This is not intended to solve serious debt. For serious debt, please seek help.
Combine, Combine, Combine
“Combine what?”
Combine trips out. If you have to go to the grocery store and the photo shoot, do it all in one trip. Do not go to the photo shoot on the north side of town and the grocery store on the east side of town.
How will this save me money?
Let's say your town is 20 miles wide, and your car gets an estimated 30 miles to the gallon. Let's say driving to the north end of town is ten miles and driving to the east end of town is ten miles. You stop at home in the middle, that's another ten miles. In average, you have driven about 60 miles: ten miles to the store, ten miles back, ten miles to the house, ten miles back to the house, ten miles to the photo shoot, ten miles back to the house.
Let's regroup.
If you do both your photo shoot and your grocery shopping on the same side of town, you'll use 20 miles, saving yourself 40 miles, and an average of $5 in gasoline. You may not think this saves much money, but it adds up. Let's say you drove the same 60 miles next week. See? Another $5. $5+$5 = $10.
It won't be much at first, but in the end, it'll be worth it. Besides, think of all the time you'll save going back and forth places!
(Estimated savings: About $15-$35 a week, depending on how many trips you combine and what your gas mileage is. The lower the mileage, the more trips you should combine.)
Turn it Off
You've heard it before and you're going to hear it again. Turn off those lights! We're wasting energy precious too our planet. Now, if you really need the light, leave it on. But before you exit a room, turn off all the lights. It really adds up.
For example, let's say your monthly electric bill is $105. You know your daughter, Sam, and your son, Jack, leave their electronics on. Let's say they leave them on all day, every day. Turning them off could save quite a bit, not to mention it'll help our planet.
(I would give you about how much this will save, but I don't know your total bill. However, if it's 50 cents per room per hour and your kids leave their electricity on every day, this leads to $24.00 a day, not to mention the other rooms where the lights are left on. I am really not sure how much energy costs, here -- $24.00 seems really high.) Go look at the other rooms, too - how long have their lights been left on?
(Estimated savings total: $24.00)
Reduced Trips Out to Eat
I don't mean no-more trips out to eat as in forever. Let's say, though, that you might eat at this certain restaurant two to three nights a week. Everyone in the family goes. Let's say your average bill each time is $50, because of all the people.
If your average bill is $50, and you cut out three trips, you'll save $150.
If you really can't stop going out to eat due to obligations, consider the following:
- Ask for fast-food rather than a sit-down
- Cut the soda, wine or other drinks. For a family of 5, soda can add as much as or more then $10 to the meal. If you still want a soft drink, buy one and leave at home, and remind yourself throughout the meal that you've got one there.
- Ditch the sides. Sides are $1-$2 apiece and can usually be found in the fridge at home.
- No deserts. Deserts are anywhere from $1-$5 apiece. For a family of 5 this can add up to $25 to the total bill.
(Estimated savings total: Anywhere from $10-$150+)
Use Your Local Library
Your local library, if you have one, is a huge recourse. I use mine all the time. Usually, a local library will have Internet computers and books. Apply for a library card! You'll be surprised what you can do with it. Videos will no longer cost $5 to rent, they'll be free. Also, you can check out books, and not have to buy books with every school project.
(Estimated savings total: Anywhere from $5-100, depending on how much you buy books and rent movies.)
Cut the Cable
I'm serious. Ditch it, throw it out, and don't sign up for AT & T's bundle either. Sure, cable is fun, but do you honestly need those 100+ swimming channels? I'll admit, I missed cable when we first got rid of it. However, I could find reruns of some episodes online, and I could read fanfiction for my favorite stories.
(Estimated savings: $80-125 per month)
Well, I hope this helped. Well I'm at it, I also hope I didn't offend you too much, and I'm sorry if I did. I follow all of these things. I combine trips - or try too - and I don't have cable. Actually, I don't have internet, either, I'm on a library computer right now. Hopefully, you'll look up some of these rescores and be able to save money.
My personal hardest is hands-down the going out to eat one. I'm trying really hard not to spend money on fast-food, but I know that this week I've spent at least $10 on it. So don't feel bad! Everyone messes up. Myself included. Heck, myself most definitely included…
