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What’s your trick to cut down your household expenses?
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amother
Pewter


 

Post Wed, Dec 12 2018, 6:57 am
Making one comprehensive grocery list REALLY saves us money.
I do go to another store for cheaper chickens and meats and stock up approx. once a month.
Clothing: gap, old navy ect always have different coupon codes-you just need to check!
Shoprite/Stop n Shop are really great with sale items-look at the circular. In January, Shoprite tends to have really crazy deals... I stock up on things for a couple of months at that time.
I stopped dry cleaning besides for dh suit as needed, and a couple of my Shabbos things that I only wear to a Simcha ect.
Buy cheap deli for a great, filling supper. Serve with wraps.
Buy family packages of chicken, chopped meat ect. It really comes out cheaper, you can divide and freeze or cook it fresh and then freeze in family friendly portions.
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amother
Pewter


 

Post Wed, Dec 12 2018, 6:57 am
Use leftovers!
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southernbubby




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 12 2018, 7:31 am
Avoid waste.

Also ask yourself how many of your purchases occurred due to being influenced by advertising, pushy salespeople, peer pressure, or jealousy.
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etky




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 12 2018, 7:53 am
LittleDucky wrote:
I have mentioned this before: COUPON. Yes, I use paper and digital coupons and have saved the most that way (know your rules, 1 manufacturer coupon per item even in different forms). But it can be as simple as a few clicks on your phone: There are many major chain grocery stores that have apps today with digital coupons. Just sign up with your grocery card and click coupons. Obviously don't buy something just because you have a coupon on it. But if you were buying it anyways... coupon away!

Start to notice what are "normal prices" and "sale prices". Sales happen on about a 6-10 week cycle at major stores. But every so often you get those "cheapest ever" prices. When something is at the lowest ever price buy a few extra, depending on your family's usage of it.

Shop around at different stores. A local dollar store has some great items that I don't need "highest quality" like party decorations or other "use once" items.
Don't be afraid to try store brand items. I was a loyal "only name brand diapers" after a bad experience once. I happened to find cheap store brand once and that is my go-to unless I found a really good deal. Some things it doesn't pay to buy store brands but the only way to know is to try it once! Or find a friend who has tried it, see if you can swap diapers to try out on your kid!
I don't buy paper towels unless I am frying a ton. I bought a package of cloths years ago for cleaning and have been washing ever since! Eventually I will have to replace but not for a while. I love to think how much money I would have spent on paper towels.

I also look to see what is "needed" and what is a "want". Buying coffee, takeout, or even pre-prepped items (like the cut squash or frozen spice cubes) is all a want. See how often you buy those extra "wants". For instance, while I would love the frozen spice cubes, I wash basil and it is so much cheaper! Or wash cilantro for my soup and freeze half the bunch for next time (since it is going in soup anyways...).

Turn off lights when not in use. Wash full loads of laundry. Full loads in dishwasher. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth (even if you don't pay for water, it is still a huge waste!!).


Great tips. Just wanted to add re the spice cubes that I do buy them to keep in the freezer to have on hand for emergencies when I don't have the fresh herbs when I need them. I find they're one of those conveniences that are worth the money. Otherwise, like you, I use fresh herbs and freeze what I don't use up in zip locks. Great for soup or other cooked dishes.
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ectomorph




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 12 2018, 8:12 am
Every family is different. You need to figure out what works for up
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amother
Floralwhite


 

Post Wed, Dec 12 2018, 8:25 am
Don't look at deals websites if you're the type to be pulled in to buy things on sale even if you don't need it and may regret buying it later.
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DVOM




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 12 2018, 9:16 am
Our money-saving strategies:

- We wear handmedowns almost exclusively. Some I get from a friend (HI!!) and some I buy from second hand and thrift stores.

-We buy almost everything we need for our home second hand. Almost all our furniture is second hand.

- We eat very simply. Lots of eggs, veggie soups, whole grains. We drink only water (lately, because it's important to my two oldest kids, we've been buying one bottle of soda for Shabbos. When it's finished, it's water or milk till next Shabbos.) We buy very little prepared foods.

- We keep the heat down. Everyone has fleece footsie pj's and extra blankets. We wear slippers and sweaters if we need to.

- We make our own fun. We rarely spend money on outings that cost money. As my kids get older I see that it's important to them to go to some of the places that their friends talk about in school, so we will do this on occasion, but it's not the norm.

- We don't have any cleaning help. My boys help out with the cleaning and I am a naturally clean and organized person, so the cleaning doesn't feel like too much of a burden.
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amother
Cerise


 

Post Wed, Dec 12 2018, 9:43 am
Doesn't work for everyone because they might not be using it to begin with, but we stopped using our dryer, except for emergencies.
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Rena K




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 12 2018, 9:48 am
The secret to my family's budgeting finesse is AKIMBO. It's a budgeting debit card that works like cash, just without the inconvenience of messy bills.

With the AKIMBO debit card, you set the budget, for example $250 per week on groceries. Then the $250 gets posted to the card automatically each week and you get a text message that you have $250 available to spend. Every time you use your card at a store, you get the text message telling you how much you spent and how much you have left! It really makes it super easy to track, and it's fun too! We consider it like some sort of game... if we make it to Friday with money left over, we use it to buy an extra Shabbas treat!

Before AKIMBO we tried to keep the spending down, but we didn't have time to keep checking in, and we always accidentally went over budget.
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anon for this




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 12 2018, 9:50 am
amother wrote:
Doesn't work for everyone because they might not be using it to begin with, but we stopped using our dryer, except for emergencies.


I try not to dry most clothing, except for underwear and socks, to keep any stains I missed from setting in the heat.

When I hang-dry towels they get stiff and are unpleasant to use. So I put the dry towels in the dryer along with whatever I'm drying. The wet items dry faster and towels come out soft.
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amother
White


 

Post Wed, Dec 12 2018, 10:45 am
wow, I'm impressed. some of you are really thrifty and creative. Some of the tips were great. However, we do not know where op is coming from and how much she is willing to cut. Not everyone looks at a dryer as a luxury.
According to the replies I look at saving money as a mindset thing. And it's not easy for people who live in big communities with peer pressure and high social norms to wear handme downs and eat only bread and water. It takes a lot of courage and strength to change that.
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Bsimcha




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 12 2018, 2:15 pm
amother wrote:
wow, I'm impressed. some of you are really thrifty and creative. Some of the tips were great. However, we do not know where op is coming from and how much she is willing to cut. Not everyone looks at a dryer as a luxury.
According to the replies I look at saving money as a mindset thing. And it's not easy for people who live in big communities with peer pressure and high social norms to wear handme downs and eat only bread and water. It takes a lot of courage and strength to change that.


And if your income is too low to keep up with the Cohens, then you need to find alternatives.

Some are thrifty in order to save money, some do it as they have a hard time with the amount of waste everywhere. Some do it as there are no options in order to survive.

There are many that don't care about social norms and peer pressure despite living in Brooklyn.
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amother
Babypink


 

Post Thu, Dec 13 2018, 4:27 am
It really does depend on the family. A family with 7 kids and 2 working parents most probably needs the dryer. Also if you don't have a spare room to hang out all the laundry.. you need it.

We save a lot with coupons. Sometimes you can get things completely for free.
We saved tons of money on furniture by building it ourselves. We rented or borrowed the machines we needed, my husband built our kitchen, the beds, wardrobes, tables, cupboards and nightstands himself. He watched loads of YouTube videos about it and I must say I was surprised at how beautiful everything turned out. So our kitchen (without fridge, sink and oven) cost 100 euros. 5 beds with headboards were 300 euros. The tables were maybe 30 each. So it was cheaper than Ikea in the end.
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