Posted on 12/31/2017 12:51:08 PM PST by PJ-Comix
Okay, it is the last day of the year. So what did you do in 2017 that saved you money? I am all ears and will be taking notes. In addition, I will lead off with my own moves to save money.
My biggest single money savings move of 2017 was getting Amazon Fire Stick for our 2 TVs. At the same time I cut out our cable TV. Net savings for the year over $600. This comes from saving $80 per month by cutting Comcast Cable TV. Actually I am really saving $55 per month because along with my Amazon Prime, I opted for $25 per month for Sling TV so net yearly savings of $600. One interesting thing is that I thought Comcast would go for a long sales pitch to keep me with their cable TV when they switched me to their account executive but I was pleasantly surprised when he gave me online TV streaming for no additional cost so I ONLY pay for Internet.
Okay, what else? Well, a lot of you know I am a heavy duty couponer so I figure I saved at least $2000 this past year via coupons. I come to that figure because I save at least $40 per week. Oh, and for those of you who don't think the time and effort are worth it, GOOD NEWS! You only need to use a couple of coupon sites to find all the deals you need. For me it is PublixSavings101.com because I shop a lot at Publix and the Mother Ship of all coupon web sites... KRAZY COUPON LADY. As to clipping coupons, things have changed. Most of the coupons I use now you can print right off the web or get electronically.
Another trick that I use when buying stuff online is to go thru the entire checkout process except for the payment. I just leave the item sitting in my shopping cart. Guess what? Almost always the company sends you an email within days offering a discount from what you would have paid.
In 2018 I will be looking for saving money on travel deals. I have heard the best time for booking cruises is within a couple of weeks when the cruise actually begins so they can fill unbooked cabins.
Paid off my car ($400/mo)
Threatened cable with moving to Hulu Live. Kept all same cable services saved ($100/month)
Refinanced house to 2 point lower rate ($140/month)
Bought some needed nice furniture at 66% discount and 48 months to pay with NO INTEREST!
I sold my 2004 BMW and bought a 2003 Suburban.
The BMW is far better in fuel efficiency, but the Suburban is far more useful. I traded the BMW to my mechanic in exchange for work (I owned a BMW. I had a mechanic.) The maintenance on it was “worth it” (230hp, 35 mpg and a decent collection of features) but it costs about $500 a month to maintain properly. Couldn’t do it anymore.
But with the Suburban I now don’t have to say “no” to things. I have a small trailer and can now do dump runs, pick up coal for my furnace and jump on cheap furniture that I couldn’t before.
So I kept the same values, but lessened my load in reliability and got a bigger bang-for-the-buck vehicle instead.
It was 2012-2016 that I REALLY saved money. I reduced my expenses, monthly, by about $2000. Rid of TV, moved from a liberal state to a conservative one, stopped caring about cell phones (I have a used Galaxy S4 now) and was able to collect an impressive amount of supplies for emergency.
I retired on 12/31/2016, so all of 2017 I saved on anything associated with work or commuting to and from work.
voting for trump.
Greatly increased the contribution to the 403b.
I save money by not spending it.
And painted entire condo myself for $140 worth of paint, versus quotes ranging from $1650-$3000.
good thinking!
I saved a lot of money this summer by eating barbecued food.
My neighbor’s think it’s a raccoon grabbing their steaks and burgers.
I got a fully loaded cable 3-pack for $165 to go along with my new 75” Samsung QLED, audio monitor speakers and denon integrated receiver.
Lots of it.
In the attic.
I did nothing.
.
PJ I hope you are putting all that savings into some kind of savings acct. Stocks, Bonds, Tax free savings...my deceased husband was like you about getting bargains and he invested those savings. He left me comfortable.
We did that this year.
Refinanced house to 2 point lower rate ($140/month)
We did that last year.
Biggest money saving move in 2017 was to trade in my 2007 Pontiac G5 with check engine light and probably burned exhaust valve, for a 2017 Spark for $7700 out of pocket including tax & license plates etc. Spark averages 37MPG in town.
Started baking my own bread (about 1/2 the price of buying).
Made the most of Black Friday, planning my purchases for weeks and combining discounts, coupons, etc. for multiplier effect.
Virtually stopped eating out, making nearly all of my own food from scratch.
Getting most of my prescriptions from Express Scripts, at a fraction of most pharmacy prices.
Step-son sent one to my wife for her birthday. We've only had it for about a month and I'm still learning, but it's amazing what all is there. If AT&T plans to raise our dish price next month, I may tell them where to go, lol.
Chicken is cheaper than hamburger if you have an Aldi near you ($1.99/lb for boneless /skinless breasts).
Can buy eggs at Aldi sometimes for 59 cents a dozen. Buy three or four dozen & boil them. Extremely cheap protein, and quick, and no pans to scrub.
If you have a "get money off your gasoline by shopping with us", then when you go to the gas station, and you have more than one car, fill up both cars: the savings usually lets you get the discount for 20 gallons of gas.
My wife learned to make her own Green Tea Frappucino at home for ~$1.70 instead of the $5.50 Starbucks charges.
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