# The save $4 thread.



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I got inspired by reading www.mrmoneymustache.com

So, tonight I got to thinking how great it would be to save $4 a day every day. If I succeeded, I could save $120 a month, which would make a beautiful addition to my bank account.

So, today I gathered up the meat leftovers from the last week and I am simmering them on the stove. I usually have one meal of leftovers per week, but this week I will serve the leftover meat with something hearty so that I will stretch it into 2 meals of leftovers. I might serve the simmered meat over biscuits for tomorrows dinner. I would make the scratch kind of biscuits instead of the Bisquick kind. And, there is produce enough in the garden to balance out the meal. 

So that is $4 saved as I had intended to thaw a package of meat for tomorrow. Tomorrow I will have to think of something else. Possibly something utility connected: midsummer costs can run high.


----------



## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Keep us deformed as to your progress, OR NOT lol.


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

What abut you, Bill? Wanna save $120 this month to apply towards your next rebuilt tractor?


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Good morning!

I decided to raise the thermostat 3 degrees. Over time that will add up. And, instead of my weekly McDonalds breakfast ($2.60) I have decided a poached egg and a slice of that melon from my garden will do.

Bill? There is a carburator somewhere out there with your name on it: join me!


----------



## RideBarefoot (Jun 29, 2008)

Terri, thanks for the link, lots of great info!

I save at least $4 by riding the motorcycle rather than driving the truck- 45 mpg.

I need to implement better strategies on saving on the food bill, though. That's my biggest budget buster.


----------



## Nsoitgoes (Jan 31, 2016)

Well, every time I go to the store I spend more than I intend to, so if I only shop once per month I will save hundreds. LOL.

Seriously - this week I am going to make a new batch of soap (well, I haven't used store bought soap for years, but still...) I have just made a big batch of laundry detergent which saved me at least $15 or more, I made a home-made toner for my face - potential savings of a LOT, will probably make some more moisturizer tomorrow or later in the week - at least another $20 saved... 

I use the attic fan with all the windows open all morning most days instead of the a.c. and when the a.c is on I set it at78 - 80F and use the ceiling fans. If I feel too warm I spritz myself with water in which peppermint and spearmint leaves have been steeped.


----------



## oneraddad (Jul 20, 2010)

My total expenses per month besides food is only $350. I don't wanna scrimp on food so it'd be hard to cut $120 in a month. I already reuse/repurpose/live frugal and generally don't spend much. As soon as you figure out you don't have to spend all you make it gets easier.


----------



## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Quit using toilet paper. Yes, you read that correctly. Especially us women seem to use a ton of the stuff. It's expensive and takes up a lot of room to store. Swap over to using wet wipes and a sitz bottle. Wet wipes are much cheaper as it just takes one wet wipe per poo. Keep a sitz bottle full of water next to the toilet and just rinse after you tinkle. Bit like a low tech bidet. They do make a sprayer attachment to go onto your toilet plumbing if you have indoor plumbing.

It's been so long since I used toilet paper that I've forgotten how much the average woman uses in a day, but let's say 1/2 a regular roll. The only toilet paper I ever used was charmin...no matter how broke I was, you just don't scrimp on some things. If you are buying your charmin at Sam's in the big multi packs, which is the cheapest way I know to buy it...it's 48 giant rolls for $26.92 plus tax. 56 cents a roll....not bad. Since these are giant rolls I guess you might use 1/3 a day. So that is 19 cents a day.

I buy the member's mark brand bulk pack of wet wipes from Sam's. $17.86 plus tax for 10 packs of 100 or 1000 wipes. That is .017 cents per wipe...or round it up to 2 cents per wipe. An average adult will use 2-3 wipes per day. So that is a savings of 15 cents per day. Not as impressive as $4 per day, but it saves $54.75 per year. If there are several women in the house the savings will be a lot more per person. Something else it saves is space. It takes quite a bit of space to store a years worth of toilet paper. Wet wipes take up very little space.

Also, you get cleaner!! Saves your septic system as well since you throw wet wipes in the trash. 

I probably save hundreds on paper towels. I might use 1 1/2 rolls a year. I know folks that use that per week.

I use all homemade cleaning products and have for years as I'm very sensitive to chemicals. 

Pedestal fans move more air than ceiling fans and don't use much electricity. I have several and I'm able to set my A/C higher with them turned on. I'm swapping over to L.E.D. lights. They are brighter and don't create the heat that other types of bulbs do. Anything I can do to not heat up the house in the summer time is a plus.


----------



## Nsoitgoes (Jan 31, 2016)

I can't imagine how anyone can go through that much TP, TxMex. One roll lasts me somewhere around a couple of weeks, I guess. I have never actually timed it, but it seems to me that would be about right.


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Today I think I will put my mortgage payment on a credit card for the points, and of course pay the card off in full when the bill arrives.

I have never done this before, but some people say it works beautifully well.


----------



## mzgarden (Mar 16, 2012)

Not sure I can do $4 a day but you inspired me to ride the bus to work and back two days this week. Costs $6/day for the bus, but driving/parking costs $10 so that's two days of savings of $4. I'm gonna let this one roll around on my mind each day - great idea.


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Yesterday I was a terrible slacker: all I did was to not buy myself a soda while I was in town.

I am doing better today: I will be in town during my scheduled afternoon snack (diabetics snack in the afternoon), and so I made myself some scrambled egg and cheese in a tortilla to eat just before we leave: it is close enough time wise so it does not matter. That PLUS putting my mortgage on the CC sounds about right!


----------



## tamarackreg (Mar 13, 2006)

I make my lunch for work every day. Saves a bunch - plus it's healthier. 

There's soup in the cupboard at home, even a can and bowl in my tool box for when there's not enough time to make sandwiches.


----------



## RideBarefoot (Jun 29, 2008)

Terri said:


> Yesterday I was a terrible slacker: all I did was to not buy myself a soda while I was in town.


You saved the cost of the soda and benefited your health, win\win.

Thinking about how I'm going to save my $4 today- love this thread!


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I was really stuck for today's saving, until I remembered the sweet corn I had been trying to find time to get to. I will freeze it for later, and there are green beans in the garden I can freeze also. 

There is not a LOT to freeze as my garden is small, but there is more in the garden than we can eat right now and I think I can get a couple of pounds frozen for later.


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

We are going to the baseball game tonight, and prices will be sky-high! So, I now have a hidden $1 box of Mike n Ike in my purse. I will still want to buy a drink-and I will- but my usual sweet snack is covered. And, while I was in the store, they had sliced cheese on sale so I bought a package for sandwiches. That saved me $3.

The main message of Mr. Money Moustache is not to avoid fun but to avoid waste: I always have cheese around the house and I always want a sweet at a ball game. So, I basically bought what I would usually have, only I paid less.


----------



## roadless (Sep 9, 2006)

Everyday for maybe a year now , I would throw any change I had into a coffee can.
Today I took it to the bank and was pleasantly surprised to find I had $ 227!


----------



## Raeven (Oct 11, 2011)

I've been thinking on this for awhile, trying to come up with money-saving strategies that would add to this great thread! I guess I've cut about as much as I'm willing to cut, because the only things I can come up with are things I'm not willing to give up. I already do a lot of what people have listed. I sure admire all of you who come up with new ideas, though, and I'll keep reading this thread for helpful hints. 

Some things I've done in the past that cut costs and were relatively painless:

I haul my own trash instead of indulging in trash pick up. They used to charge $32/month for that and I had to rabbit my (nearly empty) trash cans up to the end of the driveway every week. When they stopped taking glass to recycle, that was the last straw. Now I head to the recycling/transfer station about every 8-10 months for $12/load. Over 8 months, that saves $244.

When I have to go to town, I run every errand I can think of. Once a week, a friend of mine and I have a standing date for a walk and breakfast after. I could make breakfast for much less money, but this is one of those indulgences I'm not willing to give up. But while I'm in town, that's the day I do all my errands. Saves a bunch on gas.

I keep lists of everything I need around here so I never waste a trip to any store. Same with anything I order online. I usually have 3-4 smaller items I want to order, but I wait until I can order enough stuff to meet minimum free shipping requirements. Saves a few bucks every few months.

I recently reviewed my auto insurance needs and made some significant changes. Somewhere over the past 12 years, my "new" car turned into an "old" car, so I dumped the collision coverage. Also dropped my truck from full-time coverage. I only drive it a few times a year (usually to the recycling/transfer station!), and I can call my agent to temporarily transfer coverage to that vehicle when I need it. These changes cut my auto insurance bill in half.

*roadless*, I like the spare change savings plan, too. I've been pleasantly surprised every time I cash it in -- it adds up fast!

*Terri*, I use the credit card trick for everything *except* the mortgage... but why not for the mortgage, also, as you point out? I'm going to see if I can do that, too!


----------



## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

God willing I close on this house Friday, I am going to quit smoking.
That will save me 24.00 a week.
Maybe I will cut that 100.00 check into my IRA?


----------



## tamarackreg (Mar 13, 2006)

Laura Zone 5 said:


> God willing I close on this house Friday,* I am going to quit smoking*.
> That will save me 24.00 a week.
> Maybe I will cut that 100.00 check into my IRA?


Good luck with the closing and keep us posted on the quitting smoking!


----------



## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

No way can I save $4 a day. Not even per week. I am going to try to save 4 to 5 dollars a month on milk. Cheaper in the city. Go to city anyway. My budget is tight.


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Money is still money: I discovered years ago that the difference between feeling poor and only feeling temporarily broke is $1 in my pocket. So whether a person saves $4 a day or a month it is still great for a person's outlook on life! (And the cash can be useful also)


----------



## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

I don't know how I can save because I've had to spend a lot of money this year between the place in the city and country and still spending. I got the painter coming tomorrow and then the guy for the floors. then the countertop guys next Monday. 

except for this stuff I'm like Rae. frugal anyway. the only thing I could save on is my books. but I'm a voracious reader and can't give that up. I never buy new though. always at the used book store. next year will be a lot easier to save. I do like good food though! and my wine!one thing I don't intend to give up is my TP. they'll have to pry it from my dead cold hands! ~Georgia


----------



## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

I thought of something else. I do so many of these things automatically and have for so long that I no longer think about it. I take vitamins and herbs. I have a little device where I can make my own capsules. One example would be ginger and turmeric. Both of these are very cheap to buy good quality in bulk at the health food store, but if you buy the capsules already made up in a bottle they are $20-30 for a months supply....each. 

Some of the ingredients I can raise and process here at the farm, but some I am better off buying. I take marshmallow root capsules for UTI's. The health food store was out of the powdered stuff one time, but had the root shreds. I thought....no problem, I'll just take them home and powder them in the vitamix. Wrong! I don't know what magical process they use to make a powder out of it, but I'm not capable of doing it at home. Also, for the price I can buy a pound of marshmallow root powder at the store....I am better off spending my time in some other pursuit and buying the powder.

I probably save $200 a month at least by making my own capsules....probably quite a bit more.

Something I am going to start doing....just as soon as I find the box my dehydrator is packed in...is to start drying and powdering veggie scraps. You can dry and powder the tops from green onions, the tough ends off of asparagus, the ends off celery stalks, the tops of carrots, any veggies you can't quite use before they go bad. I'm going to get quite a bit more aggressive about drying and using things I normally scrap. Besides being great to add to smoothies, soups and cassaroles, I can see this making a wonderful hot drink in the winter.

Buy a Prius! I can't fit $20 in my tank even when empty and it goes forever! I drove down to Mexico winter before last and I think it cost me about $60 each way. The tolls were more than what I paid in gas. I've hauled beehives in my Prius. I use it for all that I can because of the amazing gas mileage. Sure do wish it could tow a trailer!

I have no trouble saving on the little day to day things. It's the big things that I can't seem to do much about that are killing me like insurance, vehicle repairs, taxes and house repairs.


----------



## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

Georgia you are investing money into your property.


----------



## tamarackreg (Mar 13, 2006)

I save a lot of dough and live better by buying (out of homegrown right now) a nice steak to grill at home rather than going to a restaurant for a weekend treat.

Recently I've discovered pork steak which is much cheaper than beef, yet just as tasty - maybe more so. 

$1.49/lb. freshly butchered at the local meat market, sliced 1/2", 3/4" or 1" thick.


----------



## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

I don't know why that is but the pork steak is less expensive and much more tasty than the chop in my opinion. 

I guess you're right Colorado I'm investing in my property. both places actually. my son is out at the country going at it steady. putting floors in sheds. etc. etc. lumber is not the cheapest either. especially pressure treated. I'm buying plants and soil to get the garden back close to the way it was.

there's only so many hours in the day so I have hired out the painting here in the city. at least 1 bedroom and the living room. the guy was just here. he's going to do the bedroom first because that's where I'm putting my brother in a couple weeks so I want that out of the way. then he'll start at the living room,foyer etc. all trim,ceilings and also patching nail holes. that will be 450dollars which I wouldn't quibble at for sure that's with him getting the paint. if I survive moving all that stuff back and forth he will do downstairs for me. 

in the meantime I have the countertops and floor in the kitchen. that will be done between the 23rd and 25th of this month. that was 5000. so I guess it is an investment. I don't mind taking everything from the cupboards and walls etc but when it comes to putting it back is what I can't stand. i'll get it done eventually though. i'll try to remember pics. before and after. ~Georgia


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Yesterday I saved nothing, zip, nada. Yesterday I bought glasses and they cost $625.

I really WISH I dared buy them at K-mart, but in the past such inexpensive shops have resulted in multiple trips back with statements like "I see double" and "I cannot wear these they make my eyes tired". Mind, I have never actually TRIED K-Mart, but I have tried similar shops

And I am dependent on my glasses, which are pretty darned thick even though they have featherlight lenses

Ah, well, today is another day and I have no idea what I will do to save money: perhaps I will browse "Tightwad tips", here: http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/tightwad-tips-frugal-living-archive/


----------



## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

4 dollars is q lot to try save per day. I am single person. Even beams are not cheap. But some of these ethnic dishes are very good


----------



## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

oneraddad said:


> . As soon as you figure out you don't have to spend all you make it gets easier.


Amen! That's a lesson my 73 year old brother never learned.


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Tomorrow I will be too busy to cook, so today I cooked enough BBQ pork for 2 days. That way I will not have to buy fast food. That probably covers yesterday when I did not save any money, today, and tomorrow.


----------



## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

Thursday trips is where some money goes. But only thing I do. I make and take my cold drink with me, I drink water at the meal. Meals are my cost.


----------



## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

where do you eat Colorado that your meals cost so much. I always take my cooler with everything I need. there's picnic tables all over. even when we stayed at motels we had our sandwich maker,kettle, home made bread.cheese and whatnot. I have a large bag packed solely for when I go to motels .never ate at the motel restaurant. I'm going on a daytrip next week and i'll take my camp stove etc. you probably have someone with you though and have to eat where they do. ~Georgia


----------



## oneraddad (Jul 20, 2010)

New BBQ, new dryer and new crib/bedding for my new granddaughter has blown my budget this week.


----------



## roadless (Sep 9, 2006)

Congratulations oneraddad!


----------



## oneraddad (Jul 20, 2010)

Thank you Roadless, she's not here yet, but we're all sitting next to our phones waiting for the text. They spent a few hours at the hospital yesterday but were sent home.


----------



## oneraddad (Jul 20, 2010)

double post


----------



## Terri (May 10, 2002)

oneraddad said:


> New BBQ, new dryer and new crib/bedding for my new granddaughter has blown my budget this week.


WOW! 

Being able to buy fun stuff like cribs for granddaughters is a FINE reason to budget the rest of the time!

Congratulations! :banana: :banana::drum::banana::banana:


----------



## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

Newfiannie We eat at resturants . I go to cities on senior bus. Not like having a car. We haul back groceries and shopping. It gets packed full. Yes I could pack Sandwich and eat on bus by my self. Cheaper than driving to city which I can not. 180 miles round trip this week. Vernal is bit closer.


----------



## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

oh I see Colorado. you travel by bus. I don't know why I assumed you went by car with your family where you could take what you needed. you have no choice. there's only so much you can lug around on a bus. 

I took a tour on a bus one year(only time I was ever on a bus) had to follow their itinerary and eat at designated restaurants. food was terrible. I don't know what it cost because the food was included in the price. once in awhile I drop into Mcdonalds and grab a fish fillet but that's it for restaurants. ~Georgia


----------



## frogmammy (Dec 8, 2004)

I have found a house I like, much closer to my daughter (340 miles closer!). She has examined the house, gives it a "go" and I am going to try to go take a look this next week. It's on an acre at the edge of a VERY small town. My dogs will LOVE the room to run, and I will have room for a SMALL garden, too!

So, I have to make repairs here on this house, or mostly, HIRE them made...cringing at the thought of what it will cost! Still, it's mostly piddly little things, and with any luck, will make enough on this to pay for the new place. THEN I'll be able to save some $$$$!

Mon


----------



## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

happy for you FM. is that closer to me or further away? i'm hoping some day you and I will meet. I found handymen on kijiji to do a lot of my stuff. much less expensive than the big companies around here. my son gets livid about that but it's just a small city and those people have worked here for 20,30 years. everybody around here almost advertises on kijiji now. even the large companies.course you wouldn't want to do it in a very large city I guess. ~Georgia


----------



## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

At least 95% of time I go9 on bus Son and DIL take m e a few times. Senior bua will take us out mountains Tues for trip and picnic lunch. Thrus we go to city over east. They do a few extra trips in summer,


----------



## frogmammy (Dec 8, 2004)

Georgia, it is further west, pretty near the KS/OK border. I'd had hopes of getting to meet you this last spring, had signed up to go caravan with a group to Labrador and figured when I split off from the group to head home, I'd try to see you. Unfortunately, bad back and hip prevented the trip. Hope springs eternal...if not this year,maybe next, if not that, then the next!

Mon


----------

