Posts
This year is all about saving money every day while trying to increase your income potential. If you did one thing each day that could save as little as $5 over the course of a year, you could have an extra $1800 in your pocket at the end of the year. Not all of these tips may apply to you, so to keep it fair, not all of them will apply to me.
Since it's the season for saps and romance, I figured I should bring some info to the table. I'm kidding a little bit. My five year anniversary with Mr. Modern Tightwad is the week after Valentine's Day. We actually planned it that way to take advantage of all of the after-sales of romantic products.
One of the things I love most is flowers. I love it when he surprises me. The best place to get flowers is Costco and farmer's markets. We get wildflowers at our local Milwaukie Farmer's Market (can't wait for it to come back in the spring). Costco is without a doubt the best place for roses, though. All of the flowers for our wedding table pieces were from Costco. All the flowers for my friend Tiffany's wedding were from Costco as well.
For major events, getting flowers from these locations can save hundreds of dollars. For the day to day surprises, it can save you quite a bit over your local florist.
365 Days of Saving Money: $2205 Annually (Running Total)
This year is all about saving money every day while trying to increase your income potential. If you did one thing each day that could save as little as $5 over the course of a year, you could have an extra $1800 in your pocket at the end of the year. Not all of these tips may apply to you, so to keep it fair, not all of them will apply to me.
Okay, so this tip is DEFINITELY NOT for everyone. I am apparently a slightly masochistic individual who enjoys reading the IRS website. Our taxes just aren't that difficult. We don't itemize, and even though my husband and I each have our own businesses, the forms are very simple. How do I make it work?
Mainly, I compile my tax information quarterly. This includes putting together my receipts and mileage for expenses. If you have a business and need to make estimated tax payments, this is a necessity anyway.
Secondly, I don't really need to be nervous because we don't make enough to be massively penalized. Our gross income combined is less than $40,000.
If you are facing anything over a 1040EZ and working with numbers is not what you do for a living (or you just lack the masochistic tendencies to read through the yearly tax updates), you might want to consider having a tax preparer look through your paperwork.
We can't justify paying $160 to someone else for something I can do.
365 Days of Saving Money: $2195 Annually (Running Total)
Okay, so this tip is DEFINITELY NOT for everyone. I am apparently a slightly masochistic individual who enjoys reading the IRS website. Our taxes just aren't that difficult. We don't itemize, and even though my husband and I each have our own businesses, the forms are very simple. How do I make it work?
Mainly, I compile my tax information quarterly. This includes putting together my receipts and mileage for expenses. If you have a business and need to make estimated tax payments, this is a necessity anyway.
Secondly, I don't really need to be nervous because we don't make enough to be massively penalized. Our gross income combined is less than $40,000.
If you are facing anything over a 1040EZ and working with numbers is not what you do for a living (or you just lack the masochistic tendencies to read through the yearly tax updates), you might want to consider having a tax preparer look through your paperwork.
We can't justify paying $160 to someone else for something I can do.
365 Days of Saving Money: $2195 Annually (Running Total)
This year is all about saving money every day while trying to increase your income potential. If you did one thing each day that could save as little as $5 over the course of a year, you could have an extra $1800 in your pocket at the end of the year. Not all of these tips may apply to you, so to keep it fair, not all of them will apply to me.
Parfaits are actually really easy to make at home, and I like them for breakfast (and all my in-between snacks). You need:
Even McDonald's sells their parfaits for $2; mine run about $1. It's healthy, has live cultures for digestion, and I can even add protein powder to help with my exercise routine.
Enjoy!
365 Days of Saving Money: $2035 Annually (Running Total)
Parfaits are actually really easy to make at home, and I like them for breakfast (and all my in-between snacks). You need:
- Plain or vanilla yogurt
- Fruit preserves, fresh fruit, or even defrosted fruit (mixed berries is yummy)
- Granola
Even McDonald's sells their parfaits for $2; mine run about $1. It's healthy, has live cultures for digestion, and I can even add protein powder to help with my exercise routine.
Enjoy!
365 Days of Saving Money: $2035 Annually (Running Total)
This year is all about saving money every day while trying to increase your income potential. If you did one thing each day that could save as little as $5 over the course of a year, you could have an extra $1800 in your pocket at the end of the year. Not all of these tips may apply to you, so to keep it fair, not all of them will apply to me.I have extensive food tastes. I love oysters on the half shell. I salivate over fondue. Some of this is not my fault. My parents were foodies. I knew what croissants were from a very young age, but I don't think I knew what a donut was until near 11. We cooked and baked from scratch and we would go to the ocean and buy crab and oyster fresh from the pier for pennies. Now, I still have these same cravings, but I'm much more conscious of my budget now then I knew to be when I was younger. I also don't have the time I wish I did to locally source my own fresh foods.
My compromise is "happy hour." Happy hour is where I find half-price sushi rolls at Kobe Sushi in Las Vegas, or where I get $4.99 cheese fondue at Gustav's in Portland. Don't even get me started on Yardhouse...I might cry.
We try to move family dine-out meals or meetings to happy hour times. The downside was my husband's family thought I was a lush for a while because I always suggested my favorite time of day. I'm not sure they were happier when they found out I was frugal. In all seriousness, happy hour saves us $20-40 a month, and lets us eat the foods we like. I'm all for win-win.
Thank you to scaredykat for the genuine Gustav's fondue photo (appears to be a mini-pot, $2.99 at happy hour).
365 Days of Saving Money: $2030 Annually (Running Total)
This year is all about saving money every day while trying to increase your income potential. If you did one thing each day that could save as little as $5 over the course of a year, you could have an extra $1800 in your pocket at the end of the year. Not all of these tips may apply to you, so to keep it fair, not all of them will apply to me.
I just got our electricity bill for this month. I was honestly dreading it. Last month was $106, and we only live in 480 square feet! In all fairness we had a major cold snap. We had to turn on the heaters a little bit because I have problems keeping my body temperature up, and we have a puppy to think of.
This month our electricity bill dropped to $69, mostly because it warmed up substantially. I just kept thinking how much worse it could have been. My husband, the human radiator, was wearing warmy pajamas and socks to go to sleep. I was wearing leggings and a t-shirt under my feetie pajamas, and even the dog was wearing a sweater! (He doesn't have an undercoat and gets chilly easily.) When we would wake up each morning, our apartment was averaging 50 degrees, and I'm not even sure that wasn't just the lowest the thermostat would register.
What if we were unwilling to alter our personal habits to work with the universe? We don't have an air conditioning unit, we just walk around in swimsuits if it's too hot (or even less as the case may be). We all bundled up when it got cold, and then turned to the heaters. That's a savings of almost $40 in one month! I know if we were cavalier about our utilities, we would pay at least another $20 each month. I'm willing to put up with some mild discomfort for $240 each year!
365 Days of Saving Money: $1790 Annually (Running Total)
I just got our electricity bill for this month. I was honestly dreading it. Last month was $106, and we only live in 480 square feet! In all fairness we had a major cold snap. We had to turn on the heaters a little bit because I have problems keeping my body temperature up, and we have a puppy to think of.
This month our electricity bill dropped to $69, mostly because it warmed up substantially. I just kept thinking how much worse it could have been. My husband, the human radiator, was wearing warmy pajamas and socks to go to sleep. I was wearing leggings and a t-shirt under my feetie pajamas, and even the dog was wearing a sweater! (He doesn't have an undercoat and gets chilly easily.) When we would wake up each morning, our apartment was averaging 50 degrees, and I'm not even sure that wasn't just the lowest the thermostat would register.
What if we were unwilling to alter our personal habits to work with the universe? We don't have an air conditioning unit, we just walk around in swimsuits if it's too hot (or even less as the case may be). We all bundled up when it got cold, and then turned to the heaters. That's a savings of almost $40 in one month! I know if we were cavalier about our utilities, we would pay at least another $20 each month. I'm willing to put up with some mild discomfort for $240 each year!
365 Days of Saving Money: $1790 Annually (Running Total)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)