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Food
- Don’t shop when hungry; it’s harder to resist temptation.
- Watch the cash register ring up items. Count your change. Check the receipt.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Eat 3 – 6 light meals a day.
- Avoid eating out – even fast food.
- Avoid meat – you can get protein through nuts and other food.
- Keep water and mixed nuts in the car so you don’t pull into a restaurant when hungry.
If you’re handy
- Cut your family’s hair with a kit and thinning shears.
- Do home repairs with the help of the net.
- Browse ‘as is’ yards in thrift shops for furniture, appliances, parts, etc.
Where to shop
- Garage sales and swap meets. Sellers take lower offers toward the end of the day.
- Thrift stores – check periodically, the better items don’t last.
- Outlets for ‘day-old’ bread. Freeze it.
- Auctions through the post office, police depts., etc.
- Outlets for ‘seconds’ and ‘imperfects’ in quality clothing.
Cars
- NEVER ever buy a new car as you lose great amounts of money thru depreciation:
- Never buy a used one without checking its ratings and having your mechanic drive it and list what needs repairing. See the net for this.
- Cars sold ‘as is’ at commercial auctions can be terrible buys. No dealer will touch them.
- Cars owned by the elderly often have low mileage.
- Don’t buy a car that’s been in a wreck. Avoid cars from snowy climates – they have rust.
- Four door cars are generally cheaper and resale better.
- If you repaint, consider white as it doesn’t fade and it’s cooler in summer.
- Practice ‘preventative maintenance’.
- Insurance for older cars is lower. Get parts from a junkyard if your handy.
Legal
- You can often avoid lawyers when you divorce, make a will, sell your house, or file for bankruptcy. If you need one: be clear on fees, be organized, don’t call him much, and don’t use him as a therapist. Online legal services are good for forms but make big mistakes.
- Use mediation, arbitration, and small claims court.
Health
- 10%-30% of doctors visits, medical tests, procedures and surgeries are unnecessary.
- When possible have all tests done in advance on an outpatient basis. Keep copies of the results.
- Treatment in a doctor’s office is the least expensive. It’s more in an outpatient center, and most in the outpatient dept. of a hospital.
- Some immigrant doctors charge less.
- Community hospitals are preferred over teaching hospitals.
- Don’t go into a hospital from Friday afternoon through Sunday, unless it’s an emergency.
- Don’t go to a specialist until you need one.
- Get 2nd opinions before surgery. Many insurance plans will pay for this.
- Carefully check your bill.
- Try free samples of prescribed drugs to test for side effects. Later shop around and buy generic drugs in bulk by mail order.
Owning a house in the US
- Vines on the southern and western walls cut the summer heat.
- Insulating the attic (in southern Calif.) pays for itself in 3-4 years; insulating the walls does in l0 years.
- Turn down the temp. on the water heater. Insulating the tank saves $55/yr. Insulate the pipes.
- Carpet and padding cut down on heat lose.
- To the south of the house plant trees which lose their leaves in winter and shade the house in summer.
- If repainting, consider white – it doesn’t fade. Buying an airless sprayer for jobs like this can pay for itself if you’re handy.
- Put in double paned windows with a high R-value when replacing.
- Buy a carpet machine for rugs, furniture, and car upholstery rather than renting one periodically.
Utilities
- Look for an insulated apt. or house.
- Heavy duty door closers on exterior doors keep the heat inside in winter and out in summer, and prevent slamming by the wind.
- Hook up the clothes washer only to cold water. This saves 90% of the cost of washing. Wash only full loads. Dry only full, consecutive loads. Keep filters clean.
- Low-flow shower heads claim to save up to $90/yr.
- Turn down the water pressure for bathroom and kitchen faucets.
- Use aerators in the faucets.
- Refrigerator. Don’t put it close to a range, dishwasher, or sunlight. Keep the freezing and food compartments full so there is less cold to air to spill out. Keep the food compartment at 37 degrees. Consider a self-closing door.
- Use an electronic thermostat which turns the heat down when you’re sleeping. Close only 1 or 2 vents. Closing more makes the system less efficient.
- An inside/outside thermometer shows when to open and close windows and doors.
- Close inside and outside shades and drapes to keep heat in in winter and the sun out in summer.
- A 220 volt air conditioner (if your house is wired for it) is more efficient than a 110.
- Mount air conditioner in the shade and wind. Close off rooms not being used.
- A whole house fan pumps the hot air out of the house during summer nights and pulls cooler air in through windows. Opposite in winter when it’s warmer outside.
Garden
- Build a compost pile for fertilizer and mulch.
- Plant things you can eat.
- Automatic sprinklers probably pay for themselves. Don’t water during the day.
- A soil sample will show if you need to add elements. They will save water, chemicals, and time.
Misc
- You’re in trouble if over 25% of your take home pay goes to credit cards and personal loans (include your car loan but not mortgage, rent, food and utilities).
- You’re in trouble if three of the following are true:
- you get new loans to pay for old loans
- you don’t know how much you owe
- you charge items because you have no cash
- you borrow to pay for food and utilities
- Your rent or house payments shouldn’t be more than 1/4 of your gross income.
- Pay off credit cards; consider getting rid of them. Cut back on vacations, toll calls, and entertainment.
- Buy off season and in bulk.
- Don’t buy anything on time.
- Don’t gamble.
- No pets, except for security.
- Ready-made glasses.
- Save receipts; send in warranties.
- Don’t be tempted by ‘specials’ and sales unless you have planned for a long time to buy the item.
- Take your lunch to work to save $1000/yr (in ’92).
- Have a certain % of each paycheck automatically put into a savings account.
- Put aside three to six months income for emergencies.
- Save your tax records at least seven years.
- Use CONSUMER REPORTS.
- Search the net for tips and infographics on ‘how to save money’.
- Rent your garage or yard for storage [if the legalities are clear].
- Rent a room in your house.
ttps://www.timelessissues.com/category/law/legal-nightmare-over-rented-room/ [2]
https://www.generaladvice.org/renting-rooms-in-your-house/ [3] - Search the net for other tips and ‘microfinance’.
- Make saving a challenge, a game.