How do you spend less money?
What are things you have done to save money? I've many so many changes since two years ago, so I'm listing everything I'm doing now that I used to not do before. Here goes:Electricity-I unplug everything that is not in use. I save about half of my electricity. -I try to do all or most of my homework during the day. When its dark, I go to the library which is 2 minutes away and closes late so I wont use the lights at home.-I use my laptop and I charge it at school, library, or starbucks.-Over the summer, forget the air conditioner. I use a fan (and I always turn it off when I leave the room) or I stay outside and go hang out in air conditioned places. -My family tends to stay in the same room so we have the lights on in only one room at a time -We use fluorescent lightbulbs. They use so much less energy (75% less) and last a lot longer than regular ones (I used to have to replace my bulbs every 2-3 months. Now with fluorescent lightbulbs I haven't had to replace it in over two years)Extra Expenses-I dont have internet. I use someone else's wireless. -I don't have cable. You can find almost any show online at Hulu.com or something. Maybe even youtube. Besides, getting rid of cable means you'll have the TV turned on less often and you'll save electricity.-I used to have netflix and paid $20 a month. Then I realized I can get almost all of these movies for free at the library! For those movies I cant get at the library, netflix has this thing where you can put your account on hold for 90 days at a time. -When I go to the movies, I buy a child's ticket at the machine (they rarely really check anyway) refillable body powder brush and I see more than one movie at a time. Transportation-Since I live in New York City, we dont have a car. That way we dont have to pay $300+ monthly on parking. -For New Yorkers, sharing an unlimited metrocard with friends and family saves so much money. Food and household products-I always eat at home and I take my own lunch to school-When buying groceries or household items, I never get anything full price. Always one sale!-Eat less. I used to overeat a lot. I spent so much money on food and I got sick more. Now I eat normally and I spend less money on food and medical expenses and I have a better body.-It's really cheap, but I usually go into fast food restaurants and take napkins. I haven't bought paper towels in over a year.-I go to Costco's often (I carpool with friends) and I save SO much money. -I dont buy water bottles. $1 a day or twice a day is too much. I save $30-$60 per month and I buy a refillable SIGG bottle and get water from home.-I dont usually buy name brands.Medical-To avoid constant trips to the doctor's office, I have a notebook full of questions so I can ask him all these questions in one visit. When he prescribes something, I ask him for samples. If I need to get the prescription, I avoid the pharmacy and get them online. Much cheaper.Pets-They're really expensive. Expect to pay over $60 monthly on food alone. One annual check up with the vet can easily cost you $300. Emergencies/medications/surgeries can cost you thousands of dollars. If you dont have pets, then I suggest you keep it that way. But if you really want one or you already have pets and dont want to find them a new home (like me!), then you can still save.-I always buy my cats things on sale. And I mix their litter with shredded paper. That way one 25lb box of litter lasts about 4 months. -Don't overfeed your pets. Same reason you shouldnt overeat. More food expenses and more health issues. Entertainment/ Vacation-You dont always have to spend money. Hang out with friends at home, have a picnic (money on food, but that's minimal if everyone pitches in).-There are places that are free on certain days. For example, here in NYC, the bronx zoo is pay what you wish on wednesdays. For me that means free. The Met museum of art is always pay what you wish.-I tend to go on vacation when prices are cheaper. So I avoid holiday vacations and long weekend vacations. Living Space -If you're really short of cash, which many New Yorkers are, you can always rent a spare bedroom. You'd be surprised at how much people would pay for a bedroom in NYC. I also don't use toilet paper at all. I just wait until I shower the next day to clean myself.Just kidding. Since I started doing all these things, we've saved up at thousands of money annually.I just wanted to put some of these ideas out there and maybe find out what other people are doing?Dan, I get what you mean, and I've thought of it too. But when we share metrocards, its not like we go out of our way to share it. We usually have different schedules. I commute in the morning and she commutes at night, so we thought it didnt make sense to buy two metrocards. If we needed to though, we would buy a second one. And I figured if someone didnt want someone else to use their wireless, they would use a password, right?
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