Ways to save money?

wallstreet

I dunno. I've got a ton of CC's and LOC's that I've never tapped other than to get the first purchase discount on a big purchase. I just bought a new car last week and I asked them what my score was and they had me at 823. The highest is 850. Smokin baby!

candyliquor35m

Adding an extra 8" of insulation in the attic is worth it imo. It has to be in the 90's outside before my a/c even thinks about coming on. I heard it come on one time today and it was hot and humid here in the lower 90's but I like it hot to an extent.

Gaara

bobman,

thanks for the link, interesting read and very cool site. As for hurting the credit score, what he did is different then what I did. I am doing balance transfers to move debt from a high interest card to a 0% interest card, and in doing so don't create more debt but I do create more credit by opening the new card.

He was creating new debt by writing a check to his bank using a 0% interest card just to hold the money in the bank and earn interest. In my situation my credit utilization ratio would drop, while his would rise causing the drop in his credit score.

treitz3

One of the best ways I have found to save money, other than post #25 on this thread and concentrating on ordering 3 dollar meals -vs- 14 dollar meals is this.

Go thru your entire house and take a look at the tops of the trim above all doors where it meets the wall. Is it caulked or "breathable"? If not, caulk it. Even in closets and laundry room facilities, and especially at doors leading to the exterior. Take all wallplates off throughout the house without exception and caulk the area between the outlet housing and the sheetrock or applicable substrate to where it is completely sealed. Go get universal gaskets [Red Dot S620E for example] and install them after the caulk dries to form a complete seal. For all unused outlets throughout the house, install a safety plug as if you had a baby running around the house with a pair of scissors. This will complete the seal at all outlets and light switches. Just be sure to leave one safety plug off every 25 feet or so for ease of plugging in the vacuum cleaner. "Splurge" on those.

Next, remove all heating and A/C vents and filters. See a gap between the sheetrock or applicable substrate? You guessed it, seal it up. why would you want to suck hot air out of the attic while you are trying to cool the house? Vise versa during the winter. Check the area around the exhaust fans in the bathrooms as well. Also, unless a member of your family has sensitive allergies, instead of replacing the filter every month or so, go get a reusable filter. You can customize the size to your individual needs and they will last a lifetime. If you rinse these and let dry every three weeks, you will put less strain on your unit too, saving $$$ in the long run.

Check all doors and make sure no air can come or go around the threshold area of the door, then check to make sure that the kerf is in good shape and sealed correctly. A good test would be to light a match during a windy day, set the match near all possible air leaks around the door, if the smoke moves direction..........you figure it out.

Finally, depending on how often you open your windows you may want to entertain the thought of a window insulation kit. Even if you have "energy efficient " windows. For real cheap, you can install this and you will not be able to tell any difference looking out or in [Frost King has a 3pk. kit #V73/3 for 3 or 4 bucks] and all you need is a hairdryer to install it.

I spent around 93 bucks to do this to my house and it paid for itself in the first month. Electric and gas usage went to half (+-). The conditions within the winter months made us not even use the gas fireplace for the first time during the winter [unless we wanted a romantic setting] and we never pulled out the Kerosene heater. Humidity levels stay constant more, which is good for audio gear and generally we are just plain more comfortable.

Flush your water heater on a regular schedule and insulate it and all piping if it is outside in a shed. Make sure that toilets, showers........well (all) plumbing fixtures do not leak.

Add all this to the "change jar" and I have been able to save a shitload of cashola without changing the lifestyle I have grown accustomed to living.

dylan

madmax wrote: »

My main habit is getting starbucks frapacinos, tastes like a really good milkshake. I sometimes spend $20 a week there. Gone! For now I'll stop and get a hot fudge sunday from McD's for .99 or maybe a wendys frosty for $1.69 when I NEED something.

I hate to see people desperate enough to go to McDonalds. Make your own mochas, Big Train is what most coffee huts use. I think it comes out to less than a buck each.

Willow

This is what we do :

use coupons when ever possible
only wait till the gas tank is half full/ not when the red light is on to fill up and watch when the lower gas prices (we found on Thurs eves the cheapest)
buy enerygy efficient light bulbs for every light in the house ($$$ at first but in the long run...)
we use a program. thermostat in the house and keep it at about 24-25C when we are home and warmer when at work.
make lunches every day but Friday.
I stopped having dbl tall vanilla latte and just have 1 coffee a day.

If you have store CC get a consolidation loan or credit line from the bank and pay off those high interest CC.
Buy no-name when we can
read through weekly flyers to see who has what on sale.

Don't buy bottled water from a convenience store where they charge you the same price as a whole case at Wally world. Drink Brita type water (if you need it filtered).
Don't order booze if you are eating out, check out the BYOB if you have any in your area.

Now don't cut every thing out or it won't seem worth it. You work for a reason , so if on Sat night we want a 25$ bottle of wine we buy it.

LessisNevermore

I've tried to get rid of some of the money hungry appliances in my home. I got a tankless, on-demand water heater. I don't heat water I'm not using.(Saves a ton, gas or electric) I also don't have to worry about the tank rotting, and letting loose many, many gallons of water onto my basement floor...again, lol) They are a bit pricey, but comparable in $ to a 75 gal heater. (~$500)

I also got a front-loading washing machine. They literally use 1/3 of the water, no agitator to ruin your clothes, and it spins out at 1100 rpm's. This means, it spins out more water, and equates to much shorter drying cycles. (The first load I did, was 9 pairs of jeans, and they all dried in 1 cycle):eek:

I also switched to a self-powered water softener.

All these things add up quickly....

madmax

Lots of great ideas here!
madmax