NEAT & SIMPLE LIVING with Ariane Benefit, Organizing Coach

25 Ways I Save Money - 2008

I wrote a post on this a few years ago, and with financial times the way they are, I thought this might be a good time to update it and ask: How are you Saving Money?

1. We live in a smaller house than we can afford, and do our own gardening, home repairs and painting. This year, we redid our front garden to expand it and use only plants that don't require watering, and that are perennial.  This is going to save us a lot of money on annuals! Plus it's going to save a lot of time spent on mowing. The new tree will also give us more shade in the summer and save on energy.  I have posted a video clip of the project in the Neat and Simple Living Cafe. 
   Find more videos like this on Neat and Simple Living Cafe
    
   
2. Pay bills online with a free checking & online account from Wachovia which also pays interest on our balances.
   
3. We still have our home equity loan balance on a 0% credit card. Haven't paid interest for the 3 years since we renovated the entire front and backyard of our home which has enabled us to pay it off much faster. I set up reminders in my GOOGLE CALENDAR to tell me when the 0% rate is up and then we move it to another 0% interest account. We have paid most of it, and used it to invest in a new roof. But it's still all 0%.
   
4. We never use an ATM or any other banking service that charges fees.
   
5. We changed all our lightbulbs to compact flourescent bulbs including our front porch and outdoor lights. Of course we got them in bulk on sale! We still have not had to replace any of these bulbs.  They really last!
   
6. We use a single Amazon.com Rewards Credit Card and get $25 rewards every month or two. We put all daily living purchases on it and pay it in full every month. We use the reward certificates for birthday gifts that we can simply enclose in a birthday card. In 2008, we earned over 500$ for using our card.
    
7. We use a Miles One Rewards credit card for all business purchases and get free miles for traveling. In 2008, we got Alan's ticket to go with me to the NSGCD Conference for free.
   
8. Don't go to movie theaters anymore - we have cable & wait for movies to come out on cable.  We use Tivo to record movies we really want to see.
   
9. We only eat in restaurants or get takeout maybe once a month or even 2 months. We cook at home every day.
   
10. We only run the dishwasher and washing machine when it's full.
    
11. Buy water by the case -  on sale. Only drink water, coffee or tea...no sodas, etc.  We don't drink alcohol at all any more.  NOTE: We are looking for a water filtration system and no longer using plastic bottles.  We hope to soon be able to find water packaged in those biodegradable corn-based plastic bottles.
    
12. We moved our car insurance to Geico last year and saved $1500 per year.  Northern NJ has nearly the highest insurance rates in the country. We couldn't believe we saved this much.  And our insurance rates have actually gone down every year!  Probably because my car just keeps getting older.  We also have a huge collision deductible which also keeps rates down.
    
13. I cut my husband's hair myself.
     
14. I keep my own hair long and trim the front of my hair myself so I only have to go to the hairdresser 2-3 times a year.
    
15. I color my own hair.
    
16. I mostly only wear lipstick and blush.  Only use full makeup for special occasions.  :)
    
17. Only wear a watch and my wedding rings as jewelry.  Jewelry on my neck, wrists or ears causes me a lot of discomfort and annoyance anyway.
    
18. Do my own pedicures and go out for a pedicure maybe once a year as a treat for a special occasion.
    
19. Do my own manicures...and I don't use nail polish on my fingernails - it saves a lot of time too!!  : )
    
20. We rarely throw any food anyway. We have a system for storing leftovers to make sure we use them them. We always put leftovers in a designated section of the top shelf in the fridge next to the milk so we can't forget about them. We use leftovers the next day for lunch or snacks or as a side dish with dinner.
     
21. We have a small Cuisinart counter top combo toaster, broiler and convection oven and use that for heating & baking small portions instead of turning on the oven. 
22. We keep our cars. I've only bought one brand new car in my life! Cars only depreciate so I never saw the point in losing a few thousand dollars as soon as you drive it off the lot.  But I did finally splurge on my 40th birthday and got myself a 2000 Sebring Convertible which I will keep as long it is still safe to drive!  I love it!  It is actually very practical as we can open the top and haul just about anything an SUV can.  Even more!  Plus it gets about 27 MPG.  Not bad when you consider how much mileage an SUV gets. In 2008, it is still going strong, but does have a little water leak. : )
    
    I had my 1988 Honda Accord for 10 years until I gave it to my brother in 2000.  He had it another 4 years before it died.  My husband has a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid he LOVES and it gets nearly 50 mpg.  We also buy other things used...like our dining room set.
    
23. We don't buy CDs or DVDs anymore - we download most of our music  - we get 25 songs free every month with our Comcast cable internet service.  The super high speed internet pays for itself between the free music and all the research we do on it to save money.
    
24. We avoid processed foods like microwave popcorn, we use the bulk kind and have a West Bend Stir Crazy popcorn popper.which is actually a lot of fun to use!  We also make our own sugar free ice cream with just fruit and milk using the Vitamix blender we invested in. Cutting out sugar and gluten has saved a lot of money in addition to improving our health dramatically.
    
25. We use a digital camera for photos and ONLY print out a very select few!

Whew...that was fun!   So what are your top tips?  Would love to hear any additions you might have!    : ) 

Happy Thanksgiving!    I'll be in Virginia visiting family till Sunday!

See you next week! 

 

1. We live in a smaller house than we can afford, and do our own gardening, home repairs and painting. This year, we redid our front garden to expand it and use only plants that don't require watering, and that are perennial.  This is going to save us a lot of money on annuals! Plus it's going to save a lot of time spent on mowing. The new tree will also give us more shade in the summer and save on energy.  I have posted a video clip of the project in the Neat and Simple Living Cafe. 
   Find more videos like this on Neat and Simple Living Cafe
    
   
2. Pay bills online with a free checking & online account from Wachovia which also pays interest on our balances.
   
3. We still have our home equity loan balance on a 0% credit card. Haven't paid interest for the 3 years since we renovated the entire front and backyard of our home which has enabled us to pay it off much faster. I set up reminders in my GOOGLE CALENDAR to tell me when the 0% rate is up and then we move it to another 0% interest account. We have paid most of it, and used it to invest in a new roof. But it's still all 0%.
   
4. We never use an ATM or any other banking service that charges fees.
   
5. We changed all our lightbulbs to compact flourescent bulbs including our front porch and outdoor lights. Of course we got them in bulk on sale! We still have not had to replace any of these bulbs.  They really last!
   
6. We use a single Amazon.com Rewards Credit Card and get $25 rewards every month or two. We put all daily living purchases on it and pay it in full every month. We use the reward certificates for birthday gifts that we can simply enclose in a birthday card. In 2008, we earned over 500$ for using our card.
    
7. We use a Miles One Rewards credit card for all business purchases and get free miles for traveling. In 2008, we got Alan's ticket to go with me to the NSGCD Conference for free.
   
8. Don't go to movie theaters anymore - we have cable & wait for movies to come out on cable.  We use Tivo to record movies we really want to see.
   
9. We only eat in restaurants or get takeout maybe once a month or even 2 months. We cook at home every day.
   
10. We only run the dishwasher and washing machine when it's full.
    
11. Buy water by the case -  on sale. Only drink water, coffee or tea...no sodas, etc.  We don't drink alcohol at all any more.  NOTE: We are looking for a water filtration system and no longer using plastic bottles.  We hope to soon be able to find water packaged in those biodegradable corn-based plastic bottles.
    
12. We moved our car insurance to Geico last year and saved $1500 per year.  Northern NJ has nearly the highest insurance rates in the country. We couldn't believe we saved this much.  And our insurance rates have actually gone down every year!  Probably because my car just keeps getting older.  We also have a huge collision deductible which also keeps rates down.
    
13. I cut my husband's hair myself.
     
14. I keep my own hair long and trim the front of my hair myself so I only have to go to the hairdresser 2-3 times a year.
    
15. I color my own hair.
    
16. I mostly only wear lipstick and blush.  Only use full makeup for special occasions.  :)
    
17. Only wear a watch and my wedding rings as jewelry.  Jewelry on my neck, wrists or ears causes me a lot of discomfort and annoyance anyway.
    
18. Do my own pedicures and go out for a pedicure maybe once a year as a treat for a special occasion.
    
19. Do my own manicures...and I don't use nail polish on my fingernails - it saves a lot of time too!!  : )
    
20. We rarely throw any food anyway. We have a system for storing leftovers to make sure we use them them. We always put leftovers in a designated section of the top shelf in the fridge next to the milk so we can't forget about them. We use leftovers the next day for lunch or snacks or as a side dish with dinner.
     
21. We have a small Cuisinart counter top combo toaster, broiler and convection oven and use that for heating & baking small portions instead of turning on the oven. 
22. We keep our cars. I've only bought one brand new car in my life! Cars only depreciate so I never saw the point in losing a few thousand dollars as soon as you drive it off the lot.  But I did finally splurge on my 40th birthday and got myself a 2000 Sebring Convertible which I will keep as long it is still safe to drive!  I love it!  It is actually very practical as we can open the top and haul just about anything an SUV can.  Even more!  Plus it gets about 27 MPG.  Not bad when you consider how much mileage an SUV gets. In 2008, it is still going strong, but does have a little water leak. : )
    
    I had my 1988 Honda Accord for 10 years until I gave it to my brother in 2000.  He had it another 4 years before it died.  My husband has a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid he LOVES and it gets nearly 50 mpg.  We also buy other things used...like our dining room set.
    
23. We don't buy CDs or DVDs anymore - we download most of our music  - we get 25 songs free every month with our Comcast cable internet service.  The super high speed internet pays for itself between the free music and all the research we do on it to save money.
    
24. We avoid processed foods like microwave popcorn, we use the bulk kind and have a West Bend Stir Crazy popcorn popper.which is actually a lot of fun to use!  We also make our own sugar free ice cream with just fruit and milk using the Vitamix blender we invested in. Cutting out sugar and gluten has saved a lot of money in addition to improving our health dramatically.
    
25. We use a digital camera for photos and ONLY print out a very select few!

Whew...that was fun!   So what are your top tips?  Would love to hear any additions you might have!    : ) 

Happy Thanksgiving!    I'll be in Virginia visiting family till Sunday!

See you next week! 

 

Five of my favorite sites that I find useful in my work

I've been tagged by Monica Ricci to share 5 of my favorite sites that I use most often to perform my work. I do a LOT of research for content and for products.  Here are my faves.

1.   www.Google.com   - I aways start my searching here, then if I don't find what I need quickly enough, I try www.ask.com

2.  www.wikipedia.com  - Another great resource.

3.  Amazon.com - This is where I start researching products because they have a lot of reviews and it gives me a benchmark on pricing.  Also, I can see if there are used products for sale and there often are.

4.  www.stacksandstacks.com  - This is a great site for finding unique organizing products and they also have reviews which are extremely helpful.   It's even better now that they have a blog!

5. www.cnet.com/ - This is great for researching technology, you get editors and user reviews.  It helped us buy our latest printer! 

Monica also tagged Dr. Amie Ragan.  Her list includes one of my favorite sites (www.webMD.com)

Now I have to tag 5 people please include a link back to me and let me know when you've posted so I can link to your post!

• All of you!  Anyone who would like to participate is welcome and I'll include a link to your list here!
• Dwayne Melancon Genuine Curiosity
• Julie Bonner Declutter It!
• Lorie Morrero Clutter Diet Blog
• Dawud Miracle Dawud Miracle
• Kara Sheridan  Kara's Place to Breathe and Believe

The Face Behind the Blog - A Personal Memorial Day Tribute

I'm participating in David Airey’s meme - The Face Behind the Blog which was brought to my attention by my dear blogging friend Wendy Piersall  I love when bloggers reveal more of their personal lives, like this awesome post by Wendy Can You Be Vulnerable and Still Run a Business?   

So I'm going to join in and share with you that over the last couple weeks we have experienced the loss of both of my husband's grandmothers.  These phenomenal women were both in their late 90's and were surrounded with loved ones when they passed after long illnesses.  I only wish I could have known them both as my husband knew them when they were younger and more active.  But even so, it was a pleasure to know them both.  So here is my little tribute to them. 

This is "Gertie" (or Big G as she called herself) last Christmas after she moved into the nursing home.  That's me and my awesome husband, Alan with her.  I have to say that, even though I was with both of my grandmothers when they passed, I have never experienced such an amazing tribute as that which was paid to her.  For 3 days, there were many friends and family in the hospital with her as she neared the end.  Many of us were there at the end as well. This vigil was followed by 3 more days of family reunion, wake and funeral.   

Her son Al, and his wife Maureen took such awesome care of her and arranged a wonderful celebration of her life.  Maureen reads my blog all the time and I just want to tell her how much I appreciate her and how much Alan & I appreciate everything she sacrificed over the past 10 years to take care of Gertie.  And how much we appreciate all the time and effort she and Al put into making the family reunion events so memorable.  Maureen, You are the Best!  ; )

Alan's other grandmother, Carmen was a "feisty old broad"  right up to the end.  Even at 95 years old, she was in relatively good health and was only taking one prescription!  She lost her husband many years ago and never quite got over the loss, so I know she is happy to be with him again.

Here is the last photo we have of her in good health from our family reunion with Alan's mom's side of the family last summer in VA. She lived in Virginia so we didn't get to see her often.

We will miss both of them but will always remember and celebrate the long and full lives they had. And of course I have to always bless them for making it possible for me to have my husband who I adore madly and can't imagine living without. 

With lots of Love, Blessings & Peace...

Won't you share in the meme and leave a comment here so we can share your Face Behind the Blog?