Saving Money

My wonderful husband has always been an excellent provider. He has never let us down. He provides everything we have ever needed and then some. He is the hardest working man I have ever known. We met when we were 17 and he was a hard worker even then. Money drives him. He borrowed $1500 from his father many moons ago to purchase a trailer and a compressor, paid him back and has grown his contract framing company into one of the most respected in Central Florida.
Times are a changin' though. We have watched the housing industry plummet severely in the last 6 months and know it's not over yet. The gas prices are insane and only getting higher. Is this a major recession? It has to get worse before it gets better. It's nice to own a business when business is good but when it's not, you have no steady paycheck to count on and a handful of employees counting on you to keep their families fed as well.
So..I am not going to look at this with a "poor me" attitude. I am sure I'm not the only one in this situation. I am working on ways to cut back on spending and bring more money into the budget.

Here's my list of things to do. How about you? What would or are you changing?

1. Stay home more- The less you go out, the less you spend...period.

2. Cut back on the electric bill- It's finally just cool enough to turn the A/C off here in Florida. I am also making sure that all lights and tv's are off when no one is using them. All laundry is getting washed in cold water to help with the hot water heater use. I will also use the crockpot and grill to save on oven use.

3. Grocery spending- We don't have any stores that double or triple coupons here but with a little research I can still save a lot of money. A newspaper for $1.50 on Sunday can save me a ton. Now I buy 4 papers. Often, the stores here have buy 1 get 1 free sales. This is my favorite way to save. I can buy 1 get 1 pasta for example for about $1.09. Then I will use 2-.50 coupons making them nearly free. Stock up when you have a really good deal like this, hence the 4 papers. Check out www.CouponMom.com to match sale ads and coupons in your area. www.Families.com has awesome forums for coupon trading and deal posting. They're both free to use.
Don't go crazy and buy everything just because you have a coupon though. Buy only what you will use. If you don't have a CVS card, get one. You can find a sale, use a coupon and then get Extra Care Bucks back making items free or nearly free. Sometimes they even pay YOU. Most CVS deals are for toiletries, cleaning and paper products.

4. Christmas Shopping- I absolutely am addicted to GottaDeal.com. People post the cheap deals that they find from all over the internet. Comparison shop for Christmas. Ask other people on the forums if they have found something cheaper at a certain place. When you see a really good deal on GottaDeal, jump on it. It doesn't last. My recent deal from these boards were Jumpstart K, 1 & 2 disks and workbooks ALL for $3 shipped. Wow! My kids are way past 2nd grade but I have the perfect person in mind to gift it to.
I am also going to do a lot of baking for Christmas this year so I will make sure I have plenty of extra for neighbors and friends.

5.Powdered Milk- This goes along with grocery and Christmas spending. I plan to use powdered milk when a recipe calls for milk when I am baking. I know some people swear by powdered milk and at $4 a gallon, milk is getting really out of control. I could never force myself to drink it though. What I can do is use it in baking along with the free applesauce I acquired this year (thanks to coupons) in place of vegetable oil.

6. Cell phones- I plan to sit down with my bills and see if I can change some plans around to save us a few dollars. If you haven't done that in a while, now is the time. Companies are always changing their plans and you may not have the best one for your needs.

7. Insurance- YIKES! My motto is- if it weren't for taxes and insurance, we'd be rich. Being self employed, we have more insurance than I can shake a stick at or keep close track of for that matter. Liability, worker's comp, commercial auto, personal auto, homeowners, flood, life and that nasty $600/month health insurance bill for the family. OUCH! I know people who work a regular job just for the health insurance benefits. That's sad! I plan to take a much closer look at our policies and see if we are really getting the best deal for our money. I am also going to see if we can raise our deductibles any higher.

8. Phone bills- I really don't think I can beat what I have for local service without getting some sort of VOIP which I know nothing about. Our long distance bill is phenomenal as well. A long time ago I went to LowerMyBills.com and found a company that provides us long distance for .04 per minute. The only requirement is that they don't send you paper bills and you have to give them a credit card to charge monthly. There is NO service fee. I am lovin' it. Here's how a telemarketer call goes in my house. "Hello. I can offer you long distance for .045 per minute." Me- "No thanks I can get it for .o4." Them- "What sort of fee are you paying? I'll bet we can beat it." Me- "Umm. No you can't because I don't have one." Click. It's awesome! LowerMyBills.com saves you on other bills as well. Check it out. What can it hurt? It's free.

9. Credit Cards- Don't use them! If you can't use cash, don't buy it. I know. Sometimes there are emergencies that only a credit card can save us from. If you are carrying a balance, call your company and ask them to lower your rate. You can also transfer your balance to an intro. 0% card. Just make sure you pay your bill and then some on time and don't use that card! The card company wants you to use the card. Say you have a $5500 balance with a rate of 0% and make a purchase for $34 at the purchase rate of 7%. When you send your payment in each month you think you're paying the $34 back, right. Wrong! The companies put your payment towards the 0% and let the 7% build and build and build eventually costing you $100's for that $34 charge. Beware!

10. Making money- Aside from helping dear hubby find work, I also have a small embroidery business. I own www.BaaBaaBlankies.com and www.BibsandBurpCloths.com. I make personalized baby blankets, bibs, burp cloths and aprons. I plan to use some free marketing strategies along with my trusty friend Ebay to keep the orders rolling in. Every little bit helps! Do you have a talent that you can offer on the side? Babysitting, lawn mowing, crafting? Surely you can think of something!

I hope my little list helps you get through these rough times. I know there are so many more money saving ideas out there. Google frugal living, living on a budget, saving money, etc.. You are sure to find a wealth of info!