Money Saving Tips

I may not be all that domestic, but one area where I excel is saving money. You might say I'm an extremely good steward. I'm not one of those hard core people that can live on a penny for a year or stuff like that, but for an average American I do way above average. My goal is to become an even better steward and I'm taking baby steps in that direction. These are some of my steps and tips:

1. My friend, Marybeth, and her husband, Curt, have written a timely book called Learning to Live Financially Free. In addition, they just started a blog to go along with it. You can check it out here. Getting a financial education is a great place to start being a better steward.

2. Wash dishes by hand. Yep, I keep a big old ugly dish drainer on the counter beside my sink and I use it all the time for pots, pans, and odd dishes that can't go in the dishwasher. I also like to alternate washing everything by hand with using the dishwasher.

3. If you have a teenager like my daughter who likes to stay in the shower until the hot water heater is completely drained, it's time to get a timer. We limit her to ten minute showers and the rest of us actually get to take a hot one from time to time!

4. Use powdered milk in recipes. I buy a big box of powdered milk to keep on hand. At first, I thought it might alter the taste of the recipes, but I've never really noticed a difference in most things.

5. Make sun tea. This is so cost effective and it tastes so good!

6. Use leftover or already used papers as scrap papers. I admit I just started doing this recently. I used to throw away any paper that wasn't needed anymore without considering that it was blank on the other side. I noticed that some moms and kids at co-op were printing assignments on paper that had other stuff on the back (not personal stuff obviously). It took me a while to get used to it since I have perfectionistic tendencies, especially where writing is concerned, but now I keep a pile on my desk for scribbling phone messages and such.

7. Drip dry clothes. I have two of those folding drying racks. I wish I had a clothesline, but maybe that will come later. I dry a lot of clothes on these racks, especially things that might shrink. In summer I put them on the deck in the sunshine. In winter I put them over a heating vent or if I'm in a hurry I'll put one under a ceiling fan.

8. Keep a soup container in the freezer. Anytime you have a bit of leftover this or that, add it to the container. When you make the next pot of soup include these goodies.

9. Remove clothes promptly from the dryer. I live in an old house and my washer and dryer are in the utility room outside which makes it a little challenging to hear the dryer when it buzzes, but it's best to fold clothes right when they finish. This way you don't have to use that "freshen up" cycle that gets rid of wrinkles, but uses electricity.

10. Clean the shower with baking soda each day as you shower. I did this faithfully for a while and really need to get back in the habit. It saves on cleaning supplies and time. I keep baking soda in a plastic bin and a sponge in the shower and when I finish bathing I scrub a portion of the shower and do another portion the next day and so on.

11. Grow a vegetable/herb garden. I'm a brown thumb, but even I have been able to master the Square Foot Garden. If you don't know about these gardens you can google the book of the same name. I found it at the library.

12. Make a menu and grocery list and stick to it. I'm a big coupon clipper, but I think the very best way to save money is to have a plan and stick with it. Believe it or not, you can spend too much money even using coupons if you're perpetually buying stuff you don't need just because it's a good deal. On the other hand, if you have money to spare you can get those items and donate them to others.

13. Make simple meals. Not only is this a money-saver, but you also save time and energy expended on grocery shopping, and simple meals tend to be the healthiest.

14. When you have spare cash or squirrel money, challenge yourself to see how long you can hold onto it without spending it. Think of it as a game. This forces you to think outside the box, to do without, to postpone fulfillment, and to believe God for what you need.

15. If you're a big coupon clipper with a fancy schmancy notebook with categorized coupons, don't do what I did this week. Don't walk out of the store and leave your coupon book there by accident a few days before the triple coupon sale!! I'm sure I made somebody reeeaaaalllly happy.

I'll share more tips from time to time. If you have any you'd like to add please do so in the comments section. Happy saving!