Today I want to tell you about three things we have started doing in the past nine months or so to cut our expenses. We are in debt from student loans and have some ambitious goals (home ownership, travel, rental property, etc.) so it’s important to us to save money where we can so that we can dedicate it to our savings, HSA, or investments.
Here are the three ways we save money:
1) Couponing
One thing we have done to save money is coupon. Some people look at it as if it’s a strange activity that they are above. In reality, you can save a significant amount of money if you just take a couple hours a week preparing your shopping trip and matching coupons with groceries that you need. After just six months, we have saved about $500 on groceries alone.
Beyond just groceries, we also look for coupons for other deals. When we bought our running shoes, we got something like $30 off a $100 purchase. With that same deal we got a $25 gift card for checking in to the store on foursquare.
Another quick example is allergy medicine. If you get a Sunday newspaper or look online there are almost always coupons for Claritin, Allegra, and Zyrtec. My wife and I both have allergy issues, so we take full advantage of these. Last week I bought a 10 pack of AllegraD 24 hour. It was originally $17 but with a $5 off manufacturer coupon stacked with a $2 off Target coupon, plus a Target RedCard automatic 5% off, it cost me less than $10. That’s some significant savings for what is a routine purchase.
2) Get DVDs and Books from the Library
My wife and I both used to be big dvd and book collectors. We love to read and we also love watching movies and tv seasons on dvd. We have since cut out almost all book and dvd purchases and instead get them from the library.
With the internet it is incredibly easy to log in, find what you want, and put in a request. All you need to do is swing by and pick up your items. No searching around the shelves needed. You just have to be willing to wait to see certain movies and dvds until the waiting list gets around to you. Usually it doesn’t take too long, though, and the money saved makes the once a week trips worth it.
3) Focus on Low-Cost Hobbies
One of my favorite things to promote is low-cost hobbies. I understand that some people just have to get out and golf once a week. If that hobby is really hurting you financially, though, it’s time to reevaluate what hobbies you spend your time (and money) doing.
I used to snowboard in high school but have since stopped. I also avoid golf, though I have gone in the past. These are things I would like to do, but for now I fill my time with things that are either low-cost hobbies or hobbies that have the potential to make me money. The whole reason I started blogging was because it helps me learn and develop new skills, creates an outlet for me to write, and has potential for side income or at the very least create some connections I otherwise wouldn’t have.
What do you do to save money?
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I am an avid reader, so I frequent the library quite often. I find buying books is quite expensive if you are only planning on reading them once (which I do). I don’t eat out that often, usually only for special occasions. If someone suggests eating out, I usually suggest brunch because its cheaper or meeting up for coffee instead. In regards to grocery shopping, 99% of the time I buy store brand.
@MakintheBacon That’s awesome about the reading. I have a hard time even getting to books because there are so many blogs I read, plus I am self-teaching VBA for Excel, Access, and Outlook. Takes up a ton of time.
When I was single I was a lot more open to eating out but now that I’m married it’s easier to say no, though I still like to go out to eat with people.
We essentially buy either store brand or use a manufacturer coupon if it brings the price down lower.
Low cost hobbies are a great way to save money. I might start getting the paper for coupons but I worry it will have me buying items I wouldn’t have otherwise bought just to use the coupon (exactly why coupons exist…)
@Money Life and More Honestly, I barely have time to read books and there’s a ton I’d like to get to eventually. Why would I pay hundreds of dollars to go do an expensive hobby when I don’t even have time for all my low cost ones? That’s the way I look at it.
Yeah with the couponing you need to be careful to only get what you need. We throw out about 90%+ in the end. It’s a numbers game and narrowing down what you would get even if you didn’t have coupons.
We do the coupon thing also, not extreme or anything but maybe a half hour a week and it saves us at least $20 each time she goes grocery shopping. I also car pool to work which doesn’t save a lot of money but it saves the miles on my vehicle which should help it last a couple more years. One of my hobbies is racing motocross, it can get pretty expensive but I’m not willing to give that up. It’s worth working an overtime or two a month to fund although if I had to cut due to a job loss I would.
@DebtnTaxes Nice! We do the same thing, saves at least $20 each time.
I really wish I could carpool. I did it for one summer when I lived at my friend’s house and we were both interning. I love the freedom that NOT carpooling brings, but my car has a heck of a lot of miles on it and I wish it didn’t.
That’s awesome you do motocross, and I definitely would not give up a hobby like that if I was passionate it about it. Right now I’m not that passionate about any hobby that is expensive, so I just avoid “dabbling” in them since I probably won’t get a ton of satisfaction out of them anyway.
great post…
my wife and i coupon as well, and combine our couponing trips with secondary grocery runs to Aldi and even Target (for some items).. we have made huge strides in getting our grocery bills down without too much effort..
you mentioned that golf can be an expensive hobby, but have you ever tried disc golf? it is a variation of the game, but pretty much totally free!
@seedebtrun That’s awesome! I am surprised how far a little effort can go when it comes to couponing. You can save some serious cash over the course of a few months or a year by just putting in a couple hours a week, if that. We go to Aldi from time to time as well, I’m surprised how cheap their stuff is.
I have a friend who is obsessed with disc golf. I haven’t given it a try, but I know there are a number of free courses here in Minnesota. Once you buy your discs you’ve essentially paid for 99% of the costs it sounds like. I might have to check it out.
We saved big this year by doing 2 major things we haven’t in the past.
1. Participating in a CSA. We get a lot more veggies each week than we need so we freeze or can them for late fall and winter so not only has it turned out cheaper weekly during the weeks the CSA runs but it will end up making the winter months produce bills cheaper as well.
2. Purchasing half a cow and splitting it 3 ways. The cow is grass fed, given no hormones or antibiotics and we purchased it for 3.50/lb. That is significantly less than you could get for that quality of beef in the grocery store
@Em23 Those are awesome ideas. Some people on the wife’s side of the family split a cow. My wife actually can’t have beef because of the hormones and preservatives used : / She has to have turkey or chicken (the more natural the better) or else she gets headaches. We are planning on trying some of the meat her family gets from buying a cow and if her body doesn’t react negatively we will probably buy part of a cow as well.
I haven’t looked into a CSA before, but I’m all about getting healthy food for cheap!