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.
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
All I have to say is that I loved Skip It! Thanks for sharing your money saving ideas.
Marlena says
Oh, and another tip is buying in bulk. Our local coop (http://www.willystreet.coop/) has spices, tea, grains, and shampoo/conditioner in bulk – even peanut butter. That way I only buy the curry or coriander I need, and it only costs me $.40 versus $6.00 for a jar that will take forever to use! We love the fresh-ground peanut butter, and just re-use glass canning jars – better for the environment and our wallet! There are also five or so choices on shampoo, etc., so we just rotate between the ones we like and re-use containers.
Megan K. says
First, I must admit that I DID have a Skip-It!
I am cheap cheap cheap – here is how I roll:
-My husband and I are also a 1-car family, and we save a little each month so that we can buy the next car with cash!
-We don’t have cable – watching shows on netflix is enough for us!
-I always stick to the sale ad when planning my meals for the week – often, I can buy a week’s worth of groceries for under $70!
-We wait to buy clothes until we have an opportunity to go to the outlet mall nearby, or we wait ’til I have a 30% off coupon for Kohl’s, and then we’ll go stock up (probably only once per year, though!)
-We DO buy quality where it counts, though – good sturdy shoes last much longer than cheap ones!
-I have probably saved hundreds of $$$ over the years by using a Diva Cup and cloth pads from Party In My Pants – I know it is a funny name, but they work and are much more eco friendly!!
-Megan
Elizabeth says
Oh my gosh, I always forget how much money I save with my Lunette cup. It’s so nice to not need to spend money on disposables every month. I don’t know why more people don’t invest in reusables. They’re SOOO much more comfortable too!
Paula says
Found a skip-it at a thrift store for $1 a few months ago, bought it, tried it with my sister for like an hour, basked in the memories, realized we are OLD and it hurt our ankles like crazy, gave it to the neighbors kids. Ah skip-it =)
YoungHouseLove says
SO funny! The key is thick socks!
xo
s
dlichten says
I wish I could skip the haircut, dye, hair products but as a greying curly hair girl that is not an option for vanity reasons! I have managed to skip the car, most of the dry cleaing, end my coffee/soft drink habit, and now use the free gym at work. But the one thing that really is saving me money is buying small quantities of fresh food more frequently. That way everything gets eaten and nothing goes bad.
Laura C says
I have salt-and-pepper curly hair and I love it. I just keep it trimmed shoulder length and use a rinse to make the grey nice and silvery. Embrace the silver – it’s beautiful!
Elise @ Expeditions of Elise says
I love this list! One thing that troubles me as a journalist is that you don’t pay for your news…a lot of people get their news online these days, but I believe we have to pay for quality content, even if that means donating to your local NPR station or subscribing to the newspapers you regularly read online. Just food for thought…consider supporting the media you regularly consume.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we donate to NPR! But we should donate to NYT.com too since we use that so much. Thanks for the reminder, Elise!
xo
s
Megan says
Our skips are pretty similiar with the meat free dinners, girly products (I skip wearing make-up at all whenever possible), newspaper, bottled water, etc. We ditched cable a few years ago for Netflix and haven’t looked back. When our favorite series are playing (Game of Thrones, Dexter, Walking Dead) we’ll do weekly potluck dinner/TV nights at friend’s houses who do have cable. Recently, I’ve been using my dehydrator to make dog treats which has saved a surprising amount of money. I don’t trust myself to cut either mine or my husband’s hair but our friend is a stylist so we’ll barter with her rather than paying cash. We also brew our own beer which is mostly just for fun but it also saves money so extra bonus.
JoniB says
I just love reading your blog, whether it’s DIY related or just information about life stuff. The things I skip are cable (there’s a lot of PBS watching at my house), internet (I sit in front of a computer all day long at work), and smart phone (I don’t need that thing telling me how not smart I am), and I just decided to stop coloring my hair because who am I really trying to fool?!
Sara C says
I totally had a skip it. It was pink and I loved it. I’m pretty sure I wore off the black ring that allowed it to count your skips!
We skip a lot of things…the really big ones are cable, landline, haircuts for my husband (he cuts his own), gym membership for me (also just not my thing), we keep our house warm in the summer and cool in the winter, dog grooming, paper napkins (we use cloth), Starbucks, and I do a lot of cooking from scratch and a lot of gardening.
Still trying to convince my meat-loving husband that he doesn’t have to have it at every meal.
Rachel says
I’m with you on the meat-loving hubby…what is it with them? :)
Megan says
My husband complained too for a bit when I first started cutting back on the meat dinners so I told him that if he wanted meat so badly he could start doing the meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking. Suddenly, skipping meat every other night didn’t seem like such a big deal :)
Sara C says
Oh but that’s the problem…..he WILL do all the meal planning, shopping and cooking! That threat definitely doesn’t work in my house haha.
Rachel says
We do many of the things already mentioned…but would like to do more of them!
We take care of our own lawn, forgoing the 5-step weed and feed program and applying miloragnite and the occasional weed spot treatment ourselves. And of course we cut it and trim it and all that :)
Hubby cuts his own hair. I spread out the haircuts and trim my own bangs (bang trims are free at my salon but it takes an hour and gas out of my day to get em done).
We drive old cars…14 and 12 years old and they were paid for long ago.
I ran out of my favorite perfume months ago and haven’t looked back. I do use a body spray though.
My makeup routine, and thus makeup supply, is minimal. Having a baby will do that to you!
I coupon. Not as much since having a baby, but I continue to follow deals on my favorite coupon site, hip2save.com. For example, we use disposable dipes for our baby, but got them all for 10-12 cents per diaper instead of around 25 cents, thanks to the coupons/deals posted on hip2save.
We make our own baby food. It’s so easy and so fresh!
Thanks for all the tips..I found some new areas to work on!
Kim says
I love these types of posts from you guys! Any chance your next book is going to be about “living the simple life”? I think you have a lot of good info to offer on this subject.
I just cleaned out my makeup bag after being inspired by Sherry’s post. I now have about 10 items instead of 30. Looking in the nearly-empty bag each morning makes me so happy!
Laura C says
Damn it…now I have the Skip It song stuck in my head!
I cut my own hair, don’t have cable and only go the dry cleaner about 3-4 times a year. My biggest money saver is probably biking to work – 7 miles each way, rain, snow or shine, and I love it. It saves me $120 a month in commuting costs and eliminates the need for a gym membership. I treat myself to a fancy coffee (not Starbucks, but similar) about twice a month.
Heidi says
ICED LATTES!! We make our own at home for $.75 instead of Starbuck’s $4.25 pricetag with a toddy. Here’s how we do it: http://www.krusesworkshop.blogspot.com/2013/07/thanks-latte.html
Kati says
Thank you for the reminder that just because you can doesn’t mean you should. We forego cable for Netflix and Amazon Prime …but there’s quite a few other standard purchases that could be cut out to simplify life. And I’m right there with you on the chai – I’ve scoured the interwebz to buy it in bulk packages with no luck. Thanks for keeping it real!
Stephanie says
Yes! We skip all of the above except meat and the 2nd car, but it’s paid off and costs me $60/mo in gas and insurance combined so it doesn’t feel like a big expense. I also like to get a nice hair cut twice a year.
I actually loved not having cable before I was married (I was so much more productive at night!), but hubby talked me into it and I have to admit it’s become my guilty pleasure too :)
Teri says
my skip it list is about the same as yours. We’re trying to go to one car, but I”m not sure that will really work with our schedules.
Emily says
I’m with you on the minimal make-up, creams, and gels. I just don’t really need it. Plus it just takes time to apply anyway…
I do get haircuts pretty regularly, but my losing-his-hair-anyway husband just gives himself a buzz every few weeks, so we save on that.
One thing that we’ve skipped lately is buying much in cleaners. We use vinegar, soap, and water to clean just about everything. I feel better about having those in the house. We also don’t use very many paper towels; I prefer to use rags whenever possible.
We also don’t put anything on our lawn. If there are really offensive weeds we will dig them up by hand, but the rest we just leave (much to my neighbor’s chagrin… ). And the lawn seems to grow just fine without fertilizer.
Tara says
I can’t skip on the haircut. I go every 6-8wks. (I don’t look so cute in a ponytail though;) it’s my one splurge. I don’t do mani/pedis. I don’t get highlights or dye my hair either. Just a cut and it make me feel so much better:)
Jessica says
I love when you do these posts! I started reading your blog a few months ago, and spent a whole day reading all your posts on simplifying and switching to natural products plus ALL the comments on those posts. Love reading the comments too! So many great suggestions.
After reading YHL that day (and the Happiness Project) I was inspired to pare things down and begin the switch to natural products. We are still getting there but we are also cheapskates so we do have a decent skip it list:
1)No cable, Netflix all the way!
2) No home phone
3) DIY- dog grooming & my nails (only 1-2 pedis a year)
4) A woodstove heats our house in the winter. We get firewood for free or use liberty bricks that we got super cheap.
5)Bought a tankless hot water heater on Craigslist at a huge discount. Saves us money on our gas bill.
6) We only use the “heat dry” option on our dishwasher in the winter
7)Charge everything to my credit card to get rewards points, then pay it off every month. We get tons of Lowe’s gift cards with points that we use on DIY projects. Also got a Kindle Fire with points that I use to download free books from the local library. Saves money on books and helps eliminate book clutter!
8) CFLs in 99% of our lights, programmable thermostats & ceiling fans in most rooms.
9) Reuse plastic grocery bags to clean up after the dog and line smaller trash cans
Wish I could reduce my dry cleaning bill but sweaty armpits + wearing suits = lots of dry cleaning!
Isabelle says
Thanks for getting “and the very best thing of all… there’s a counter on this ball!” stuck on my head all day :-P haha, I guess there could be worse things.
Thanks also for this post. It’s a great reminder to think about all my “little” expenses that really do add up over time. You guys are great at diversifying your posts and I appreciate it! Not every day can be tearing out sliding glass doors. Keep at it $herdog, you two are the best!
Meredith says
I have a bit of a reputation as being a cheapskate; my strategies:
–No smart phone (I don’t need/use one for work and refuse to pay for one for “fun”)
–No cable (I watch it at the gym to get my fix)
–I work at the Y 2-3 hours a week to get a free membership (and a little spare $)
–Bring my lunch to work 4x a week (I have a standing lunch date with a friend and that’s my splurge for the week)
–Using my money-back Visa for all my purchases (the money back really adds up!)
–Stocking up on cereal when it’s on sale
–I don’t drink coffee at all (I just don’t like it) so I almost never go to Starbucks
None of these feel like sacrifices to me; my sister and I took a big trip to Europe this summer and it was so nice to just take the money out of savings.
Jessica says
Forgot to mention we also have a Sodastream, which we LOVE! We make our own seltzer water and the occasional soda. Saves money and plastic bottles!
Angela says
Thanks, for the awesome post.
I get such a high off of saving money. We are frugal in most of the ways you mentioned too.
I cut my husbands hair and I go to the salon myself two or three times a year. One of my friends has a very smart perspective about spending money on good hair cuts, highlights, whatever: you wear it everyday. That resonated with me. It’s important to feel good about something you wear everyday.
Also love that you are NPR folk. We live in mn and being a member gets you awesome discounts at a lot of local restaurants and attractions.
Kelsey @ Ramblings of Change says
I have the same viewpoint on my hair! And since I’ve been going to my stylist for about 2 years, he doesn’t charge me as much + I only go about 3-5 times a year!
Liz H says
Other than the Alcohol, diapers, and starbucks, my list is the same as yours. I also save by not having a smartphone (shocking, I know!) and by cutting my husbands hair. I used to cut my daughters too, but now she’s past the age to think that’s okay :)
Carissa says
We too only have one car. We also skip buying laundry detergent. I started making it over a year ago and we haven’t switched back. I went to Cosmetology school so I cut my hair and my husbands. I switched to the old baking soda + vinegar to clean toilets and tubs. It’s cheap and gets the job done. We like to do without all of the harsh chemicals. I would like to get rid of cable soon but I haven’t convinced the husband yet.
Laura says
Aaahhhh!!! Skip-it!!! I haven’t thought of that in years!!! My sister and I would have contests…she was pretty pro…whatever!! ;)
Yea, Starbucks…I skip these days, too. I’ve found 7-11’s coffee area has really great coffee, lots of flavors, creamers and you can do it yourself. It’s fun!! :)
I cut my own hair, too!! I watched a few You Tube video to figure it out for length, bangs and side fringey stuff and it’s pretty cool!!
We gave up cable about five years ago and just have Netflix and You Tube through the WII. It’s awesome!! And cheap!! :)
Not really a skip but we save a lot of money doing food shopping at Target. Their prices are already really good, they take coupons and you can get that 5% off if you put your checking acct/ATM into a Target card. I guess I’m skipping a fancy-lit fruit and veggie section at the regular market!! :)
We skip store bought laundry detergent and I make it myself. I use a no-grate recipe cuz grating soap was gratting my nerves!! haha!! I use a liquid Ivory dish soap in the recipe and I love it!!
I am going to challenge myself to the checked-bag skip!! That’s a super idea and one that I _think_ I could do if I keep in mind the reward of putting that money in my pocket!!
Thanks!!
Deena says
Our skip its:
-Seasonal decorating (except for Christmas, but we buy lights on clearance after Christmas if a strand goes kaput)
-Nick Knacks in general. I’d rather have something meaningful (a photo, my daughter’s art project) on display in general. No ceramic animals in our house! ;-)
-services that are the norm around here – lawn/mowing service, housekeeper
Our switch its:
-I have a NextIssue subscription on my iPad. I love magazines, but hate the clutter & newsstand price. Rarely do I want every issue, so a traditional subscription doesn’t make sense. I have access to all the magazines I want (and hundreds more) + at least a year’s worth of back issues. If I want to “rip out” an article for later, I just screen shot my iPad.
I also barter a lot too. I’m a professional photographer, so I have a service I can offer. My hair stylist wants photos for her girls, I swap for a cut & color.
Deena says
Oh! Forgot. –
No home phone.
We’re members of Dollar Shave Club for razors.
Sarah says
It is not really a savings at our house but a balance.
No cable, but we have Netflix
No pop, but we drink beer
No cell phone bills, but I do like a pedicure every once in awhile
I figure it all balances out.
Cayce says
We have the same CFL problem. Ours burn out in 1 to 2 months!! We were told it was something to do with the old wiring in our house (built in the 1930’s) So we had to switch back, it was a huge drain on us.
YoungHouseLove says
That stinks! Someone else was asking if others have that issue. So interesting that old wiring can sabotage them. Such a pain!
xo
s
Kristen @ MappingItAllOut says
Love that you buy chai and make it at home, great idea!
Kelsey @ Ramblings of Change says
I loved my skip-it! Used to do it in the kitchen when it was raining (vivid memory!) I also buy the Tazo chai latte – and love it, mostly because I get to add my own almond-coconut milk and french vanilla creamer. We only have our Netflix, and realized it was for the best since we hate commercials. I only shampoo + condition + Biosilk, so I have there, and on make-up, too! It was my goal last year to streamline, and I think I like streamlining a little everyday! Thanks for the post!
Amber Cheek says
This is GREAT! I just started purchasing the Tazo Chai tea for work as well….saves lots of money on my Starbucks trips.
Amber says
Our big skip is laundry detergent. Honestly, we make our own and in the past year, I’ve only spent probably $10 to create it. I’d probably spend $150 a year otherwise on the stuff, if I bought it from the store.
Allison says
LOVED my skip-it! They should bring them back to get kids moving and active again! I used to have that song memorized.
We do nearly everything on your list, with the exception of cutting my own hair and owning a single car (we own 4…I think). I’d add to your list in that we don’t go to the movie theater (or any other activity that cost money) or have cable. We are a netflix and hulu family!! And nearly all of our free time is spent doing project around the house. We just love our house so much and don’t want to pay money to leave it!
Niki says
My Skip It List:
-Hair spray/gel/mousse
-Most make-up
-Bottled Water (we have some for guests who are weird about water)
-Most soda (although my husband has a weakness). It might take me a good 2-3 months to go through a case.
-Cable/Internet (this is rough on my husband but definitely friendly on the wallet)
-Laundry Softener (I use only 1/3 of a dryer sheet too-for static)
-Paper plates
-Most household cleaners, I have a small arsenal, not one for every job
-Our A/C is higher in the summer and our heat is low in the winter
-Combining trips (I try to stop at the grocery/run errands on my way home from work)
-Doing things locally rather than another town (saves on gas)
-Use a ton of scrap paper
-I do not buy garbage bags for the bathroom garbage cans, I try to use plastic grocery store bags
-I just plain try not to waste (eat all leftovers, don’t let food go bad, freeze food, use both sides of paper, if we do get fast food, don’t throw away the extra napkins, ketchup, etc…)
-Use the library (books, to rent movies…)
-Flushing (sorry)We just don’t flush very often (unless we HAVE to or if we have guests)
I’m sure there are more but those are things I think of the most.
ELLEN says
I loved, loved, LOVED my Skip-it! Best outdoor toy ever, IMO. I skipped and skipped and skipped until the counter no longer worked, then kept skipping until it finally cracked open. That was a sad day in my world. :)
I started skipping regular haircuts over the last few years. It’s usually up, anyway, so why the fancy cut? I keep it trimmed and go in once a year for a quick refresh. Just that alone has saved me a bundle that I put towards cable TV…my must-have.
Angel says
We skip too! (My Lou my darling)
1) homemade chai and coffee
http://bluelotuschai.com/OurProducts.htm (I love this stuff!)
2) we go to a local barber for good, cheap haircuts, and often I’ll cut my own bangs.
3) I only wear makeup for family photos and the occasional evenin out. Same with perfume – it last forever!
4) cable/satellite (Netflix only and movies)
5) lotions, creams, tanners, hair products – and any other smelly stuff :)
marbella says
I had a cheapo skip it that was just a balls with bells in on a string basically! Loved it!
We skip all the same stuff as you, and wash our 75lb hairy pup out back with the hose (or in the bathtub, which is much more work!) I feel like most of your list is pretty normal to skip in England/Ireland, where we are from. We now live in the US and I notice people spend a lot more on luxury and convenience items.
We also do:
Cable – since we moved in Nov, we made the cut and just do hulu, netflix and amazon. Also cut back to streaming only netflix, and have discovered our local library has a MASSIVE dvd/blu ray section so we have been going there once a week to grab new releases or things we have missed.
The only thing my husband misses is live sports, but most of what he wants to see isn’t on US TV anyway – we used to have to get fox soccer channel for him to see any UK football. When he really wants to see a match he watches online.
Kitchen roll/napkins – we save extra napkins given to us at fast food/restaurants and use those if needed, but they rarely ever are.
When we do go to the cinema (a few times a year) we always use discounted tickets and take our own. I like to buy a drink there though to ‘support’ the cinema. ha ha!
Line drying of clothes. Now that we have a solid wall and it’s not banned by our HOA (wth is that about?) we have a whirlybird to dry our clothes outside. I put it up in an umbrella stand so it’s movable too.
We had 1 car for several years, but now have 3 – 2 every day use ones and a 67 Impala we are restoring. Definitely a splurge, but trying to do it thriftily by doing the work ourselves!
Our other splurge is having the pool cleaned. And yes, having a pool at all which is a huge luxury!
PS, I think you meant incandescent light bulbs since you do buy CFLs? Regular bulbs are incandescent, nor fluorescent.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, totally right! Off to fix that!
xo
s
Lauren Nicole says
Oh man! I always wanted a Skip It growing up but never got one of my own. The neighbor girl had one so my parents saved money by having my sister and I go over and play with hers! The neighbor also had Lite Brite, Teddy Ruxpin and several other toys I swooned over. Looking back, that was pretty smart of my parents to save their money that way!
We haven’t had cable for the past 5 years. We have a Roku box and a Netflix subscription. Sometimes my hubby complains about missing certain sporting events, but I always allow him to go out to a sports bar or a friends’ house if there’s something he truly can’t miss. I’d rather he spend money to buy himself dinner at a sports bar while he’s watching a few sporting events than spend hundreds of dollars on cable each year. I could never go back to traditional cable because it would just kill me to spend all that money just for TV. That being said, hubby and I both get our haircut regularly (me every 6 weeks and him once a month), so that goes to show you how different things work for different folks!
Stephanie @ One Mile Home Style says
Love this post and all the comments! I cut my husband and sons’ hair, and I get to the salon for my haircuts maybe 3-4 times a year. I do my own nails and dye my own hair. We are working on switching over to using less chemical cleaners and use vinegar and water for a lot of it. We read our newspapers online, but my splurge is magazines. I have to have them, but I do pass them along to my sister and mom when I am done, and they pass along the ones they have that I don’t subscribe to. So we are saving some money and being “green” in the process.
Catherine says
The list of things we skip is sad. We just moved across the country and are having a baby in a few months, so a lot of skipping for us.
BUT I had a purple skip-it and one day at the pool I skipped all the way to 999 without stopping! It was glorious to see that huge number!
YoungHouseLove says
You’re MY HERO! I thought 999 was the stuff of legends.
xo
s
Adrienne says
Oh, I love these! We also skip cable – I was sort of loathe to give it up, but my then-boyfriend now-husband isn’t a tv guy, so we just never got it when we moved in together. I don’t miss it too much, but I do sometimes binge on it when visiting my parents.
This isn’t going to make a ton of sense, but one of the things I do is save a little by splurging – I get $90 haircuts (my hair is chin length and curly so DIY isn’t really an option) but because the guy who cuts it is so good, it doesn’t start looking shaggy for 3-4 months, so I only go 3 times a year instead of the 6 times I was going with the $60 cuts. (Also, dang, I just realized how pricey a haircut is in the city, oy). Hubby cuts his own hair, too, and his hair is like 1/8″ inch long so I get the whole haircare budget to myself!
We don’t eat that much meat, also maybe twice a week, but we try to buy it from local farmers/high quality butcher shops so we can enjoy it and feel good about the way the animals are treated. Sometimes we go vegetarian for a week or a month, which would definitely be cheaper, but we usually come back to meat eventually.
Elizabeth says
We don’t skip meat very often, but we don’t usually have it on the grocery list. We are in Missouri so we do a LOT of deer meat. My father-in-law has a farm and most of them roam the area living off of corn and soy beans. Deer is leaner than beef and we much prefer deer to ground beef in things like chili and spaghetti.
I know it’s not an option for everyone, but it’s really nice to know that our food is coming locally. And most importantly for me, I feel like it’s a more humane way to feed our family.
Melissa says
Hey guys! Do you meal plan? We are trying to save money on groceries since I was just laid off. Any other tips?
YoungHouseLove says
We generally just figure out what we’ll eat for two weeks and then do a bulk shopping trip to get whatever we need. Nothing is posted in the kitchen or anything (and not every side dish is worked out) but it helps us grab the right amount of burritos at Trader Joes, haha!
xo
s
Yvonne says
We do a lot of the same things.
I am 38 now and getting a lot of gray hair. I use the Revlon ColorSilk line. It’s under $3. I have tried more expensive one and a hair salon but the outcome is the same.
One thing that has helped us save a ton on clothing is to use Wool Wash for darks/delicates. We get it for at the Dollar Store and clothes last a lot longer.
Brittany says
We save money by not going to the newest movies when they come out just rent them from directv. We buy our meat in bulk… Quarter beef or half a pig. U need freezer room but then we always have it on hand. But we live in the country and have easy access to farmers. I don’t ever buy cleaning products… Vinegar and water to clean the house or floors. Vinegar in the dishwasher instead of jet dry. I do a lot of canning so we haven’t bought store pickles in years and we go thru a quart of them a week at least. And I can tomatoes for chili, hot dish and make salsa. This saves us a boat load! We like to splurge on travel too, plus with 4 kids every bit helps.
Lin says
first, let me say I love the blog and read it almost everyday.
I am sad to say that I love almost everything that everyone else has given up, makeup, eating out, wine, travel… (except tv but there is a sports junky who won’t give it up in the house)…
But, have I mentioned that I love the blog??
Annette says
OMGoodness, I was a skip-it pro! We skip most of the same stuff you guys do, with the exception of a few. For instance, my hair is not cut-it-yourself, wash-and-wear variety, unless I was going for the wicked witch look, lol. However, we got rid of cable and opted for a Google TV box, so we can stream Hulu Plus, Netflix and Google Prime movies. Works perfectly for us.
Annette says
Erm, Amazon Prime. Oops.
Brittney Everett says
I had a Skip-It and LOVED it! One of my FAVOURITE Toys as a kid!
Jen says
I LOVE posts like these!
While not for everyone, we go without garbage service. :)
Yep. We have a “garbage station”, with several garbage cans and recycling bins. We go to the garbage transfer station approximately every 3 months at $10 a pop. Needless to say, we recycle everything we can, compost and generally try to be more mindful of purchases/packaging. I think we save a couple hundred dollars a year, but more importantly it saves me the hassle of hauling a trash can to the end of our driveway every week! :)
YoungHouseLove says
I think that’s really cool Jen!
xo
s