For the past few weeks, we've reached out to our viewers through Facebook and Twitter to see how you save money on your monthly bills. Below is a compilation of our most popular money-saving ideas:
- Leslie: Sandwich bread is $4 a loaf. I have 4 kids. To save I found a simple wheat bread recipe and two times a week I bake 2 loaves of bread. Make all the sandwiches for lunches with this bread. $1.31 a loaf…at 3 loaves per week, I save more than $400 a year. (Click here for Leslie's recipe.)
- Rob: Visit the the area's military base thrift stores, like the ones at Fort Myer and Fort Meade. You don't need to be in the service to shop there, just a photo ID, vehicle registration and a quick trunk inspection, and they are open on some Saturdays. You can scoop up the bargains from those who have gathered treasures in their world travels, as well as clothing and household items. The prices are very good there, especially at this time of year. (Also try Fort Belvoir and Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility.)
- Charlita: Get rid of the online movie subscriptions & instead rent movies from the local library. IT'S FREE! You can save about $20-$25 a month!!
- Jacqueline: Use neighborhood list serve. Get free furniture. Saved thousands of dollars on baby furniture and its right in the neighborhood.
- Suzanne & Dany: Match coupons with what is on sale at the grocery. Only buy what is on sale. This will cut your expenses by about 50%
- Elizabeth: more credit card use
- Marsha: Remove all one dollar bills from your wallet everyday consistently and deposit monthly. Be surprised at the number of singles we carry daily
- Brandon: Never spend change. Pay with bills, save the change. It's amazing how much that can add up to.
- Eva: Stop paying for everything with your debit card. Get a fixed amount of cash out every week (say, 50 bucks) and use only that for the small things that you need durign the week: coffee, lunch, a candy bar etc. When you see it in your wallet (or see it disappear) you think harder about spending the money than when you just swipe a card.
- ReNee: Dropping movie channels from cable tv
- Emma: We removed the "phone" portion from our cable bundle. Use internet phone. Renegotiate our cable/internet bill every 6-12 months when any promotions expire.
- Debbie: Get rid of cell phone contract plans. Go with pay-as-you-go cell.
- Rebecca: I went over the cell phone bill with a fine tooth comb, was able to bring it down by $25 a month.
- Margaret: Eat LUNCH at higher priced restaurants- it's less than dinner (if you want to go out).
- Pam: Stop buying coffee out. Invest in a good coffee maker. That will save you at least $200-$300 every 6 weeks. REALLY
- Serena: Save your $5.00 bills and tuck them away in an envelope daily in your sock drawer. Only spend the $1's, $10's, and $20's
- Sue: When eating out, It is easy to eat half or less and bring the rest home for another meal. Get two meals for the price of one.
- John: Every time your car insurance, homeowner's insurance, etc., comes up for renewal, shop around-you might just be surprised at the differences. In the past year, by doing so, I have saved over $450 between the two.
- Rod: Im currently unemployed with no benefits, so I called Cable company. They lowered my monthly bill by $50/month without losing any service.
- Cheryl: I'm trying something new. 1 week a month the only thing I buy at the grocery store is fresh fruit & veggies. Everything else is from stock in the house.
- Barbara: I am making a menu for dinners every month. I go to the grocery with my menu list and buy from this. No added spending.
- Yvonne: Take advantage of great meat sales at the grocery. Only buy meat when its on sale. Freeze the portions according to recipies and label clearly.
- Sabrina: Spend cash only. Saved for a trip to Disney for 8 months. Spent only cash. Had no credit card bills to come home to.
- Charlita: Get rid of the online movie subscriptions & instead rent movies from the local library. IT'S FREE! You can save about $20-$25 a month!!
- Gina: Try house brand grocery products. Usually lower prices and great quality.
- Socialite & Tiffane: Keep a daily journal and track all your spending. Gives you a sense of control over your finances.
- Lea: Examine your home phone/internet/cable/satellite bill and your cell phone bill to see if you really need/use what you're being charged. Get rid of what you're not using.
- Lynn: Like to eat out. Cut cost by always splitting an entree and an appetizer
- Kellie Scarbrough: Sell old books and textbooks, movies you don't want anymore and electronics you don't need to Amazon. They pay for shipping and they gave us great deals on most of the items we sent in. This also freed up more space for us and got rid of clutter! Do this once a year and you could score a few hundred dollars to put toward something you need or into savings!
For even more tips and suggestions on how to slash your bills and save cash, and to suggest your own, follow the hashtag #lizmoney on Twitter.
