Saving money, it's my wife's speciality
Dear wife ALWAYS takes a portion of the pay and puts it in savings..even as low as $50.00 a paycheck..many times (if the budget can stand it) nearly 1/3rd of my pay goes into savings. Any tax refund goes into savings..
We got into an apartment we can afford EASILY..Our Rent is less than 1/4 of our combined income. We never live BEYOND our means...
Thrift shops are another way we have saved money.. Clothes ,Books , DVDs, and Furniture have all come from thrift shops.
We also buy our cars off of private parties, Salvage titles are OK by us after an inspection by our mechanic (one can get a newer car for less that way). We also buy economical cars (minimum is 30MPG Highway) so we don't get hit for too much in operating costs..
When buying a computer, we buy new, but we purchase close-outs and use a desk-top more often than our net-book (used mostly for travel and extended trips). Desktops can last a LOT longer so we can get the most for our purchase..And the net-book is more than enough for our travel requirements.
Computer games are bought off ebay and usually older ones..seldom the latest.
We cut our land-line , use basic cable and our Internet is one of the lower speed packages (really makes very little difference to page load times).
Because of our savings, we use Medical Insurance with higher co-pays and lower our month to month costs..and are VERY careful not to overuse the Doctor..(check-ups one time per year.)
In the Summer, the AC is set for 80F and we open the windows up at night when it's cool (temp. permitting)..In the Winter, our heat is set for 65F and we open up the windows during the day if the Outside Temps would heat the apt. more) and shut tight during the night.
This has enabled us to be far more free and allows us to buy a few things new that each wants to have as a treat...
We eat out less than one time per month, only for special occasions.
The Dollar Store is your friend...
