During the scare where everyone thought that the military either would not get paid or only receive half of a pay check, I realized how much we depend on a large percentage of our income. I saw a few military wives sharing ideas on how to save some money every day. I want to share some of my own and if you have more please post them as a comment here for me :)
My husband is the bread winner right now. I'm in school for Medical Billing and Coding and putting my heart into getting a 100% in my classes, so I've decided not to work until I graduate in a couple months. Also the only jobs I qualify for until I receive my diploma are retail jobs. The last job I got to help us out with money required me to stand for 6-9 hours and did not give me any breaks. They said that I needed to stand and eat at the register and that I was not allowed to leave...well after a week of that my knee was swollen and in so much pain I had to quit.( I injured my knee about a year and a half ago and it has been a slow recovery process.) I felt really bad for not bringing in that income, but I'm pretty sure the way they treated me wasn't legal. After that my husband and I talked and he doesn't want me to be at a job that would not only hurt me, but isn't at all what I want to do. Once I graduate I will be able to apply for a Medical Billing job where I can sit and do something that I enjoy. Saving money is something that I'm committed to. Here are some ideas!
1. Unplug appliances you aren't using. I unplug my microwave & laptop/phone chargers at night or when I'm not using them.I unplug the t.v./xbox/phone when I go on a trip.
2. Cut fabric softener dryer sheets in half. I did this, they still work :)
3. Use Icefilms.com instead of paying for Netfilx and Cable!
4. Turn your a/c a couple of degrees higher at night and turn it off before you leave (unless you have pets at home)
5. Instead of buying video games, use gamefly.com to try them out, play them as long as you like and send them back. That way you don't end up with a ton of games you only played a couple weeks and probably won't play again. My husband loves this!
6. Instead of buying movies or dvd's, watch them for free on Icefilms.com whenever you want.
7. If you pay to play WoW...you could play it for free on a private server and save yourself some money.
8. Buy meat in bulk when you see it on sale or for a great price. Wrap it up and put it in the freezer for later.It saves you trips to the store and is usually cheaper than buying it in singles.
9. Use the workout center at your apartment complex or a friend's, or use the gym on base. Gym memberships are way overpriced.
10. Eat at home. You can eat for a week at home on the money you would spend on one night out for 2 people at a nice restaurant.
11. Use the library instead of buying books. On base there is also sometimes a book exchange, I use that all the time.
12. Eat leftovers for lunch the next day. It saves you the cost of lunch and you are not wasting the food.
13. Deposit around $50 to your savings or to make an extra payment on a credit card instead of making a purchase. Instead of buying a $50 game, rent it or borrow it, and deposit the money you would have spent in savings. It will add up.
14. Set up an allotment to your savings account. When you get paid, the money will go right into savings automatically and there's no way to accidentally spend the amount you intended to save.
15. Pay off debts faster, increasing the amount that you pay a month from $50 to $75 a month can actually save you hundreds of dollars in interest charges. It's even better if you do that twice a month.
16. Don't use credit cards unless you can pay the amount off in full. For example, you have $200 and need to spend it on tires or a car repair, pay for it on the card, and immediately make the $200 payment to your card. That way you are building your credit by using the card, but not incurring debt.
17. Use parks or the beach. Go camping or hiking. It will give you something to do and save you money you'd spend on the movies, dinner out, etc. Free entertainment is always good!
18. Use energy efficient curtains. They block out the heat and keep in the a/c. I keep them closed and it really helps vs. no curtains and replace your old light bulbs with energy saving ones.
19. If you own a house, there are so many ways to be energy efficient. Do some research to find whats best for your home. New water heaters, lighting, appliances, windows, etc can all save you money.
20. Think about if you NEED something! If you like an outfit, put it on lay away. Think about it. If you still love it and must have it then get it. If you change your mind don't buy it, or return it if you already did. I return stuff all the time. If I'm not happy with it, I get my money back. If it's a big purchase, do research, compare prices, read online reviews about it. Is it worth the price? Will it last? Do you NEED it? Save up the money and wait a couple weeks. If you still think it's a good idea, proceed.
These are just 20 that I could think of.
We have a few savings accounts. There is one for our future child, one is to help us save for a trip, and the next one is a long term savings fun. After this whole ordeal, I am considering putting some into an emergency fund. I read an article where they said to put 8-18 months of wages into an emergency savings account in case you ever do not receive the pay you were counting on. We don't have anything like that. As soon as I start my job we will restructure how things are paid and I'll be able to contribute to our savings.
I hope this list helps and gives you some ideas. Please share any that you have :)
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