Have you made any money-saving changes recently?

[Anonymous]

I’m a single mom and I’m really struggling to make ends meet the last few months. I finally made a few big changes:

—I cut the cable, saving us around $150 a month

—I’ve made changes at the grocery store such as buying in bulk, making my own beans, packaging the kids Goldfish, etc, instead of buying single serving convenience bags, shopping the ad, “meatless” meals, etc.

But I’d love to find a way to save a couple hundred more. There is nothing else I can reasonably give up, but I’m open to ANY suggestions for living more frugally/cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Shop around for car and home insurance and cell phone plan.

[Anonymous]

Good for you for making those changes, but sometimes life sucks and no matter what you do you are going to struggle financially. I am sorry you're going through this. I find it rewarding to live frugally, but only if it means you're actually getting somewhere financially instead of still living by the skin of your teeth.

But I did have a lot more money when I cut out alcohol, starting cutting my hair at home, and buying bags of kids clothes off of Craigslist. Decorate with things that are free. Also it helps a lot to avoid social media.

[Anonymous]

Join your local "buy nothing" Facebook group. It might not help you save that much per month, but will help with random needs. I have given away food I can no longer eat, and lots of people give away kids clothes and toys.

I would also shop around for cell service and see if you can get a better deal.

[Anonymous]

We also cut cable. Also cancelled streaming services we aren't currently using, can always sign back up if there is something we want to watch. on the plus side I read a lot more.

I also try to cook more meatless meals.

meal planning- only buy what is on my list and making sure I cook everything to avoid food waste.

[Anonymous]

This is so individual/specific to your situation.
I have always found it helpful to look at my credit card and bank account activity for the month to see where I am spending money and what could be cut. Generally your biggest expenses (besides housing and child care) are the ones where you should shop carefully and compare options or weigh the cost-benefit, etc.

[Anonymous]

Buy Nothing is the best. For me, meal planning and keeping the meals super super simple is key and has helped me cut down on food waste. No excess drinks like soda, juice (outside of OJ), etc. I even stopped coffee (it was hurting my stomach anyways but an expense with creamers, etc).

[Anonymous]

I called the trash company and got a lower rate.

I am also trying to meal plan and make a detailed list with all the things I need for those meals. I actually shop more often and buy smaller quantities because, for me, it results in less waste. My kids were also used to too many snacks, which are expensive. I still package out crackers for snack time at school, but at home they are no longer getting processed snacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a single mom and I’m really struggling to make ends meet the last few months. I finally made a few big changes:

—I cut the cable, saving us around $150 a month

—I’ve made changes at the grocery store such as buying in bulk, making my own beans, packaging the kids Goldfish, etc, instead of buying single serving convenience bags, shopping the ad, “meatless” meals, etc.

But I’d love to find a way to save a couple hundred more. There is nothing else I can reasonably give up, but I’m open to ANY suggestions for living more frugally/cheaper.

If you’re struggling with food, can you reach out to your local pantry?

[Anonymous]

Cut out an expensive kid's activity that was enjoyed but not necessary or frequent enough (or likely to be sustainable enough in the long-run) to justify the cost.

Doing mostly grocery pick-ups so I can really evaluate everything I buy carefully with plenty of time.

Minimal eating out.

Much less likely to do expensive outings (i.e. theater tickets etc.) than in the past. Maybe only for a birthday or equivalent now. Fortunately this area has plenty of inexpensive things to do!

[Anonymous]

We switched from Verizon to Mint for cell phone plan.

[Anonymous]

OP, join the Frugalwoods group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Shop around for car and home insurance and cell phone plan.

Just be careful with this. We had a “big name” insurer for our car and we’re paying what we thought was fair. We had a pretty significant comprehensive claim, and were worried our prices would go up and they’d give us trouble with the claim. I was shocked when the adjuster found damage we hadn’t even noticed, and even more surprised when our rates didn’t go up.

On the advice of “shop around”, we did, and went to a cheaper company. When we had a tire blowout and a similar comp claim, they dragged their feet, caused such a headache, and fought us tooth and nail.

I’ll happily pay more for a company with better customer service. You get what you pay for.

[Anonymous]

OP, you've done all the things that we've done too.

We cut a kid activity that was costing quite a bit a month and we can do without for the school year. Started shopping sales only and cut back on red meat (more so than other meat) purchases. More meal planning and trying to reduce food waste. Buy clothes at consignment shops. After football season, we're cancelling YouTube TV. We eat out less but thanks to covid, we had already gotten used to that. Trying to take advantage of more community activities and local theater. It's a lot cheaper and we don't feel like we're missing out on things.

[Anonymous]

Commit to using everything in your pantry to minimize shopping.

Make do with your clothes.

Cut back on expensive toiletries.

Close your curtains/shutters and keep heat low. Dress warmly and use blankets—especially at night.

See how long you can go without buying anything beyond food.

Go longer without a haircut/color.

Focus on bringing dollars in by reselling your unwanted stuff on a local FB page. Every little bit helps.