Saving Money

Well...after a weekend in Vegas with Doc, I'm rethinking thrift and how to tighten my belt after spending more than I would have liked. It was a GREAT weekend, and I really had a lot of fun (walked my buns off!!!), but now I need to save money like crazy so that I don't let my one many-hundred dollar weekend get the better of my budget. Having said that, I noticed an article about how to save money from this "Dumb Little Man" site (crazy name for a site there). Anyway, I'm listing his suggestions for saving thousands a year:

Here are his choices, and my answer...maybe I need to rethink my life's priorities???

1. Brown bag lunches--Already do this. I don't have time to do otherwise with my job!

2. Go Vegetarian--When you're single, buying salad is almost like throwing money down the garbage...you just can't eat the lettuce that quickly unless you eat your next three to four meals as all salad. Besides, I don't eat meat all the time. Pasta and rice are more my fare.

3. Switch to store brands--Some things are okay...others not. Does clipping coupons to make name brands, store brands prices count?

4. Take a thermos--I don't know that I drink anything that requires a thermos???

5. Leave your gym--NO WAY!!! That's asking me to let go, gain the hundreds my body seems to want--not to mention the health issues. My mom would FLIP OUT if I stopped going to the gym!

6. Don't buy greeting cards--I don't buy a lot of cards, but I could back this one up if the few I actually send out cards to (grandma & grandpa, aunts, and mom) wouldn't think I'd given up and didn't love them anymore!

7. Buy non-perishable food in bulk--I've kind of done this. Once again...when you're single and share storage space with a roommate, this can be tricky.

8. Switch off the lights and TV--This one I need to do. I tend to leave a light on in my room when I get home so that I never have to cross the room to switch the light on. I also leave my TV on when I'm puttering around upstairs, all for the noise. I guess I should stop!

9. Get your home insulated--Rental...no choices there.

10. Buy clothes on E-bay--I do a HUGE amount of my shopping at TJ Maxx, so I think I'm doing okay here. My only exception is my once a year trek to Kohl's and Macy's for nice school stuff.

11. Use the library--ADDICTED to the library. Although, I will admit that I still collect, purchase, and download to my Kindle, books that I really want. I do need to chill on this one.

12. Read newspapers online--Yes, I pretty much read my news online all the time, and check out news on TV on a daily basis.

13. Host weekly get together--I can see what he means if you go out to eat all the time. I DO tend to get together every other weekend or several weekends a month with Doc, and we tend to go out to eat. So, does that mean he wants me to cook for us???

14. Car-pool--NO WAY! My car gets the same gas mileage as a hybrid, and it's paid for. I really can't beat being able to have the freedom to come and go as I need from work.

15. Buy multi-packs of chips and cookies. --Umm, I don't think this is a good idea! :)

16. Buy from Amazon.--I'm a Prime member here, as I order things using my school account. However, Amazon can be addicting as well...especially when you own a Kindle and LOVE reading. The other downfall here is that I've had some real NIGHTMARE stories about UPS and DHL. In my opinion, the USPS is the only way to go anymore. The other shipping companies just give you too much of a run around and don't seem to care about their customers. (Yes, I have stories to back that!)

17. Carry a water bottle.--I've done this for years, so no savings there.

I guess in the end, I have to just evaluate my own spending and cut accordingly. For me:

• Cook at home, saving leftovers by freezing and putting into serving sizes for later.
• Limit book & other purchases through Amazon.
• USE the gym consistently so that money is well spent and keeps medical bills down (seriously...no joke there).

I'm sure there are other ways of cutting back. I need to just tighten my belt and not spend unnecessarily. Thank goodness I have a good, steady job, so I need to be thankful and make do and wear it out...as a wise man once advised! :)