[Farmgirl22]

I thought since everyone seems to be losing their benefits at work and have to pay for more stuff out of pocket that we should pass on whatever little tips we had that could save someone some dough. I'll start with a couple of my own tried and true tips...Note: I have no intention of replacing your items if something happens when you follow my advice (nothing should happen, but ALWAYS take care if you are doing something to a family heirloom, just as you always should).

Leather care: Cheap vegetable oil and a paintbrush will condition your leather during the winter months. Lexol Leather conditioner is the best but it's expensive, so I put on two coats of vegetable oil (once per day) and then the next day, I put on one coat of lexol. It conditions the leather, and you only have to use a fraction of the lexol you would normally need. If you are using it on lighter colored leather, IT WILL DARKEN IT!! So if you want to keep your leather that super light tan, don't use the vegetable oil!! Also, keep in mind this is more for your thick leathers...boots, saddles, etc., I have no idea what it would do on a leather jacket or sofa or anything like that.

Silver Polish: Cheap toothpaste...the cheaper the better and a rag (or a toothbrush if it has designs in the metal.) You can rinse it off if you want, but it's not required...however, I would recommend it on silverware!! LOL!!

Well, those are all I can think of for now...hopefully someone will have more to add!

[WarC]

My advice: Don't use credit cards.

[knight_47]

The Best Time to Buy Everything:

http://www.smartmoney.com/dealofthed...060905&pgnum=2

[Skivvywaver]

Replace all of your incandescent light bulbs with the florescent replacements. They take a little getting used to but they save some heavy cash on the electric bill.

Turn off your computers if you are going to be away from them for more than an hour or two.

Turn your furnace down a couple of degrees. Instead of 72' I run mine at 70'. In the summer, run your AC at 74' vs 72'.

Combine trips if possible. I never go out of the house to do just one thing if I can help it. I try to save up and kill 2 or 3 things with one trip.

Buy all the stuff you use when it is on sale. Not always possible but when it is, stock up if you can.

This one was very hard for me to implement. Turn off the lights when you leave the room if they are incandescent or screw in incandescent replacement florescents. Ballast started florescent lights are cheaper to run for and hour that they are to start up.

Do not stand with the refrigerator door open (this one is still hard for me). Know what you want and get it out. Shut the door.

Turn down the water heater. You are going to mix cold water with the hot when you shower anyway. Why heat water just to cool it back down? This is also handy for keeping the kids from taking half hour showers. They are out of hot water way before that.

Open the drapes in the winter and let the sun in, close them in the summer to keep the sun out. Close them at night in the winter. They are a source of insulation.

Ceiling fans. I can't say enough about them. In the winter I use mine pulling up, in the summer I use them blowing down for the cooling effect.

Yell at the kids for opening the door and holding it open to talk to their friends. "In or out".

I have had to learn to cut corners. We had a 70% hike in electricity this summer. My bill is lower than it was before the hike.

I have more and most of what I posted is just saving on home energy and gasoline with a few bucks at the grocers. I will post back when I think of more of my cheapskate tricks.

[knight_47]

Originally Posted by Skivvywaver

Yell at the kids for opening the door and holding it open to talk to their friends. "In or out".

I hate when my mom does that!

[Stoner]

Doing your own haircuts........................


seriously ..................

[Blackmirror]

Stay indoors saves loads of money....

[Bush Lady]

Don't use the dryer to dry your laundry. In the summer I hang the clothes outside. In the winter I use the basement. And because we have a wood stove now the basement is cooler than it used to be when we were using the furnace. So it takes almost a week to dry the laundry.

And for us heating with wood is cheaper than heating with oil.

Instead of having a big lawn, put a garden in. It is hard to get started, you won't have much the first year. But you have to be patient.

Get rid of that air conditioning. It is hot up here too, in the summer. We just use ceiling fans in the bedrooms at night.

Say away from those restaurants and fast food outlets.

[poochee]

Never buy paper goods unless they are on sale.

Buy vitamins at a store like Walmart.

I always look for sales and stock up on items I use a lot and keep a supply of them on hand.

[Couriant]

For a monetary tip:

Create a new account, whether if it's a checking or savings account. Then decide on how much of your income that you get weekly/bi-weekly/monthly or even on the spot that you will put into it. The % will be taken out of the income before anything else. The minimum you can put in is 10% Obviously make sure that not make the remaining amount be less than your bills. If that's the case, then you will need to reevaluate your lifestyle/bills and see what can be reduced / not needed.

So for my example: My wife and I get about $1,500 bi-weekly after taxes (I'm a student so I don't work that much ). With 10%, that would be $150 in the account bi-weekly, $300 monthly, which leaves us with $1,350 bi weekly.
Within a year, we would have $1,800 in the account. Not bad huh? Don't forget that you can put in more money after if you have surplus

[knight_47]

Originally Posted by Stoner

Doing your own haircuts........................


seriously ..................

yea it does

http://www.knight47.com/haircut.htm

[silentpurrr]

Not sure how many this would apply to, but get up 15 min earlier and make your own coffee. May seem like a little change but stopping every morning for that one cup adds up.

The new laundry detergents to wash in cold water actually do help and it will show in the bills.

Take a look at how much time you do watch cable tv, you can adjust packages and plans and be persistant with the companies about asking what they have to offer. They like all other companies push more expensive plans first.

[Guyzer]

Originally Posted by Stoner

Doing your own haircuts........................


seriously ..................

Been doing them myself for years. Saves 15 clams every two weeks. I must confess that I cheat a bit and get Mrs. Wimpy to trim my neck and clean it up. She's not allowed to touch the beard though... well not with a cutting tool.

[GoneForNow]

Don't buy cars from Wimpy. You'll save a ton of money.

[Guyzer]

Originally Posted by gbrumb

Don't buy cars from Wimpy. You'll save a ton of money.

I see you haven't lost your sense of humor.