25 Ways I Save Money

Dawn from Frugal For Life had a post relating to “25 Ways I Save Money“. So here is my 25 ways:

1. I have no car – I walk or bike instead. For longer distances I use buses or trains.
2. I do all my banking online and that saves not only money but also time.
3. I compare prices on items before I buy, or ask myself if I really need that item.
4. I buy non-perishable goods in bulk and store them until needed.
5. I make tekephone calls off peak or from the office.
6. I like to buy quality goods that will last a long time and therefore have a lower TCO (total cost of ownership). A good example is my bike. When I bought it, the price was four times higher that the other bikes, but now it has outlasted five bikes. I had a time where at totally tore a bike apart in 1,5 yers time. This bike just keeps going and going and is fewer reparing costs too
7. Leftovers are used as lunch the following day
8. I remember to turn off lights and other appliances when not used. Remember to unplug everything from the wall. Many appliances use power when turned off. That is stupid.
9. I read the newspapers online instead of boying them. Save not only moeney but also trees.
10. I go to the libarary – it is far more practical to borrow a book and read it rather than. building your own cluttered libarary.
11. I buy second hand clothes for my two year old daughter.
12. I know what to buy when I go to the store. That way I am less tempted.
13. I dry my laundry on lines they feel more fresh when dried that way too.
14. I never buy on credit or use *credit* cards (I pay with cards, but the money is already on the card).
15. I (we, the family) cook meals at home instead of eating out.
16. I use compact fluorescent light bulbs all over the house.
17. I have stopped going to the movies. I don’t go unless it’s something really worth watching on the big screen and belive me there has not been anything the last year. I saw Harry Potter and the order of the Foenix (not worth THAT money) and The Bourne Supremecy (cool but also a waste of money).
18. If something breaks I try to fix it myself rather than throwing it out or getting a ‘little man’ to fix it for me. I do most of the home maintenance and improvement jobs myself to save on labour.
19. When shopping for groceries I go for generic drugs and food over name brands. A pair of jeans is easily 200% more expensive than they need to be.
20. I got rid of ALL cable tv services. I tried to get rid of cable, but we couldn’t because cable is part of the rent in our flat (how dumb is that?). But I got rid of the television too. Not that saves heaps of time that can be spent with my daughter.
21. I live in a smaller house than we can afford and we are saving for retirement.
22. I only run the dishwasher and washing machine when it’s full.
23. Re-use plastic bags of all sizes.
24. I never buy CDs or DVDs any more – they are downloaded or borrowed at the library.
25. Here’s one of my favourites! We use a digital camera for photos and ONLY print out a very select few for friends and relatives that might not be on line otherwise we share on line.