starting a savings

We keep to a strict budget. We use generic instead of name brand. We limit eating out. We allow ourselves to go out once a pay period as a treat so saving does not become too stressful. We cut our daily expenses everywhere we could. Turned the thermostat up to decrease the electric bill, had the cable decreased to basic cable. I started taking lunch to work instead of purchasing there. Anything left over at the end of the 2 weeks goes into savings. Some weeks it is only $5.00 other weeks we have $200. Fortunately I have the ability to pick up extra shifts so evry few weeks I pick up an extra shift and all of it goes inot savings.

Ya know i found that if it comes directly out of my check i don't even miss it. Maybe u can try that? U will be amazed at how soon u don't even miss that money!
Ang

We are on a pretty strict budget already. A lot of times I try to keep the a/c or heat off and we just wear more layers.
I do buy mostly store brand unless I have a coupon and name brand is cheaper. We rarely eat out. Maybe twice a month and everything is off the dollar menu.
I stay home with the kids which helps with food because I can buy in bigger containers instead of snack packs.
I try not to drive unless I have to because gas is so expensive.
We also do not impulse buy. We think about how much we want something for at least a week before figuring out if we should get it or not.

My husband is looking around to change jobs because the hours are just not there. We have been realy struggling for almost a year now. They keep promising more work but it is not coming through.

I would hate to get a part time job because we would have almost no family time with him working so much but if it is only temporary I am sure it would be for the better.

I am trying not to whine but to be proactive about putting us in a better position.

NO I understand. It is hard to save money especially when the money is just not there. I have been there. You got to do what is best for you. Make sure if you decide to get a part time job it is not all eaten up with daycare expenses otherwise it is not helping you at all.

I hear where you are coming from. I have a hard time saving also (maybe thats why my dryer isn't fixed yet :evil: ) But anyway here we are on a tight budget also. We shop at thrift stores and we buy our food at such stores as save-a-lot and aldi's, but someitme you have to watch the prices there too. But my daughter also works at walmart so we get a discount there. But for us I have a set amount I spend on food a week. If someone has a special day during the week well I will adjust for that. I usually plan the meals for the week depending on the specials in the paper and if I get under my budget then I stick that amount away. I also hit hubby's pockets for any change or dollar bills and I stick that away. I have a can that I put that all in, and once it gets prety full I go to the bank and cash it in. One time I got some good deals at the store and saved a ton that week and when I went to the bank I had $150 in the can. But now with the savings account we have it set up that both hubby and I have to be ther to withdraw the money. So we have to have a good reason to withdraw. But right now it's kinda empty or my dryer would be fixed lol.

My hubby also got a second job so that is helping us get back on track. I had a second job but it was too hard on the kids and hubby wasn't too good at helping with homework lol.

It takes time when you don't have much to work with. But just think if you even only put $5 a week away, you will have $260 in a year. So start small and when things get better then you can set a little more aside.

Survey, all good info, plans. I recycle, which might sound funny, but I make some really good money. You'd be amazed of the things that recycling companies are willing to pay you for. My last check (September) was for 453.00, the one before that (beginning of September) was for 1000.00. I have about a grand worth of stuff now that's almost ready to be taken in.
Like I said, all the stuff that people have mentioned are good ideas, I really don't have too much to add to that. But, if you want to know the kind of stuff I recycle, what it's worth, where to find it, how to get it ready, etc etc, let me know where you live, I'll do some research for you and give you some ideas on how to make money doing that. I'll do all of this free of charge, of course;) Send me a message and I'll share with you everything I know about the subject. I'm telling you girl, you'd be amazed at how much money you can make, even if it's part time.

sub-I like the recycling idea and wow, didnt know it was lucrative!! Whats your secret? :)

I have $20 a paychek go directly into savings..its not a lot, but it adds up!

Also, I have been selling things on Ebay...made $200 this month.

Wow volleyballmom, that's awesome with the ebay thing. hasn't been very successful for me but am trying other avenues. Submarinesailor, I think it's really admirable that you're willing to not only share your knowledge with folks on here but also to offer to look up information for them as well!
as far as savings, saving change can be really great and you wouldn't think so but my in laws do that for my one year old son and they've already made a couple hundred bucks since he's been born. we're trying but we tap it too. I think the biggest thing to savings (besides having a little xtra) is to be disciplined, i'm still learning this art!

Volley,
It's very lucrative. For me, it's damn near a second job. I devote a lot of time to it. You don't have to put as much effort into it as I do though to make some money. What's my secret? Well, number one, dedication. I go out and look for stuff to recycle. Hahaha, sounds kinda weird I know, but you'll see me walking around the roads here. I find all kind of stuff that way. I also get stuff from family, friends, co-workers, etc. I also use craigslist as a source of free items. Some of the items are still in good shape, they can still be used, so I don't normally take those. But a lot of stuff people give away is broken, not worth anything as they are, or are just junk. In the Seattle area, people give away a ton of stuff. Where my mom lives in Indiana, it's not like that, so it depends on where you live.
I could get specific on the types of stuff to recycle, the in's and out's, etc, but that would take too long here. If anybody wants specifics, just let me know. Also, it kinda depends on where you live as to what kind of stuff they take, how much they pay, the rules of your state, etc. There's not a big difference normally, but you never know.
Here's an example, there's a truck that parks at Wal-Mart, etc (I think it's Reynolds Recycling). They pay you for cans, copper, etc. They only pay around 30 cents a pound for cans. Where I go, in Tacoma, they pay around 60-65 cents a pound. So it pays to do some research. Like I said though, anyone wants some info, tell me where you live, I'll do the research for that area, and let you know specifically what I do.

Extra money? One word....eBay! Case in point: a couple of years ago a friend of mine was having a garage sale. I gave her some of my clothes that no longer fit, thinking they might sell at her sale. No. Not a thing sold! She gave the clothes back to me and on a whim, I tried out eBay. I ended up making $200! That first time was a little time consuming, but hey...$200 is $200, you know? And now listing things has come much quicker now. :)

(volleyballmom - just saw your post; great minds think alike)

submarinesailor - I never knew recycling companies paid people for their "stuff". I live in Ohio, I'd like to learn specifics for my state!

Honestly i KNOW having money taken directly from ur check sounds unreasonable but after a very short time u won't even notice it's gone! My 95 year old grandmother, was left to raise 4 kids alone after grandpa died. That was back in the day when women did NOT work. Anyway, she got a job at the telephone company and would save .50 cents a week! ha ha (hard to imagine huh?) But she did this for years and years... today she has loads of money in the bank!! All from saving for many many years... She always preached to us to save anything, even if like Volley said, 20 bux a check! U won't miss it and it does add up!
WIsh i knew some other way to make money while staying home with ur kids... With the cost of daycare these days u wouldn't make much, if any, money!
If i think of something i'll sure let u know.
Good Luck,
Ang

Stacy-$200 must be the magic # :) And yes great minds do think alike. It now only takes just a few clicks to list items on Ebay once you have taken your pictures of the items, etc.

Mind if i ask what kinda items u sell on ebay?? personal items or what?
I'm not sure what kinda things would actually sell on there
Thanks,
Ang

Cars and Boats...just kidding.

I have some $$ purses that I did ok with, sold a couple to try it out and I posted a few more. You know sometimes when you buy a shirt or something and you dont want it but too late to return it? Ebay! I have some shirts with tags still on them too late to return and I dont want to sell them for $1 at a yard sale.

lol @ cars n boats!
Hell i have a few of those just laying around! :lol:
I keep looking around my family room thinking 'hummmm... what could i sell on ebay!' ha ha
Thanks vbm,
Ang

What I did when I was unsure was just went on there...looked for similar items and got an idea of what the going rates were, etc and if those items are actuall selling.

You would be surprised at the stuff on ebay..one person trash, another persons treasure!

eBay is all about the description....and you'll find that when you poke around and check out listings. someone might have a great item, but not have a picture or have one poor quality one. or they haven't taken the time to create a nice description and such.

i have a basic listing (explains the items and my payment and shipping options)that i just revamp for each thing i sell.

you can sell just about anything on eBay, but i try to stick to clothing, household items, etc. i got a set of tacky snowman dishes for christmas last year that i'd never use. so as a last resort i sold them on eBay and it turns out they were a hot commodity that people got into a bidder war over! :lol:

I am thinking of posting a bunch of my Partylite candle holders. I was into that for awhile and now its all sitting in boxes.

I bet that would really sell, especially as a lot perhaps!

I have lots of baby stuff to sell....

Hi guys, I've been busting my butt all day. I promised people some info, but didn't get to it today, sorry! I'm here again tomorrow, and I definitely will dish out the knowledge.
I used to sell stuff on ebay. Made pretty good money. The problem I had was finding stuff to sell. Once I cleaned out the house, I had a hard time finding other stuff. I looked at second hand stores, etc, but everyone else is in on the game too. I sold some submarine stuff (hats, lighters, etc) but am all out of that stuff also. I do have a Uss Pennsylvania brass plaque if anyone wants to buy it ;)

Wow Sub! I have never made that much on recycling. I normally make $30-40 but that isn't very often. I am trying to figure out how to strip things like old broken a/c units.

I do try to list things on Ebay and Craigslist. Lately I have been checking the wanted ads on Craigslist and writing those people when I have something they want. Hoping that someone writes back.

One of the reasons I quit working was because I would have been working to make the money for daycare and gas to get to work and back.

Thanks for all your ideas! I am glad this post helped more then just me :)