My $5 challenge - ways I'm saving $5
By cutepenguin
@cutepenguin (6431)
Canada
November 3, 2009 10:14am CST
I posted a few days ago in make extra money that this month I am going to try to find 100 ways to make or to save $5, so that at the end of the month I have a nice extra payment to my debt - or some Christmas present money.
Here are some of the ways I am going to save $5 this month:
I am shutting off one room, so that we don't turn on the light or have to heat it. I am also being sure to hang to dry most of our clothes and turning off lights as much as possible.
I am eating "out of the freezer". Which I know isn't really saving as we will have to buy more food later, but paying off more of the debt sooner is better, I think.
I am using public transit instead of driving.
My husband is packing lunches every day - we used to do this, but in September we got really busy and he ended up buying food a bunch of times.
I am going to a party in a couple of weeks, and I have some wine in the cupboard that I am going to take instead of buying a new bottle.
Anyone have any suggestions for me or want to do the challenge too? I'm also going to post in make extra money the ways I am making $5.
3 people like this
16 responses
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
3 Nov 09
Do you use compact fluorescent lights? We do in almost every fixture in our house and it saves a ton of money. We have a house the same size and age as my mother's house and our electric bill runs about half of what hers does.
Also, turn down the thermostat in your house by just one degree and you will notice a difference in your home heating costs but your body won't really notice the difference in the ambient temeperature of the house.
3 people like this
@nooveggies (607)
• Indonesia
3 Nov 09
Great idea about temperature control, dorannmwin. About temperature also, I read that setting your refrigerator temperature at 36° F and 42° F would save you a significant amount of money on the electricity bill. The best part is we won't notice the difference in using our refrigerator.
2 people like this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
3 Nov 09
Honestly, it's not beyond me to use the back deck as an extended refridgerator when it is going to be cold outside for an extended period of time. We've done that every winter that I can think of.
2 people like this
@ladym33 (10979)
• United States
3 Nov 09
You could also sell any unwanted books you have on Half.com to make a little extra money on books you are no longer interested in anyways.
You could also take some clothing that you no longer wear to a consignment shop.
Instead of giving recyclable's like aluminum cans to the city collect them and seperate them yourself and take them to a recycling center your self to get paid for them.
Make sure everyone in the family hangs their towels when they are done using them and use each towel 3 times before washing. Have each family member hang up their jeans after wearing them and wear each pair 2 times before washing. Hanging them will air them out a bit, and you will save about a load of laundry per week which will really add up, and the jeans will last longer as well.
Best of luck to you on earning and saving that extra money.
2 people like this
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
3 Nov 09
Thanks, these are good suggestions. I hadn't really thought about the book thing, I think I will take some to a used bookstore and post any that don't sell there online.
we do the reusing towels and jeans - they don't really need washing every time, do they?
@nooveggies (607)
• Indonesia
3 Nov 09
Talking about selling things online, you might wanna try ebay.com too for your used items. Internet buyers will bid for your item there.
@psychotaz206 (2086)
• United States
3 Nov 09
i do take the cans to a recycle place and get money from them i figure it this way the city is getting more money from all the rest of my rec stuff i can get the money for the cans i can use it better than the city can , i have 4 kids that i can save the money for like doing fun stuff with or just put it away for a special day.
@nooveggies (607)
• Indonesia
3 Nov 09
Helloo,
I have a simple suggestion to add to your challenge actually. You should take a bath or shower faster to reduce the water supply needed :)
Your challenge is very interesting and environmental friendly. Great!
I wish you the best of luck in saving some money..
1 person likes this
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
3 Nov 09
Thanks!
We try to save water in a lot of different ways - using less water when we are brushing our teeth, etc. The interesting thing is that in our city, our water isn't metered. Everyone's water is included in their property taxes.
2 people like this
@nooveggies (607)
• Indonesia
3 Nov 09
That reminds me of my teacher in high school who encouraged us to save as much water as possible after we watched that Al Gore movie about the Inconvinient Truth..
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
3 Nov 09
For anyone that does have their water metered, this is a great suggestion. When I was in elementary school, everyone said to use the guideline of either a five minute shower or five inches of water for a bath.
Also, as far as saving water, if you have children that are smaller, allow them to bathe together.
2 people like this
@kelly10 (678)
•
4 Nov 09
Here's a few ideas for you to try.
~Turn the temperature down on your washing machine.~
~When watching TV at night, for the final hour switch all the lights out.~
~Rather then putting the heating on when cold, wear an extra layer of clothing.~
~When boiling a kettle only boil the amount of water that's needed, if you boil too much pour the remainder into a flask and use for your next brew.~
~Don't leave appliances on standby.~
~Use a shopping list, it cuts down on impulse buys.~
That just a few of the little ways to help save some money.
I guess that if you're on this site that you already use the internet to make money in other ways. Is this correct? If not sign up to some survey sites. They are a quick and easy way to make some extra cash.
Hope you meet your challenge.
1 person likes this
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
4 Nov 09
you're very creative! We do many of these things, but it's good to be reminded. (Although right now, we are also not watching television.
1 person likes this
@kelly10 (678)
•
6 Nov 09
I'm glad someone thinks that I'm creative, some people just call me mean and stingy.
How do you cope with not watching the TV? As I suffer with insomnia and boyfriend works nights it gets very boring and lonely at times, so if I'm not on the internet I'm watching either TV or a flim on DVD.
Have you signed upto surveys sites and cashback sites?
1 person likes this
@carmelbg (519)
•
4 Nov 09
This is a really good idea! We do a number of things to save money. We grown our own vegetables, compost all our household waste - I don;t have to buy compost form the garden centre then.
When using hot water I only turn the boiler on about 1/2 hour before I need the water then switch it off as soon as I have had my bath or shower. This saves us a lot of money as we used to keep it on all day!
Good luck with your challenge!
2 people like this
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
4 Nov 09
Thanks! we live in an apartment so our hot water comes with the apartment. I think next year we will apply to get our own garden plot, I think it would be fun and save us money.
2 people like this
@tammytwo (4298)
• United States
28 Oct 10
Sell your unwanted items either online or find places locally. I take my used clothing to a local store and they pay me 50% of what they sell it for. I have made $35 over a course of about three months. Not much but I don't have to hassle with selling it and I have it out of my house. Try refundsweepers.com for more tips and information. Use coupons when grocery shopping. I save $10-$25 per week when using them. Take advantage of rebate offers as well. Get books from the library rather than purchasing them. Call your cable or satellite provider and your insurance provider as well as your phone service and cell phone service to see if they can get you a better deal on your rates. Sometimes they will offer you a deal.
Good luck with this. Hope it all works out!
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
3 Nov 09
we will be cleaning out or freezer to see what is lurking in the bottom, we will be making soups and stews over the winter with homemade bread (the breadmaker was free!) (i can get a soup bone for under a dollar!) i take public transit for free (because i walk with a quad cane. i am also making a ton of christmas presents too this year plus making all my own cards and gift tags.
1 person likes this
@tonyllenium (6252)
• Italy
17 Nov 10
yes savings in these time such as crisis time is not so easy as in the past so naturally some actions you emntioned in your discussion are improtant to save more in the end of the month..personally i think that many people can use for example public transit than their cars daily the savings can be better...and enviroment too!!
@firemom31 (598)
• United States
6 Nov 09
I sell alot of stuff I don't need at local thrift stores. I was lucky enough to find one that also does cheap car repairs. So I guess that's my saving tip - find a little out of the way place to get your car taken care of. I got nearly new tires for half of what it would cost for new ones.
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
6 Nov 09
actually, as part of our get out of debt path, we got rid of our car.
But I see your point about finding a small, local shop for services.
@firemom31 (598)
• United States
7 Nov 09
I wish I could get rid of my car, it's such a sinkhole for money! We live in farm country, though, and there is no public transportation and a 20 mile trip to work.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
3 Nov 09
don't just turn off electricals - take out the plugs - especially for cell phines that have already been charged. Unplug microwave when not in use. Wash on shortest cycle in cold water. Use half of recommended amount of detergent in washing machine. $5 is not a great deal of money so you could save much more than that. Turn down the thermostat on the central heating and wear sweaters. Good luck
1 person likes this
@Raven1 (577)
• Australia
6 Nov 09
You say you want to save money so you can pay it as an extra payment to your debt.
The most effective way to save money is to reduce the amount of interest you're paying on your outstanding debts. Call your lenders and ask them if they'll consider reducing your interest rate. If they say no, call another lender and ask if they have a balance transfer option at a lower rate than you're paying right now.
This can reduce your payments and save you FAR more than turning off a light or closing one room could do. Then you'll have more money aside out of your income to pay down your debts faster and still have money left to save for Christmas.
1 person likes this
@TierrasMommy (125)
• United States
11 Dec 09
I am going to save $5 each month by cutting out cable and work from home online so I won't have to pay for gas or would I have to buy out at local fast food joints I would always fear taking my lunch to work due to the fact that someone who forgot their lunch might try to take mine and then i would be hungry for the rest of the shift trust me its not fun.
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
13 Dec 09
Hey, you'll probably save quite a bit by eating from home.
Yes, it's definitely not fun to be stuck at work with no food. I've had days like this.
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
15 Nov 10
Very nice tips friend, there can be many more like using CFL lamps in place of regular filament type bulbs, swich off lights, fans or any appliance when not in use , use less water in toilet, water from toilets for watering plants etc..
Thank you so much for this discussion.
Professor. . Cheers have a great day ahead.
God bless you. Welcome always.
@lillake (1630)
• United States
4 Dec 09
Replace the disposable items you use with reusable ones. This saves you from need to buy them over and over again and saves you a bit of money. (http://hubpages.com/hub/5-Disposable-Products-You-Can-Ditch-Today-and-Save-Money)
Use cold water to wash your clothes. They get just as clean and it saves energy costs. And while you're at it, make your own laundry detergent for a few cents rather than buying it. (http://hubpages.com/hub/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent)
Cut out food costs by buying in bulk, eating beans and lentils in the place of meat, and growing your own herbs in a window box. Herbs can be so epensive to buy, growing them is cheap. You can also make your own milk from rice that is cheaper than the cow's milk in stores. (http://hubpages.com/hub/Make-Your-Own-Rice-Milk)
