BlogHer - Five Easy and Painless (I Promise) Tips for Reducing Spending - Comments

Great money-saving tips...

MmmBreakfast — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:29:05 -0500

A lot of people think that doing small things to save money will never actually do much for them, but it really does all add up. You just have to be consistent!

Nothing new tor three months

KLinnea — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 06:26:20 -0500

Nothing new tor three months is very good. I sometimes find myself shopping for comfort. Cutting down to basics feels good.

Linnea

http://madhattersapprentice.blogspot.com/

Impressive, Nina!

Maria Niles — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:26:44 -0500

Best wishes on your buy nothing new commitment! What a challenge but I bet it will be an excellent teaching experience. I'm sure there will be things you can't wait to purchase at the end but many things you'll learn don't need to be shiny and new.

3 month commitment to buy nothing new

Nina Moon — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:52:30 -0500

Starting tomorrow, my husband and I are going to try to buy nothing new for 3 months (except for groceries). A friend of ours did this awhile back and back then I thought she was a little crazy, but with 2 kids and a newfound necessity to cut back on expenses, we're going to be trying this. I'm actually kind of excited to scope out our local second-hand shops, craigslist, freecycle and the like. i kind of assume that we'll end up with less unecessary purchases overall. I admit, however, it helps that we bought the kids' Christmas presents early this year. :)

We're also a no cable household as well and we've tried to stop eating out except perhaps once or twice a month. We've been using filtered water for awhile now too. Coffee shops, however, are our big indulgence that we're finding hard to part with.

I really like the salad dressing idea. Thanks Maria.

Nina Moon

http://charlieandnina.com

I actually did a variation of this when I was single, Maria

9to5to9 — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:55:04 -0500

Didn't have Seal-A-Meal then, but I'd make a huge lasagna or manicotti or something that froze well and then piece it out into Tupperware. I like Seal-A-Meal better, though: Less freezer burn. The bags are reusable unless they're used for raw meat or poultry, so that eases my guilty green conscience a bit.

Debra Legg
9to5to9

Seal-a-Meal

Maria Niles — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:34:39 -0500

Great addition, Debra. My mom did a lot of vacuum sealing back in the day and I had forgotten about that option. I've seen some new tools advertised so I'll have to pick one up and give it a try. It's hard to cook single serve portions all the time and sealing up leftovers would probably work well.

Thanks for the reminder!

People are saving money with them too

sassymonkey — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:23:33 -0500

People who predominantly read books that they buy (versus borrowing/library) are saving money with the Kindle and other ebook readers because ebooks tend to be quite a bit cheaper than their paper cousins. And they cut down on clutter!

But so does using the library and it doesn't have a big upfront cost. ;-)

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Oooh! Mata H reminds me of another one

9to5to9 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:06:50 -0500

Seal-A-Meal is my friend!

I'm too sloppy to get it to work with sauces -- I can those now -- but it's great for those big hunks of cheese I buy plus leftovers. Especially the little dabs that aren't enough to do anything with. I Seal-A-Meal 'em and pull them out later for some of that easy, nutritious soup Mata H was talking about or a casserole. I rarely throw food away when I'm diligent about doing this. I just have to get back to being diligent.

Debra Legg
9to5to9

Fewer needs

Maria Niles — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:59:46 -0500

While my dog was sick the living room became my bedroom and I realized that if really necessary I could live in one room plus a bathroom. Kind of like a dorm, perhaps. TV, internet, mini-fridge, microwave, hot plate and a sofa and I'd be set. Until I went stir crazy that is - maybe if I just had one of those Kindles sassymonkey was telling us about ;)

I turned off the cable, too

deborah91473 — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:29:27 -0500

I recently cut my cable, too, in order to reduce spending. I was really apprehensive about doing it because I had cable for so long, but now I'm glad I did. The savings is great, I spend a lot more time reading and writing and less time is wasted mindlessly watching junk. The few shows I watch I can either catch online or via Netflix.

Deborah Johnson

A Writer's Voice: http://litchick73.blogspot.com/

And how much do you really

KLinnea — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:09:27 -0500

And how much do you really need? Food, mostly vegetables, some fish, meat once a week, water, a walk, a library, basic clothing, heating, a room of your own? A monastery might be a good role model for what's necessary.

Wildflowers and snowballs are free!!

Digging for Free Stuff Online

Leading4Ladies — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:22:56 -0500

This is kind of a different outlook on frugality, but check online for easy sweepstakes and contest. Most are done with little to no effort. Saw some postings about not wearing knock off items and you can always find designer giveaways online. Did a search online for designer bag contests. Ended up finding a site giving away Burberry bags and you don't have to give up any info. You can go to all kinds of online sweepstakes site to score free stuff, but search "Burberry contest" and see what I mean.

A virtuous suggestion

Maria Niles — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:22:30 -0500

And I admire anyone who goes this route. However, it will not be me, sadly. I'm an addict and in fact I just added Showtime to my bill so I can watch Dexter and not have to wait for the episodes to show up on iTunes at the end of the season :)

I have to say, you make the alternative sound appealing - thanks for sharing your experience.

Great additions

Maria Niles — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:19:43 -0500

These are all excellent tips, Mata, thank you.

I wish I had the room for a freezer - when I buy a house again, perhaps. But terrific if you have the space. And I strongly second the soup suggestion. It is stunningly easy to make soup and a fantastic way to make delicious meals out of what you have on hand or can get a deal on.

I think possibly Sarah Palin's greatest contribution to our collective consciousness has been extolling the virtues of the consignment shop. Truly no shame in that game.

And getting better acquainted with Freecycle is on my to-do list. Glad to hear you've had such wonderful experiences.

Very good point, Judith

Maria Niles — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:14:57 -0500

Thanks for pointing out counterfeits. I should clarify that when I say knock-offs I mean the inspired by variety. Like in my Chanel phase it wasn't about finding fakes with Chanel logos 'cause that's illegal. It was more about things like piling on fake pearls and cheap chains over knit jackets.

Thanks also for the additional tips - all really good and useful! Learning to make my own mayonnaise is a goal. You are right that good homemade can make a believer out of even the biggest critic (like me) but even with good mayo I rarely eat it so someday...

Five Easy and Painless (I Promise) Tips for Reducing Spending

Maria Niles — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:32:59 -0500

Do not scoff when you are asked to write on a topic you swear up and down you know nothing about. It may be a message from the universe that you need to pay attention. I got one of those wake up calls when asked to post about tips for reducing expenses. I like to think that I've cut everything I can or will but now that I'm focusing on it, I've noticed all sorts of tips and tricks I've used, I could be using or I should be using more.

Overall my approach is to not eliminate anything that I'd like to keep in my life but rather to figure out how to do it for less. Here are some of my best tips for cutting spending while not feeling deprived.

I work from home so going to Starbucks or storing bottles of bottled water is less convenient for me so I use these evergreen expense-reducing techniques.

1. Filtered water instead of bottled. A couple of hints for this trick... stock up on glasses so you can pour a glass regardless of where you are in the dishes cleaning cycle. I have loads of inexpensive ones from Ikea. Why not get fancy while you're at it and make drinking your filtered water fun. If you are in the U.S., be sure to join the campaign started by Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish to convince manufacturers to provide recycling options for the filters. Also, get a metal bottle for taking your filtered water on-the-go. Sigg makes cute ones. They even offer flasks if you want a durable dual purpose portable drinking implement.

2. Make your own coffee. If you want to feel like you're in a little cafe why not use an individual French Press pot to brew the coffee. Also, they have travel versions. Again, cute cups make it feel like you're treating yourself not cutting expenses. Another little trick I use is to add cinnamon so the coffee tastes special and it might help fight diabetes, to boot!

Although I don't use other tricks on a daily basis, when used, they've saved me a bundle.

3. Use Craigslist. When I moved to my current home I made great use of the online marketplace to sell and buy wisely. I didn't want to move my massive television so I researched selling prices for my TV and similar models, set a realistic price, sold the TV, took the cash, did some more research, combined some coupons I received in my change of address kit from the post office with a sale price on a floor model and threw in a dash of haggling and my new high-definition flat panel plasma was practically free!

Also, I'm a fan of mid-century modern style furniture. Instead of shopping the Design Within Reach catalog, I shopped craigslist and found several pieces for a fraction of the price. No renowned designer names but great pieces I love. I have to remind myself sometimes, though, to check craigslist or eBay before hitting the stores. A bit more work and waiting can often more than pay off in savings.

4. Make your own. Recently I picked up a bottle of salad dressing that was on super-sale for 99 cents. It was a waste of a dollar since it was a flavorless, inedible glue-like substance. I remembered when I tasted it that salad dressing is incredibly easy to make, is fabulously delicious and can cost very little. I've twice had people request that I give them homemade salad dressing as a gift after they've tasted it on a salad at my home. In both cases I've used recipes but play around with mixing favorite oils and vinegars, throw in mustards if you'd like, herbs, salt and pepper. Start with a 3-1 vinegar to oil blend and adjust to taste. Shake it up in a jar and your taste buds and wallet will thank you. And, whenever you grab something for pre-made convenience, think about easy ways you can make your own version which can often be tastier and cheaper.

5. Wear knock offs. In the 80's I went through a cheap Chanel phase. I had several outfits that channeled Coco without paying more than $15 a piece. This article on "recession chic" points out that rather than spending hundreds on a designer bag you can get something from the designer knocking themselves off at Target. Keep an eye on Trisha Okubo's Friday Fashion Week in Review here at BlogHer for links to designer looks for less which she often features.

Good luck in being smartly frugal while staying fabulous!

Xin Lu at WiseBread Five calls you can make now to save hundreds to thousands of dollars

Debbie Dragon at Destroy Debt 76 Ways to Save Money While Saving the Environment

Pinyo at Moolanomy Frugalist Expense Reduction Guide

WikiHow How to Reduce Expenses

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of South Texas Your Family Budget: Cutting 10% from your already stretched budget

Michael Winerip at the New York Times Clipping Coupons to Put Food on the Table

Dawniemom at BlogHer How we 5 live on 1 paycheck

Carmen Wong Ulrich at iVillage Beehive We've Slashed Our Expenses, Now What?

Julie D. Andrews at Shape Healthy Finances: Recession-Proof Your Life

BlogHer CE Maria Niles keeps it fabulous and fancy at her personal blogs PopConsumer and BeyondHelp