This post was worth repeating…
1) Brown bag your lunch (The average lunch in NYC is around $9…that’s $180.00 a month you’ll save right there.)
2) Drink the company’s free spring water, that’s why it’s there ( Average price of bottled water in NYC is $2, same for coffee – Starbucks: around 4 bucks.)
3) Pull all plugs from everything in your home – coffee maker, AC, chargers, lamps, stereos, TV’s, computers, etc. (We do this and saw a huge difference in out PSE&G bill – cut a full third off – about $30 dollars. We also put in those “green” energy reducing bulbs and find that they really work.)
4) Do not go crazy buying expensive gifts, if any, at the holidays and birthdays (We buy baking ingredients – about $40 – and make home-made Baked Goods for Christmas gift-giving for about 12 relatives/friends. That’s like $3.33 a person. A few favorites are “A-Lotti-Biscotti,” “Gourmet Crisp Treats,” “Outrageous Brownies.” and “Organic Coconut Macaroons.”)
5) If you rarely use a landline, get rid of it or reduce the cost. (We just reduced our landline Long Distance Feature. We call NY and Florida and use our free weekend minutes on our mobile phones for it anyway, so why pay the extra $29.95? We’ll save $360.00 a year!)
6) For those paying for water, take showers – not baths. You can also install a shower head SAVER (you’ll use less water for your showers.)
7) Cook all your meals – do not eat out. (Average cost of a meal for 4 in NYC is about $120.00 – dessert not included. However, you can buy groceries and make 25 meals, including dessert for the same amount.)
8 ) If every room has a TV and each TV has Cable Premium Channels, then cut the Premium Cable on all TVs, except the Family TV. If you find that you are not really using Pemium Channels, then why pay for it at all? (We figured out that we watch Movies, Specials, and general tv programs in the living room anyway, so why pay an extra $30.00 a month on Premium Service on 2 bedroom TVs?)
9) Still want to entertain? Have a pot-luck party, tasting party or a cocktail party…better yet, do a Brunch. (These kinds of parties have more “work” involved, but are less expensive than a full blown dinner party for eight.)
10) Swap magazines, books, and DVDs with friends instead of buying new ones. You can even make a “club” out of it by emailing each other what you have and what you may want to borrow. (I hate it when I find out a friend and I are reading the same book, or bought the same music or movie. We could have swapped and saved.)
Happy Savings!!! (Got a money-saving tip? Please share via comments)
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