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.
shells says
Oh My Gosh Sherry you totally made my day!!!. I also cut my own hair and don’t use any products, perfum or lipstick and lately have been feeling that’s pretty weird…. Noticed a few years ago my hair looked much better sans-product, and since I have long hair it just needs a bit of a trim and not much “styling” anyway, and lipstick makes me look like a drag queen (chapstick is way more flattering for me)….glad I’m not the only one who does this!!
Carmen Butschlick says
My husband is balding, so I just buzz his head every few weeks. He hasn’t had a professional haircut since in 20 years. I do get my hair professionally cut and colored. That is my vice, but I go maybe 3-4 times per year rather than every six weeks like a lot of my girlfriends. I do my own mani/pedi. I’m pretty handy with the nail polish. I have quite the arsenal, but I figure that is still cheaper than weekly appointments. I wear makeup, but only drugstore brands. I haven’t really found a higher end makeup that was worth the extra expense. I rarely buy clothes. I invest on classically styled pieces when they are on sale or clearance and wear them for a long time. Shoes are another vice, but I never spend over $30 on a pair. We don’t travel (much to my dismay) but we’d have to go into debt to do it and we refuse. Perhaps our biggest savings, we pay cash for everything. It’s way to easy to overspend when you whip out a credit card and don’t actually “see” the money going.
Jenn says
1. No Cable for us
2. No Paper Towels – microfiber towels
3. Salvation Army and Goodwill for 90% of our clothes
4. Conditioner for shaving – it’s awesome
5. NO manicures, pedicures – I love doing my own
6. Alcohol – rarely in a restaurant, we drink at home
7. Eating out – Happy Hour Specials and Weekly Deals
8. iSlick, sales & patience for bigger purchases – Camera, LapTop, etc
9. Buy big purchases like cars with cash – Never pay interest on a depreciable asset
10. Travel – Camping, Friends, TravelZoo, GroupOn Travel, patience!
Lynn says
Jenn – I totally agree on #6. It’s way too expensive to drink at a restaurant. It kills me to pay $8 for a glass when I know I could get a whole bottle of the same wine for $12 at the liquor store!
Debbie @ PinkTexasChick says
We skip things too in our house but for some reason I can’t think of one right now. Probably because starting next month we WILL NOT have one child care payment to make. For the first time in 10 years! Both kids are now in school (a new one) and because I was able to change my work hours I don’t need the kids in after school care. Seriously, I imagine myself swimming in money for a brief moment until I start to pay off those bills! :)
Rachel says
I have recently began shopping at Aldi’s and have noticed a savings of $30 to $50 each time I go. They don’t carry a lot of organic items, but for your basic staples you really can’t beat their prices.
Diana says
I just started shopping at Aldis this year and was amazed on my first trip! Definitely helped us cut our grocery budget by a lot!
Gia says
I used to get a dunkin donuts iced tea every day and now I maybe get it once or twice a month. I also started bringing my lunch 4 days a week and go out 1 day a week. We also don’t have smart phones! BUT, I think that will be changing soon.
Michelle | Birds of Berwick says
This post is awesome and is giving me a ton of ideas! With the rising cost of food, I’ve found it cheaper to go to the farm stands and buy fresh/local rather than from the grocery store, but I never thought of reducing the amount of meat per week! What a good idea! I box die my hair and stock up with coupons, mani/pedis are for special occasions only, and my idea of pampering is getting a new book downloaded on my kindle. We could definitely cut down on food/booze/eating out expenses so we’re targeting there to “skip it”.
Oh – and I think I’m sold on joining my library. Great post!
Teresa @ wherelovemeetslife says
I totally agree with your list! We save some and spend some. A big one for us is taking our lunch to work everyday -using leftovers so that they don’t get tossed. I have also instituted a meatless meal more often, but we sub in something like beans or quinoa(this is a GREAT sub)for the protein.
I also use almost all homemade cleaners. Vinegar and castille is a main ingredient in almost all of them. We also cloth diapers but haven’t braved night time in them yet due to a heavywetter!
I like these posts and I am enjoying the responses :)
Lynn says
Skip the expensive beverages. We all have reusable water bottles and fill our own at home from a filtered water pitcher. Also, we don’t buy flavored water – we just cut up some fruit and throw it in a pitcher of water to soak overnight. We also don’t buy ice tea by the bottle – we brew our own in a glass pitcher. We also make our own version of Izzie or Fuze with just fruit juice and cans of seltzer water (comes out to about 40 cents each instead of $1.50). We probably save about $20/month making our own beverages, and we also are saving plastic bottles from going to the landfill.
Natalie says
My husband and I skip on…
-Cable
-face powder: make my own with a mixture of corn starch and kaolin clay
-body wash/body soap because I make my own handmade soap
-Meat: after watching Forks Over Knives on Netflix and some other studies about meat and dairy, we have reduced our meat and dairy intake by half
-bath soaks: a little bit of baking soda makes my skin really soft in the tub
-Random OTC products: we use Grapefruit Seed Extract for colds, and essential oils like peppermint for sore, painful muscles/tendons.
-Smart phone: I don’t have a smart phone and thus don’t have to pay a monthly data fee!
-iced coffee/tea: My husband makes better iced coffee at home and I drink my tea at home
-right now I walk everywhere because we only have one car. Good thing we live downtown.
Anuja says
Sherry,
To save even more by not getting the chai concentrate (and all the sugar in it), heres a recipe if you want to attempt making it yourself (straight from an Indian household),
For one cup chai, boil half cup water and half cup whole milk with 1/2 tbsp sugar, once it comes to a rolling boil add 1 tsp loose black tea powder (or 2 black tea bags) turn heat down to med, add half tsp chai masala (100 gm pack easily available in Indian store for cheap) and let it go for 5-8 mins or so. Strain (if using loose tea) and enjoy!!
Alternative you can eliminate milk and make chai concentrate in bulk and store it in fridge, when ready to have chai just add half cup of milk to half cup chai concentrate!!
Off course you may have to tweak it to your own taste especially with sugar and dont even use 2% milk it tastes a bit watery!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Anuja!
xo
s
DianeG says
Thanks for sharing your recipe! My mom loves chai. It would be fun to surprise her with a homemade cup next time she’s over.
Anuja says
You are welcome ladies!! I hope you try it and it turns out very well for ya! :)
Heather says
I love this post! We recently moved to VA, which is more expensive than Arkansas. I’m currently unemployed, so we’ve really had to tighten the purse strings.
1) We eat out once a week. We have a dinner date on Saturday (I’m a foodie, I can’t give that up) and that’s it. No fast food lunches, snacks, etc. My husband makes his favorite breakfast sandwiches at home & takes those all week, and either takes a sandwich or leftovers for lunch.
2) We don’t buy bottled water. We have a fridge with a filter, and just fill up our Camelbaks here.
3) I coupon and track sales. Like today, Harris Teeter had a lot of items as “buy 2, get three free”. One of them was their brand of sandwich bag. They were $1.99 each, so for $4 I bought 5 boxes of sandwich bags.
4) We groom our pets ourselves. Nails & bathing, we’ve gotten into a routine and our animals handle it much better now.
5) Cutting cable. In Arkansas we had digital cable, DVR and internet. We paid $180 a month to watch Frasier reruns all the time. So now, we just have internet and the $7.99 Netflix streaming. I still have my Frasier =)
6) A few years ago, I went back to my natural hair color. It cost to dye it back, but now I’m saving $120 every 2-3 months on blonde highlights. I haven’t colored it since 2009, and now it looks and feels so much healthier.
7) We drive my fuel efficient car every where, to save money on my husband’s gas guzzling truck. Both of our vehicles are fairly new, will be paid off in 3 years, and we plan on keeping them until they die.
8) We see movies out 2-3 times a year, if it’s something we REALLY, really care about. The last time we went to a movie, the tickets and our drinks cost us $40, and I REFUSE to pay that for a mediocre movie. Lincoln: worth it. Star Trek: Glad we waited for DVD.
9)We give ourselves an allowance. We each get $100 a month to spend on clothes, books, DVDs, etc. The first month we did it, it was hard. But I realized quickly that I have a tendency to buy things without thinking. By having a limited amount to spend, I stopped and thought long & hard if I really wanted something.
10) No expensive beauty regimen. I buy drug store makeup (always with a coupon) and wear only the necessities (foundation, blush & mascara). I don’t get manicures or pedicures, unless it’s a special occasion. I don’t use ANY styling products.
Larita says
We should be best friends, Sherry. As a single, work-at-home mom who doesn’t get much support from the father of my two toddlers, my list of “save money” things includes almost all of the above, and then some. But as a dog groomer, I have to say I love short-haired dog owners who pay me to groom their dogs; I can squeeze them in almost any day and it’s a quick (but not necessarily “easy”) way to put some extra bucks in my pocket. :)
Jordan@the2seasons says
I love that you two only have one car. When we moved to upstate NY we sold my husbands car because it was horrible in the snow. We challenged ourselves to be a one car family for one month. 3 years later we are still a one car family. Everyone said it would never last and we are thrilled we only have one car. Plus we have bikes so we can bike to the store he can bike to work etc. So cheers to y’all for one car!
Emily says
Cloth diapers (just fished our second/last), clothesline, one car are our Big savers. Can’t shake cable yet, though the bill makes we want to, but that’s our veg time after the kids are in bed, if we’re not out doing sports. Loving the micro cloths too!
Begoña says
I save a lot on food with a few tips:
– I plan our meals and go to the grocery store with a list. That way I dont buy things we dont really need or arent good for us. I found out that whenever I went to the grocery store on a rush, I used to buy a lot of things that were expensive and not healthy at all, like chocolate, chips, frozen lasagnas, stuff like that. And we drink water most of the time. Just a can of soda or beer every other friday night!
– Keep it simple. I love cooking so on the weekends I like to go to the supermarket or to the farmers market to buy somethins special and cook something fancy but on a daily basis I just keep it simple. Few ingredients, on season, good quality, good prices.
Once or twice a week we eat on leftovers. I always cook more that we eat on one meal, cant help it, so instead of throwing it away, i put on on the frigde and every other day we eat all the leftovers together and believe me, they are still delicious and none leaves the table hungry. And I reused anything I can. You know, sometimes you just have some chicken breast left, I make chicken salad. Half a zuchinni and some eggplant, I saute everything put some tomate sauce and bum! vegetables pasta. Never ever throw food away.
Cook as much as you can. Pre made foods are far more expensive and far less healthy, so we dont order food (apart from sushi or woodstone pizza once or twice a month), we bring lunches to the office and I make my own pasta sauce and salad dressings.
Lynn says
Begona – we eat all of our leftovers too, but for lunches. We like to cook whole pork roasts in the crockpot, and then freeze a bunch of the leftover plain shredded pork. I mix it into ramen noodles later and it makes a great cheap meal!
Laura says
We skip a lot of these too.
We do skip cable and stream Netflix instead. We have been doing this for years and its awesome for kids shows and tv shows. We are fine with not being up to date on shows.
We splurged on a zoo membership, but we go every other week instead of finding some other activity. And, we bring a cooler full of food so we don’t have to pay lots of money for fried food we don’t want to eat anyway.
We switched our electricy to a cost saving plan that gives us cheaper electricity on weekends and after 7 pm. This mean we skip doing the dishes, laundry, etc. during the day and set everything on delays to start after 7. It is not that inconvienient and it has saved us hundreds of dollars every year.
Since moving out of NYC, I don’t get pedicures anymore. I can’t justify the $60. I do get a good haircut every 3 months and buy Aveda hair styler. I have curly hair and I can’t rock a pony tail. And, whith the styler my hair is frizzy. The good stuff is actually more effective than the cheap stuff since one bottle lasts 9 months. I balance this by not wearing/buying any makeup. And, I just bought a necklace for $10. This is the first jewlery purchase I’ve made other than wedding rings in 10 years.
My husband and son get their haircuts at home to save money.
Rosie S says
Our list of ‘skips’ is very similar! Especially no meat…just not that into it! Our NEW skip is expensive landscaping. In our last house, plants were our big splurge, figuring we would get it all back when we sold…enter the crash of real estate market…..the $$$$ spent on the outside made the place look great and probably did help to sell the house, but in no way was a good investment for us. This house is a different story, and we are starting from scratch in a basic yard. But so far, we have planted 30 shrubs, and 8 trees and many, many perennials. For around $900. Luck at finding bargains, simply asking people for plant starts, and volunteering at a local arboretum, where like minded people are happy to share and also share THEIR plant sources, has made this possible. (And when our plants are big enuf to share, you bet we will!) And the arb’s plant sales have yielded great buys…trees for $9 and $15, $2 perennials. These sales are open to the public and I am sure most areas have some kind of public garden where you can get similar bargains! Great topic! Who doesn’t love to save money?!?!
Lucy says
For the longest time we went with only a cellphone because our family was always together so no need to have an extra phone along with an extra bill at home.
Our list is strikingly similar to yours. So nice that other young couples are doing the same. Now I don’t feel like such a weirdo.
jen says
skip it. owned it. rocked it. thankyouverymuch.
painless skippage: I drink the free coffee at work instead of buying a cup of better stuff. we hardly ever buy new clothes for our kids; there’s a round-robin of hand me downs in our family that keeps us very well stocked. never buy bottled water. we’re with you on the fabric softener – no difference. we ditched cable for a long time with no regrets but when we moved we somehow got roped back into a bundle. Oh! but we live in a place that has mild weather so we don’t use a ton of heat and don’t even own an A/C. that helps! Water is expensive where we are, though, so I’m totally a miser there. ;)
Jessica says
Oh, man! So that blazer you wear all the time is dry clean only and only gets cleaned once a year? I think we now need a post on how you keep it from getting all funky when you wear it to every function/photoshoot/book signing. You must sweat perfume.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Thankfully that blazer is from Target and is washable. Oh man, that would be baaaad if I only washed that once a year.
xo
s
Jane says
I love how people nitpick and focus on the negativity when there is SO much good ingormation out here. Seriously i am sitting here and reading all the comments cos you learn so much from so many people! I for one am thankful that Sherry keeps it real here. A real hardworking couple with great work ethics( i mean turning free stuff down)! Wear the same blazer and still look pretty and put together.. ? Good for you!
Naomi says
We started using microfiber cloths too and LOVE them! Absolutely amazing for dusting and cleaning every single surface in our home! We use both Norwex and E-cloth microfiber cloths that sanitize/clean any surface imaginable with just water and the cloth (due to the embedded silver)! If you ever think of switching cloths, I would highly recommend either brand! Totally simplified how we clean!
Have you ever done a post on how you keep your house so spotless? Don’t know how you manage to do that with how busy you are!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Naomi! We have some cleaning posts in our archives (check out our Projects page for that category).
xo
s
Janna says
Great post. I’m with you on some stuff (especially the gym and dog grooming and I <3 NPR), but you would have to pry my hair products out of my cold dead hands before I gave them up! ;)
Seriously, I don't splurge on much, but I do with my hair. I will fully admit I go to a pricey salon and use some products. Curly, thick hair can be a beast. And sometimes it feels good to be pampered for the moment.
As for kiddos, it stuck in my brain how you shop for Clara's clothes in an older post. My daughter is 19 months and while I do enjoy buying her things, I have been buying more dresses that she can then wear as tunics, etc. in the cooler months. Plus leggings with a dress looks so cute. :)
Thanks for the great blog!
Francine says
We have a very similar skip list! There’s something rewarding about living a bit more simply… Plus, it helps if you think of saving money as a game! The more you save (while still being comfortable – not stingy) the more you win!
Teresa says
Could not have said this better! I feel our family is living a much “richer” life when we pare down the stuff we really can live without.
Amanda says
Please tell me your black blazer is washable! Otherwise I can’t even imagine what it’s like to only dry clean that puppy once a year.
YoungHouseLove says
Totally washable! It’s from Target. Haha!
xo
s
Sara says
Love this post! We are already doing a lot of the same things and it feels so great. I went back and read your earlier post about all of the cleaning supplies and that’s one thing we haven’t cut back on. I can’t find a multipurpose fix that gets rid of mold/mildew/soap scum in the shower. Any suggestions?
Sarah J. says
we skip cable, movies at the theater, and keep our clothing purchases to a minimum. but i also love gardening so i probably spend more on plants and such than most. and with 2 little boys in tow, spending our money/time where we can dig in the dirt and be loud is way better than a theater where they have to sit still and quiet! ;)
Jennifer R. says
We skip cable – we just have an HTPC and can watch virtually any movie or show. We pay $8 a month for NetFlix and about $40 for high speed internet but we would have both of those either way. We get local channels though a modern bunny ear set up.
Eating at home – we go out to eat (usually order to go to skip the tip) once a week. Other than that we cook a lot and have left overs for lunch. We stock up on frozen foods like stir fry mix, chicken, shrimp, etc. at Costco, go by the farmer’s market for fresh produce, and fill in the extras from Walmart. Smart meal plans and diligence makes eating healthy so affordable. We also don’t eat much meat, that is more for health but also is big savings.
Cheaper-than-we-could-afford cars. Paid in cash. We will drive them into the ground and do not treat them to expensive car washes or upgrades. We do maintenance ourselves.
Cleaning products – I make all of them myself! Between borax, vinegar, baking soda, ammonia, and some essential oils I can make green concoctions to clean anything. I also make my own any bait, bug spray, and scented oil for oil warmers.
Personal products – I have started dabbling in learning how to make things like toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, etc. This could be big savings down the road when I get it right!
Emily says
Tissues. We do not buy tissues. If someone in our house is truly ill, they get their own roll of toilet tissue. My mother is the Kleenex queen. Every single bathroom and every bedside table has tissues. There are even tiny packs in her purse! She buys the huge packs from Costco, but still, it was always a purchase that never made sense to me. If I added up all the times I DIDN’T buy tissues, I swear that would make me at least a minor millionaire.
Bonnie says
I had aspirations of grooming my dogs at home and bought a trimming kit and nail clippers. They both will grow very long hair if its not kept up (maltese and havanese). Anyway, they ended up looking like they lost a fight to a weed whacker, and they one is incredibly skittish about his nails so we ended up going back to the groomers. I’m going to try to trim their hair once in between, so at least we can go less frequently.
Debbie says
I’ve been reducing our wheat and carb intake and increasing protein for weight loss and digestion. So meatless meals are hard, but I’ve found eggs are healthy. We get the organic eggs at Costco, but you may be able to directly buy from a farmer. Eggs can be added to many sauces and are great in salads. Costco also has fairly good prices on organic items like olive oil. I’ve also starting making my own salad dressing. Broth from leftovers is great for protein. I hate to make it the summer. I need to remember to freeze it in the winter. I hate cooking in the summer.
Jennifer says
Thanks so much for this posting! The tips here are all great and so very needed this morning.
Amanda says
I tend to buy things when they’re on sale & in two’s or threes. I always buy my laundry detergent, deodorant, flossies (floss on a stick) on sale, then I buy two or three bottles which money in the long run (I never have to worry about needing one of these things when they’re not on sale!)
I don’t have cable — I have netflix
I buy groceries a few times a week (normally just what’s on sale unless it’s an essential), so my produce never goes bad and I’m not throwing out loads of it. (ie throwing money in the garbage) — this is a big one for a single lady who lives on her own.
I don’t buy a lot of cleaning supplies and toiletries; most of it I get as free samples (detergent, shampoo & conditioner) or gifts (lotions, body wash etc.)
I try not to buy clothes that are not on sale; I know one day it’ll go on sale and I just have to keep my eye on it if I really want it.
I use reusable grocery bags, but sometimes I forget them so I have tons of grocery bags that I use as garbage bags. No buy garbage bags, and it’s recycling. It makes me feel better about forgetting the for life bags somedays.
Hrm, this is fun, what else can I think of that I do …
jennifer says
my husband works for an appliance company and occasionally gets deals on new products from companies. about a year ago he brought home the purewash system, which connects to the washer and washes your clothes with oxygenated water. this is how hospitals and hotels wash their linens. there is no need for detergent or fabric softener, both of which leave residue on your clotes. it also only uses cold water to wash the clothes. it costs a decent amount for the system, but i believe the cost is recouped within a year or 2 depending on how much laundry you do. it is very eco friendly and the clothes turn out clean and have no odor. i was really skeptical at first, but we are really happy with it… although most people look at you like you funny when you tell them you don’t use detergent to wash your clothes.
Lisa says
I had NO IDEA hospitals and hotels didn’t use detergent. The things you learn! Lol! Your system sounds really cool.
haverwench says
Funny…our Skip It list is almost identical to yours. Reading along through it, I kept thinking, “check, check, check…”
There are a few difference, though. Like, we might eat meat two or three nights a month rather than two or three nights a week, but we only eat the free-range stuff. Also, I prefer Starbucks Frappuccino to the chai, and I’ve never been able to make a reasonable facsimile of it at home, so I allow myself one per month as a special treat. I do wear lipstick once in a while (Burt’s Bees), but almost no other cosmetics of any kind. And I’ve never managed to give my husband a decent home haircut, so he still goes to the barber (and then I invariably complain that he made it too short).
I can only think of a few items that are on our Skip It list that didn’t make yours:
1. Contact lenses. I used to wear them, but they always got dry and uncomfortable by late afternoon, and my husband actually likes the way I look in my glasses–so now I kick it old school.
2. Until recently, cable TV. We always managed to find plenty of good stuff to watch online (through Hulu and various networks’ websites, plus the occasional quasi-legal download). But we just recently switched our phone to VOiP, and it was actually cheaper to get the cable/broadband/phone bundle than to get phone and broadband separately. So now we have cable but don’t really use it.
3. A cell phone plan. We have one basic prepaid phone for emergencies, and we do not give out the number, period.
4. The big one: kids. Great for some people, but really not for us. And with nine (count ’em, nine) nieces and nephews, we’ll never lack for a connection to the younger generation. We’re comfortable with our roles of crazy aunt and uncle; Mom and Dad just wouldn’t fit us.
Beth A. says
I love that you stated it feels more like streamlining and simplifying than doing without. I wholeheartedly agree! My life is so much simpler with a small make-up bag, very few products, a closet with breathing room, and workouts done at home (and so much easier on my wallet!).
Great post!!
Katie says
I too have horrible horrible problems with hair breakouts. Awful.
So…I don’t use shampoo or conditioner any more. I use a baking soda and water paste and apple cider vinegar rinse. My scalp is now bump free and dander free. (The trick is regular brushing with a very clean brush).
And because my nursling now likes to bite my armpits I’m now making my own deoderant.
Effie says
Love reading about how others save money.
What do you use to make your house smell good (air fresheners? candles? diffusers? essential oils?) I know it’s super weird, but I always wonder what the homes and places I read about on blogs smell like! Ha.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re a fan of soy candles (Method from Target, or some homemade local ones from the farmer’s market).
xo
s
gena says
I love to read how a young couple like yourselves are conscious of setting goals and working hard to make them! I skip many of the same things: my husband and sons all have shoulder length hair and I do the trimming for them. I also have long hair (past my tush!) and trim and color the gray myself. I don’t get manicures etc (grosses me out to be honest with you!) and do them at home too. I clean my own house, we don’t eat out (another gross me out kind of thing and we all have lots of food allergies like gluten, eggs etc) and although I do have a car, I probably only drive maybe once a year or so.
You two are about the same age as my oldest son (he’s married and just bought their second house and an avid follower of your ideas) and I thoroughly enjoy following along on your adventures, so thanks for sharing!
gena
Bryony says
We each cut our own hair, and our 2-year-old son has such curly hair it’s felt wrong to cut it yet! :)
I also cook lots of things that can last us in leftovers through the week. My husband bakes all our bread each week, and we tend to get the grocery store’s own brand of lots of things. We do cloth nappies, we eBay’d a lot of our nursery things, and since here in the UK you pay a TV licencing fee, we just do all of our TV on Netflix and the BBC iPlayer.
We also just got gifted a National Trust membership for our anniversary which lets us take free days out to historic sites all over the country for just the price of the petrol.
I definitely splurge on Starbucks, though, and occasionally on a nice item of clothing…especially shoes.
Kathryn Griffin @TheDedicatedHouse says
As of late, we are skipping going out to eat every week. It just adds up and I would rather save that money for putting in wood floors or crown moulding. We now go out to eat once a month. At first I missed it…probably because I do most of the cooking. But, now, it’s no big thing. Great post. Wishing you a pretty rest of the week. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
Heather says
We skip cable and just stream Netflix, which is seriously the best savings- I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do it! We buy all our produce from a farm across the street, which probably cuts $50 off our grocery bill, and we of course, eat almost all meals at home and coupon clip for deals. We both driver older cars with no payments and bought a house well below our approval so we’d have a low mortgage too. All about living within your means!
Jessica says
I do a lot of clothes shopping at consignment shops! I’m fortunate to have some really good ones that carry nice designer items still in good shape (sometimes never worn!). I’ve gotten $300 shoes for $30 and $150 jeans for $20. It’s better quality and will last longer in the end, but I’m not paying the crazy price up front!
Brent says
Have you tried Oregon Chai? It’s delicious. It’s a little creamier than Tazo, and I believe the same price. I make a cup a couple of nights a week after work. It comes in powdered (my favorite,) and liquid concentrate. I think they also have a couple of different flavors too :) http://www.oregonchai.com/
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds good!
xo
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Susan says
My daughter’s fave toy for a few summers-Skip It!
She’s 27, so yeah. Totally your generation.
Like many people, we eat at home a lot, meat is only a side dish( no red ever) and we make our own cleaners, etc.
We also have one car by choice, and it’s working out fine where we live right now. We grow veggies as much as our weather will allow. We DIY all our home stuff, too.
We also put EVERYTHING on a credit card that has a points reward system-and we pay that off in full every month. We use those points to pay for most of our vacation(s) every year.
We don’t deny ourselves things that make us smile, but we know our budget limitations, too. Denying yourself something just for the sake of saving money breeds martyrdom and resentment.
At the end of life, no one has ever said, “I’m SO glad I never spent an extra nickel on anything!”
Robyn says
Our biggest skip it? Cable! We just use netflix and hulu, which are each about $8 a month. It saves us about $40 a month, if not more :) My only downer to this is I have to buy things like Dexter on Amazon. But for one or two shows, its cheaper to do that than pay for cable every month
Haley says
I SKIP ON
+cable (I went TV-less for 5 years and just bummed off of my roommates).
+lightbulbs, The energy company sends us the nice lightbulbs everytime I open an account at a new apartment so I’ve been saving up on those.
+going out to eat during the day. I may have to fly solo during lunchtime since I pack, but I’m saving $5-10 every day.
+I cut my own hair… I’ve only had a ‘professional’ cut 2-3 times in my life.
I’m also a hoarder so I am constantly using things from my stash of stuff… and if I don’t have something, I can just ask my dad (whom i get my hoarding from) for it.
BeccaK says
Oh, the SKIP IT! God, I wanted one of those, yet it was one of the things my parents chose to “skip” – so we made one out of rope and some kind of weight on the end. Wish it’d had a counter, though. Those were the best.
We skip cable (Netflix is amazing, and our antenna gets most of the core channels, most of the time), don’t have a home phone, don’t have “smart” cellphones or a texting plan (old schooooool….), and belong to a facebook swap site (like a very local craigslist), where I’ve found many of the things we need for the house (and Ebay is great for almost everything else!). Best development in skipping lately? My parents proposed a “secondhand” Hanukkah, so now we’re all buying used presents, making presents, or repurposing something for each other for this year’s Hanukkah gifts. The challenge is way fun!
Mary | Lemon Grove Blog says
I love these posts. It’s amazing how much the little things can add up. We also opt to not purchase cable, which saves us $60 a month. Our biggest savings, hands down, comes from being able to walk and bike to work respectively. We have one car, and probably fill it up 4 times a year. It’s awesome :)
Andrea Worley says
Love this list. I love skimping and saving in small areas. We also have one car and have for 6 years. You’re right it doesn’t work for everyone but if you can make it work it’s so nice!