Please share your hacks for saving money

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amother

OP ↓

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 3:14 pm

I'm finding myself unable to make ends meet. As soon as money comes in, it goes right out to cover bills and debts.
Please share some big and little hacks to save money. Thanks!

amother

Melon

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 3:20 pm

what are some of your main spending points? rent and tuition you cant change. what else?

amother

Cinnamon

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 4:16 pm

My kids wear last seasons clothes/hand me downs until clothing goes on sale and we buy what we can find. Often my mother or mother in law will help at that point too bec less stressful time than yt.

Buy shoes on temu or other cheap websites. Same for coats when no hand me downs.

Use cheaper products like arm and hammer detergent and get shampoo and soap for kids from dollar tree.

Get flour from costco, store in freezer so no bugs, and bake my own challah and cake/cookies. When eggs are expensive, get those from Costco too.

Use ccs with minimum 2 cents on the dollar to help pay for vacation expenses

Give maaser

Make one grocery order a week/one shopping trip, except sometimes erev Shabbos if we need something, and those trips are the biggest waste of money.

amother

↑ OP

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 4:17 pm

amother Melon wrote:

what are some of your main spending points? rent and tuition you cant change. what else?

Electricity
Food
Cleaning help
Health insurance
Phone
Internet

amother

Peach

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 4:29 pm

ELECTRICITY
Turn off lights when you leave the room.
Unplug devices with lights that you are not using. (some of them drain electricity even when off)
Don't leave devices charging all night.
Switch to budget billing to make it easier to predict your spending.

FOOD
Check what is on sale before making a meal plan.
Make a meal plan before going shopping.
See which meals are more expensive. Save those for special occasions.
Stock up on nonperishable (or freezable) items you use regularly when they are on sale.
Every week try one store-brand item to see if you might not need the name brand as much as you thought.
Consider making challah from scratch (it's much easier than many people think).

CLEANING HELP
Declutter 10 items a day.
Spend 2 minutes cleaning the bathroom every morning.
Have your kids spend 5 minutes straightening up the living area every night.
Have your kids pick up in their rooms the amount of things corresponding to their age before going to sleep.
Do laundry by person (one hamper per person, washed all on warm or cold) so it's easy to put away.
You may find that you don't need as much cleaning help as you thought.

HEALTH INSURANCE
If you don't have pre-existing conditions, look into a healthshare. Refuah is a Jewish healthshare.

PHONE
Switch to US Mobile. They have some of the cheapest plans available. If you tell me the amount of lines you have and what you need on each line I can help you put together the cheapest options. (I am paying under $115 per month for 7 lines, including one US/Canada plan and 2 with unlimited data.)

INTERNET
Who is your provider? If you call them they may be able to help you figure out a cheaper plan. Spectrum had (has?) a $30 plan.

giftedmom

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 4:41 pm

If you’re eligible for Medicaid start there

synthy

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 4:52 pm

amother OP wrote:

Electricity
Food
Cleaning help
Health insurance
Phone
Internet

If you work outside of your home, set your thermometer to automatically lower the heat until an hour before you get home. It saves us $50 a month in the winter.

amother

White ↓

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 5:07 pm

If you don't need the chicken, use bones for soup. Just made a huge pot of delicious soup using $1 of chicken bones. And if you do want to eat the chicken but don't like it "soggy" remove it once the soup is flavorful, and bake it uncovered for a bit.
When I'm cooking and baking a lot in disposable pans (let's say for multiple days of yom tov) I reuse them by lining with a piece of foil for the first use(s) for solid food, then the final use is for liquid. Ex: I roast a bunch of different veggies on foil in multiple pans, then store them all in one pan. remove the foil, and use the pans for a roast or for chicken thighs. Or the first use is for challah, etc.

amother

↑ White

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 5:09 pm

synthy wrote:

If you work outside of your home, set your thermometer to automatically lower the heat until an hour before you get home. It saves us $50 a month in the winter.

Even if you are home, depending on the weather/your home setup, you might be able to do this by wearing a jacket or using a small heater for one person

joker

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 5:11 pm

You might be best reaching out to a frum organization that helps with budgeting. They can be realistic while helping you see if there's a way to also bring in more income. On a side note I do use Walmart plus and believe it saves me significantly by not going in to the store

amother

Taupe

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 5:11 pm

amother OP wrote:

Electricity
Food
Cleaning help
Health insurance
Phone
Internet

Get rid of cleaning help if you can't afford it. It's not a necessity.

HonesttoGod

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 5:18 pm

Budgeting.
You can skimp on everything from shampoo to crackers but if you don’t budget you’ll have no idea where what goes and how.

AlwaysHoping

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 6:03 pm

Make dips for shabbos instead of buying. Can save $15-20 a week!

amother

Heather

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 6:23 pm

I shop thru cashback sites, including:
MrRebates
Ebates
Swagbucks

Basically whenever I shop online, I check these sites to see what they are offering in terms of cashback and then use whichever is offering the most. They include most of the common stores such as Walmart, Target, Gap, Old Navy, Ebay....

Believe it or not, over time it adds up to a lot of money!

ETA MrRebates is also offering a $5 holiday bonus now

amother

Mayflower

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 6:37 pm

AlwaysHoping wrote:

Make dips for shabbos instead of buying. Can save $15-20 a week!

Most of us on tight budgets are not buying dips Smile

amother

Outerspace

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 6:49 pm

Spray foam your attic- this will save tons on heat in the winter and electric in the summer. If you live in a state that offers rebates it may be free or close to free.

But Walmart or Aldi brand pastas, snacks, oil etc. also fruits and veggies. Menu plan based on sale items and try to keep shopping at one a week.

amother

Razzmatazz

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 6:58 pm

This is my hack, it definitely works for me...
.....DONT shop sales
shop what you need, when you need it, keep a proper list.

the best black friday deals are the ones you dont buy....
also shop the grocery with a list, no add ons

amother

Emerald

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 7:06 pm

This you can only do if have the time. We pick 3 stores based on sales. Like one always has cheapest chicken and fish, another eggs and milk, another produce.
we go through circular and split our shopping list between the 3 stores based on sales and what we know they carry the cheapest.
I also keep a list of items I know I’m running low on so I can buy on next sale instead of last minute. (Staples like salt, vinegar, flour, sugar, almond milk, etc)
We learn which foods are cheapest. Like chickpeas not eligible for wic. Or one brand cottage cheese is much cheaper but we like it the same.
I build Shabbos and suppers around proteins that are on sale.
Dh finds time to do the lists on diff days on way home from shacharis. .
I reuse the chicken from the chicken soup for a supper - like Turkey pot pie, chicken pizza, tacos…

zigi

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 7:10 pm

Tottini usually has a great closeout section. And during black Friday there are bigger discounts. Shop basics like polo uniform shirts from an online store and get cash back. Amazon has cereals and some basic items for a lot cheaper than regular grocery stores.

wanttobehappy

Mon, Dec 02 2024, 7:10 pm

It’s def easier to figure out how to make more $$ than how to save. What can u teach art/ baking/ piano/ what can u sell? Solar Panels made out electric be negative some months

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