From the article: 6 Ways to Buy Things For Less
Saving more doesn't have to be a drag. There are plenty of ways to continue to do the things you like to do at a lower cost. Share your best ideas below! Share Your Savings Tips
Cutting back is a natural progression
- Boomers, who remember their parents talking about the Great Depression, have been giving second thoughts to "want" vs. "need" for some time. We're at a point where we've accumulated all the stuff we'll ever use and are looking for an experience over a purchase. As we gain maturity in our outlook toward life we all tend to think this way. Is it a sign of the time? Perhaps, perhaps not; I tend to think it's a sign of where we are in life. Granted, the youth of today are experiencing something their parents may not have thought possible - the lack of money to do with as you chose - but that's not all bad. After all, the older generations (those who went through the Great Depression) knew how to enjoy life without little (or no) money - that's a lesson we all need to take to heart.
- —Guest Linda
Shredding or cutting back?
- I think the trick to cutting back is to determine the difference between our wants and our needs. My rule number one. I don't window shop. When I go shopping, I go for what I need and get out of the store fast. My second step was to go through my closet and organized my clothes. It's amazing what we have that we've forgotten about. That closest organization saved me clothes shopping for an entire year. I really have everything I need. I can say no to the next gorgeous pair of shoes I pass by in a store. I don't need them, I simply want them. Yamaica, like you, I cut down on my cell phone bills by going prepaid. I don't use that many minutes, so I shopped around for the best deal and found Net10 offering a Motorola 376 phone (that's a good phone) with 300 minutes for 60 days thrown in, all for under $60. When those minutes run out I'll pay $25 a month for 250 minutes, which is more than enough for me. I've cut back in other ways, but no space here to share them all.
- —Albeta
Telephone, TV and hot water
- According to Consumer Reports, more than seventy percent of cell phone users who switched from a contract plan to prepaid said prepaid is costing them less. For example, plans like TracFone's new StraightTalk which offers unlimited minutes and texting for $45 a month costs a lot less than a contract plan. Doesn't work with an I-Phone, but how many people have an I-Phone? I found another way to save was by cutting back on my cable TV. $22 a month equals more than $250 a year in savings. I also put a timer on my water heater which saves me more than $20 a month. When you cut back a little here and a little there you can save a bundle.
- —Yamaica
Entertainment
- We rarely go to the movies - too expensive! My husband and I bought a Netflix player, cut back our Netflix subscription to 1 movie a month, and we can watch many movies for no extra cost. And popcorn is much cheaper at home, too!
- —Guest Jean
Change Your Eating Habits
- I've been able to cut my grocery costs almost in half. I used to grocery shop at the closest stores and eat lunch where I wanted with little thought as to the cost. Now I choose Subway (still healthy) over a more expensive sit down lunch, and buy many of my grocery staples at a WalMart SuperCenter. I've managed to cut $200 - $300 per month of expenses this way.
- —Guest Sherri
