How to survive a recession save on almost everything

Photo by Quandaries

Several days ago I was complaining about the high prices on just about everything lately. Recession or no recession, it’s getting harder to afford even the basics. I have compiled a list that anyone can incorporate into their lifestyle with very little effort. The payoff can be enormous if you implement just a few of the strategies from the list.

Save Money at Grocery Store
-Buy your produce at a farm stand.
-Never buy soda, coffee, or other beverages when you dine out. Their markups are obscene.
-Always shop with a grocery list.
-Only take advantage of sales on things that you would normally purchase.
-Shop once a month at the most.
-Keep a price binder handy, and track items by their unit of cost.
-Stock up on staples when their prices are at their lowest.
-Buy generic whenever possible.
-Plan daily meals around items that are on sale that week.
-Ask for a raincheck if store is sold out of a sale item that you want.
-Buy sale items in quantity to last at least 12 weeks. That’s the average that sales on those items take to repeat.
-Shop at discount stores: Walmart,CVS, The Dollar Store, etc.
-Take advantage of double coupons.
-Keep an eye out for deals on things that your family and friends need, and have them reciprocate.
-Save Money on Eating
-Eat less meat.
-Become a vegan.
-Eat leftovers.
-Cook hefty amounts, and freeze the extras.
-Scour out food jars, and add a little water to the ketchup bottle when it’s almost empty.
-Avoid pre-packaged meals, and cook from scratch.
-Never dine out.
-Bring lunch from home.
-Eat less food. As Americans we eat too much. (Eat until you are 80% full)
-Avoid the vending machines at your place of employment.
-Get creative with the leftovers.
-Plan most of your meals around rice or beans, and less on meat.
-Shop at Sam’s (think about saving $$$ and all those free samples)
-Drink water, not soda.
-Make your own applesauce, pudding, or Jell-O for snacks and lunches.
-If your children criticize generic cereal, place the generics in a name-brand box. They’ll never know!
-Use Angel Food Ministries if one is near you.
-Raise your own chickens, and grow your own garden.
-Make your own baby food.
-Take a bottle of water, and a snack wherever you go. That way you won’t stop for expensive drinks at fast food outlets.
-Dehydrate, can, and freeze your own produce.
-Use a Crockpot / convection oven.

Save Money on automobiles
-Run your household tasks once a week, and take the shortest route.
-Walk.
-Stay at home, and turn it into a sanctuary.
-Keep tires properly inflated.
-Avoid sudden stops or accelerations.
-Carpool.
-Ride a bike.
-Purchase a diesel engine car.
-Coast up to a red light, instead of braking. I double my gas mileage by Hypermiling everyday. -Use the public transportation system.
-Try to survive with a single car.
-Drive your car until it’s no longer drivable, or cost effective to repair.
-Follow your car’s maintenance schedule to maximize its life.
-Turn your car off at long lights.
-Coast whenever you have the chance.
-Limit stop and go driving.
-On a long trip, use the cruise control, and do the speed limit.
-Challenge yourself to see how far you can go on a single tank of gas.
-Use a discount card to buy gas. Grocery stores such as Costco offer them.
-Fill-up your car in the morning when gas is dense and the air is cooler, you’ll get more fuel, and less air.
-Fill up your vehicle when your tank is half full.
-Shop around for the best price on auto insurance.

Save Money on Household Utilities
-Turn off every electrical item at the plug when not in use. Attaching everything to power strips makes this task easier.
-Keep the lights off when not needed.
-Hang clothes outside when it’s warm, and sunny.
-Dry garments by setting dryer racks over your heater vents.
-Air dry dishes after sending them through the dishwasher.
-Cancel your cable television, and if you cannot, then get the basic package, and rent your movies online.
-Watch free movies at Hulu.com
-Limit hot water use in the summertime.
-Use CFL bulbs.
-Turning down the thermostat (or better yet turning it off) can save you $$$.
-Open windows on warm nights to cool off the house, and use fans, placing them strategically to maximize airflow.
-Get rid of your land line (Use a cell)
-Take shorter showers.
-When shaving fill the sink with enough water to wet your razor then turn off the faucet.
-Insulate water pipes.
-Install water-saving showerheads and aerators on all water faucets.
-Limit use of the electric garage door opener.
-Split the cost of wireless Internet with your neighbors.
-Turn off the PC when you’re not using it, and save 5 watts an hour.
-Use nightlights.
-Keep a freezer full. Placing bottles with water in the freezer causes it to use less energy to cool.
-Shut off the water running when brushing teeth, and rinsing dishes.
-Have your young children shower with you.

Save Money on Medical Bills
-Using a flexible spending account allows you to pay out-of-pocket medical expenses with your pre-tax dollars.
-Bring a list of generic medicines to your next Doctors visit and ask him or her to prescribe generic medications for you.
-Buy generic medication at all of the major discount stores. They all carry generic medications available for $4.

Saving Money on Clothes
-Limit trendiness, and clothes shopping.
-Buy from thrift stores and garage sales. -Buy your clothes online
-Learn how to patch and sew.

Save Money at Home
-Use half of a dishwasher tab at a time.
-Use rechargeable batteries, and save big $$$.
-Do regular home repairs. If you keep things in first-class working order, they last much longer.
-Accept hand-me-downs. You can donate them if you can’t use them.
-Re-use plastic grocery bags as shoe bags, lunch bags, and laundry bags when you go on vacation.
-Wash and re-use your Ziploc bags.
-Use water from cooking to water your plants.
-Sell items that you haven’t used at a garage sale or on EBay.
-Share the rent with roommates.
-Flush the toilet only after 2 or three uses.
-Use kitchen rags as a substitute for paper towels.
-Save Money on Entertaining
-Cancel your magazine subscriptions.
-Use the library for books.
-Read the news online.
-Prepare special dinners at home, rather than dining out.
-Eat out maybe once, or twice a month.
-Split an entree with someone when dining out.
-The best entertainment is free: City concerts, board games, and Hiking.
-Order from the dollar menu when dining out.
-Have a picnic.
-Get a state tourism guide to find free, and low cost entertainment..
-If you find that you visit someplace a lot such as an amusement park or a zoo, buy a season pass.
-Entertain at home.
-Trade babysitting with friends, who also need a babysitter.
-Save Money on Miscellaneous items
-Get haircuts every 10 weeks, instead of every 4 weeks.
-Learn how to cut your own hair.
-Do your own manicuring.
-Shop for Christmas gifts out of season.
-Once a month, sell something you never use.
-Collect your spare change, and deposit it in a bank account.
-Throw away 50 things. It costs less to maintain.
-Turn off the TV, and say no to consumerism.
-Get rid of the TV. (Yes you will survive, and get more out of your life.)
-Enter contests online using a throwaway Email address.
-If you get a salary increase, pay off your debts with it. Don’t go into further debt.
-Use a fee free credit card with rewards. Charge everything on it to get those rewards.
-Pay off your debt as fast as possible.
-Make sure you’re getting the best interest rates on accounts.
-Invest your money in sound, stable investments.
-If you can’t pay with cash on normal everyday items, then don’t buy them.
-Instead of saying to yourself, “what can I buy?” think, “what do I own that I can put to a good use?”

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