How do you stretch your money?

[snafu]

Restaurants have been increasing portions and now plate such enormous portions it is difficult to finish the meal. I've often wished they would offer a choice of size for items besides steak, prime rib etc. 'Doggy bags' and boxes to go have been part of the scene for a very long time. Wait staff always ask us if we wish to take out. Sometimes I thought it was part of their marketing.

[Ima saver]

I agree. I can't eat those huge portions. I had chicken marsale Tuesday night and had enough left over to have three more lunches. It tasted great re heated!!

[Money Gal]

Buy kids clothing at thrift/consignment stores
If you are JR's size buy your clothes at quality consignment shops like Plato's Closet
Special Event Dressing - Go Retro & you can find awesome vintage clothes at consignment shops
Use an indoor drying rack to dry clothes instead of always using dryer
Meal Plan for the week so no food gets thrown out
Eat Oatmeal for breakfast - add some fruit if its too boring for you
If you have kids have a current will located somewhere safe (or a trust)
ALWAYS have a list when you go shopping & be disciplined to stick to it!
Make sure you know the difference between a need & a want
Pay yourself first, always - Have Retirement Plan contributions deducted from your pay (at least to the level your company matches). If your company allows direct deposit to multiple accounts set up an account at an internet bank & direct 10% of your pay there at a minimum.
Remember that if you are not totally broke, it's okay to include some entertainment in your budget [have a budget]

[sarahgrace]

Review your budget regularly and make changes as they are needed. This would ideally be once a month.

[snafu]

With gas prices increasing, I'm again combining routes and errands to avoid driving more than necessary. Medical appointment included four stops on the return home to return library books, to re-stock stash of paper products @ W/Mart, dog emporium to replenish quality dog food [so efficient clean up is teeny], and gas top up since blizzard is expected.

Since repeated experiments confirm most laundry is better washed in cold water, I've limited hot water wash to sheets & towels. The added benefit was colors that stay brighter. If items have serious stains, we've always treated with toothpaste or shampoo promotion products before throwing in the hamper to prevent stain set-in. Using a retractable clothesline in the laundry room is really efficient to reduce dryer time since that is such expensive electric appliance to operate.

[justinblake]

I try not to drive when I can walk and do some exercise. I make new dishes out of leftover food. I discovered that there are great recipes for leftover food on the net!

[baptiste.tyrell]

I have a weekly grocery shopping and lunch date with my three close friends. Wee make a combined shopping list of what we require and go buy stuff in bulk and divide it up over lunch at one person’s house. Each person cooks once so we all have outings to others houses and cook only once. The shopping comes out much cheaper too.

[crazyskunk82]

The library! netflix streaming to TV instead of cable, and no home phone. And the couponing and CVS stuff really does work if you keep on top of it!

[rob62521]

Being satisfied with what you have means you aren't always wanting and then purchasing lots of things.

[krantcents]

* Save your change - this can be as much as $50 a month.
* Stop buying soda, coffee, and junk food when out - $50-100 per month.
* Take your lunch to work - $250-350 per month.
* Cancel your cable TV - $50-150 per month.
* Use coupons at the supermarket - $50 or more per month.
* Shop at discount stores for clothes - $50-100 per month
* Use the Internet to shop significant purchases - savings up to 40-50%.
* Increase insurance deductibles - $200 per year.
* Lower thermostat in winter and raise it in summer - $25-100 per month.
* Pay bills online/automatic bill pay - $15-20 per month postage.

[jteezie]

My stretch my money through interest rate arbitrage:

Go to college, get a subsidized loan (interest free). Wait a few years for inflation to eat away at the principle, deploy for military service so I can defer my loan for even more inflation to eat away at the principle. Then go to grad school and repeat...

All the while investing the original money and watching it grow.

Example:
Original loan $1000
Current value inflation adjusted $800
Current value of investment $1200
Difference $400.

[J-Money]

Don't forget about the library - I am an avid reader and would be broke if I had to buy a book everytime I wanted to read something. I get books, movies, books on CD's and even newspapers/magazines from there for free. Some folks ONLY use the library computer/internet to save on those expenses as well. That is a little extreme for me b/c I like my owner computer/internet access but it works for some.

I keep a written budget and visit it often. I use a cash-based envelop system so when the money is gone for each envelop, we don't spend again until the next pay period. This really helps us keep track of how much we spend and also helps us understand where we may be over-funding or under-funding our budget.

I also consolidate road trips, carpool where I can, use coupons & meal plan, don't buy name brand stuff (food, household items) and only buy non-trendy items when I do shop for shoes or clothes...I go for the looks/colors that won't be going out of style anytime soon. While I love going to the movies, I avoid it b/c it is pricey -- but if I do end up going I try to go the matinee to save on the ticket and steer clear of the food counter altogether! I also use vinager/water and bleach/water cleaning solutions but I do buy the powder Comet to clean my bathtubs and toilets occassionally if I want to give everything a deep scrub. I have also cut down on buying junk food and snacks...the kids and husband arent crazy about it but I like it b/c I'm eating less of it :-) and it helps my grocery bill.

good luck ;-)

[dawnwes]

We just budget, budget, budget.

Every dollar is part of a master budget and we try very hard not to go over and if we do, we cut in another area that month.

Ooma phone service ($1.10/mo for unlimited calling, voicemail, etc....love it.)
Very cheap cell phone plans ($42/mo for 3 phones, 750 min. no data, nights and weekends free)
No cable or Satellite (we do have Huluplus, a TV antenna, and Netflix and Roku boxes)

We cut quite a few extras

I coupon!

I yard sale and thrift shop.

I go to Disney World every year.....on the super cheap.....so cheap that most people don't want to do it the way we do. But we LOVE it.

Dawn

[rob62521]

I think knowing the difference between needs and wants is vital. Some folks get confused!

[CouponRefund]

I use coupons to stretch my money. I save some amount on shopping by using coupons and coupon codes but at the month end when I realize how much I have saved. So answer comes out in the form of hundreds of dollars.

[clipper11]

i drink water when dining out. the price of a drink can add 10% - 20% to your bill.

[snafu]

Dawn, will you share some of your travel [Disney world] Florida super cheap ways? Perhaps we can apply your methods to other locations. I would love to go to Florida on the cheap. After a cold, winter that seemed to never end, we need to find sunshine.

We have become even more mindful of spending since fuel, food and cotton prices have skyrocketed. In our region chicken and pork prices have doubled. Since so much of the wheat belt is under water, bread and anything with flour is worth stocking up. Last year it was rice that doubled in price, this year it will be pasta products.

We are now threatened with 35% increase for water. Seems the city made a mistake when they worked out the cost of operating the new water plant and upgrades to the old water plant. If I charge too much I won't get any contracts, they will go to others. That's the downside of being self employed.

[Frugal]

I also use couponing, and rarely buy something at full price. You can comparison shop savings ads that come out from local grocery stores on Wednesdays in most areas of the U.S. I also do not allow myself any extra expenses such as eating out or coffee or entertainment lately. My one splurge was renting a movie my spouse wanted, and getting the free deal at Blockbuster where you get one-night non-new-release rentals free unlimited through July 4th.