Part 4: Save on the Necessary Things
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably come to the conclusion that getting your financial life in order is hard work! I wish I could say it will be a cakewalk from now on, but alas, there is still much to be done. Don’t let that discourage you or make you give up. If you are feeling overwhelmed (a perfectly normal reaction), the just stop, take a deep breath, and give yourself a break. Wait a week or two to pick up where you started. This series will be here for you when you’re ready. I promise you CAN do this, and it’s okay if it takes you longer than 8 weeks to get there.
(If you are new to my blog or missed out on the last three weeks, you might want to start at Week 1: Stop Spending before starting this week’s assignment!)
Last week we focused lowering our major expenses–housing, transportation, & insurance. Hopefully you were able to find a few ways to save, and if so, YAHOO! If not, take heart, there are plenty of other areas left to save.
This week we are going to focus on lowering your expenses for the necessities in your budget. Do you remember the exercise from week 1, where we focused on separating our wants from our needs? Well, this is where that comes into play. There are certain things we simply can’t live without–groceries, utilities, gas–but we most likely CAN pay less for them.
Since so much of this blog focuses on saving money with coupons, we’re not going to spend too much time going over the details how to reduce your grocery bills each week. Hopefully all of you have already read The LWSL Beginner’s Guide to Coupons and have been able to make great strides in this area already.
For those of you who don’t want to bother with coupons, there are still many ways to reduce you grocery bills simply by changing the way you shop. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. ANY savings is better than none!
Unless you have already been trying to cut your expenses in this area, your utility bills should be one place you can find lots of opportunities for savings! Small tweaks can make a BIG difference in your final bill, and if you are anything like me, you probably have a whole pile of utility bills to deals with each month–everything from water to electricity, cable to phone(s)–and the list seems to get longer all the time.
Gas is a hard expense to cut significantly. We obviously have no control over gas prices and we usually need to go where we need to go. But there are a few things we can do to make sure we are making the most of our gas mileage, and again, small tweaks can make a big difference over time.
This week’s assignment will be pretty straightforward. We’re going to methodically go through those things we MUST spend money on, whether we want to or not, and then look for ways to cut those expenses. A little here and a little there really does add up–$5 a month in each of 10 categories ends up saving you $600 a year. (And that is a lot of great shoes!)
This week’s assignment:
1. Develop a strategy for saving on your groceries.
If you are already saving money with coupons, great! Look for ways to stretch those savings even more, perhaps by committing to a few meatless meals a week or by getting more proficient at “shopping” and cooking from your own stockpile. If you are not using coupons but want to learn, then I suggest putting this Savings series on hold and starting the LWSL Beginner’s Guide to Coupons. It will teach you everything you need to know!
If you are not using coupons and don’t want to, there are still a lot of ways to reduce that grocery bill by planning your meals & shopping list around what’s on sale, and stocking up when you find things at a great price. E-Mealz is a great resource if you are short on time–for a small fee ($1.25 a week) they provide a weekly menu with recipes based on YOUR store’s sale ad. They even give you a shopping list! Before I became adept at cooking from my stockpile (and let’s face it, that takes time!), I found E-Mealz to be an awesome resource. But that is just one option.
Here are some other great ideas on saving money on groceries without coupons from my awesomely frugal friend Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam:
Grocery Guru’s #1 Money Saving Tip
Easy and Odd Ways to Save Money in the Kitchen
2. List all your utilities and make a specific commitment for reducing each one
For instance, you could commit to reducing your electric bill by setting your A/C a few degrees higher and by turning off the lights during the day (and keeping them off.) You could decide to eliminate your landline in favor of cell phones, downgrade your cable plan, or switch internet providers. Remember, ever little bit helps, but whatever you decide to do, WRITE IT DOWN! Then do it! Here are some great ideas to get started:
Simple Ways to Save on Air Conditioning Costs
13 Simple Ways to Lower your Electric Bill
12 Simple Ways to Save Money on Utilities (and the Planet)
10 Ways to Save on Your Gas Bill
10 Ways to Save Money on Your Cable or Satellite TV Bill
How to Save Money on Internet Service
3. Commit to Saving Money on Gas and Improving Your Gas Mileage.
Once again, be specific. Write down at least 5 things you can start doing right away to help lower that expense every month, whether it be planning your errands better to make them more efficient, carpooling, walking when possible, or even checking to make sure your tires are properly inflated. Here are some more great ideas & tips:
How to Get More MPG out of your Car
How to Save Money on Gas: The Savings Pledge Series
That’s all there is for this week. That wasn’t so bad was it? Compared to all the big stuff, it was a walk in the park, and maybe it was even a little fun! It is amazing how much money we literally throw away each month, just because we don’t pay attention to the details in all these different areas. It really does add up.
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Stay tuned for another next week’s saving challenge next Wednesday and don’t forget to let me know how you’re doing! How do you plan to cut spending on your necessary expenses?
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The LWSL Beginner’s Guide to Savings
Week 3: Save on the Big Things
Week 4: Save on the Necessary Things
Week 5: Save on the Fun Things
Week 6: Save on the Special Things
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cara matthews August 3, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Thanks for posting this. I am loving this series!
Ruth August 3, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Cara, thanks so much for letting me know!
shannon August 3, 2011 at 11:46 pm
some things i did to save money on must haves, is i found a great farmers market that sells produce for about HALF the grocery store prices. i have literally FILLED a shopping cart with produce and have NEVER spent more than $30 at that place!! i changed my verizon cell phone to tracfone, now i spend only $10/mo for my cell! we also keep our a/c at 80 during the day to reduce our electric and sometimes i even put the laundry outside to dry instead of using my dryer. the gas in my town is 15 cents more than a couple miles north, so i hit the gas stations when i leave town to save a couple bucks there. shoot, every little thing adds up, right?!
Kristin August 4, 2011 at 1:54 am
Ruth- Where can I find Weeks-1-3. I swear this post was like a subliminal message to me in my blogroll today.
Ruth August 5, 2011 at 8:34 am
Kristin, here are the links to the previous weeks:
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Cwinstien August 4, 2011 at 9:08 am
good stuff. I look forward to reading more