Great ideas on this thread! Some of the things we do:
Grow food in our small backyard
Grow more food at a community plot at our church.
Have chickens (since I only have three, I'm not spending money on eggs that I don't use).
Cook from scratch.
Shop the sales at the grocery store. I have my top prices I won't go above on most items. I shop for my fridge/pantry and not for specific meals which saves me from paying too much for anything.
Buy produce items when they're in season.
Buy used cars.
Don't carry the medical coverage on the car insurance because it costs a lot and pays little, plus we already have medical insurance.
Run no debt (other than house, to keep interest costs down).
Use items until they're are worn out.
When replacing worn out appliances, replace them with Energy Efficient models.
Use CFLs in all of our lighting.
Keep blinds closed on the sunny side of the house in summer, open in winter.
Open the blinds instead of turning on a light (when it's not on the sunny side of the house and it's hot outside).
Use the windows and fans instead of AC.
Bundle up in the winter instead of running the heat.
Cook only a few days a week, eat all the leftovers (we end up with a lot of soup!).
Don't buy sodas - drink water instead.
Make my own sun tea.
Bought a house and have stayed in it even though it's a tad small now that we've added kids to the household. In this area, this is a huge savings in taxes.
Turn off appliances via the power strip to avoid using phantom power.
Keep all lights off in rooms we're not using.
Group my errands.
Hubby rides his bike to work.
Give the kids an allowance and bday and Christmas presents. Anything else they want, they have to spend their own money.
Shop Craigslist and Freecycle.
I'm going to put in a clothesline this summer and will use that with some of my loads. I have a Energy Efficient washer that makes my dryer load take only a bit over a half hour, but I know I can do even better if I don't use it at all.
Question for you folks using the homemade laundry soap . . .
My washer clearly states all over it that use of non-HE detergent will void the warranty. I've not been able to find anything about this online. Is there any chance of the homemade stuff gumming up the HE washers?
