Monday, February 9, 2009

Money Saving Ideas

We all know the economy is in the dumps. The Boy and I aren't doing too badly, but it doesn't hurt to save money while we can. We're not doing a great job putting money into savings right now, and we're pretty much living paycheck to paycheck. Which is kind of a scary thing to have to do. So, I've been thinking of ways to save some money.

1. We're thinking of moving. Not a huge move. Just into a smaller, cheaper place. Probably out of the complex we're in now. The apartment we're in wasn't bad when we first moved in. Rent was under $700 a month. Then it went over $700; as of August, it is over $800. The place is definitely not worth $800+ a month. We're looking for somewhere that is back into the $6-700 range.

2. I'm thinking of canceling my gym membership. Not a great idea when I'm trying (as usual) to lose weight, I know. But I don't go nearly enough to justify the $36 a month membership fee at the YMCA. Plus, if we move, it won't be right down the street like it is now. I know I'll never go then.
I've been having pretty good success with some pilates DVDs I've been using, plus the Wii Fit (as much as a workout as that is.) Once the weather warms up a bit more, I can get outside for walks and bike rides, too.
I have also been getting exercise DVDs from Netflix, too. That's kind of fun. If I get one I like, I can keep it until I'm bored with it. If I get one that sucks, I just send it back right away.

3. I discovered in January (with the tiny paycheck that I got from December) that it isn't too hard for us to make do on a small paycheck. So for the next couple of months (while I'm getting more hours and The Boy still gets his stipend,) I'm going to put money into savings right away. This month, I was able to put in $100 right off the bat. Next month, I hope to put in more, since I've been working a lot of extra hours this month.

4. The small grocery store isn't that bad. We do not have to shop at Wegman's every week. We spend far more money at Wegman's that we ought to. There is just so much more to chose from!

So, there are four ways we can start saving money. Aside from things like turning off the lights, turning down the heat, making lunch instead of buying and making coffee instead of buying. Things we do anyway.
Do you have any ideas on how to save extra money.

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