By Roberta Cox, Home Economist
- Use your local library. Borrow books, videos, audio tapes from them. If you remember to return them on time there are no fines.
- Plan menus and make a grocery list. Even if you don’t plan menus for each day in advance, still make a grocery list. Take advantage of sales to buy things that you use frequently. For example, buy several cans of soup, tomatoes and mushrooms when they are on sale. Combining tomatoes and pasta with cheese makes a quick cheap meal.
- Check your prices. Sometimes two smaller cans on sale are cheaper than one larger can.
- Buy store brands or discount brands. Frequently they are made by the same manufacturer as national brands but just have a different label on the carton.
- Use coupons for products that you would be buying anyway. Often there are coupons in the store. Using coupons only makes sense if purchasing the product with the coupon saves you more than purchasing the store brand.
- Trade coupons with friends.
- Buy and sell your children’s sports equipment at swap meets or garage sales.
- Buy children’s clothing at the end of the season for the next year. For example, children’s snow suits and boots can be purchased one – two sizes larger than they are currently wearing in the spring for the next winter.
- If your child is growing quickly don’t buy expensive clothes. They will have outgrown them before they are worn out.
- Make managing money a family affair. Give your children an allowance and decide the items you expect them to buy with it. Get your partners cooperation in helping to keep track of where the money is spent and discuss larger purchases.
- Making weekly or bi-weekly mortgage payments doesn’t necessarily mean less money to spend but it does reduce the amount of interest you pay significantly.
- When making purchases compare prices and quality between stores. Consider the service and warranty that they also provide. Sometimes the cheapest isn’t the best buy, but the most expensive might not be either.
- Save money on heating and cooling costs by keeping doors and windows closed. Turn the thermostat down at night and add an extra blanket to the bed. Wear sweaters or a sweat shirt over another shirt rather than turning the heat up if it’s for a short time.
- In winter close your drapes at night to cut down on cold drafts and open them during the day to let the sun help warm rooms. Do the reverse in summer to keep the heat out.
- Cut transportation costs by car pooling, walking, riding a bike, taking the bus. Buy a bus pass if you use the bus every day.
- Limit how long you will talk long distance. Set a timer before you call.
- Buy large packs of food and divide it into smaller servings to fit your family size at home. Freeze the extra packages.
- Write letters and use the mail.
- Only put the amount on credit cards that you can pay off each month. You can use your credit card to cut down on the number of checks you write and possibly reduce your bank charges.
- Family outings don’t always have to cost much money. Pack food from home and explore your community. Check out the parks, museums, walking paths.
- If making a larger purchase such as a refrigerator or a car do some research. Look at various models in the stores. Look up the brand names in some of the consumer magazines available at the library. Ask friends what they have, and what they like and don’t like. Ask questions of the salespeople. There are no stupid questions when it comes to spending money.
- These are some general tips for saving money. Additional tips will be added from time to time.
