http://www.homedepotgardenclub.com/ - sign up for savings and tips for your garden!
These are not super exciting, but they are necessity expenses, so why not spend less on what you need that's not exciting? Am I right?! Here are some ideas on reducing home expenses:Home Improvement - Over a recent holiday break, we had a generous friend help us paint our entire basement - I mean priming and painting the whole thing, including the ceiling . . . yeah, the friend is nuts & awesome!!! We're trading him wood for their fireplace, since we had 5-7 mature trees removed & don't burn the wood that's sitting in our yard - everyone wins!
Anyway, we were able to realize how some of the ideas on here helped us in the long-term (step-by-step) goal of finishing our basement. When there was a good mail-in rebate, we got the ceiling paint & primer, planning ahead for the eventual project. When smaller samples came out, I always got some version of white, so when the guys got ready to paint, and asksed what color to paint the office/den, the choice was obvious - they gave each other that "seriously? she's nuts" look I'm so used to as I showed them my collection of white paint sample (you don't want to know how many little packages there were), but they dumped them all together into an empty primer or ceiling paint bucket & mixed them together (also white). It did the enter (pretty large) office. They stopped giving me the look & started talking about how cool that was & how it was really good paint. We still spent our fair share, but saved 7% on the rest of our expense by getting Home Depot gift cards at GiftCardRescue.com before the shopping.
Garbage/Recycling - I discovered an obvious one we were missing this week!! We never fill our trash, but have a medium-sized trash can. In our city you pay for the size of trash can you have, and unlimited recycing is included with every level of service (as it should be - they used to pay you for your reusable goods). Anyway, we will be updating to a smaller trash can and having a lower waste-disposal bill.
Check out your local service on trash & recycling for ways to save. For instance, every year, our area offers a can specifically for yard waste. However, if you properly prepare it for pick-up, it's included in the regular service without an additional charge. Also, grass clippings, etc. can keep compost from smelling (or so I hear - we haven't yet gone into that). Recycling whatever containers you can (and there are a lot that you can) is great for the environment and your trash bill if unlimited recycling is included with your trash removal at any level - it is for us.
Along those same lines, our city offers composting discounts - they offer the equipment at reduced rates, and encourage people to do that anyway. This is great all-around. It means less spent on your gardening supplies, less waste at the dump, and potentially a smaller trash bill if you don't need as big a trash can . . .
If you're a gardener or landscaper, do you use landscape fabric? Have you considered an experiment to save you money & recycle directly? I've heard from multiple sources, including my brother & sister-in-law, that newspaper makes a great substitute. Don't get the paper? Neither do we, but we still get local papers on newsprint. Also, when we had a litter of puppies, we discovered that a local convenience store was glad to give us outdated newspapers at no charge . . . instead of recycling the newsprint to be processed into other paper and buying landscape fabric for your garden, give it a try - it saves the fuel of recycling and the money of the landscape fabric. At a Home Depot gardening class, they had heard similar results using newspaper . . .
http://www.homedepotgardenclub.com/SignUp/Registration.aspx?SourceID=457 Home Depot Garden Club - sign up for free tips and savings
http://shawfloors.com/springisgreen.aspx $200 off of Shaw flooring with coupon at this site!
Does your employer belong to MERSC? This group offers discounts on lots of things - like car repairs, and similar necessity-type expenses. . . MERSC offers an online list that is also printable, and it includes participating businesses. Have it handy as you're considering your options . . .
We had a leaky faucet in our kitchen that finally got fixed. At the Home Depot free workshop a while back (through MyCokeRewards described in freebies a couple of places), I took a bathroom class and they covered faucets. Turns out, most of the major manufacturer guarantee their faucets for life. We called Delta, who informed us that it technically only applies to the original purchaser, but they would make a one-time exception. We got a repair kit for no charge, and it arrived in a few days via FedEx. Our faucet no longer leaks. If you have repairs that need to be done, call the manufacturer for their help. The worst that could happen is they say no, right?
This spurred me on. We had a lamp that hadn't worked in years. When we talked to Restoration Hardware (where it was purchased), I apologize for not calling sooner, but told them that we were hoping for some help. They were fairly cooperative after hearing that we didn't want a refund - only a working lamp. They told us that it if was electrical it isn't covered with the warranty. I told the manager that we had some problems with something purchased at a competitor's stores about the same time, and that they had taken care of repairs without charge. I explained that I understood we had waited a long time to call, and that the warrnaty might not cover it. I added in a polite tone that we were hoping for similar service from them since the stores were in the same league. The store manager assured us that he'd do what he could, repaired it himself & didn't charge us.
We also had a dining room chair seat that broke after being stood on, and have already received the replacement dining room chair seat (from Room & Board) and it only required a screwdriver to repair. What in your house is bugging you? Can that be repaired without charge, too? All of this furniture was purchased 6 years ago, FYI . . .
These are not super exciting, but they are necessity expenses, so why not spend less on what you need that's not exciting? Am I right?! Here are some ideas on reducing home expenses:Home Improvement - Over a recent holiday break, we had a generous friend help us paint our entire basement - I mean priming and painting the whole thing, including the ceiling . . . yeah, the friend is nuts & awesome!!! We're trading him wood for their fireplace, since we had 5-7 mature trees removed & don't burn the wood that's sitting in our yard - everyone wins!
Anyway, we were able to realize how some of the ideas on here helped us in the long-term (step-by-step) goal of finishing our basement. When there was a good mail-in rebate, we got the ceiling paint & primer, planning ahead for the eventual project. When smaller samples came out, I always got some version of white, so when the guys got ready to paint, and asksed what color to paint the office/den, the choice was obvious - they gave each other that "seriously? she's nuts" look I'm so used to as I showed them my collection of white paint sample (you don't want to know how many little packages there were), but they dumped them all together into an empty primer or ceiling paint bucket & mixed them together (also white). It did the enter (pretty large) office. They stopped giving me the look & started talking about how cool that was & how it was really good paint. We still spent our fair share, but saved 7% on the rest of our expense by getting Home Depot gift cards at GiftCardRescue.com before the shopping.
Garbage/Recycling - I discovered an obvious one we were missing this week!! We never fill our trash, but have a medium-sized trash can. In our city you pay for the size of trash can you have, and unlimited recycing is included with every level of service (as it should be - they used to pay you for your reusable goods). Anyway, we will be updating to a smaller trash can and having a lower waste-disposal bill.
Check out your local service on trash & recycling for ways to save. For instance, every year, our area offers a can specifically for yard waste. However, if you properly prepare it for pick-up, it's included in the regular service without an additional charge. Also, grass clippings, etc. can keep compost from smelling (or so I hear - we haven't yet gone into that). Recycling whatever containers you can (and there are a lot that you can) is great for the environment and your trash bill if unlimited recycling is included with your trash removal at any level - it is for us.
Along those same lines, our city offers composting discounts - they offer the equipment at reduced rates, and encourage people to do that anyway. This is great all-around. It means less spent on your gardening supplies, less waste at the dump, and potentially a smaller trash bill if you don't need as big a trash can . . .
If you're a gardener or landscaper, do you use landscape fabric? Have you considered an experiment to save you money & recycle directly? I've heard from multiple sources, including my brother & sister-in-law, that newspaper makes a great substitute. Don't get the paper? Neither do we, but we still get local papers on newsprint. Also, when we had a litter of puppies, we discovered that a local convenience store was glad to give us outdated newspapers at no charge . . . instead of recycling the newsprint to be processed into other paper and buying landscape fabric for your garden, give it a try - it saves the fuel of recycling and the money of the landscape fabric. At a Home Depot gardening class, they had heard similar results using newspaper . . .
http://www.homedepotgardenclub.com/SignUp/Registration.aspx?SourceID=457 Home Depot Garden Club - sign up for free tips and savings
http://shawfloors.com/springisgreen.aspx $200 off of Shaw flooring with coupon at this site!
Does your employer belong to MERSC? This group offers discounts on lots of things - like car repairs, and similar necessity-type expenses. . . MERSC offers an online list that is also printable, and it includes participating businesses. Have it handy as you're considering your options . . .
We had a leaky faucet in our kitchen that finally got fixed. At the Home Depot free workshop a while back (through MyCokeRewards described in freebies a couple of places), I took a bathroom class and they covered faucets. Turns out, most of the major manufacturer guarantee their faucets for life. We called Delta, who informed us that it technically only applies to the original purchaser, but they would make a one-time exception. We got a repair kit for no charge, and it arrived in a few days via FedEx. Our faucet no longer leaks. If you have repairs that need to be done, call the manufacturer for their help. The worst that could happen is they say no, right?
This spurred me on. We had a lamp that hadn't worked in years. When we talked to Restoration Hardware (where it was purchased), I apologize for not calling sooner, but told them that we were hoping for some help. They were fairly cooperative after hearing that we didn't want a refund - only a working lamp. They told us that it if was electrical it isn't covered with the warranty. I told the manager that we had some problems with something purchased at a competitor's stores about the same time, and that they had taken care of repairs without charge. I explained that I understood we had waited a long time to call, and that the warrnaty might not cover it. I added in a polite tone that we were hoping for similar service from them since the stores were in the same league. The store manager assured us that he'd do what he could, repaired it himself & didn't charge us.
We also had a dining room chair seat that broke after being stood on, and have already received the replacement dining room chair seat (from Room & Board) and it only required a screwdriver to repair. What in your house is bugging you? Can that be repaired without charge, too? All of this furniture was purchased 6 years ago, FYI . . .
This one might seem obvious, but I'll give you an interesting statistic, and sometimes a reminderis helpful. Keep your thermostat a bit closer to the outside temps. In the winter, for every degree you keep your house cooler, it saves an average of 4% on your utilities.
- In the summer, show off that tan and wear a tank top to stay cool
- run a fan in the bedroom at night to keep cool - yes, this uses electricity, as well, but it's cooling only the rooms you're in while you sleep.
- In the winter, use the excuse to cuddle up in a comfy throw - they're really cheap at Target.
- Cuddle up in sweaters, and snuggle with your family and/or pets to keep warm at home.
- If you have a programmable thermostat, make sure the house is comfortable when you're there & let it save you money while you're not - if your whole family is gone regular working hours, adjust the temp then with your programmable thermostat.
For your water expenses, you might not think about it if you don't live in a water-shortage area. I know I didn't . . . until we put in a sprinkling system in our yard. Then, it became obvious that water is a real expense.
- Showers actually use more water than a tub unless you take really quick ones - I think the statistic was that an average 10 minute shower uses more water than a tub, but my memory may not be good on that one
- Some people brush their teeth in the shower - I haven't figured out where to put the toothbrush when I'm done, so I brush while the water is warming up & turn off the water while I'm brushing - I will also rinse & use the shower water for that.
- Leave your kids buckets & other toys out in the rain & use that for something - like watering plants. Rain water has nutrients from the soil in it that actually makes home-grown vegetables more nutritious, I learned recently.
- We installed a rain barrel - I'll update this if we don't see a value. According to my research, the $70 item will pay for itself in about a year and a half. You hook it up to a gutter downspout and the water collects in a barrel with a spicket. If the barrel is full, it continues down the spout. We are hoping it will also solve our yard-pitting problems. It worked all right . . .
- Recycle - see the garbage collection details above
These don't have the immediate gratification of some of our other changes, but they are huge, even if they are less exciting initially. There are ways we have changed these without increasing our debt in any way.
- When our income changed and we needed a smaller mortgage payment, we called our mortgage owner, and asked if they had anything to offer us. We had paid ahead when times were good, and had more equity than we needed on it. With a $350 fee, we were able to keep our same interest rate (significantly lower than rates at the time) and refinnace the balance over 30 years (this was before we listened to Dave Ramsey)
- A few months ago, we heard an add for ridiculously low interest rates on mortgages, so we called our mortgage company again. For no charge, we were able to reduce our interest rate a bit and the balance was refinanced in a 15 year mortgage (bringing us in line with Dave Ramsey's recommendation of 15 yr or less mortgages). An increased monthly payment of less than $200 created a projected savings of $30,000 overall. [Note that this will mean some inconvenience and paperwork, so be prepare to see this as work necessary for the earning of the additional money in your checkbook
- Beginning this year, we stopped escrowing our homeowners insurance and property taxes. As long as you have at least 20% equity in your home, you aren't required to escrow these payments (and you save money because you don't need to have mortgage insurance, on top of that). If you don't know how much equity you have, ask your mortgage company. We are putting the monthly amount into a money market account, which means we get the interest rather than them. They also have a minimum balance of about $1000 for a safety blanket that we are now able to get interest on. In Dave Ramsey's terms, we are self-insured in that way.
- If you call your mortgage company, they will recommend that you take out additional equity - they make money on the interest you use. The temptation of other things we could do with that money had a strong pull on me, but we resisted. While mortgage is about the best debt there is, I strongly recommend leaving equity in your home unless you have no other choice! For more informed comments on this, go to Dave Ramsey, by all means.
Our insurance costs went down about $100 per month one year!
In December, I identified a few insurance agents to get quotes. I assembled copies of our current coverage, and some additional life insurance we wanted to add, again to put us in line with the Dave Ramsey ideals.
Dealing with insurance agents isn't fun, I won't lie. In fact, it took me over 6 months to get around to following through on this plan. The one we went with will offer me a $20 gift card for each additional contact we send, with a ceiling somewhere. . . If you want her info
& are in the Twin Cities, let me know. She was great to work with.
I decided to only go with well-known, established companies. I'm conservative that way. I put together copies of our current coverage & was adamant that they give me an apples to apples comparison before even thinking about suggested changes. This told me exactly who was going to be OK to work with - a couple of them were ruled out based on their unwillingness to work with me that way.
I sent EM info first, compared it at home & told the agents we'd only meet with one or 2, after comparing the information at home. We only had 1 face-to-face, as we were pleased with our first choice at the meeting. Not only have they been cheaper, but also easier to work with & more involved in serving us than our previous agent. . . All payments automatically come out of our checkbook monthly for easy budgeting, and this was done with no cost on some portions of the insurance, and minimal cost on 1-2 pieces.
The idea of dropping our landline scared me a lot, so we tried vonage as a cheaper phone option. It was largely unreliable for us, but that could be based on our internet service, which can be patchy. Quickly, we became a cell-phone only household. We are part of a family plan under my dad, who kindly offered that. They had enough minutes to absorb us:
- the cost was less than $10 per month per line ($20 for our family)
- We get free calls to my parents while they're jetsetting around the country, and free calls to our family members in Jersey.
- we get free evening & weekend calls unlimited
- At Christmastime, we added unlimited texting for the entire family for $30 monthly [texting has also been a communication upswing for Dave & I, so our face-to-face time is less devoted to mundane checklist things that we text instead . . .]
I despise cleaning, which is why my house is a disaster. If you're invited inside, it's a compliment that I trust you enough to show you our filth! However, I have some ideas on reducing expenses here, too:
- Look for coupons for $1 off Tide & All & Baby wipes or Wet Wipes that don't have size limitations. Then, check out the travel/sample section of your local stores ~ my faves are Target & Walmart (in that order). We have gotten LOTS of loads of laundry done without expense for soap. I also have baby wipes in my purse all the time for convenienve without expense. If you won't use these items, please support a local non-profit & donate them, which is super easy if there's a food shelf donation bin at your local store on the way out! You can also deduct the full retail value from your taxes. My fave is Alexandra House in Blaine (which serves victims of domestic & sexual violence), but many will pick up items at your home, so it can be very convenient.
- Buy the book - Clean House Clean Planet (thanks to Kira, we got one as a housewarming). This has many recipes and ideas on cleaning in ways that don't include harmful chemicals (another passion of mine) and are also cheap! With Baking Soda, Vinegar, Tea Tree Oil, Dr. Brommers liquid soap (my fave, anyway - other options are out there), water, and a few bottles & sprayers, you can clean your whole house cheap!! Definitely worth buying the book, but check it out in your local library first!
- Look for rebate forms and guarantees. I'll be posting some of these on this site soon. Please be ethical & don't send in a not satisfied form if you liked the product. However, if you are up to trying something new, why not try one that's guaranteed? If you don't like it, you still might get some benefit from it. Some rebate forms are valid whether or not you like the product. We've used this on drain openers, cleaning supplies, and more. If you don't like the product, this is opportunity to support the local food shelf or other charity!
