Like many, we have been looking at easy ways to save money thanks to our economic recession. Here are a few that we are doing:
1> if you have a cell phone, get rid of your land telephone line - I haven't had one in 5 years and I don't miss it at all. Saves $30 a month.
2> get rid of cable/satelite - a lot of TV programming is available online via Hulu.com and other sites and you can get local channels with an antennae - even in HD with the right equipment. We are killing ours this month and expect to save $80 a month.
3> for Utah residents - take advantage of Questar and Rocky Mountain Power rebates for new insulation. We literally had someone come out and install new insulation in our 30 year old home for free. We just send them the rebates when they come. Too early to say what the monthly cost savings will be, but this is free insulation! We are hoping for $20-25 savings per month in peak winter and summer months.
4> air dry dishes and clothes - we hope to save $10-20 a month doing this. For a large family, I imagine the savings would be more substantial. Also make sure that your machine is completely full to maximize the value of each wash cycle. The clothes aren't so "easy". :)
5> clip coupons - we routinely get $10-20 savings each time we grocery shop when we do this. Now we just need to be more consistent :). And leverage those gas cards at the grocery store - we routinely save another $10-20 a month with those gas discounts.
6> Compact flourescent bulbs - 15watt CFB = 60watt incandescent bulb. Mutliply by the number of bulbs in your house and it adds up. Also, turn off the lights when you leave a room and kill your outdoor lighting unless needed.
7> Get a credit card with reward options. We chose Amex and get frequent flyer miles as our bonus. We put every purchase we can on it and it has paid for numerous vacation flights over the years saving us literally thousands of $$$. There are lots of other options out there including cash back, but if you use a credit card, you are a fool not to get a card with "rewards".
8> Rent instead of buy - I have a large DVD collection, since my logic was that it was roughly the same price to buy the DVD as to see the film in the theater. But I have recently discovered the magic of Red Box and now rent any film that I don't consider "must have" instead for just a buck. Of course, since it is summer and there are quite a few movies I plan on seeing in theater, I plan on seeing most of this summer films as matinees to save a few bucks. I expect to save $200-300 a year doing this.
