It’s been way too long since our last Save It post (like this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, and this one to name a few), so the other night I was thinking about a few things that we just don’t buy, and how going without those things probably adds up to saving a decent amount of cash-money.
And it doesn’t feel particularly martyr-ish of us – it’s normal and easy after years of living this way. So it feels less like “going without” and more like “streamlining and simplifying.” We’ve mentioned a few of these things over the years, but I realized there were others that I never really thought about (or blogged about) so here’s a big ol’ brain dump of all the things that we typically skip.
- Meat three or four nights a week: Some nights we just opt for spaghetti, bean burritos, vegetable stir fry, homemade pizza, nachos, sweet potatoes and salad, etc.
- Fabric softener: We use vinegar sometimes, but most times it’s just nothing. We don’t notice a difference!
- Dusting spray: We both grew up with Pledge, but now we just use microfiber cloths and water.
- Regular dry cleaning: All of our clothes are machine or hand washable so we only do one trip per year for a few coats/blazers instead of monthly trips.
- Dog grooming: Burger’s short haired, so we just bathe him at home and cut his nails ourselves and we’re good.
- Newspaper: We get our news online (almost every newspaper has an online format now) and on the radio (NPR).
- Bottled water: We have a water filter and use Klean Kanteens that we refill ourselves.
- Starbucks: In the past year or so I’ve become a chai lover – and it’s $3.99 to make seven cups from this grocery store box, as opposed to that price for one cup at Starbucks. So I save that for special occasions and make a cup at home every morning instead.
- Bag-checking fees: Even when we’ve flown with a dog or a kid, we’ve actually never paid to check a single bag (we’re nerds for the challenge of packing light).
- Gel, hairspray, mousse, or serum: I haven’t bought that stuff since college. I’m just a wash and wear girl – plus I tend to break out a lot from hair stuff, so this is for vanity as well as saving money.
- Lipstick: It’s not my bag baby, so I use what’s in this makeup tote and nothing more (not buying 20 shades of eye shadow definitely keeps money in my pocket too).
- Creams and self tanners: I’m pale and totally cool with it – plus my mom looks awesome for her age and doesn’t use any fancy potions or creams, so I’m hoping to follow in her glamorous grandma footsteps.
- Perfume: I like the smell of my shampoo (John doesn’t wear cologne either).
- Haircuts & colors: Maybe once every two years I get a $35 cut, but other than that I just trim it myself. And of course cutting John’s hair saves us money too.
- Regular manicures and pedicures: I go about once a year with a friend (and usually hit up Starbucks while I’m splurging) but other than that I do my own toes at home and usually leave my fingers bare.
- Gym membership for me: It’s just not my thing, but John loves his.
- Alcohol: John has just never been a drinker and I might drink a bottle of wine a year at home (although most years it’s a gift from some sweet house guest) so it’s not a monthly expense for us.
- Disposable diapers: More on that here.
- Diaper bag: I never got one, just used a purse and kept extra stuff in the car.
- Incandescent bulbs: Using CFLs and LEDs in the bulk of our fixtures adds up to a lot of money saved. We’d love to eventually go all LED in our house, but it’s not exactly a cheap switch, so we’re trying to chip away at different rooms over time.
- A second car: This one definitely doesn’t works for everyone, but since I’ve been freelancing from home for the past seven years it’s no big deal to have one car (and it saves us the cost of a car, the gas, the maintenance, and the insurance).
Best of all, saving in some areas allows us to more easily afford other things that are more important to our family, like project materials, organic produce, cable TV, and ceramic animals. Guess it’s all one big balancing act right? I’d love to hear your “skip it” list! And this is a no judgement zone. You might LOVE to get your hair dyed but can resist giant dangly earrings when I can’t (I may or may not have over a dozen of those in my night table).
Psst- You can peruse over 30 money-saving posts of yore here.
Shauna says
I feel like knowing “our brands” for soap, moisturizer, etc has saved us a good deal because you know what it costs and you never throw away a whole container because you hate it/are allergic to it.
Also just budgeting is a huge help. Instead of feeling guilty about going out to eat/mani-pedi/etc we just have a category and a set amount, so that way we know we can still pay the mortgage or go on trips. We use Mint to track it. And we have a “man budget” and a “lady budget”…for instance yesterday I texted my husband to let him know I was working 4 more unexpected hours and there was no way I felt like cooking, so dinner was on me. :)
Liz says
Love the post. We just spent a ridiculous amount of money on a tiny grocery trip yesterday but there was 8 bucks worth of bacon in the cart as well as some hazelnuts for a fancy recipe I found and La Croix for my pregnant self who is obsessed w/ the grapefruit these days…
Anyway! We:
-skip cable or any TV service for that matter. my husband’s dad allows us to use his Netflix password so we stream it for free via our BluRay. I feel like we’re in high school with this one but it’s pretty awesome to share it with them!
-bike to work as much as possible and only live 1.5 miles away from work
-keep a/c off as much as possible in summer and when it’s on it is at a minimum of 76
-no bottled water for us either! PUR filter and water bottles
-trying to wean from paper towels – have bought a lot of cloths from Target as of late
-cloth napkins too!
-cloth diapers (yeah bum genius!)
-also read the paper online
-checking the library first to see if a movie is there for free. checking out books regularly for our two years old to switch it up and not buy a ton (we do have a ton but if i wanted to go crazy on something for our kid it would be buying books).
-honestly I wash my hair every other day IF that. Sounds gross but I feel like my hair is much more balanced than before and does not get as greasy (weird, huh?). We don’t use any conditioner in our home and so we only have one large bottle of shampoo that everyone in the house uses. I buy a gallon of shampoo and a gallon of Dr. Bronner’s soap MAYBE twice a year each (so probably 100$ total per year for those two items) and that saves a ton.
-Charlie’s liquid laundry soap – 100$ for a 5 gallon bucket. lasted us for two years. whoa
Splurges:
-Mrs. Meyers cleaning products. Can’t get enough of the radish and bluebell! my goodness…
-haircuts. basically the only pampering thing I treat myself to is regular haircuts but I’ve recently begun to grow my hair out so I only need to go every 8-10 weeks rather than every 6. Hoping to go every three months when my hair gets even longer. I am too scared to cut my husband’s hair and so he pampers himself with regular haircuts from a fab. man who loves cutting his hair! :)
-organic produce
-meat from well-treated animals
-ben and jerrys
-not that we drink a lot but when we do, we splurge on high quality alcohol and drink in moderation. kinda of a splurge but much more enjoyable.
Thanks for the post!
Lindsay says
I “skip it” on a lot of those items too but it doesn’t seem like “saving” money if you never cared about it to begin with. For example in the hair and makeup department I’m pretty minimalist and I have occasionally thought on trips to Sephora with friends buying expensive products how much I might be spending if I cared about that stuff, but since I didn’t give it up or cut back I don’t really feel like I’m saving money by not buying it.
Laurel says
the SKIP IT! Awesome. Def remember playing with those as a kid.
We gave up cable when we bought our house a few months ago–not a big sacrifice given that we have a Roku and a Netflix subscription, and an Apple TV my mom got us for Christmas. Can’t say we miss cable at all–except the housewives! I also haven’t bought any new clothes all year. It’s actually kind of fun and challenging to think of creative ways to put things I already own together. What else…oh, we’re giving up our wine club membership and trying to drink less wine–SACRIFICE :P. We also eat meat pretty rarely, and groom our long-haired Himalayans ourselves. (http://instagram.com/p/L8lZORzdXU/) Unfortunately dry cleaning is a must bc of our professional wardrobes. Oh to be able to work from home!
Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says
Excellent skip it list, but I’m feel it’s my journalistic duty to give you grief about not buying a newspaper. So consider yourself chided.
My list is similar to yours in some places: meat for one. I never realized how often we don’t eat meat until I started thinking about it. I don’t really miss it at all. The mister might disagree. Dog grooming: With two huge hairy Newfoundlands we realized quickly that it would be far less expensive in the long run to buy our own grooming equipment (clippers, shears, combs, high-velocity dryer) and do it ourselves. Plus, I don’t trust a lot of groomers. We do have a few splurges: wine (we drink a bottle a night but our rule is that it has to be under $9 for everyday drinking) and the biggest one: a cleaning person every other week. It’s actually my Christmas gift every year, but I’d give up almost anything else before I’d give up that luxury. Once every two weeks I come home from work and the house is sparkling clean all at the same time. We just do touch-ups after that so the house is always more or less clean. Worth every penny for us.
Katie says
I love this post.
I had a skip it and loved it dearly. Although I don’t remember my highest skip count….Oh the days when kids exercised for fun….
My husband and I are frugal too. By simplifying and streamlining our life we have been able to pay off almost all of our student loan debt, buy a house, and DIY like crazy at the house. Your blog is a huge inspiration, so thank you for your wit, humor, and many success and failure stories.
This is completely random, but do you know which style Jansport backpack you have? I’ve been wanting to replace mine and yours looks like the perfect design.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a realllly old one. John had it when we met so it must be almost ten years old. It has a warranty I think (at one point the zipper broke and they fixed it for free). So sorry we don’t have the style number or name though. Anyone recognize it?
xo
s
Patti says
I’m reading these comments and realizing I’m wasting so much money! I get mani/pedis, use paper towels, get my hair cut/colored, eat meat every night, etc. The only thing I save at is driving a Prius. It has literally cut my gasoline bill in half. I have to get on this skip it stuff!
Leigh Anne says
UGH! I’m with you Patti! Boy, do I love my monthly pedis, getting my hair did, and drinking Starbucks. But I sure don’t NEED to do it. You can always start small, like next month, I won’t buy bottled water. Rome wasn’t built in a day…
Sayward says
I’m 32 and my skip it is still in my mom’s garage. I’ll never let it go.
Erin says
Totally had a hot pink Skip It. Yay for 80s babies!
I skip cable, meat, soda, convenience cleaning products and professional waxing (thanks to the husband for understanding!). I wish we had the discipline to skip a bit more, but we’ve definitely fallen into the big city “DINK” lifestyle for now.
I would kill to have your low-maintenance skin and hair!
Mollie says
i skipped paper towels for over two years – instead using a combo of microfiber towels and the cheap red and white stripe ikea towels (obsessed). I’d just keep the dirties in a bag and wash them all together (single girl’s cloth diapering? – ha). it was annoying at times but saved sooo much money and will forever be more mindful of paper towel use.
Also use my conditioner to shave. :)
Maureen says
Love seeing my money stay in the bank! We save money with only one car too and if the time comes when we need two, I’ll probably cry. Other things that we do: 1. purchase clothing only on sale and very rarely; 2. hand-me-downs! I purchase clothing from my sister (who loves to shop and get rid of stuff she isn’t in love with anymore for the cheap) and she donates her boys’ clothes, toys, and other gear to us; 3. I pack my lunch every day and eat out maybe once a month for lunch. Saves money and calories! 4. Only alcohol on the weekends. Saves money and calories! (I’m sensing a theme…I’m cheap with my money and waistline!) 5. I plan out meals for the week and only purchase items to make those meals. No impulse buys at the store and helps me to use up all of our ingredients if I pick recipes that call for the same ingredient. So helpful with ingredients that rarely get used up in one recipe like fresh herbs that can be very pricey. I should probably plant my own herbs now that I think about it…
This was fun to think of the little things we do to keep our expenses down! We are able to live off of my salary alone and save my husband’s. Our son’s college fund is off to a great start and allowed us to spend a long weekend in NYC.
Sarah says
We skip cable and Internet. Our neighbor lets us use his and we just bought a repeater so the signal is strong even in the farthest away location. We also wash and groom our two dogs at home and I give my husband his haircuts. I work from home most days and we live close enough to walk to a lot of places. We use cloth napkins so no paper waste and old rags for cleaning rather than paper towels. My husband brews our own beer so that’s a lot cheaper than buying it. He can do a lot of our car maintenance as well. No fabric softener here and we only use dryer sheets for his soccer gear because they tend to get really staticky and we reuse the sheets as well.
Gabby says
I am right there with you on most of these. I go to a salon for a haircut maybe once a year, I’ve had one mani pedi and that was a birthday gift and we try meatless once a week and leftovers probably 2-3 times a week (don’t judge). One thing we are really working on is canceling cable, we keep talking about it we just need to actually do it now.
Carmit says
1. Processed food; we buy very little that is processed. Almost everything we pick up at the grocery store is a fresh product. When we do get processed stuff we usually go for the store brand. It helps that I love making stuff from scratch.
2. We also rarely order in food. I haven’t ordered in a pizza since 2007 (though our processed food concession is frozen pizza from Dr. Oetker).
3. Petrol; the car stays parked in front of the house at least 3-4 weekdays every week and I walk to and from work. The boy rides his motorbike a couple of times a week and runs/cycles the other days.
4. Clothes; I only buy under duress. Going into clothing stores makes me want to kill myself, plus I hate wearing the same thing as everyone else so I just avoid the shops. Possibly I’m not the most fashionable person on the planet. I am considering starting to sew my own. The boy is a runner and he gets t-shirts at every race he enters, so other than the occasional pair of trousers or a nice shirt, he’s in the same camp.
5. Magazines; I am a reformed magazine junkie. I used to spend around $500-600 a year on magazines (no joke), but haven’t bought a single magazine off the rack this year. I don’t even pick up freebies anymore.
6. We also rarely check luggage, and we travel frequently, but I was doing this long before you had to pay for it.
So while we save money on all of the above, I spend more money than I ought to on fabric, so possibly this balances out.
Ali Burtt says
We recently gave up our second car (I work from home now too and my husband takes the train) and we’ve barely missed it. Maybe once a month we have to do some juggling to figure out how to get both of us separate places at the same time, but we figured the savings and it added up to $1200 per year even without a car payment (ours were both paid off). We’re banking the excess so we can pay cash when our current car dies. Most people think we’re nuts, but it works fine for us!
Sara B says
We skip everything on that list plus car (we use public transportation because we’re in the city),cable and phone service (just our cells for us!)
Schyler says
This is so terribly embarrassing, but I accidentally broke my (very loving and patient) mother’s leg with my skip-it when I was 6. She got too close and the ball on the end is extremely heavy. A couple of months later it debuted as number 1 on the most dangerous toys list! Now they tell me…
So, in addition to (trying to) skipping the guiltfest over mutilating my poor mother, my boyfriend and I save a lot of money on laundry in particular. He was an avid fabric-softener-user before we moved in together and we’ve broken the habit. We never notice the difference either and it’s nice to know that we’re keeping those chemicals out of our environment! We also wash all of our clothes in cold water. We save a ton on energy costs and our stuff is as clean as ever! We’ve also toyed with making our own detergent, but have yet to find the right recipe.
YoungHouseLove says
OH MY GOSH! A skip-it related injury! Your poor mom. Although maybe it has been long enough that you can look back and laugh? Maybe?
xo
s
Rebecca says
I’m with you on almost all of these. I’m especially into saving with no manis/pedis. I get together with my cousin and aunt once and a while for a shopping day where they go do that while I just get more (window) shopping in.
I am also very minimal on buying makeup. When I buy my facewash (which I go a little fancy on), I try to get it when there is a deal going on that I get some free makeup samples and those are most of my makeup collection.
rachael says
We skip cable TV. We didn’t watch enough to justify the $30 plus a month so when our contract ended in december 2012 we just cancelled it. It’s been 8 months, and we don’t miss it one bit!!! Instead, we spend our evenings with the kids, going for walks, spending time alone together and going to be early. A very BIG plus in my book is that our 3 year daughter never watched any kid shows, so she has no idea who Dora, or Ariel or Toppy and Binoo are. We can walk down the toy aisle and she never has a melt down for a certain character based toy b/c she’s got no clue.
We also go without meat probably 5 or 6 nights of the week. We don’t go out for dinner, we’d rather keep that $40 in our pockets. We buy our clothes from the Goodwill (just scored Banana Republic jeans for $9) or take hand me downs. We don’t have fancy phones, ours still flip open, hahaha, if that’s any indication for how old they are. We do cloth diapers, and don’t own a diaper bag either.
Thanks for this post, it made me feel like we’re doing our part! :)
Carmit says
Nearly forgot–we don’t have a television, so that’s a chunk of change and loads of nonsense we skip every month.
Shelley says
I find that I can clean nearly anything with baking soda and vinegar. I quit shampoo and use a baking soda and water mix. My hair has never been so great! (that sounds vain lol) I also use it to exfoliate and then I put on a yummy smelling lotion. No perfume usually. Though I have one I got as a gift.
One new thing for me to splurge on is a gym membership. I signed up 6 weeks ago for the first time in my life. I’m 37. I was nervous at first and now I love going everyday! I just love it. I’ve always been a walker to keep the pounds off but I am loving the new challenges and learning curve of the gym.
I make my “Starbucks” at home too. Convenient and way cheaper.
Katelyn @ evanandkatelyn.com says
We skip cable and skip a landline phone! Those make a huge difference. Also I’m sort of an AC nazi, I don’t like turning it below 78 even in this Houston heat! Also, it’s a personal challenge for me to NEVER throw out leftovers… I will find a way to use up even the most random array of leftover noms! And when we do go out to eat, we always ALWAYS split a meal.
Jenn @ Home Style Report says
So I went crazy and made a NY resolution to not purchase clothing for the year. My (only) black flats that I wear 3+ days a week to work had their soles coming off so I had to replace those but it hasn’t been too bad. I do miss going to the outlet malls but I’ll be so glad to be able to say I didn’t buy clothing for an entire year.
We also do the no bottled water or pop/soda, no mani/pedi’s (I think I do a better job), no groomer for the pup, rarely go to the movies or out to eat.
I feel really weird asking but would you mind sharing what shampoo/conditioner and bodywash you use? I have senstive skin as well and can rarely find something that doesn’t make me break out.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jenn! I love all of your tips. Everyone’s have me glued to the computer screen! Right now we use Dr Bronner’s soap as bodywash (I love the almond flavor) and for shampoo and conditioner we use Avalon Organics (they all can be found at Target).
xo
s
Diane Taylor says
Ok – here’s one for you :):) My husband asked for a beer making kit two Christmas ago – a REAL one, not Mr. Beer!!! I balked at the initial cost. But we have not bought any beer since we started brewing our own. The kits are pretty cheap, we love the process and actually do it together as a team, and the beer is really good – no preservatives! Our last batch was a honey ale that rivals any brew pub’s :):) I never imagined I’d love doing this – but we even joke about opening Taylor brewing company one day – lol!!!
YoungHouseLove says
I love all of your stories and tips guys! Posts like this always end up being my favorite. Oh man, and I have a really good friend (my best friend’s brother in law) who actually opened up a brewery! And it all started from a little kit that he used in his basement!
xo
s
Paige says
I was nine. For Easter, I got a blue Skip-It and a gigantic chocolate bunny from my Aunt Janet. Greatest. Easter. Ever. Am I the only one who learned the hard way you need to wear socks on your Skip-It ankle?!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, socks are a must. Aunt Janet sounds like a contender for favorite aunt.
xo
s
Rebecca | the lil house that could says
Haha I had a pink skip it that I used like crazy. It was all bent and scraped up!
We forgo meat (mostly because I like farm animals too much) and recently cancelled cable! We share a lot of your tv loves (Dexter, Walking Dead, Homeland) but we can stream them online the next day. We started watching Mad Men on Netflix and it gets our tv fill in. I don’t miss the mindless watching we always managed just because it was available!
Brie says
Hey! That’s my friend from elementary school in the red pants!!! Well…maybe not my *friend* so much as a girl who attended my school and was incredibly snobbish after the skip-it fame she received.
We have adopted the majority of these things over the past few years and they really do add up!
YoungHouseLove says
That diva! You get in one skip-it commercial and the fame just goes to your head. Haha!
xo
s
Sam says
It’s funny because I don’t feel like I skip a lot of things in my life but after reading your list, we really do. We are very much into living simply and environmentally-friendly so that means we tend not to buy things we don’t absolutely need, eat as locally as possible, use homemade shampoos, lotions, and cleaning products, and be as active as we can. (Having a garden, riding our bikes places, no cable tv, etc…) It doesn’t feel like a sacrifice at all but I am not the type to collect things anyway. I will say that paying $78 a month to be members of the YMCA felt like such a splurge at the time but now I can’t imagine not having that community!
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says
We skip cable, snack foods and going out to eat during the week. It definitely helps save!
My husband is an accountant and actually just did a series on my blog about saving money! http://www.attemptsatdomestication.com/show-me-the-money-building-a-budget/
Robin @ our semi organic life says
We DIY haircuts, bring lunch to work 99% of the time, DIY counter clear, DIY laundry detergent, we cut cable, and hardly ever eat out for any meal or snacks. I’d rather spend money on groceries than at a restaurant/cafeteria/vending machine.
Our #1 proudest thing is never buying lunch. I can only imagine it adds up quick.
Pat S says
Delivery pizza. I prefer making my own.
I rarely eat out – again, I prefer my own cooking.
Packaged meals – see above. :)
Dog grooming – and mine has long hair!!
Makeup, pedicures, manicures – not for me – but I do have short hair that requires a professional cut every 5-6 weeks.
Not much red meat and moving more and more towards vegetarian.
Bottled water!!! Yikes, that is not only hard on the budget it is hard on the planet. I use a Brita water filter instead.
Newspapers – I get my news on line or on tv, but haven’t weaned myself off cable yet.
Books – I use the library extensively and almost exclusively.
Movie theaters – renting a video is a whole bunch cheaper and I can make my own popcorn.
Christine Schwalm Design says
I’m also a fan of the reusable K cup for coffee. I pack my lunch for work every day (batch cooking/freezer meals) and eat mostly vegetarian. I still feel like I spend a lot on food but since I rarely eat out, I want to buy the nicest quality produce I can.
Using the mint.com app has helped me track my spending better. For a while I was buying little things here and there (like clothes) that were never a big bill at once, but added up quickly.
I do overspend on rent (living in NYC) but plan to move soon. Good running shoes are probably the one thing I will always spend a lot on but since it’s for my health and safety, I think it’s worth it.
I think it would be interesting to do a post on splurge-worthy things.
YoungHouseLove says
That would be fun! Like “what’s worth it to you, even if it doesn’t fall into the cheap category” – I’d love to hear what you guys pick on that subject!
xo
s
Angel says
I’ll start: WINE
Lisa Champlin says
I am currently going through a divorce at 32. While I am excited to start a new chapter of my life, going from two incomes to one is VERY difficult. In the last month I have given up my DVR (which is the hardest, since the DVR is the best thing since sliced bread), magazine subscriptions (trying to find new blogs to read), eating out (which was at least two times a week), weekly manicures and monthly pedicures, now shopping at CVS instead of Sephora (surprisingly the quality of products isn’t that different). The biggest adjustment is thinking about everything I buy, no more spur of the moment shopping trips just for fun. All these tips will surely help a lot too! Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Lisa! Good luck with everything!
xo
s
Meredith says
Something to look into Lisa—I got a TiVo that wound up being free with the rebate (they used to run that promotion fairly frequently). I don’t have cable and just hooked it up to my tv-with-antenna. For $400 I got LIFETIME service. So I have DVR from now until eternity and have no out-of-pocket cost. It’s so worth it with the time and convenience! (Maybe you could get it as a Christmas/birthday present?) Just thought I’d share my cheap DVR tip! :)
Dawn says
Lisa, my library offers magazines available for checkout online. They don’t carry everything, but I can get 8-10 of my favorites each month and read them on my iPad!
Sarah says
Meredith, that lifetime service is for the life of the box, last time I checked. Did that change? It is a good deal if you keep your box forever ($15 a month adds up fast).
Jenny says
Great tips! I’m just starting out in my first apartment, so I follow a lot of the same. No cable (just Netflix and broadcast tv!) or home phone, no-contract cell phone (you pay more upfront for the phone, but it more than balances out with the lower monthly cost!), very very rarely eat out or go to movies, no “collecting” hobbies, almost never buy books or movies (I use the library or our personal library, since my roommate’s big weakness is buying books!), no gym membership (I run outside!), DIY manicure/pedicure, Starbucks only if I have a gift card. I also recently stopped buying soda…I would have a can every day at lunch, and while I was saving money by buying it at the store instead of in the machines, it was still an expense I didn’t need. I drink free water at work instead now :) I do have weaknesses for events (concerts, theatre, socials), but with my job I occasionally get free passes to those too!
Andrea says
Ooh I love skipping ^^
We skip:
meat, fish, milk, butter and eggs (We buy about one dozen of eggs per year and eat fish when we go to one of the lakes and the fish actually lived in the lake until that very day)
fabric softener
second car
shopping during sale (unless it’s for a SPECIFIC item that I hope to get cheaper)
dog grooming (Furminator ftw!)
buying DVDs and CDs (library)
I wish we could skip cable but it’s included in our rental costs. Stupid German law.
Marlena says
Our big thing is no cable – we have a $7.99/month Netflix streaming account and it works for us – no commercials and we have more “control” over what our daughter watches. I also purchase 90% of my daughter’s clothes second hand (my friend’s have an awesome consignment sale, Half-Pint Resale: http://halfpintresale.com/), and my friends often host clothing and product swaps, so we can keep recycling clothes for our kiddos and ourselves! We also make our coffee/tea at home and limit eating out to once a week, and bring our lunches to work. Another tip I found was unsubscribing to a ton of “deal” sites – if I don’t know “deals” are happening, I’m not tempted!
Ilonka says
I love Chai too and last Christmas, a friend gave me a Chai mix she made and put in a jar:
one can of condensed milk, mixed with powdered ginger, allspice, cardamom, and ground cloves. I go heavy on the ginger and cardamom and lighter on the others–mix with a mini whisk until the milk turns darker. Keep in a jar in the freezer–just add a tablespoon to strong brewed black tea–instant Chai and pennies to make!
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!
xo
s
amy good house says
I love cutting back and getting minimal… However, i have issues with overly eager relatives (parents and grandparents) who bring us tons of gifts, clothing items and doodads everytime they come over? The holidays are outrageous. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, just that I feel there is so much waste. Just wondering if there is a tactful way of handling this?
Sorry I just realized this sounds like a “Deat Abby” letter, but I’ll post it regardless :)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh this is a good question! How do you guys handle this? We generally get asked for a “wish list” for Clara’s birthday or the holidays so that seems to help. We like to ask for experiences (ex: a few relatives go in on a family membership to The Children’s Museum for us) – that way the house doesn’t get full of toys that Clara will play with for two seconds and then be over them.
xo
s
Carolyn says
This year my husband and I are thinking of suggesting we only do experiential gifts. His family loves “giving,” but that doesn’t mean it has to be material things. We’ll see how it goes!
Char says
Sherry, love that idea of asking for gifts of experience.
How else are people handling overly generous family members or friends? How do we remind people that we have limited space in our little abode?
Megan says
My brothers and I have all gravitated toward giving each other food for the holidays. I’ll pick up soup mixes, smoked meats, or beer made by local vendors as presents and they’ll do the same. We live in different areas of the state too so it’s fun to see the mixture of everything. My folks and my in-laws have started giving us gift cards to Home Depot or Lowes since we always have a project going. Or gift cards for restaurants that we love but rarely eat at because of the cost. If we do end up with any “stuff” that we won’t use it usually ends up getting donated.
Keegan says
Our family has started forgoing gifts at Xmas and instead all of us choose a charity to donate to. None of us end up with unwanted or unneeded gifts and the money goes to a good cause instead.
Ashleigh says
I also skip the manicurist and do my own nails. And we bathe the pup at home, but clipping her toenails isn’t a task we’re brave enough to tackle. Haircuts are usually every 6 months or so for me, but I’ve drastically reduced my fancy hair and skin product use and now try to use things I can pick up at Walmart or Target. I love your budget/money saving/dolla bill posts. They always help me spot places in our own routine and budget where improvements can be made. In fact, I have you to thank for my husband and I using the same kind of razor so we only have one kind of refill to keep on hand! Now if I could just get him to give up fabric softener…
Emily L says
We got cell phones back in 2005 when we moved to a different county than everyone else that we know and would have had to pay for long distance to call them. We are still on the same plan that we signed up for way back then. We’ve added my parents to the plan since, but we still have the same number of minutes (450) and never go over on our minutes (we have rollover minutes, so that helps). We also don’t pay for a texting plan. We do have iPhones and can use the free iMessage system if another person has an iPhone or other iDevice, but if not, we just tell them we don’t text.
I do most of the stuff on your list, and a lot of the things that people have mentioned in the comments. When we got married, I read “The Complete Tightwad Gazette” by Amy Dacyczyn. It really helped my husband and I get our marriage off to a good, frugal start. I love that so many people are frugal and it’s becoming cool!
Karen Q. says
SKIP IT! HAHA I totally remembered almost all of the words to that jingle and sang along- funny how I can remember crazy stuff like that but not so many other things- where are my sunglasses?!
Love this post!
We do a lot of simple things I think add up-
-Carpool to work (we both work at the same place)- Saves a ton on gas $. Plus we make lunches and eat in
– Groom our Great Dane at home- challenging wrangling around a 90 lb dog but we do it
– We Budget fun money per week- this covers dinners out, drinks with friends, movies, spending money for my shopping habit etc.
-Reuse gift wrapping elements- We have so many gift bags, tissue paper, ribbon etc I have not had to buy anything new in over 2 years
-Energy Efficient Appliances and light bulbs
– Hubby uses an electric razor
-Buying in bulk items like TP, Paper Towel, Kleenex (MI allergies are no fun)
– Our thermo doesn’t drop below 73
– Using our at home water cooler- no more bottles (yay go green) and it tastes great!
– And of course coups baby! ;:)
Lilly says
My husband & I both grew up line-drying clothes, and we continue to do so. (We have a dryer, but have only used it once or twice in the summer when it’s so humid the clothes don’t dry quickly.) We have 4 chrome drying racks (that fold up), and use those year-round without any problems–95% of the time indoors, and sometimes outside in the summer for things like bed sheets.
Sarah W. says
I always wonder why some people pay so much money for things they don’t need. Like why go pay money for Starbucks twice a day (some of my coworkers really do this every day) when the office has free coffee? Why go out for lunch at work when you can make your lunches for the week and only spend about $6? Why pay someone to cut a man’s hair when it’s more cost effective to get a good beard trimmer with hair attachments (we got our trimmer free with reward points, so that’s a bonus)?
We save in little ways as much as we can so that we can save big for a house. I’m proud to say for every month’s rent we put the same amount into our savings account. Given the cost of housing in Toronto that’s a good chunk of change. Saving on little stuff we don’t need also allows us to splurge on things that are important to us like a good sports cable package so we can watch all the Maple Leafs games.
Nicky says
I skipped cable over a year ago and rarely miss it. The last price increase at Starbucks cured my daily latte habit – $3.45? Really? So happy your profits are so strong, Starbucks(!) Now I make my own and actually prefer it – the latest Discover bill really showed the savings – sweet!
Carolyn says
Love posts about saving $. My list looks pretty similar, and although sometimes I feel like I should be looser with my money and just go for the expensive haircut, it’s such a thrill to find ways to save. Other areas we save:
-With the exception of toilet bowl cleaner I don’t buy cleaning products thanks to Norwex (although that’s a hefty up-front cost).
-No cable for us since we mostly just watch Netflix, but it helps that the gym has our fav cable shows, so we kill two birds with one stone there.
-I mostly try and buy beauty products in bulk from Amazon so I get free shipping (although I hate all the packaging that comes with this).
-When our internet service reaches the end of our promotional rate, we call up and ask for it again. This usually works, and if not we just switch carriers.
Thanks for the post – so inspiring!
Claire H. says
I love these posts, thank you! We are working towards being debt-free and follow a lot of the same frugal living lifestyle as you. I cut my son’s hair, we skip cable, and make our own cleaning solutions. I can’t quite give up my 4x/year highlights, and my husband refuses to give up the eating out but I guess we all have out ‘vices.’
Jenny G. says
Hey! Our “skip it” lists are really similar! I do have a diaper bag (but I got it in a MyHabit flash sale for only $27), my hair NEEDS gel to tame it, and I do indulge in a chai from Starbucks about once a week. I do buy the Starbucks whole coffee beans (at Costco!) and grind/brew my own coffee drinks at home though!
Oh! And our other huge, money-saving skip its that you all did too? Skipping out on infant formula (we were fortunately able to nurse successfully for 15 mo), and prepared baby food!
MJB says
I skip a lot of things.
1. Cell phone. People usually gasp in shock with this. My teen kids don’t have cell phones either. I just can’t justify spending $100/month on service so my kids can text their friends. (Before you think I’m a horrible parent, they do have IPod Touch devices they can use with WiFi) I’ve offered to pay for half, but they find other things they’d rather buy with their hard-earned cash. Some of my friends are paying almost $300 per month on phones and cell service. So we’re saving $1200 to $3600 a year. (Not to mention recent news reports say a smartphone uses as much electricity per year as a refrigerator.)
2. Cable, but we do have Netflix and the occasional Redbox movie. (I want my kids to go out and play or read, so why make TV even more alluring?)
3. Driving. We have two cars, but we walk or bike whenever possible. (Sometimes that’s hard in MN winters) We log less than 10,000 miles a year. Total.
4. Gym membership. See above. We’re biking or walking. The kids are also in school sports. My husband and I walk the dog.
5. Coffee. Plain old drip coffee. At home. (Do the math: $3.50 cup of Starbucks coffee x 5 days/week x 52 weeks a year = $910)
6. An affordable home. We live in a three bedroom rambler that some consider a “starter” home but we never worry about making the mortgage.
We do have our splurges: I get a great haircut and color about 4 times a year, and make do with home box color and trims from cheaper salons the rest of the year. We go on vacation. We gladly pay for the kids’ sports and music activities. We go out to dinner as a family once a week.
Even so, we have two years’ worth of income in the bank and a healthy retirement fund. And peace of mind.
Thanks for letting me brag anonymously. Reserved Minnesotans would never reveal these things to friends and family. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Love the anonymous bragging!
xo
s
Dawn says
Love the Minnesotans comment! So true! :)
Olivia K says
I just bought that chai tea for the first time yesterday, except the decaf (baby on the way)!! Crazy!! And it’s really good!
YoungHouseLove says
Beware! It’s addicting!
xo
s
John says
I use a rain barrel, did you leave yours at the old house? Richmond now charges less for using less water.
YoungHouseLove says
That was considered “attached” since the gutter was hooked up to it, but we’re planning to get another one here. I miss that thing! We had one at our first house too, so we love using it for outdoor watering stuff.
xo
s