Simple Things You Can Do To Save Money

 We all want more money.  So, what to do?  Get a second, or third, job?  Sell all of your posessions on EBay or Craigslist?  Sell a kidney on the black market? 

NO!!!  You don't need to do any of those things!  But, there are a lot of things you can do to save a little money.  Some of them are very simple, and cost you nothing but a few seconds of your time.  Some of them can even be a lot of fun!  You can get your whole family involved, and maybe use some of that saved up money to do something fun at the end of the year.

 There are a lot of simple things you can do around your home to save money. 

• Shut down your computers- While this may sound like blasphemy to many of us hubbers, I am serious.  If you plan on being off your computer for longer than an hour, shut it down.  I noticed that our computers were running twenty-four/seven, and one of them is hardly used.  I started shutting them down before I left the house and before I went to bed.  Not only are they not using up electricity when they are shut down, they also don't put out the heat that they do when they are running.  We have two computers in one room, and that room is usually ten degrees warmer than the rest of the house.  This may be a fine way of keeping your bedroom extra warm and toasty on cold winter nights, but in Florida, it's just annoying. 
• Close your closet doors-  I am being serious here.  Why are you wasting money and electricity to keep your closet warm?  I don't get dressed in my closet, so there is no need for it to be heated/cooled.  Why heat or cool that few extra square feet of space?  Not only will you save money and cut your energy use, you will keep your clothes from absorbing odors from your house from pets and cigarette smoke (if you do smoke).  Besides, with all the junk that is shoved in my closet, I really don't want to look in there anyway.
• Change your light bulbs-We have all heard that switching to compact fluorescents saves money.  It is true.  We have also seen the drastic difference in price between these energy saving twisty wonders and boring, old, regular light bulbs.  But, think of it this way.  Compact fluorescents last a long time and cut your energy costs by a decent amount.  (Don't ask me for exact figures...I hate math!)  I do know that regular light bulbs don't last very long at all.  In one house I lived in, I was changing light bulbs on a weekly basis, or at least it seemed that way.  Just do what I do.  Buy one compact fluorescent bulb every time you go shopping.  One bulb only adds a couple of dollars to your weekly grocery bill, and over a short period of time, you will have replaced all the bulbs in your house with longer lasting, energy saving compact fluorescents.
• Keep your appliances clean- Everything works better when they are clean and well maintained.  That goes for your appliances as well.  Keep your oven clean, and if it is a gas range, check to make sure the gas line is in good condition.  Clean that little grate on the bottom of your refrigerator.  Keep the exhaust line of your dryer clean.  They even sell tools to clean the lint trap on your dryer.  Not only will this keep your dryer running more efficiently, a clogged dryer vent can cause a fire.  Most appliance sold today are far more energy efficient than those made years ago, so if you have an old, outdated appliance, it is even more important to keep it clean and well maintained.  If you can afford to replace those older appliances, that will also save you money in the long run.
• Share a shower-  This is a more fun way to save a little money.  Where I live, we have city water, so we pay for our water usage, as well as the electricity needed to heat the water.  Why shower alone?  It's a lot more fun to shower with your partner, and it saves on water and energy costs.  Who knew saving money could be so fun??
• Plant your own vegetable and herb garden-  With the scares last year involving tomatoes and spinach, this makes sense for several reasons.  Packets of seeds, or flats of plants can be purchased very inexpensively.  Grow your own vegetables!  Think about what you and your family eats the most.  Focus on foods that you can grow in your area.  If you live in Alaska, don't try to grow pineapple unless you have a greenhouse.  Warmer climates are great for this, because things can be grown throughout the entire year.  Depending on the amount you want to grow, you may even have enough to share with family and friends, and save them a little money as well.  You could go as small as a window box herb garden, or as big as a large garden, with rows of vegetables and herbs of various types.  It's all a matter of how much space you have available.

Need some more ideas for saving money? OK, well, since you asked so nicely. I have a few more ideas for saving money. Hopefully, they will be useful to you.

• SLOW DOWN!!!- Speeding costs you money, even if you don't get a ticket. Repeated acceleration and deceleration uses up a lot of gas, and driving the faster you drive, the harder your engine has to work to get to those speeds, and the more gas you use. Driving at the posted speed limit will actually save you money, and it won't really cost you that much time in normal day-to-day driving. It also prolongs the life of your brakes, saving you additional money.
• Brown Bag It- Remember when you took a lunch? Yeah, I know. Last time many of us did that, we were a lot smaller, and the food came in a cute, plastic box with cartoon characters on it, and the food was made by some woman who insisted in tucking us in at night, and making us eat our green veggies. Well, why can't we do it now? If you make your lunch and take it with you to work, you can save a lot of money. How much do you spend on terrible fast food every week? $20? $30? Let's say you spend $25 a week on lunch. That's $1,300 a year!!! You could take a vacation with that! What sounds like more fun? $1,300 dollars to spend, or 52 weeks of eating fast food for lunch?
• Movie Night- We all love movies. I love going to the theater, getting some not-so-good-for-me snacks, and sitting down in a dark theater to watch what I hope will be a great movie. But there are a lot of drawbacks from all of that. Going to the movies has gotten a little expensive, the food really isn't good for you at all (though the selection has gotten a lot better), the floors are always sticky, and there is usually that one person who talks and makes noise during the whole movie. Why not skip all of that? Have a movie night at your house with your friends. Invite a few friends over for a night of movies, food and fun. Have one friend rent a few movies (either agree on the movies ahead of time, or get a few different movies, so everyone is happy), someone can bring some drinks (alcoholic or otherwise), make up a few snacks and enjoy. You don't have to worry about being quiet, and you can watch what you want, when you want to watch it. And the seats are a lot more comfortable.
• Buy things on sale- No, I am not giving you permission to buy everything in sight just because it's on sale. Get a subscription to the local Sunday paper. You know, the one with all the sales fliers and coupons in it? Spending a buck or two once a week can actually save you a lot of money, and most papers have a Sunday only subscription option. Scan the grocery store and super store fliers for sales on things you know you need. Clip out coupons for things you need, or look for coupons online. Basically, never pay full price for anything! Plan your weekly meals around what is on sale. If pork roast is on sale, buy that. Make a list of what you are going to buy, including the sale price listed in the flier. Bring the flier with you for reference and in case items are rung up wrong. If a store is having a great sale on the soda you normally drink, buy a couple extra cases of it, so you don't have to pay more next week, when the price goes back up.
• Buy on the cheap- Clothes are expensive.  When you can walk into a store and see a pair of jeans for $95, you know they aren't worth that much, so why pay that much?  I never spend more than $30 on any article of clothing, and that includes shoes.  I shop the clearance section of stores, I look for great sales and I shop stores like Old Navy, Kohl's and Forever 21, and I find great clothes for a lot less.  If you find a great top at a store, but it's a little more expensive than you are willing to pay, take a picture on your phone, save it with the name of the store, and come back in a week or two. This not only gives you time to make sure you really want it, but chances are, when you go back, it will be marked down at least a little bit. 
  
• Cheap dates are fun- Candlelight dinners are romantic, but if you go out to a romantic restaurant, the bill can be a real mood killer.  Either make your partner a nice meal at home, light some candles, play some soft music, and have a romantic night in, or plan simple, inexpensive dates that are more fun than a stuffy formal restaurant.  Take a nature walk, take in an art exhibit, or something along those lines.  A lot of cities and towns have various free events going on during warmer months that would be great for a fun, cheap date.  My fiance and I recently spent some time walking on the beach at sunset.  It cost us nothing, was a lot of fun and was very romantic. 
  
• Spoil your appetite- I know, our mom's always told us not to ruin our appetite by eating before dinner, but in this case, go ahead!  If you do plan on going out to eat. Let's say a group of friends has invited you out to a local restaurant for dinner.  Eat something before you go.  Not a full meal, just a sandwich or something else small.  That way, when you do go out, you aren't starving. We all know how long it can sometimes take to even get someone to take your order.  If you aren't as hungry, you are less likely to spend a lot of money.  You may only order a small entree or an appetizer instead of an appetizer, a full entree and desert.