taking on a second job, Ebay and craigslist are a great way of getting rid of clutter in exchange for money. Buyers are looking for deals, so be prepared to part with your stuff for less than what it's worth, but trust me - when you've made hundreds of extra dollars while puttering on your laptop in front of the TV and suddenly have newly free space in your home formerly occupied by unused electronics, clothing, accessories, etc. - you'll be glad you did.
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