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“Ways I Save Money” Archive
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While looking through my archives to write a recap of 2006, I thought about something…
There is always room for improvement, but for the most part we are frugal people 
Here are my top frugal posts of 2006:
Ways I Save Money - Skip the Professional Haircuts - I’m gettting so good at cutting mine that my husband didn’t even need to straighten it for me the last time I cut it 
Twelve Frugal Wedding Tips from my Wedding - In all, our wedding cost $2,000 with $1,000 going towards my dress and ring.
The Best Things in Life are on the Side of the Road with a “Free” Sign - Another person’s trash is another person’s treasure. We ended up getting a couch that we definitely could use.
A Few Cheap Ideas to Spruce up the Look of an Old Home - Our home was stuck in the 50s in terms of the decor. We didn’t have much money when we moved in, but we did a few cheap things that made a HUGE difference.
Saving Gas and It’s Good For You Too - We purchased a reel mower and we love it!
Tips for Finding Clearanced Items - I love getting things I need on clearance. Here’s what I’ve learned.
A Frugal Tip for Broken Eyeglasses - My glasses broke, but the replacement didn’t cost much money at all.
Six Money Saving Tips for the Grocery Store - I used to work at a grocery store, so here’s some insider tips on how to save money while shopping.
There are more frugal related posts in my archives, but these are ones that I thought were more helpful. I hope you enjoy!
I love giving gifts to those who make a difference in my son’s life. The teacher(s), bus drivers, etc. It can be expensive, but there’s something that I have been doing for the past two years that has saved me money and enabled me to give a nice gift.
A few days after Christmas, I go to the local department store. They always have holiday items at half off. I browse what they have left, and take a good look at what’s there. I may purchase a few things that I feel may sell out, like cute teacher ornaments. But for the most part, I’m just scoping out their inventory.
I go back every few days and watch and wait. I know they will be marking the holiday inventory to 75% soon. When they do, I purchase more things. I wait, though, to purchase anything that they have a lot of because it gets better.
A little while later, they mark things to 90% off. BINGO! That’s my cue to start buying like crazy. Sure, these are things that may have been less desired this year, but who knows? They could be in high demand next year
When I get home, I put everything in a box and put it in a safe and dry spot. It sits there till next Christmas.
I spent $40 last year for at least $120 worth of items. I was able to make 6 gift bags (which I bought those on clearance too) filled with ornaments, stuffed animals and candles. Just a nice gift that doesn’t break the bank.
As a kid, my favorite show of all time was MacGyver. Besides the fact that the lead actor (Richard Dean Anderson) was a hunk, I did watch the show for inspiration.
The main theme of MacGyver, if you are unfamiliar with it, is that the main character, MacGyver, is very resourceful. He is out battling bad guys and he can make almost anything using the things around him. As kids, we would actually play a game called MacGyver where we would have a pile of odds-and-ends and try to make something useful from it. Sure, our creations weren’t that pretty but for the most part they did somewhat work.
As an adult, I do find myself trying to think like MacGyver when there is something that I need or want but I don’t want to go out and buy it already made. This past summer, my son really wanted a swing.
We found some rope in our garage and then used an old floor mat from our car for the seat. The end result was something he has had a lot of fun with. Oh yeah, I can’t forget that duct tape was an ingredient as well There are a million uses for duct tape LOL.
I find that when I create things like that, I feel good about it. I like to be resourceful and making new things out of old things. It’s fun, and it saves us money.
Oh boy, I can hear everyone ready to pounce all over me for saying this one LOL. But for me, it’s true! I’ve only been to a few garage sales this year and I am saving money.
Let me explain…
I am a bargain shopper. If I see a good deal, I am temporarily blinded the fact that maybe I do not need that item. Perhaps I think I can use it - but really it’s probably going to sit around the house and never be used. Bargains only really work if you need to purchase something regardless.
When I have “bargain blindness” at the department store, I can return things. At a garage sale, if I have buyer’s remorse when I get home I am stuck with an item unless I try to sell it myself.
I think overall I went to about three garage sales and one estate sale this year. The estate sale was one that I just went to last month, so I will talk about it because it’s still fresh in my memory. Many things there caught my eyes. An endtable here ($10.00), old records there ($make an offer), books all over the place ($0.25 each for the bigger ones), pretty pictures on the wall ($5.00)…but I just said no. I didn’t really NEED any of those things.
I did walk out with one thing, though. It was a little clipboard that has a compartment underneath it where you can store extra paper and supplies. I bought it for a quarter and my son absolutely loves it.
I think going to that estate sale helped show that I am getting better with things. I am not being so blinded by bargains. I can walk away, knowing that even though it may be a great bargain, I do not necessarily need it.
I’ve said it a few times before, but I’ll mention it again. Even though my main journey is to eliminate debt - there are many little “side-journeys” I have to work on as well. I’m glad to see changes in myself, because I know they will be beneficial long after the debt is gone.
Yesterday, I discussed how I use the 90-Day Rule. It really isn’t a rule that I know of, it’s just something I do to try to keep our spending down and save money.
Basically, if it’s something that I would like to get but it isn’t something that we absolutely need, I wait about three months. After that time, if I still want it and think it could be useful I will buy it.
The wait may seem like a long time and it can be in the retail world. A few things can happen to that item in the meantime…
1.) The item goes on clearance, and you end up saving money on the purchase (a super-bonus!).
2.) The item is no longer available (I usually shrug and say it wasn’t meant to be).
3.) The item is there and still at the regular price.
4.) You no longer want the item.
EDIT: 5.) You completely forget about the item (thanks Jen :))
You don’t really save money with #3, but at least hopefully using the time to make sure you want it will result in a good purchase.
There was a time that I really wanted one of those rubber squeegee mop/broom combinations that I saw on TV, and was later available at a local department store. I thought that thing was so neat and I almost bought it when I saw it in the store, but I didn’t. A few weeks later, it didn’t seem as neat anymore and I ended up saving on that purchase. Once the “neatness” factor wears off you often view things differently.
I believe there are similar rules out there that have a 30-day waiting period, but for us, 90 days gives a little more time and has been working well to reduce our purchases.
Pretty soon, it will be time to put plastic up on our windows and buckle down the house for a very long winter. Taking measures to keep the heat in our home (and the cold out) really helps with our heating bills.
But all that plastic does cost money (we use the window size shrinking plastic sheets).
What I do is buy ahead for the next year. Usually around March the weatherproofing materials are on clearance at Walmart. That’s when I purchase our plastic. If I happen to catch them when they are really cheap I even buy more for another winter.
Right now, we are set for the next two winters for plastic. And the cost was $5.00.
Just keep an eye out and watch to see if those prices get marked down
The last time my husband and I received a professional hair cut was in May of 2004. It cost us $18.00 each. So, if my husband received a hair cut once a month (probably realistic for a male, right?) that means we’ve saved $216.00/year on his haircuts.
For me, I’m not sure what is realistic for the visit frequency for a female, but I’ll guess once every three months. Total savings from me - $72.00/year.
Grand total possibly saved = $288/year
We bought a good pair of hair cutting scissors for $7.00. I cut my husband’s hair and he helps cut mine. For my hair, I start it by cutting it to the length that I want. Then, my husband comes in and evens out my cut. I’m getting better at making it even first try so eventually he may not even have to help. I should note that we both have straight hair and receive straight cuts. Nothing fancy with our haircuts.
As for my son, he’s never had a professional cut. His hair is cut by mommy. I have no idea what the going rate is for a child’s haircut so I didn’t factor that into the savings. I’m sure it would put us at saving over $300/year.
I also have been my natural hair color for some time now. I used to dye it blonde but it really wasn’t worth it to upkeep the color. Plus, after abusing my hair for a while I’ve come to appreciate it’s natural state (it has blonde, light brown and red in it). So I guess that would put the savings up a little bit more
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