Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Ways to live cheaply and cut costs

I would say.. ,look at every bill and ask is it nessesary and if so can I do this better/cheaper. When we are flush with cash we tend to learn to spend it and unlearning becomes harder.

An example is audio books, I drive a lot and love to listen to books, I used to buy them at about $10 each from Audible, but found out that my local library has many titles for free. That saved me maybe $20 a month.

Wife loves to shop. She hates spending much money so she does her hobby shopping at yard/estate sales, Good Will and Salvation Army.
She goes across the river the West end of Richmond and hits the Salvation and Good will over there. I get 4 or 5 nearly new blue jeans, Polo Shirts, Bass loafers for a year at the cost of $20.00. She also picks up pewter for me to use as wheel weight sweetener.
Do you remember the really nice coats and jackets that the Marlboro Man catalogs had in them, well Bride found 4 at $10 each. At the end of the season Target gives the left over to Good Will.
I prefer to wear vests rather then coats, Virginia does not get very cold. Wife finds then at the two stores and yard sales
We hit the local Farmers Market every Saturday for veggies and Grand Daughter and I go over and do quality control on Mrs. Yoders donuts.
Our house was built in 1954, we bought it from the original owner. We have worked on insulating, up grading the heating cooling, replaced windows and appliances electric bill is reasonable. In the winter we have a wood burning stove down stairs, wood comes off the property or near by neighbors.
Wife would love to have a garden, the property is triple canopy jungle and we have herds of squirrels, we could use a PTO post hole digger to plant tulips for all the rocks and clay.

Living on the cheap is fun and interesting. There's a line of fake pewter ware, it's aluminum. Wife finds them at yard sale for two or three bucks. The big bowls get drilled and made into planters. Talk about class.

Jim

Just pray your wife does not meet mine! Neiman Marcus and DSW are her favorite places.

My power company just emailed information for free energy saving upgrades, they did not apply for my needs but you should check out to see where they can help you save on yours!

Our power company, a co-op, has a program to do an energy audit and help with the cost of any recommended upgrades. Our house is only 9 years old and didn't have any recommended upgrades. They also have a program to control our water heater. They give us $20.oo a month. They don't let the water heater come on between 6am and 10am mon-sat. Peak use times. We barely notice it.

Oil changes and oldr but reliable automobiles:

The oil change industry tries to tell us that we need to change the oil in our cars every three thousand miles. With todays new oils and ESPECIALLY fully synthetic oils that is total Balderdash. Buy an oil change pack of full synthetic oil at WalMart for about $25.00, then just change the oil FILTER at about 5,000 miles, and the oil at about the 10,000 mmile marker.

Before I had to quit working Sherri as well as discipleship and wisdom living classes at my church were already moving me away from car payments and such. I sold my Cadilac CTS ($750/mo!) my Ford Explorer ($360/mo) and Sherri sold her almost brand new Pontiac Grand Prix w/supercharger ($500+/mo) and we bought an '03 Chevrolet Avalance (my rig primarily) and Sherri found a great deal on an already lifted, custom wheels and big tires equipped Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo package rig for only about $2500 out the door. Almost four years later these rigs are doing great and we absolutely love them. Had to put a motor in the Avalanche two years ago but found a zero miles on it motor out of a wrecked when brand new Silverado pickup truck for only $1,000 plus $100 to have it shipped, saving over $3,000 VS a rebuild of the old motor. The '94 Jeep is nearly indestructable and by keeping the maintencnce up on it we expect it to last a good long time even yet. If the motor goes bad on us, LOTS of 318's out there in wrecking yards with minimal miles on them, and plenty of underemployed wrench monkeys who can do the switcheroo in our yard with a rented cherry picker. Traded a 243 that I didn't need and a couple of other guns for a tired, 10 year old Harley Sportster 883, bumped it from an 883 to a 1200 with a kit purchased on line and an unemployed HD trained mechanic on the cheap and have a blast riding it here and there while getting 55MPG the last time I checked it.

Sherri is looking into some student loan modification programs (she has a BA from WA State in Human services and mental health) and found that there is an income based as well as a pay as you earn program out there for un or underemployed graduates. This should knock the HECK out of the student loan monthly payment since she had to drop to part time until she becomes more accustomed to her anti cancer drugs.

EXCERCISE costs... We dropped our Gym membership partly because my kidney failure induced gout prevents me from working out like I used to anyway, but this saves us $65.00 a month. We bought a used recumbant stationary bicycle for Sherri (my gout inflamed hips and knees cannot withstand that torture rack!) and we have three (well, 2 and 1/2 <G>) dogs that need a 25-45 minute walk every day and to keep up my biceps and other upper body muscle groups we are looking for a used wieght bench and some dumbells that I can use at home.

I got rid of my TVs and just use my computer for news. My cable bill dropped from $123/month to $39/month.

I don't miss the TVs at all.

I got rid of my land line, which was costing me $75/month, and now just use my cell phone.

I got rid of my car and now just use my 3/4-ton, extended-cab pickup. It gets worse MPG than did the car, so I think twice about just hopping in and going somewhere. With a little discretion, my monthly gasoline costs should be about the same as when I had the car.

Bet that was the favorite places before you got married too. Just saying.

Eat beans,..wear a rubber.

Forget the synthetic oil. Change conventional oil/filter every 500-7500 miles and you'll be fine. My dad put 335000 on an F150 doing so.

now you know

Hate the covering so got permanently snipped 30 years ago after my third child was born in less than three years.... One of my best life decisions!

Correct, testing of todays leading brand non synthetic oil's shows they will stand up to 7k or more, but I still change oil and the filter everything.

Have benn running my 04 Dakota V8 that way and at 262000 miles it doesnt burn or leaks anything...

Getting cut certainly cuts costs

I burn wood for 90% of my heat. Saves a fortune compared to buying propane.

Drink water

Heat your house with wood you cut, split and stack yourself. Not only saves buying fuel oil/propane but you won't need a gym membership to keep in shape either.

Can no longer do this kiond of thing. My BP is 180/100 WITH five BP pills and a Clonidine patch 24/7 ad my raging gout just will not allow such. Only arely and moderately can I lift a bit of weight.

Bullschit. A MAN still needs Stihl chainsaw AND a Pendlay barbell

I don't tell most folks that I intend to say a prayer for them but I'm going to pray for you Bro.

Apple cider vinegar mixed with water will clean your whole house, mopping, counter tops. Put a drop of vanilla on a light bulb if you don't like the smell of the vinegar. (cleansers that get on the dogs paws plus the crap food from China I think has a lot to do with their health problems we see nowadays.)

Rubbing alcohol 70% / 30% water is the best window cleaner

Brake fluid for tires instead of armor all

Price match at walmart (groceries)

Shop at 3 stores for best deals

Between drugstore / wal mart figure out best deal for meds

find a buddy to do a costco run with go in halfs of the stuff you both use.

First showing for movies only / bring your own snacks

Car with best gas milage does the erins (costco for gas)

Carpool when possible

if your seeing 3 speacialists can one be the main guy you go to for follow ups to read results? Ask other wise 3 specialist Dr's at 50 - 150 per visit gets crazy.

Dog food from costco natures choice turkey $30

Good mechanics are the ones that will let you supply your own parts.

Spend money on the important good things, save on things that have no value.

dog shots at petco clinic

Coupons / cut them / clip them / seek them

There are gunstores that offer tax free day - find them and maximize purchases.

God Bless