Straightforward Ways To Save Money

It is been way too long since our last Save It post (like this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, and this one to name a few), so the other night I was thinking about a few things that we simply do not buy, and how going without those things likely adds up to saving a decent amount of cash-money.

And it does not feel particularly martyr-ish of us – it is normal and straightforward after years of living this way. So it feels less like “going without” and more like “streamlining and simplifying.” We have mentioned a few of these things over the years, but I realized there were others that I never truly thought about (or blogged about) so here is a big ol’ brain dump of all the things that we typically skip.

• Meat three or four nights a week: Some nights we simply opt for spaghetti, bean burritos, vegetable stir fry, homemade pizza, nachos, sweet potatoes and salad, etc.
• Fabric softener: We use vinegar sometimes, but most times it is simply nothing. We do not notice a difference!
• Dusting spray: We both grew up with Pledge, but now we simply use microfiber cloths and water.
• Regular dry cleaning: All of our clothes are machine or hand washable so we only do one trip per year for a few coats/blazers instead of monthly trips.
• Dog grooming: Burger’s short haired, so we simply bathe him at home and cut his nails ourselves and we are good.
• Newspaper: We get our news online (nearly every newspaper has an online format now) and on the radio (NPR).
• Bottled water: We have a water filter and use Klean Kanteens that we refill ourselves.
• Starbucks: In the past year or so I have become a chai lover – and it is $3.99 to make seven cups from this grocery store box, as opposed to that price for one cup at Starbucks. So I save that for special occasions and make a cup at home every morning instead.
• Bag-checking fees: Even when we have flown with a dog or a kid, we have in fact never paid to check a single bag (we are nerds for the challenge of packing light).

• Gel, hairspray, mousse, or serum: I have not picked up that stuff since college. I am simply a wash and wear girl – plus I tend to break out a lot from hair stuff, so this is for vanity as well as saving money.
• Lipstick: It is not my bag baby, so I use what is in this makeup tote and nothing more (not buying 20 shades of eye shadow certainly keeps money in my pocket too).
• Creams and self tanners: I am pale and totally cool with it – plus my mom looks excellent for her age and does not use any fancy potions or creams, so I am hoping to follow in her glamorous grandma footsteps.
• Perfume: I like the smell of my shampoo (John does not wear cologne either).
• Haircuts & colors: Perhaps once every two years I get a $35 cut, but other than that I simply trim it myself. And of course cutting John’s hair saves us money too.
• Regular manicures and pedicures: I go about once a year with a friend (and typically hit up Starbucks while I am splurging) but other than that I do my own toes at home and typically leave my fingers bare.

• Gym membership for me: It is simply not my thing, but John loves his.
• Alcohol: John has simply never been a drinker and I might drink a bottle of wine a year at home (although most years it is a gift from some sweet house guest) so it is not a monthly expense for us.
• Disposable diapers: More on that here.
• Diaper bag: I never got one, simply used a purse and kept extra stuff in the car.
• Incandescent bulbs: Using CFLs and LEDs in the bulk of our fixtures adds up to a lot of money saved. We’d enjoy to eventually go all LED in our house, but it is not exactly a low-cost switch, so we are trying to chip away at distinct rooms over time.
• A second car: This one certainly does not works for everyone, but since I have been freelancing from home for the past seven years it is no big deal to have one car (and it saves us the cost of a car, the gas, the maintenance, and the insurance).

Best of all, saving in some areas allows us to more easily afford other things that are more essential to our family, like project materials, organic produce, cable TV, and ceramic animals. Guess it is all one big balancing act right? I’d enjoy to hear your “skip it” list! And this is a no judgement zone. You might ENJOY to get your hair dyed but can resist giant dangly earrings when I cannot (I may or may not have over a dozen of those in my night table).

Psst- You can peruse over 30 money-saving posts of yore here.