I decided in July 2022, I was going to try a "No Spend Month" to see how hard it would be n didn't change anything I was doing already, such as grocery shopping once a week, or not shopping on weekends. I found it rather easy so I continued in August, Sept etc. I have been "No Spending" ever since, n will continue this yr too. I found that I had saved from July 2022 to Dec 2023, almost $4000 on a disability income of $1100 a month, so it can be done.
Can you please explain a no spend month? I assume you still need to pay all of your bills and grocery shopping and things to keep your house running, so I don't really understand the concept.
My daughter picks me up to do errands. We are packing sandwiches for us and the kids. We have a few scenic places to sit, eat and enjoy a view. Kind of hard to ditch even our budget saving fast food strategies. Our meals are healthier and the simple scenery is way much better than a sit down eatery. We are definitely saving money in this department.
Pre-portion out snacks too. After I get home from the store, I portion out foods to 4-oz. (1/2 cup) clear plastic deli containers. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, crackers, cookies and more go into single-serve containers. That way, I don't sit down and eat the whole bag in one sitting! Snacks should be a couple of bites - not a full meal. Also, take snacks with you during the day so you're not tempted to buy more expensive food or drinks when you're out.
My husband and my Dad passed away 2 weeks apart last year in 2023 and now I really need to cut my spending way down thank you for all of your help and encouragement to save money 😊
So sorry. Sending love. My whole life has been frugality being a Baby Boomer from UK. Coming to Canada as a nanny for......$350 A MONTH! (1981). You can do it! Good luck.
I came back to let you know how many people I know who will benefit from THIS video. All of your work is excellent, but even you break your own high bar - and you did it again, with THIS video. Lots of people are hurting and this video empowers them, gives them back some control, when they thought they did not have anything more they could do. Thank you for your awesome work. May the blessings return to you, and yours, ten-fold (or more!).
We only shop sales or food pantry, found the cheapest phone plan we could. Don't buy snacks like chips and stuff. Don't buy expensive cuts of meat and don't eat big portions. We have a amish type store that we can buy meat cheaper. Don't have subscription streaming we use a antenna. Do have internet service. We use it a lot and have very little other choice of internet. We do use free streaming channels. We don't use a lot of gas as we don't go much. We have a small grocery for bread and milk 7 miles away. Major grocery stores are 25 to 40 miles away. We don't have a lot of choices. Shop at Aldis as much as possible but now most things aren't any cheaper than walmart. Don't go to movies or entertainment. We only heat a couple of rooms in the house. We use room heat and window airconditioners. Garden for some food. No busses or public transportation out here in the country. Were in our 70s and 80s. Have poultry for eggs. Not much more we can cut.
Small ways I've saved money - buying herbs, spices and olive oil with a friend and halving the packets & price between us - birthday parties are picnics, whenever possible. Some affordable food, a frisbee etc and nature can make a fun day. - menu planning by season using in season fruit and veg - reusing a wall calendar (the type with a picture on top and the month at the bottom) by drawing new monthly calendar pages on printer paper. Very cheap, fun crafting - keeping older technology. There are many shows etc on DVD that I haven't seen and I can pick up DVDs very cheaply at yard sales or swap with friends - I set up a board game and jigsaw puzzle whatsap group in our neighborhood. Every few months we have a swap day for anyone who is interested
Went into town yesterday, and although they keep saying people are broke and cant pay theyre bills etc. I notice majority of people had at least 3 clothes label bags and the coffee shops, cafes and restaurants were packed. What the media are claiming isnt relative where i am, its opposite. Im still following my 'recession' budget, we dont buy anything unless we have to and live frugally. Love it so empowering.
I’ve noticed the exact same thing - packed and crowded shopping malls, coffee places, restaurants…obviously not all necessities. So even though I keep hearing people are broke, that’s not what I see.
Your eyes are definitely NOT deceiving you! I have a lifelong friend who worked steady even through the lockdowns at Ross! Pandemic shandemic they were saying! People were coming in earlier and still shopping. She was out ONE week, then pulled steady 30 hrs a week! And now it's just ridiculous she says. People have gone back to literally fighting over clothes, do-dads and nothings! Since elementary school when my mom opened up a custodial savings account & Christmas club for my brother then me when I turned 5, I've always budgeted. Our summers were spent being sent from New York back to Tennessee to visit and learn from my grandfathers & aunts. My parents were frugal, but it was a different atmosphere being raised in New York on Long Island where neighbors with mini yachts and fancy things were a norm in some parts...just not our part😆 I thought everyone would think that a bowl of pinto beans and skillet cornbread w pickled tomatoes & cukes on the side was considered a hearty meal! l learned VERY EARLY that not everyone (ie: classmates from the 'better side of town 🙄') thought this. Mom would pack tuna for me in foil while they'd have slices of roast beef in their Tupperware. But as I grew older, each time I came back after 3 months of fishing, gathering pecans from Grandpa's trees or peaches from my great grandparents' grove, and days riding the incline to the top of Lookout Mtn & picnicking in Point Park, I felt so much pride and so very blessed to still have these ties to family like that. My parents worked overtime during the year just to be able to get us non-stop Delta flights. They had bought a 1939 Cape Cod Fixer-Upper in 1975. Dad had bricked up the fireplace and put in a wood-burning stove. I learned how to clean it out, how to cover the embers, as well as how to do many things around the house to help make it efficient over the years from helping him to lay the carpet, to sealing portions that had the hardwood floors to replacing damaged sheetrock, putting baseboard heating in the basement, replacing pipes (just pieces not whole lines) as well as minor car repairs. When I would go back to Tennessee & Alabama (talk about A house divided😂) in the summers, my aunts taught me how to bake & sew (I only mastered my mom's locking stitch, but it has done me well when I find 2nd or 3rd hand finds for my children and myself). My grandfather would teach me different things as well. He had put himself through electronics school when he became a widow with 3 more children to raise in '68. I learned how to replace cords, how to test batteries, etc. My uncle's also taught me minor Auto repair. I'm 54 and I am so grateful to have learned these things. I still learn through TH-cam. The best part of this journey is still being willing and able to learn and share.
I switched to Mint mobile phone service. I had been paying over $100 a month before the switch. I wish I had done it sooner. I live in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't sure that I would have the reception I would need with Mint. I have been pleasantly surprised. So far it has been as good as the old service.
Portion sizes, absolutely! I believe most North Americans eat too much. As Canadians we definitely notice that restaurant meals, when we’ve traveled in the USA, are massive portions compared to what we are used to being served at home (and we often can’t eat an entire meal at our local eateries!) Cutting back on the serving sizes is good for our bodies as well as our budgets 😊
Be careful about cutting back food portions. Rather eat mindfully and practice mechanical eating. as a person with an eating disorder- including regular meals and snacks that are filling and satisfying are really important as not to develop an eating disordered mentality and bad relationship with food. Eating intuitively gives you the advantage.
Yes, I was thinking about restaurant portions we’ve seen and been served along with the ‘endless fries’ that means multiple dinner plates of fries coming out for one person. I consider that disordered eating as well, and not healthy.
@@princessbabibear4794Good things to keep an eye on. If there is food on my plate, it's very hard for me to not eat it, even when I'm full. Smaller serving sizes works great for me, gives me a forced body check in so I can assess my hunger/full level. I can always serve myself more if I'm still hungry.
If you are served a lot of fries, put them to good use. Take them home with you. It's not disordered eating when you apply balance to your life and relationship with food. I always carry an ice chest with me and whatever I don't finish I pop it in there and take it home. 🍔 🍟
@@princessbabibear4794 I think you are still misunderstanding. This was a situation where you request more as part of ‘unlimited fries’. It wasn’t about being served more than you could eat.
As a viewer from Sweden: portion sizes at American restaurants are really remarkable! During my last stay, I would always ask for a box and half the serving there, even before eating. Or I would split an entree with my (adult) daughter. Any which way, we would always leave the restaurant full (if not stuffed).
I’m doing a No Spend January right now and eating from my extensive pantry. I have been tracking my eating out to eliminate extra expenses since September. It was eye opening to say the least! I usually shop at ALDI and Costco, so I’m pretty good on groceries, but this month I have to avoid the ALDI Aisle of Shame (or Savings depending on viewpoint). No extras from there for me this month and it will be HARD! Wish me luck! So far so good!
We have 4 grocery stores a couple of miles from us. On Wednesday’s we pick up a circular from each one. I shop the sales,but this week I’m just spending 10.00 for sour cream, lettuce, and cans of chicken noodle soup .98 cents each and Hanover beans (cans on sale for.58 cents).. to stock up pantry. We’re doing great using what we already have and cleaning out the freezer which needs a good clean out! We’re eating out once and using a Christmas gift.. so we’re rocking it this week! We also budgeted 200.00 for the power bill and the bill came in at 111.20 today! Whoop whoop!!
Thats me. Im not frugal when it comes to food. Your channel has been a Godsend. Now with a toddler and a single income, we are struggling, but i cant seem to stop spending
Hi Larry and Hope, so good to see another fantastic video ❤ Yippee for frugality 😂 we always eat a salad plate size we save so much plus always were told the palm of your hand is a serving size 😊 i spent $47 at Aldi this week and our budget amount $75 ❤ oh yes saving already ❤
Eat the portion that makes sense for you. Some people eat more or less. Sometimes you're hungrier or not. A good relationship with food is very important. A lot of Americans have a binge and restrict cycle due to the diet culture and medical diet industry. The desire to binge is simply your check engine light coming on telling you that you need nutrition. Important to find balance in our lives and to eat regularly. Eating mechanically every 3 to 4 hours will ensure that our hunger hormones are balanced and we don't end up binging in the evenings. Eating till you're about 80% full and also focusing on the satisfaction of meals. Enjoy foods you love.
Haven't caught your videos in a while but I am so pleased to see Larry looking so healthy and well and back to himself ❤ health and happiness to you both and your beautiful family in 2024 ❤
My husband has low vision and has light on a LOT. I purchased rechargeable led light stips for under the counters on sale which will help reduce power useage. Sometimes we need to spend a little to save in the long run. We take advantage of walking at a local indoor track for free. Any repairs we can do ourselves we do. TH-cam is a huge help for that.
I've done several things you guys have suggested! Cutting back my electric bill over half! I'm loving that! Cutting my streaming services way back. I can't get mint mobile, because it won't work in my area...but as soon as I get my phone paid off, I'll be looking into cricket. And we stopped eating out like we used to. I started saying NO to going out and doing things that I really didn't want to do anyway. So that's saved money. Raising a 13 year old grandson is hard on a limited budget. So now, we can provide so much better now. AND I even have saved some money to put back into our savings! We are doing the no spend January. And our grandson is finding it to be a challenge. He is going to do a you tube video on how much we saved lol. He's big into you tube as you can imagine...so thats how he is dealing with some changes. Hes making it into challenges! We LOVE your channel! We watch it together! And i hope this is something he can take with him as he grows up! Hopefully he will be better off in the long run! We now are looking at our groceries! So, with that being said, I am doing the shopping for the MONTH....So I'm not going to the store all that much. And we are not buying pop and junk food this month. Using up what we have before we buy more. Shopping at Aldi helps us a lot. And we are going to start eating more veggies than meat. We have already started that as well and it's really not that big of a change for us. Anyway, I will wrap up this book lol....just know that we love your show and you have helped us tremendously! By the way, I'm MaryJo. using my husbands account since my grandson has taken over mine! lol
I looked at all my calendars to figure out which months are the best for no spend. So rather than starting a no spend in January where I’ve got three birthdays to buy for, or July where I’ve got even more, I’m taking the months that I have no birthdays and no other commitments and making them the no spend months. For me, that’s February, April, May, June, and October. So it make sense the most sense to plan for those months that are low on the list of gift giving and socializing to make them the months for no additional spending.
We meal prep all week and this month we are eating from our freezer and pantry. Another thing I do that has helped not only my health tremendously but finances is fasting a couple days a week.
This is a great idea. Jane of Frugal Queen in France, portions the food out into two meals, and one will be dinner, the other will be lunch the next day. The lunch plates are a little lighter, because dinner/supper is their big meal of the day. That way leftovers are always eaten, and do not end up shoved out of sight and forgotten.
There are several you tube dumpster diving videos. I love watching them and the stuff they get is unbelievable! I can't believe what stores toss out. I also love the show extreme cheapskates. I especially loved the family who brought home road kill. 😂 😂
I was surprised at how much cheaper gas is if you pay cash! When we eat out, it's lunch, not dinner. No alcohol and cheaper prices , usually. We still feel like we had a special treat.
All great ideas! I'm trying todo no spend Jan and "live off the land" with the things I have at home. I appreciate your videos. I live in a condo in Chicago and so far have not turned on my heat but will have to this weekend when it gets down to -9 brrr!
Impulse buying pro tip: I consistently found myself falling into the 3 for 5 or 4 for 5 candy deals in the checkout lane. I finally came to the realization that I was planning to get candy in the first place, I was just letting the stickers contribute to how much I was buying. So the impulse buying wasn't the candy, itself. It was the number of candies I was getting. Now I go into the store knowing that I will get one candy bar that costs around $1-$1.25 vs. 3 or 4 candies for $5. Big money saver. In the long run I hope it also contributes to fewer, or at least less expensive, doctor bills.
I remember early on in covid that I made a purchase at Costco, and when I was at the checkout counter, I remember saying to my husband, I don't think I've ever bought so many full price items ever from Costco. A woman, one registered over, heard my comment to my husband, and she spoke up and added that she was thinking the same thing of her purchasing that day.
Since watching your channel, we no longer go shopping without a shopping list and we check our freezer as we're writing our list. As we live in the UK, we don't bulk buy as Americans do as we do not have areas for large storage. Our houses and land tend to be tiny compared to the US. Fortunately, we have the BBC so, apart from buying our TV licence, approx £159 per year, we have many freeview channels plus many radio stations (without adverts for those via the BBC). Many people think we should get rid of the BBC, especially youngsters, but we think it would be a very sad day if we did. We have cancelled any subscriptions we had, but didn't use. So bit by bit more pennies being saved and, as pensioners, that can only be a good thing. We, also, only dine out on special occasions 🙂
Thank you for the great tips! Also, love Larry’s Pioneer shirt. My grandpa sold Pioneer seed. 😁 Also, plan out your errands in a loop and use less gas.
My family does not eat out and I pack my own coffee. I shop the sales and local farmers markets. Still having issues saving money. Thank you for doing what you do.
Even in the city I use cruise control. I can have a heavy foot when it comes to driving so cc helps me to burn less fuel and definitely saves on speeding tickets. I always smile when I take cruise control off to see how far I can go just gliding onto slower speed road.
I just changed a subscription from monthly to every other month. I also had 2 prescriptions change from monthly to 90 day supply. My goal is to get off the scripts and save more.
I like to look first at the items in my budget that I have control over….how I use or consume them….electricity, food, gas, clothing, overtime at work, repairs, etc. From there I can squeeze them to produce savings. And it almost becomes a game…like a puzzle..or a game of chess…moving players (savings for checkmate) .lol. My squeeze this month is on my free time by working overtime 💁♀️I just completed 2 overtime 12 hr shifts. I actually had fun. I get to meet some amazing patients and families. It helps that I absolutely love my job. My additional squeeze this month is on my home projects. I had to replace my busted water heater this week. 🙄 My son & I together were able to remove the old and install the new on our own. Savings of $800 in labor costs. And we replaced a few decking boards on the front porch 😊 Again cost savings of labor $$$ Now have I ever in my life done either… NO. Has my son…NO😂But we read, watched videos and actually it was not that hard. Find your “checkmate” savings.
I love watching my husband and son work together on home projects. TH-cam is the bomb. Their slogan "What one man can do, another can do!" It's from a movie, not sure which one. Proud Mama!
I play a game with myself. Everytime I drink water or homemade tea instead of buying a $1 drink out I put a square of paper (cut from junk mail) into a jar. I have another jar to hold slips of paper where I write the price of an eating out meal I wanted when I eat homemade instead. At the end of each month I total it up and at year's end I total yearly savings. Really helps me see my "savings" and inspires me to avoid eating out. Example: today I made homemade tortilla with carne asada and rice burrito, homemade pancakes, and 3 iced teas. ($15, $13, $3=$31 cost of home ingredients $6. Net savings $25.) The more I scratch cook the faster I get. Scratch cooking is also free of chemicals and preservatives.
Instead of getting a large chai latte at the cafe on the way to work ($8) I bought a box of 10 chai latte sachets at the supermarket for $5.50 at just 50 cents a cup thats a big saving! Also making a grocery list with an estimate of how much each item will cost plus the total it always makes me feel like a winner if I spend less at the checkout than I budgeted for 😊
When I was on vacation over the holidays, I turned off all the lights and unplugged appliances (except the fridge) before I left. I also turned off the thermostat. My January utility bills were half the normal rate. Now I do this every time I leave the house for more than a few hours. If I'm gone all day, there's no need to have the toaster, coffee maker, blender, TV, printer, computer, etc...plugged in.
I did this years ago when I was first on my own after a divorce and had almost no money. It was such a successful strategy that the power company came to make sure my meter was working properly! They didn't believe that I could have a monthly bill so low!
Groceries, winter heat, summer cooling, hot water, the clothes dryer, the oven, and just plain water are often where we look for savings on an already tight budget. We already don't use a dish washer.
I have a dishwasher that I use every other day when it’s full. Definitely saves on the water and the energy to heat it. Not to mention the time to stand at the sink and do dishes was taking almost an hour. That’s an hour free to do something more fun or meaningful.
I work to economize my dishwashing....One way I've picked back up (this is old school from before the wonders of Dawn and similar dish soaps) is to use a silicone spatula to scrape my plates as I stack them to wash; when all the fat and the rest are more fluid. This also works when using a dish washer and is all the quicker if you have a garbage disposal. You scrape before running any water.
I have found that the dishwasher actually uses less water and soap than hand washing. Most newer models conserve water I hit air dry. I only run full loads so I only run it about 3 times a week meanwhile my sinks and counters are clear.
I absolutely agree you need to do the math, especially when there are 3+ sizes to choose from! When there are several sizes (like with toilet paper), I’ve found the second largest package is sometimes the cheapest per unit. 🤷♀️
Me and my husband ditched the gym membership this year for working out at home and going out for hikes more often giving us a saving on over £1000 per year. ❤ also doing a no spend January and Feb to sort my expenses out and started a budget plan to really look at where I’m going wrong.
We don't eat out, prefer home cooked healthy meals. The last coffee shop I was in was in Barcelona on vacation. We don't do it at home. We use our savings in our tight budget to allocate it to our future goals, some of which are to see more of the 🌎.
Hi! You may never see this, but my OCD gives me issues when I watch the videos out of order. I found your channel about a month ago and have been binge-watching from the very first one with Hope making a cucumber salad with her son😊 I have noticed over the videos your Star Trek memorabilia. Today, I just noticed your emblem on your mug, Larry 😅 I actually found a mug for my husband, also a Trekkie. When hot liquids are poured into it, the figures on one side disappear and appear on the other side! And I'm so excited because I did not pay the price that Amazon had but went to the distributor directly and found it cheaper 🤗 Other things that we just don't think about that will save us money in addition to negotiating utility bill costs is also looking to see if they give a discount for going paperless. I was going over my water bill online and realized that they do give a discount because I am paperless. My coworker had not realized that she was not getting her homestead exemption from when she moved into her house a few years ago. I showed her where to look and who to call and it turns out the tax assessor had incorrectly pulled the parcel number for a houseboat, not a house. So all these years, she had not been getting her exemption. She appealed it and they are going to give her 3 years back (they claim they cannot go far back as when she first bought the house 6 years ago... And they also cannot find the email that they supposedly sent her telling her that she was denied 🤨🙄), and they're going to freeze her taxes for the next 3 years. As a thank you, she bought a very nice vegan leather tote bag in my favorite color and surprised me with it yesterday. I didn't let her know all this information just to be able to get a gift, but it was nice that she appreciated my help. She told me she was going to get me a card saying "Thank you for being nosy" but she wasn't sure how I would take it 😆🤣😆 I told her public knowledge is public knowledge and taxes are public knowledge 😁 And knowledge is power 👊🏾
I made a area in my freezer for leftovers and stuff that just needs to be used up. I make my meal plans from that then the pantry then the grocery store.
Blessings Hope and Larry from sunny Chicago. I'm doing a Canuary with Lisa " Sutton Daze. ' I fill in the winter vegetable holes in my pickles, ferments and dehydrations. Then I start my no spending at the beginng of Febuary. I don't shop again until Spriing/Summer farmers markets open. I don't use dairy, eggs and meats so I don't have weekly or even monthy needs. Every now and then, I need a salad.❤❤
We are definitely with you on the greens. We may try to eat seasonally, but when it comes to my salads, if we run out of lettuce or greens I am at the store buying more. It's on my "necessity" list. For us, those first greens don't come into the farmers markets until mid to late April (depending on how warm the spring has been).
Check your grocery receipt at the store. Cashiers are humans and make mistakes. They often forget to give discounts, sale prices, etc. If you check your receipts right away, while at the store, you can get it fixed and save your money.
If it’s a pricing error it is a system problem ,,,not the cashiers ,,,they do not know all the sale prices,,, and yes Great idea to check your receipts
True! Aldi's is the worst at double charging items. Cashier goes so fast on the cash register keys mistakes happen regularly. I always check my receipt after I receive it, and have promptly been refunded on the spot if there is an error.
Hope &Larry, Happy new year to you,and you're Family.Thank you for the ideas. Budgeting I do. Mealplanning is Not possible,because I have three Men overhere,who are eating everything they find... So each day,I have too cook a new dinner.
I have cut my electric bill almost in half. I keep things on a surge protector and simple keep them off when not in use. I flip of circuit breakers for washing machine, dryer and dishwasher when not on use.
@@UndertheMedian yes it is. I have also purchased small lights with motion sensors and put them around the house. I can charge them with my small solar panel, in my car. They are nice to have in places we're you have no lights.
I never thought of flipping the circuit breaker! Not that I ever go anywhere, but if I did, that’s great advice! As long as your refrigerator isn’t on the same breaker.
@@lisaprice3447 I turn off circuit breaker on washing machine, dryer and dish washer I only flip the circuit on when I use the appliances. It has made a big difference on my electric bill. It works well for me I live in a mobile home so accessing my circuit breaker is very easy.
Years and years ago I was on the plan thru power company where afternoon hours rates were lot more expensive than night time rates. Seems like some utility companies still offer this type of billing. I am now on flat rate where is same no matter what time of day use power. The main thing made me think of with the comment is I would utilize this same method with my electric water heater and made it a priority to make sure kept the water heater breaker turned off and would turn it on after the hour that prices were cheaper. Kinda used power about like did my cell phone minutes (call me after 9pm so my mins are unlimited).
In my entire life our family never once ate in a restaurant. We always took picnic cooler n water or whatever n picnic jug. We got a nickel for allowances. My ondest brother n i worked it like this. Id get a popsickle n as it had 2 sticke we'd break it in half n share. Then we'd get baseball cards for 5 cents. We'd break the bubble gum in half n trade the baseball cards.
To save money, with my dishwasher: I only run it once a week, and I only run it for the "rinse" cycle, so that it doesn't run for very long. I also no longer buy dishwasher soap, because the hot water in the rinse cycle cleans the dishes well enough.
Thank You Larry and Hope, for this and all of your videos, I have implemented so many of your suggestions in just 3 mths. ago, and already am seeing a difference, will be looking forward to see what this yr will bring, with all of your help. Again, Thank You both!!
My husband’s family lives out of state. Every time they come here we end up eating out half of our meals. We picked up the tab for two meals and the Christmas dinner food at home….almost $400😱. My husband and I had to have a come to Jesus meeting about the food prices and what was reasonable to spend when family comes into town. It’s just not sustainable to spend that much. My New Years resolution is to meal plan and start a freezer and pantry list to combat much of these high prices.
I have decided to keep a lasagna in the freezer for company. Also, a roast or taco soup in the crockpot. I try to cook ahead of time for holidays. It makes the holiday less stressful and no one thinks to go out to eat.
We are trying a no spend month but just started off by receiving a $440 light bill. That’s $150 more than last month! It’s so discouraging when everything keeps increasing.
We bought a new coffee pot that shuts itself off after 2 hours. We drink coffee all day long so, we were just going in and turning the pot back on. This caused our electric bill to spike. Look at your bill and see where yours is spiking and try to remember what you did that day to cause it. We have stopped reheating it using the pot, I cut drinking coffee to one cup per day, and he uses a thermos now.
Unplug everything not in use. Don't use overhead ceiling lighting. Use a single lamp with LED lamp. Set thermostat to 65 nights and 67 days. Line windows with bubble wrap stuck on with a spray of water. Look at a cheap gym membership because in my area it is $10/month. I shower there and blow dry my hair which saves me more than $10/month. Crockpot and microwave are cheap ways to cook. Oven is more expensive.
Agree with you. While our electric bill isn’t that high the fees charged by our utilities are usually double the price of the actual usage cost. Our summer gas bill usage was $4.00. The fixed fees on that same bill were $40. It is very frustrating.
@@happycook6737We use LED bulbs in all light fixtures-they barely use any electricity at all so no need to sit in the dark lol. We don’t unplug anything , we leave 3 lights on all the time plus 2 bright outdoor security lights, fans running and TV on and our electric bill averages $45 a month when we aren’t using heat or AC. During the coldest winter months using electric heat raises our bill to around $115
Learn to watch seasonal sales. I just got my frozen vegetables for the next 12 months at .99 per pound package. I had to sort through the freezer aisle and search out the better price. Some were in 1 pound packages, some are 2 pound bags, and others were 4 pound bags. I grow some vegetables and get some locally from farm markets. What I bought today was the items that I can't get locally. I got green beans, peas, mixed vegetables, and broccoli. This is the big winter savings for them.
I have noruced if I actually go in the store I spend almost double. Now I do a strict list and do curbside pick up and we've saved several hundred a month.
When we have ice cream for dessert, it is served in a Pyrex small custard bowl. It doesn’t take much ice cream to fill it and the amount is satisfying. Check with your county Parks & Recreation Department. Mine offers free showers and weightlifting equipment in some locations. Taking advantage of freebies might cut the cost of a gym membership.
Our family of 6 doesn’t eat out. I'm always disappointed in the food, it takes forever and is SO expensive! We used to occasionally get fast food for the kids when we were out but we've quit that too.
Same here. Even picking up fast food drive thru usually ended up getting home and be missing something that then would cause frustration and destroy the "joy" of it.
Tip: big saving on monthly subscriptions🎉 buy a month of for example netflix and cancel it. Skip 1 week. After that, buy another month. Continue. Havent seen this tip anywhere yet. Anyone can do without a week, or two, once in every few weeks.
Interesting. I didn't even realize that there are any discount associated with buying just one month of Netflix - it must be a discount for the first month only and as long as you wait a week in between signing up it still counts as your "first" month.
I saw a TikTok where people were lined up around the block for a $50 Stanley Starbucks cup how consumerism is a plaque was not shocking at all. Unfortunately the same dupe can be purchased for $10. And at the end of the day it’s just a cup 😮
Hello I’m so happy to see you doing this a couple good roles model for economic and marriage to me you two look like very good pairing god bless you ❤ English isn’t my first language hopefully you understand me 😊❤ ❤❤ keep doing videos
I can't believe that people are now paying up to $10 over here in Australia for a coffee. I sometimes meet friends at the park and we bring our drinks and snacks with us. You still have a lovely time together without spending money you don't need to.
Thanks for another amazing video! I’m doing a no spend January after printing my husband & I’s spending summary for 2023. Didn’t “need” to print it but it was amazing seeing it printed out and being able to read through all of it.
Love it! My theory is that the most ways you put those goals in front of you, the better than chance that you'll meet them. So, printing it out as well as typing it up on the computer is such a smart thing to do. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
@@UndertheMedian Will do! ☺️ & you’re right! There are definite perks to printing! It’s even easier for me to refer to it as a reminder! With those reminders, I’ll only be going to the local library for my books & eating foods from our own kitchen 🥰. Looking forward to watching your past & future videos!
I made it! I usually watch on my phone so I couldnt find the comment, but I made it all of January without any spending! I doing the same thing for February, but unfortunately messed up because I was invited out to a team lunch I assumed would be covered! I had my lunch but we were at a restaurant :/ Still happy I still made it 100% through January though!
I used to love those too…till I checked how much calories & sugar amount they had. My favorite ice cream was a large Oreo Blizzard. Be careful Larry. & if you got a sweet tooth, you may end up with Diabetes type B.
Other than Thanksgiving and Christmas (which cost me $18 each) I can't remember the last time I went out to a Restaurant. I also make my own coffee and bring it and lunch to work.
I'm living on a bare bones budget. Sometimes I get really down just from thinking about it and other times I take it as a challenge to make it stretch until it squeaks. Fortunately, we have a lot of food in the freezers and pantry. I'm just buying what we really need. I've spent 21.00 for groceries plus a 65.00 gift card this month. I think that's a win considering our power went out and I had to throw some things away out of the refrig.
My mom and I don't eat out much, but when we do, we order from dollar menus or get cheap items on a menu. For eating out and fun spending, we allot $40. We can save it or spend it. We have the Roku and watch live TV, movies, or pre-recorded shows for free. We play board games, video games, find free activities to do, etc. We also keep organized so we don't end up buying things we already have or don't need. We also keep a list of needs and save up for those items or ask for them as a gift for birthdays, holidays, or special occasions.
I decided in July 2022, I was going to try a "No Spend Month" to see how hard it would be n didn't change anything I was doing already, such as grocery shopping once a week, or not shopping on weekends. I found it rather easy so I continued in August, Sept etc. I have been "No Spending" ever since, n will continue this yr too. I found that I had saved from July 2022 to Dec 2023, almost $4000 on a disability income of $1100 a month, so it can be done.
That’s awesome! Keep it up 😊
Amazing! 👏
Well done! That's amazing savings on your income!
Wow, That's great!
Can you please explain a no spend month? I assume you still need to pay all of your bills and grocery shopping and things to keep your house running, so I don't really understand the concept.
My daughter picks me up to do errands. We are packing sandwiches for us and the kids. We have a few scenic places to sit, eat and enjoy a view. Kind of hard to ditch even our budget saving fast food strategies. Our meals are healthier and the simple scenery is way much better than a sit down eatery. We are definitely saving money in this department.
Picnics are better because fond memories are always made 🎈Restaurants just don’t have the same natural high about them
I love love Love this!!!!
Fast food tastes awful if you haven’t had it in awhile and away form all the noise of the fast food joint is a much better break for all
We even picnic in the car when it is cold
I am the plain black coffee girl too girlie☕️☕️love this video ❤
Pre-portion out snacks too. After I get home from the store, I portion out foods to 4-oz. (1/2 cup) clear plastic deli containers. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, crackers, cookies and more go into single-serve containers. That way, I don't sit down and eat the whole bag in one sitting! Snacks should be a couple of bites - not a full meal. Also, take snacks with you during the day so you're not tempted to buy more expensive food or drinks when you're out.
Great idea ❤
Love this tip!
I also love your idea especially if you have diabetes.
My husband and my Dad passed away 2 weeks apart last year in 2023 and now I really need to cut my spending way down thank you for all of your help and encouragement to save money 😊
So sorry for such a huge loss.Prayers as you continue your journey
So sorry. Sending love. My whole life has been frugality being a Baby Boomer from UK. Coming to Canada as a nanny for......$350 A MONTH! (1981).
You can do it! Good luck.
Sorry for your lost.
I came back to let you know how many people I know who will benefit from THIS video. All of your work is excellent, but even you break your own high bar - and you did it again, with THIS video. Lots of people are hurting and this video empowers them, gives them back some control, when they thought they did not have anything more they could do. Thank you for your awesome work. May the blessings return to you, and yours, ten-fold (or more!).
We only shop sales or food pantry, found the cheapest phone plan we could. Don't buy snacks like chips and stuff. Don't buy expensive cuts of meat and don't eat big portions. We have a amish type store that we can buy meat cheaper. Don't have subscription streaming we use a antenna. Do have internet service. We use it a lot and have very little other choice of internet. We do use free streaming channels. We don't use a lot of gas as we don't go much. We have a small grocery for bread and milk 7 miles away. Major grocery stores are 25 to 40 miles away. We don't have a lot of choices. Shop at Aldis as much as possible but now most things aren't any cheaper than walmart. Don't go to movies or entertainment. We only heat a couple of rooms in the house. We use room heat and window airconditioners. Garden for some food. No busses or public transportation out here in the country. Were in our 70s and 80s. Have poultry for eggs. Not much more we can cut.
Small ways I've saved money
- buying herbs, spices and olive oil with a friend and halving the packets & price between us
- birthday parties are picnics, whenever possible. Some affordable food, a frisbee etc and nature can make a fun day.
- menu planning by season using in season fruit and veg
- reusing a wall calendar (the type with a picture on top and the month at the bottom) by drawing new monthly calendar pages on printer paper. Very cheap, fun crafting
- keeping older technology. There are many shows etc on DVD that I haven't seen and I can pick up DVDs very cheaply at yard sales or swap with friends
- I set up a board game and jigsaw puzzle whatsap group in our neighborhood. Every few months we have a swap day for anyone who is interested
Great ideas.
I love the board game/puzzle swap idea!
I keep my DVD player for this reason, we have Disney plus but some popular kids shows aren't on it or so old you can only get them on DVD!
Ready to be motivated and encouraged to face the financial challenges of 2024, together with Under the Median!
Went into town yesterday, and although they keep saying people are broke and cant pay theyre bills etc. I notice majority of people had at least 3 clothes label bags and the coffee shops, cafes and restaurants were packed. What the media are claiming isnt relative where i am, its opposite. Im still following my 'recession' budget, we dont buy anything unless we have to and live frugally. Love it so empowering.
I’ve noticed the exact same thing - packed and crowded shopping malls, coffee places, restaurants…obviously not all necessities. So even though I keep hearing people are broke, that’s not what I see.
Could be that a lot of the people you were seeing used credit cards
@@karenmello52 I have no doubt they were. But I’m just pointing out that they were shopping till they were dropping, and it wasn’t the basics!
They are using credit cards, most likely. These are the broke people.
Your eyes are definitely NOT deceiving you!
I have a lifelong friend who worked steady even through the lockdowns at Ross! Pandemic shandemic they were saying! People were coming in earlier and still shopping. She was out ONE week, then pulled steady 30 hrs a week! And now it's just ridiculous she says. People have gone back to literally fighting over clothes, do-dads and nothings!
Since elementary school when my mom opened up a custodial savings account & Christmas club for my brother then me when I turned 5, I've always budgeted.
Our summers were spent being sent from New York back to Tennessee to visit and learn from my grandfathers & aunts. My parents were frugal, but it was a different atmosphere being raised in New York on Long Island where neighbors with mini yachts and fancy things were a norm in some parts...just not our part😆
I thought everyone would think that a bowl of pinto beans and skillet cornbread w pickled tomatoes & cukes on the side was considered a hearty meal! l learned VERY EARLY that not everyone (ie: classmates from the 'better side of town 🙄') thought this.
Mom would pack tuna for me in foil while they'd have slices of roast beef in their Tupperware.
But as I grew older, each time I came back after 3 months of fishing, gathering pecans from Grandpa's trees or peaches from my great grandparents' grove, and days riding the incline to the top of Lookout Mtn & picnicking in Point Park, I felt so much pride and so very blessed to still have these ties to family like that.
My parents worked overtime during the year just to be able to get us non-stop Delta flights.
They had bought a 1939 Cape Cod Fixer-Upper in 1975. Dad had bricked up the fireplace and put in a wood-burning stove. I learned how to clean it out, how to cover the embers, as well as how to do many things around the house to help make it efficient over the years from helping him to lay the carpet, to sealing portions that had the hardwood floors to replacing damaged sheetrock, putting baseboard heating in the basement, replacing pipes (just pieces not whole lines) as well as minor car repairs.
When I would go back to Tennessee & Alabama (talk about A house divided😂) in the summers, my aunts taught me how to bake & sew (I only mastered my mom's locking stitch, but it has done me well when I find 2nd or 3rd hand finds for my children and myself). My grandfather would teach me different things as well. He had put himself through electronics school when he became a widow with 3 more children to raise in '68.
I learned how to replace cords, how to test batteries, etc.
My uncle's also taught me minor Auto repair.
I'm 54 and I am so grateful to have learned these things. I still learn through TH-cam. The best part of this journey is still being willing and able to learn and share.
I love Larry's comment about using the mute button when commercials pop up. I use that and the hand donut to see the count instead of the commercial.
I switched to Mint mobile phone service. I had been paying over $100 a month before the switch. I wish I had done it sooner. I live in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't sure that I would have the reception I would need with Mint. I have been pleasantly surprised. So far it has been as good as the old service.
Portion sizes, absolutely! I believe most North Americans eat too much. As Canadians we definitely notice that restaurant meals, when we’ve traveled in the USA, are massive portions compared to what we are used to being served at home (and we often can’t eat an entire meal at our local eateries!) Cutting back on the serving sizes is good for our bodies as well as our budgets 😊
Be careful about cutting back food portions.
Rather eat mindfully and practice mechanical eating. as a person with an eating disorder- including regular meals and snacks that are filling and satisfying are really important as not to develop an eating disordered mentality and bad relationship with food.
Eating intuitively gives you the advantage.
Yes, I was thinking about restaurant portions we’ve seen and been served along with the ‘endless fries’ that means multiple dinner plates of fries coming out for one person. I consider that disordered eating as well, and not healthy.
@@princessbabibear4794Good things to keep an eye on. If there is food on my plate, it's very hard for me to not eat it, even when I'm full. Smaller serving sizes works great for me, gives me a forced body check in so I can assess my hunger/full level. I can always serve myself more if I'm still hungry.
If you are served a lot of fries, put them to good use. Take them home with you. It's not disordered eating when you apply balance to your life and relationship with food. I always carry an ice chest with me and whatever I don't finish I pop it in there and take it home. 🍔 🍟
@@princessbabibear4794 I think you are still misunderstanding. This was a situation where you request more as part of ‘unlimited fries’. It wasn’t about being served more than you could eat.
As a viewer from Sweden: portion sizes at American restaurants are really remarkable! During my last stay, I would always ask for a box and half the serving there, even before eating. Or I would split an entree with my (adult) daughter. Any which way, we would always leave the restaurant full (if not stuffed).
I have elderly friends who always split their meal.
I do this very thing as well! I am american.
I’m doing a No Spend January right now and eating from my extensive pantry. I have been tracking my eating out to eliminate extra expenses since September. It was eye opening to say the least!
I usually shop at ALDI and Costco, so I’m pretty good on groceries, but this month I have to avoid the ALDI Aisle of Shame (or Savings depending on viewpoint). No extras from there for me this month and it will be HARD!
Wish me luck! So far so good!
Go for the dollars & pennies. Yes, you can
@@Gabi-lt4mx thank you!
Are u doing the Three Rivers Challenge? It's similar and I'm partipating too!
@@tubeyou2184 I don’t know that one.
We have 4 grocery stores a couple of miles from us. On Wednesday’s we pick up a circular from each one. I shop the sales,but this week I’m just spending 10.00 for sour cream, lettuce, and cans of chicken noodle soup .98 cents each and Hanover beans (cans on sale for.58 cents).. to stock up pantry. We’re doing great using what we already have and cleaning out the freezer which needs a good clean out! We’re eating out once and using a Christmas gift.. so we’re rocking it this week! We also budgeted 200.00 for the power bill and the bill came in at 111.20 today! Whoop whoop!!
Thats me. Im not frugal when it comes to food. Your channel has been a Godsend. Now with a toddler and a single income, we are struggling, but i cant seem to stop spending
Hi Larry and Hope, so good to see another fantastic video ❤
Yippee for frugality 😂 we always eat a salad plate size we save so much plus always were told the palm of your hand is a serving size 😊 i spent $47 at Aldi this week and our budget amount $75 ❤ oh yes saving already ❤
Eat the portion that makes sense for you. Some people eat more or less. Sometimes you're hungrier or not. A good relationship with food is very important. A lot of Americans have a binge and restrict cycle due to the diet culture and medical diet industry.
The desire to binge is simply your check engine light coming on telling you that you need nutrition.
Important to find balance in our lives and to eat regularly. Eating mechanically every 3 to 4 hours will ensure that our hunger hormones are balanced and we don't end up binging in the evenings. Eating till you're about 80% full and also focusing on the satisfaction of meals. Enjoy foods you love.
Haven't caught your videos in a while but I am so pleased to see Larry looking so healthy and well and back to himself ❤ health and happiness to you both and your beautiful family in 2024 ❤
My husband has low vision and has light on a LOT. I purchased rechargeable led light stips for under the counters on sale which will help reduce power useage. Sometimes we need to spend a little to save in the long run.
We take advantage of walking at a local indoor track for free.
Any repairs we can do ourselves we do. TH-cam is a huge help for that.
I've done several things you guys have suggested! Cutting back my electric bill over half! I'm loving that! Cutting my streaming services way back. I can't get mint mobile, because it won't work in my area...but as soon as I get my phone paid off, I'll be looking into cricket. And we stopped eating out like we used to. I started saying NO to going out and doing things that I really didn't want to do anyway. So that's saved money. Raising a 13 year old grandson is hard on a limited budget. So now, we can provide so much better now. AND I even have saved some money to put back into our savings! We are doing the no spend January. And our grandson is finding it to be a challenge. He is going to do a you tube video on how much we saved lol. He's big into you tube as you can imagine...so thats how he is dealing with some changes. Hes making it into challenges! We LOVE your channel! We watch it together! And i hope this is something he can take with him as he grows up! Hopefully he will be better off in the long run! We now are looking at our groceries! So, with that being said, I am doing the shopping for the MONTH....So I'm not going to the store all that much. And we are not buying pop and junk food this month. Using up what we have before we buy more. Shopping at Aldi helps us a lot. And we are going to start eating more veggies than meat. We have already started that as well and it's really not that big of a change for us. Anyway, I will wrap up this book lol....just know that we love your show and you have helped us tremendously! By the way, I'm MaryJo. using my husbands account since my grandson has taken over mine! lol
I just paused your video and turned my heat down to 69 from 71. Listening to the rest now! Thank you so much 😊
LOL! That was fast work on your part. I love it!
Lol, I love that comment
Our heat in winter is 67 degrees. If you get cold get up walk around. So a chore, clean a bathroom or fold some laundry 😊
I looked at all my calendars to figure out which months are the best for no spend. So rather than starting a no spend in January where I’ve got three birthdays to buy for, or July where I’ve got even more, I’m taking the months that I have no birthdays and no other commitments and making them the no spend months. For me, that’s February, April, May, June, and October. So it make sense the most sense to plan for those months that are low on the list of gift giving and socializing to make them the months for no additional spending.
This is brilliant!!!!! Love this idea!!!!
Wow! 🤯 that makes so much sense thank you!
We have cut out all take out and take out coffee- proud of that
We meal prep all week and this month we are eating from our freezer and pantry. Another thing I do that has helped not only my health tremendously but finances is fasting a couple days a week.
We fill our plates, (we use pasta bowls) and before we eat we put the food away. It saves for leftovers as well as eliminates over eating.
This is a great idea. Jane of Frugal Queen in France, portions the food out into two meals, and one will be dinner, the other will be lunch the next day. The lunch plates are a little lighter, because dinner/supper is their big meal of the day. That way leftovers are always eaten, and do not end up shoved out of sight and forgotten.
@@bria2596 Yes! I often use the remainder of the food to pack for my husband’s lunch the next day. Two meals is better than one!
Hit a dumpster and scored a case of broccoli. I've been MWO steam broccoli 2x all you can eat. Fresh broccoli is so good.
There are several you tube dumpster diving videos. I love watching them and the stuff they get is unbelievable! I can't believe what stores toss out.
I also love the show extreme cheapskates. I especially loved the family who brought home road kill. 😂 😂
@@catholicfaithofmine2664 I've eaten road kills, get it fresh.
Living here in Italy with vegeatable garden, can help a lot to save, and also not going to malls and grocery store can avoid some temptation 😢
I was surprised at how much cheaper gas is if you pay cash! When we eat out, it's lunch, not dinner. No alcohol and cheaper prices , usually. We still feel like we had a special treat.
When we eat out, it's breakfast or lunch. Much cheaper than dinner.
I have been actively focusing on my no spend challenge and have successfully shifted my spending. I talked myself out of many impulse purchases.
All great ideas! I'm trying todo no spend Jan and "live off the land" with the things I have at home. I appreciate your videos. I live in a condo in Chicago and so far have not turned on my heat but will have to this weekend when it gets down to -9 brrr!
I have found that meal planning is the best way to save money on food. It really makes a difference..
Impulse buying pro tip:
I consistently found myself falling into the 3 for 5 or 4 for 5 candy deals in the checkout lane. I finally came to the realization that I was planning to get candy in the first place, I was just letting the stickers contribute to how much I was buying.
So the impulse buying wasn't the candy, itself. It was the number of candies I was getting. Now I go into the store knowing that I will get one candy bar that costs around $1-$1.25 vs. 3 or 4 candies for $5. Big money saver.
In the long run I hope it also contributes to fewer, or at least less expensive, doctor bills.
since ive been going tot he local pantry, its been helpful. sometimes its a bag and sometimes a box!
Hope, Im so sorry to hear that you broke your arm. Prayers for a speedy recovery!!!
I remember early on in covid that I made a purchase at Costco, and when I was at the checkout counter, I remember saying to my husband, I don't think I've ever bought so many full price items ever from Costco. A woman, one registered over, heard my comment to my husband, and she spoke up and added that she was thinking the same thing of her purchasing that day.
Since watching your channel, we no longer go shopping without a shopping list and we check our freezer as we're writing our list. As we live in the UK, we don't bulk buy as Americans do as we do not have areas for large storage. Our houses and land tend to be tiny compared to the US. Fortunately, we have the BBC so, apart from buying our TV licence, approx £159 per year, we have many freeview channels plus many radio stations (without adverts for those via the BBC). Many people think we should get rid of the BBC, especially youngsters, but we think it would be a very sad day if we did. We have cancelled any subscriptions we had, but didn't use. So bit by bit more pennies being saved and, as pensioners, that can only be a good thing. We, also, only dine out on special occasions 🙂
You two are so cute about your choices of coffees🤭! Love to learn from y’all❤️!
Thank you for the great tips! Also, love Larry’s Pioneer shirt. My grandpa sold Pioneer seed. 😁 Also, plan out your errands in a loop and use less gas.
My family does not eat out and I pack my own coffee. I shop the sales and local farmers markets. Still having issues saving money. Thank you for doing what you do.
Maybe put your savings first and adjust bills around that. I tithe so I put that first.
I will definitely try this, thank you!
Even in the city I use cruise control. I can have a heavy foot when it comes to driving so cc helps me to burn less fuel and definitely saves on speeding tickets. I always smile when I take cruise control off to see how far I can go just gliding onto slower speed road.
I just changed a subscription from monthly to every other month. I also had 2 prescriptions change from monthly to 90 day supply. My goal is to get off the scripts and save more.
I like to look first at the items in my budget that I have control over….how I use or consume them….electricity, food, gas, clothing, overtime at work, repairs, etc.
From there I can squeeze them to produce savings. And it almost becomes a game…like a puzzle..or a game of chess…moving players (savings for checkmate) .lol.
My squeeze this month is on my free time by working overtime 💁♀️I just completed 2 overtime 12 hr shifts. I actually had fun. I get to meet some amazing patients and families. It helps that I absolutely love my job.
My additional squeeze this month is on my home projects. I had to replace my busted water heater this week. 🙄 My son & I together were able to remove the old and install the new on our own. Savings of $800 in labor costs. And we replaced a few decking boards on the front porch 😊 Again cost savings of labor $$$
Now have I ever in my life done either… NO. Has my son…NO😂But we read, watched videos and actually it was not that hard.
Find your “checkmate” savings.
I love watching my husband and son work together on home projects. TH-cam is the bomb. Their slogan "What one man can do, another can do!" It's from a movie, not sure which one. Proud Mama!
I play a game with myself. Everytime I drink water or homemade tea instead of buying a $1 drink out I put a square of paper (cut from junk mail) into a jar. I have another jar to hold slips of paper where I write the price of an eating out meal I wanted when I eat homemade instead. At the end of each month I total it up and at year's end I total yearly savings. Really helps me see my "savings" and inspires me to avoid eating out. Example: today I made homemade tortilla with carne asada and rice burrito, homemade pancakes, and 3 iced teas. ($15, $13, $3=$31 cost of home ingredients $6. Net savings $25.) The more I scratch cook the faster I get. Scratch cooking is also free of chemicals and preservatives.
I'm copying your game to trick my mind and keep me in check.😊
I’m retired so I have made scratch cooking one of my hobbies’
Instead of getting a large chai latte at the cafe on the way to work ($8) I bought a box of 10 chai latte sachets at the supermarket for $5.50 at just 50 cents a cup thats a big saving! Also making a grocery list with an estimate of how much each item will cost plus the total it always makes me feel like a winner if I spend less at the checkout than I budgeted for 😊
When I was on vacation over the holidays, I turned off all the lights and unplugged appliances (except the fridge) before I left. I also turned off the thermostat. My January utility bills were half the normal rate. Now I do this every time I leave the house for more than a few hours. If I'm gone all day, there's no need to have the toaster, coffee maker, blender, TV, printer, computer, etc...plugged in.
I did this years ago when I was first on my own after a divorce and had almost no money. It was such a successful strategy that the power company came to make sure my meter was working properly! They didn't believe that I could have a monthly bill so low!
Also turn off the hot water heater when away
Bonne année 2024 Hope et Larry ainsi qu'à tous les abonnés :) Santé, sérénité et abondance pour tous.
Yes, I look for deals ALWAYS.
Groceries, winter heat, summer cooling, hot water, the clothes dryer, the oven, and just plain water are often where we look for savings on an already tight budget. We already don't use a dish washer.
They say using dishwasher saves water oposit to wash by hand
I have a dishwasher that I use every other day when it’s full. Definitely saves on the water and the energy to heat it. Not to mention the time to stand at the sink and do dishes was taking almost an hour. That’s an hour free to do something more fun or meaningful.
I work to economize my dishwashing....One way I've picked back up (this is old school from before the wonders of Dawn and similar dish soaps) is to use a silicone spatula to scrape my plates as I stack them to wash; when all the fat and the rest are more fluid. This also works when using a dish washer and is all the quicker if you have a garbage disposal. You scrape before running any water.
I have found that the dishwasher actually uses less water and soap than hand washing. Most newer models conserve water I hit air dry. I only run full loads so I only run it about 3 times a week meanwhile my sinks and counters are clear.
I absolutely agree you need to do the math, especially when there are 3+ sizes to choose from! When there are several sizes (like with toilet paper), I’ve found the second largest package is sometimes the cheapest per unit. 🤷♀️
🌊🌊🌊 Good evening from the ocean shores of Monterey, CA 🌊🌊🌊
Me and my husband ditched the gym membership this year for working out at home and going out for hikes more often giving us a saving on over £1000 per year. ❤ also doing a no spend January and Feb to sort my expenses out and started a budget plan to really look at where I’m going wrong.
We don't eat out, prefer home cooked healthy meals. The last coffee shop I was in was in Barcelona on vacation. We don't do it at home. We use our savings in our tight budget to allocate it to our future goals, some of which are to see more of the 🌎.
I had an emergency visit to the Dentist this week. I explained my situation to the Dentist and they took $68 cad off the total bill.
Hi! You may never see this, but my OCD gives me issues when I watch the videos out of order. I found your channel about a month ago and have been binge-watching from the very first one with Hope making a cucumber salad with her son😊
I have noticed over the videos your Star Trek memorabilia. Today, I just noticed your emblem on your mug, Larry 😅
I actually found a mug for my husband, also a Trekkie. When hot liquids are poured into it, the figures on one side disappear and appear on the other side! And I'm so excited because I did not pay the price that Amazon had but went to the distributor directly and found it cheaper 🤗
Other things that we just don't think about that will save us money in addition to negotiating utility bill costs is also looking to see if they give a discount for going paperless. I was going over my water bill online and realized that they do give a discount because I am paperless.
My coworker had not realized that she was not getting her homestead exemption from when she moved into her house a few years ago. I showed her where to look and who to call and it turns out the tax assessor had incorrectly pulled the parcel number for a houseboat, not a house. So all these years, she had not been getting her exemption. She appealed it and they are going to give her 3 years back (they claim they cannot go far back as when she first bought the house 6 years ago... And they also cannot find the email that they supposedly sent her telling her that she was denied 🤨🙄), and they're going to freeze her taxes for the next 3 years. As a thank you, she bought a very nice vegan leather tote bag in my favorite color and surprised me with it yesterday.
I didn't let her know all this information just to be able to get a gift, but it was nice that she appreciated my help.
She told me she was going to get me a card saying "Thank you for being nosy" but she wasn't sure how I would take it 😆🤣😆
I told her public knowledge is public knowledge and taxes are public knowledge 😁
And knowledge is power 👊🏾
I made a area in my freezer for leftovers and stuff that just needs to be used up. I make my meal plans from that then the pantry then the grocery store.
Blessings Hope and Larry from sunny Chicago. I'm doing a Canuary with Lisa " Sutton Daze. ' I fill in the winter vegetable holes in my pickles, ferments and dehydrations. Then I start my no spending at the beginng of Febuary. I don't shop again until Spriing/Summer farmers markets open.
I don't use dairy, eggs and meats so I don't have weekly or even monthy needs. Every now and then, I need a salad.❤❤
We are definitely with you on the greens. We may try to eat seasonally, but when it comes to my salads, if we run out of lettuce or greens I am at the store buying more. It's on my "necessity" list. For us, those first greens don't come into the farmers markets until mid to late April (depending on how warm the spring has been).
Check your grocery receipt at the store. Cashiers are humans and make mistakes. They often forget to give discounts, sale prices, etc. If you check your receipts right away, while at the store, you can get it fixed and save your money.
Excellent idea. And of course sometimes the store does not update the upcoming code. Funny how it's always more rather than less money. Hmmm??
If it’s a pricing error it is a system problem ,,,not the cashiers ,,,they do not know all the sale prices,,, and yes Great idea to check your receipts
True! Aldi's is the worst at double charging items. Cashier goes so fast on the cash register keys mistakes happen regularly. I always check my receipt after I receive it, and have promptly been refunded on the spot if there is an error.
I have found that Kroger is the worst to charge the wrong price when checking out!!!
Hope &Larry, Happy new year to you,and you're Family.Thank you for the ideas. Budgeting I do. Mealplanning is Not possible,because I have three Men overhere,who are eating everything they find...
So each day,I have too cook a new dinner.
You are both so helpful. Thank you
Larry your hair looks 1000 times better!!!!
I have cut my electric bill almost in half. I keep things on a surge protector and simple keep them off when not in use. I flip of circuit breakers for washing machine, dryer and dishwasher when not on use.
It's amazing what a difference small habits make.
@@UndertheMedian yes it is. I have also purchased small lights with motion sensors and put them around the house. I can charge them with my small solar panel, in my car. They are nice to have in places we're you have no lights.
I never thought of flipping the circuit breaker! Not that I ever go anywhere, but if I did, that’s great advice! As long as your refrigerator isn’t on the same breaker.
@@lisaprice3447 I turn off circuit breaker on washing machine, dryer and dish washer I only flip the circuit on when I use the appliances. It has made a big difference on my electric bill. It works well for me I live in a mobile home so accessing my circuit breaker is very easy.
Years and years ago I was on the plan thru power company where afternoon hours rates were lot more expensive than night time rates. Seems like some utility companies still offer this type of billing. I am now on flat rate where is same no matter what time of day use power. The main thing made me think of with the comment is I would utilize this same method with my electric water heater and made it a priority to make sure kept the water heater breaker turned off and would turn it on after the hour that prices were cheaper. Kinda used power about like did my cell phone minutes (call me after 9pm so my mins are unlimited).
Thank u Hope and Larry blessings
Thank you.
In my entire life our family never once ate in a restaurant. We always took picnic cooler n water or whatever n picnic jug. We got a nickel for allowances. My ondest brother n i worked it like this. Id get a popsickle n as it had 2 sticke we'd break it in half n share. Then we'd get baseball cards for 5 cents. We'd break the bubble gum in half n trade the baseball cards.
To save money, with my dishwasher: I only run it once a week, and I only run it for the "rinse" cycle, so that it doesn't run for very long. I also no longer buy dishwasher soap, because the hot water in the rinse cycle cleans the dishes well enough.
HELLO EVERYONE HAPPY NEW
Thanks for this video! Some really great ideas 🥰
Thank You Larry and Hope, for this and all of your videos, I have implemented so many of your suggestions in just 3 mths. ago, and already am seeing a difference, will be looking forward to see what this yr will bring, with all of your help. Again, Thank You both!!
I'm with you, Larry! Large caramel cappuccino, light ice! my once-a-week treat.
My husband’s family lives out of state. Every time they come here we end up eating out half of our meals. We picked up the tab for two meals and the Christmas dinner food at home….almost $400😱. My husband and I had to have a come to Jesus meeting about the food prices and what was reasonable to spend when family comes into town. It’s just not sustainable to spend that much.
My New Years resolution is to meal plan and start a freezer and pantry list to combat much of these high prices.
I have decided to keep a lasagna in the freezer for company. Also, a roast or taco soup in the crockpot. I try to cook ahead of time for holidays. It makes the holiday less stressful and no one thinks to go out to eat.
We are trying a no spend month but just started off by receiving a $440 light bill. That’s $150 more than last month! It’s so discouraging when everything keeps increasing.
We bought a new coffee pot that shuts itself off after 2 hours. We drink coffee all day long so, we were just going in and turning the pot back on. This caused our electric bill to spike. Look at your bill and see where yours is spiking and try to remember what you did that day to cause it. We have stopped reheating it using the pot, I cut drinking coffee to one cup per day, and he uses a thermos now.
Unplug everything not in use. Don't use overhead ceiling lighting. Use a single lamp with LED lamp. Set thermostat to 65 nights and 67 days. Line windows with bubble wrap stuck on with a spray of water. Look at a cheap gym membership because in my area it is $10/month. I shower there and blow dry my hair which saves me more than $10/month. Crockpot and microwave are cheap ways to cook. Oven is more expensive.
Agree with you. While our electric bill isn’t that high the fees charged by our utilities are usually double the price of the actual usage cost. Our summer gas bill usage was $4.00. The fixed fees on that same bill were $40. It is very frustrating.
@@happycook6737We use LED bulbs in all light fixtures-they barely use any electricity at all so no need to sit in the dark lol. We don’t unplug anything , we leave 3 lights on all the time plus 2 bright outdoor security lights, fans running and TV on and our electric bill averages $45 a month when we aren’t using heat or AC. During the coldest winter months using electric heat raises our bill to around $115
Stay strong
Learn to watch seasonal sales. I just got my frozen vegetables for the next 12 months at .99 per pound package. I had to sort through the freezer aisle and search out the better price. Some were in 1 pound packages, some are 2 pound bags, and others were 4 pound bags. I grow some vegetables and get some locally from farm markets. What I bought today was the items that I can't get locally. I got green beans, peas, mixed vegetables, and broccoli. This is the big winter savings for them.
❤❤u two give me so much encouragement love this thanks so much. From Canada
Great video! Thank you for sharing these great tips!
I have noruced if I actually go in the store I spend almost double. Now I do a strict list and do curbside pick up and we've saved several hundred a month.
Same. I can watch the price of things as I add it.
When we have ice cream for dessert, it is served in a Pyrex small custard bowl. It doesn’t take much ice cream to fill it and the amount is satisfying.
Check with your county Parks & Recreation Department. Mine offers free showers and weightlifting equipment in some locations. Taking advantage of freebies might cut the cost of a gym membership.
Our family of 6 doesn’t eat out. I'm always disappointed in the food, it takes forever and is SO expensive! We used to occasionally get fast food for the kids when we were out but we've quit that too.
Same here. Even picking up fast food drive thru usually ended up getting home and be missing something that then would cause frustration and destroy the "joy" of it.
Already..not eating out or using coffee shops as we cant afford them. Will look at groceries again, thanks Larry and Hope x
Just goes to show: when the desire is strong, onw finds a way! 😊😊😊
I bought a smaller dinner plate
Great Advice
Thanks for the tips I've learned so much
Yes, this true..🌹🌹🌹
I’m trying a no spend month for January
You might add making bulk food freezer meals. Also, I rarely buy anything that is not on sale. That includes food and clothing.
Mint Mobile is not good in our area, very poor service.
Tip: big saving on monthly subscriptions🎉
buy a month of for example netflix and cancel it. Skip 1 week. After that, buy another month. Continue. Havent seen this tip anywhere yet. Anyone can do without a week, or two, once in every few weeks.
Interesting. I didn't even realize that there are any discount associated with buying just one month of Netflix - it must be a discount for the first month only and as long as you wait a week in between signing up it still counts as your "first" month.
Second time in hospital, headed to bed, hope all are well.
Oh no, Victor. Feel better soon.
Got free prayer beads from Chaplin, I asked for him to be my advocate, they were messing me around. @@UndertheMedian
Hope u get better ..prayers
On a few not feeling well either
Hope you feel better soon!
Hi hope and Harry. Welcome back 🙏 happy new year .lov the low spend January great tips and tricks 👌. Loving it saving.2024❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
I saw a TikTok where people were lined up around the block for a $50 Stanley Starbucks cup how consumerism is a plaque was not shocking at all. Unfortunately the same dupe can be purchased for $10. And at the end of the day it’s just a cup 😮
I refuse to buy a Stanley product. I see them everywhere in the hospital I work in.
Hello I’m so happy to see you doing this a couple good roles model for economic and marriage to me you two look like very good pairing god bless you ❤ English isn’t my first language hopefully you understand me 😊❤ ❤❤ keep doing videos
Such great tips! Thank you!
I refill foaming soap bottles with a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid and the rest water.
Works great.
I can't believe that people are now paying up to $10 over here in Australia for a coffee. I sometimes meet friends at the park and we bring our drinks and snacks with us. You still have a lovely time together without spending money you don't need to.
Thanks for another amazing video! I’m doing a no spend January after printing my husband & I’s spending summary for 2023. Didn’t “need” to print it but it was amazing seeing it printed out and being able to read through all of it.
Love it! My theory is that the most ways you put those goals in front of you, the better than chance that you'll meet them. So, printing it out as well as typing it up on the computer is such a smart thing to do. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
@@UndertheMedian Will do! ☺️ & you’re right! There are definite perks to printing! It’s even easier for me to refer to it as a reminder! With those reminders, I’ll only be going to the local library for my books & eating foods from our own kitchen 🥰. Looking forward to watching your past & future videos!
I made it! I usually watch on my phone so I couldnt find the comment, but I made it all of January without any spending! I doing the same thing for February, but unfortunately messed up because I was invited out to a team lunch I assumed would be covered! I had my lunch but we were at a restaurant :/ Still happy I still made it 100% through January though!
My savings plan, don’t spend money until you’re feeling over abundant!
Team Larry for the high-class heavenly sugar coffee! 😅
Team Larry, if you are getting a treat....make it awesome🤠
I used to love those too…till I checked how much calories & sugar amount they had. My favorite ice cream was a large Oreo Blizzard. Be careful Larry. & if you got a sweet tooth, you may end up with Diabetes type B.
Other than Thanksgiving and Christmas (which cost me $18 each) I can't remember the last time I went out to a Restaurant. I also make my own coffee and bring it and lunch to work.
By monitoring the receipt you also may find where you were not charged correctly. Another savings when you take it back to the store.
I'm living on a bare bones budget. Sometimes I get really down just from thinking about it and other times I take it as a challenge to make it stretch until it squeaks. Fortunately, we have a lot of food in the freezers and pantry. I'm just buying what we really need. I've spent 21.00 for groceries plus a 65.00 gift card this month. I think that's a win considering our power went out and I had to throw some things away out of the refrig.
My mom and I don't eat out much, but when we do, we order from dollar menus or get cheap items on a menu. For eating out and fun spending, we allot $40. We can save it or spend it. We have the Roku and watch live TV, movies, or pre-recorded shows for free. We play board games, video games, find free activities to do, etc. We also keep organized so we don't end up buying things we already have or don't need. We also keep a list of needs and save up for those items or ask for them as a gift for birthdays, holidays, or special occasions.
I bought a Roku 4 yrs ago about $40 cd 🇨🇦 and lovin it ,,,no more streaming services 😅