Simple Ways to Save Money

With the economy the way it is there are so many people going back to the basics, finding ways to cut corners, spending less and then there are the people that have been doing that forever. I am kinda in the middle. I grew up in the country, the youngest of 6 kids, we had a farm which we raised chickens, pigs, had dairy cows and we had a sawmill. Yes, times were busy for sure! We also had a HUGE garden which my mother canned and froze things from along with having enough potatoes to keep in cold storage over the winter. It brings back great memories of my parents when I think of those days. It wasn't easy  for anyone. We all had our chores and we worked together to make it work.

I remember one year we had so much milk and you would get fined if you were over your quota so we made butter in one of the old fashioned churns. I wasn't that old at that time and I didn't really realize how wonderful knowing how to do that was. It was fun to me, to help out, to churn, to pack the butter in dishes.....ahh the good ole days!

Wait???? Good ole days??? That wasn't all that long ago but I think a lot of people are getting back to some of those ways and being as self sufficient as possible. A lot of people are living paycheck to paycheck or on fixed incomes and just can't afford the luxury of buying new all the time or buying brand names. For me, I never was that person to begin with. We weren't poor growing up but we certainly weren't rich (at least as far as money goes), we were rich in family values, morals and integrity and  we were respectful. I miss those days, I miss my parents...but I know they are looking down on me and the rest of my family and smiling.

There are so many things that people are doing to save money or to be more self sufficient, like raising your own meat, having a garden, making your own dish soaps and detergents, beauty products etc...you get my point. Some people are doing it to save money and some people out of neccessity. I love making my own laundry soap and cleaners. I can't ever see going back to store bought. The ones I make are very easy and very cheap to make.

Other ways to save money: Buy store brand items. I know, I know, store brands aren't as good as name brands.....WRONG! I prefer store brands on many things and I do buy name brands but normally only if I have a coupon that makes the article cheaper than buying the store brand. It is all personal preference but even if I had an endless supply of money I would still by store brands on pretty much everything.

Buy at thrift stores...Goodwill...Salvation Army etc. We shop for most of our clothes etc at thrift stores and a lot of  the time they have things that are new  with the tags on them. On Monday's (the one we go to) has 50% off of EVERYTHING...how can you beat that. I have bought my husband a NIKE winter coat for 4$, yep 4$, now that is when I will buy name brands the added bonus is that a lot of these places help charities out so not only are you saving money you are helping others as well.

Entertainment: Instead of spending $$$ on cable, use an antenna and a converter box, you will have the main channels and no costs per month. Go to the Library and get movies to watch, the one near us, you can borrow 10 DVD's at a time for 2 weeks.

Instead of spending 3$ a day on that coffee out, make a pot at home. If you need it on the go, get a cup so you can take it with you on your commute. 3$ a day adds up at the end of the year.

Eat in and make food from scratch: We eat out or order in once a month and it is a treat. We both love cooking and cook everything but once a month is our treat time and we may order a pizza or go somewhere but we limit that to once a month.

I am not saying NEVER buy a coffee or NEVER go to the movies but do it once every couple of months, make it a date night, go for a meal, then the movies and then have a coffee after.

There are so many other things I can say but I will leave them for future posts.

How do you save money?