<p>Some folks swear by the envelope system. Everything is set aside in envelopes–either spending for the day or by category for the month. When the cash is gone from the envelope, it is GONE and no borrowing from another month or another category. Pre-pay things so that essentials are covered, like rent/mortgage, utilities, etc.</p>
<p>I used mint.com for a long time, it’s free and there are apps for smartphones. You don’t have to put in your purchases, it links to your cards and bank if you want it to. </p>
<p>What do we do to save money…bought car with cash, so no payment. Pay credit card each month (mine does have travel benefits and I use them for everything from college visit hotels to vacations to an unexpected trip to see my dad on the west coast after a stroke). I almost always cook extra and freeze. D is a vegetarian so I rarely buy meat, we eat a lot of bean soups, homemade polenta, veggies, etc. She does eat fish so I do that once or twice a week.</p>
<p>Aldi…I’ve found certain things are great there but others not. Fresh mozzarella, string cheese, crackers and certain frozen things (like tilapia) are all usually a lot less $ there than my normal grocery store, as is milk. My normal grocery is local family owned and not the cheapest, but sales are great and I tend to shop around what’s on sale.</p>
<p>I am a huge library user. Almost any book I want can be “ordered” online there form any library in my state, delivered to my local branch. An email tells me to pick it up. I very rarely buy books, even SAT/ACT prep books because D can use them and just write answers on a separate piece of paper.</p>
<p>I got rid of cable in a fit of annoyance at yet another price increase a few years back. We only watch things online now. Had Netflix for awhile but went through most of what we wanted to see so I ditched that too. S has student prime at Amazon so we can stream from that. DSL internet (I work at home so this is a must) comes with a free landline with free long distance. SInce we can make long calls at home, we all have Virgin Mobile phones with unlimited text and data but only 300 minutes talk time each. I never use it all, usually not even half. It’s $80/mo for all 3 of us, with smartphones.</p>
<p>My weak areas are eating out “without intention”, grabbing coffee and that kind of thing. I used to go out for coffee every day but began making it at home awhile back so now it’s more of a Sunday morning thing with D, which is an expense I am OK with. </p>
<p>Very useful thread BHM!</p>
<p>So I just went on mint.com and they wanted to have my account numbers and passwords…you did that? </p>
<p>(just a bit paranoid)</p>
<p>UGH- should have proofread my post #139–I found at least 30 errors.</p>
<p>@Tempemom, I would be extremely paranoid, too, giving out bank numbers and passwords. Did you look at the other program that several other posters use, You Need a Budget? Here’s the link: <a href=“http://www.youneedabudget.com/[/url]”>http://www.youneedabudget.com/</a></p>
<h1>55 MichGeorg. Haha! My D just took my vintage Coach bag and said she gets constant compliments. She lives in Manhatten but said she saw vintage Coach bags being sold</h1>
<p>at markets in Brooklyn.</p>
<p>I do not share passwords or account numbers with programs. You can create your own spreadsheet and insert what you choose. It does automatically update but fewer security issues.</p>
<p>I used to sell clothes at a consignment shop when my kids were younger and outgrowing clothes every season. We moved 5½ years ago and I didn’t find a new consignment shop. It was a great way to make some extra money. </p>
<p>That particular store would mail out a check to me monthly if my balance was $50+. Otherwise I could pick it up or go shopping at the store and use my credit to pay.</p>
<p>My D is a long distance runner and often ran by that store to go to the library to borrow books. (which she would then run home with in a bag on her back). I introduced my D to the store clerks and arranged for her to be able to collect $1 from my credit in order to buy a bottle of water from their machine. The water was cheaper and healthier than the pop they sold. I gave permission for less than the amount of the pop.</p>
<p>All of that to say that consignment shops not only offer great clothes at great cost, they are also a way to earn a bit of money and get rid of clutter at the same time.</p>
<p>Consignment shops here are ridiculously over priced.
Portland is much better, but I never have time.
I could buy new clothes at the end of season from target, Costco or the Gap, cheaper than the local consignment store.
Goodwill is a little better, but I rarely find anything wearable in my size, although I don’t go often.</p>
<p>emeraldkity4, </p>
<p>The prices at consignment shops depends on the consignment shop, and may depend on what part of the country you are in. The one I sold at was competitive with thrift stores. I could get brand new shirts for about $5, better quality and cheaper than at WalMart.</p>
<p>I imagine there are some very expensive consignment shops, though not all are like that.</p>
<p>I live in Seattle, in what used to be a blue collar neighborhood. The consignment store in our neighborhood has been there for decades, but never has had very good prices, especially considering much of it is out of date/ hideous & or pilly.
If I pay attention, I can get good deals before or after Nordstroms has big sales, when apparently someone my size needs to clean out their closet.
But normally jeans without holes are $18-$28, blouses $15-$30, & handbags $30-$80.
Which is ridiculous imo.</p>
<p>My D has much better luck. She bought several outfits from banana republic that looked brand new. I have been wearing her handme downs, although she is quite a bit taller than me.
Mini dresses on her, are more age appropriate on me.
I rarely need clothes though. Seattle is very casual, and though most of my wardrobe is from rei, which can be pricey, it lasts forever.
H still wears a down jacket he has had for 35 yrs & I am still wearing a camels hair coat that was my grandmas! We both still wear patagonia jackets that are 20 yrs old. They are a tiny bit dated, but still in good shape.
I also have very good luck at jcrew. The store is popular with the college kids, so things that are more suitable for someone in their mid 50’s are pushed aside.
I found a great sundress for example that I use for a summer nightgown. It would be too big/sheer to wear as a sundress, but it works great for a nightgown.</p>
<p>I also have found amazing deals at sierra trading post. They have lots of special passwords, if you can stand to be on their mail list.
I bought myself a brand new down parka for 1/4 of what it is selling at Moosejaw & bought H a jacket from Carhartt for work that was a 2nd, but there isnt anything wrong with it.</p>
<p>The REi outlet has great deals too, plus you get dividends back at the end of the year.</p>
<p>We are paying mostly from current income – we set up a separate bank account (at USAA, where there are no fees) and we call it the EFC (Every Freakin’ Cent) Account. We have a fixed amount of $$ direct deposited there every payday and then throw all medical/spending account reimbursements there, too. When I was still working, we threw my entire paycheck there.</p>
<p>We refinanced our house twelve years ago to a 15 year fixed rate so we would have equity to tap into if needed, and also had a HELOC, which we tapped into while we had two in college. We refinanced again last year to a 10 year to wrap the HELOC into the mortgage at an even lower rate.</p>
<p>I have got to hunt that bug repellant down ! I know I found it on pinterest , but can’t find it…I know it consisted of lemon juice, alcohol, rosemary and lavender oil…I will track it down. It did work nicely since we sit in our backyard and it’s mosquito central…it may have had vanilla too</p>
<p>We charge a lot to our Visa account (and get United miles), paying it off each month. A side benefit is that our annual summary shows totals by category. </p>
<p>Some categories like restaurants are higher than you’d think considering our seemingly modest habits. However, I mostly check just for awareness. Mainly we just make sure we stay on track for savings goals.</p>
<p>We have automatic deposit for paychecks with the same credit union that holds our mortgage.
Easy to make additional deposits to savings & towards the mortgage.</p>
<p>I buy movie tickets from Costco. A 2 pack is about $15, as opposed to the $13 ( ? ) at the movie theater. Only pick up concessions when our Regal Reward card earns us a free soda/ popcorn.</p>
<p>Great thread! We struggle with meal planning and food shopping. What we do well is planning for the bigger picture. We buy sensible cars with cash and drive them to the ground. We don’t buy expensive clothing and find that we don’t need much. Even the high schooler’s growth has started to slow. 
We shop relentlessly for deals on insurance, tv/internet (call and extend “promotions”, ask for a waiver on your annual fee if you have one), and even utilities (solar energy has come down in price to a manageable level and saves tremendously in markets where electricity is sky high in cost). We’ve paid most of our mortgage and have put the money we’ve saved by refinancing into savings. By segregating the money at the same time we pay the remaining mortgage, it doesn’t disappear. When the mortgage is fully paid, we’ll continue to pay the equivalent amount to ourselves.</p>
<p>On movies- at our closest theater, if you go to a movie that starts between 4 & 6 pm, it’s only $5. That’s the only time I’ll go! Also, you get free refills on pop (soda/coke/whatever you call it in your region) and popcorn so it is silly to buy anything but a small.</p>
<p>Our movie afternoon tix prices are $9, still pays to use the costco tickets even in the afternoon!</p>
<p>Our movie theater chain had a special for the months of Nov and Dec - $5 ticket all day and free popcorn. DH and I almost never go to the movies in the normal course of things, waiting for RedBox/On Demand instead, but were able to enjoy several new releases this holiday season since the special was such a great deal.</p>
<p>I know they do similar promotions during the year, so I will be watching for those ads now. Fun to see movies on the big screen again.</p>