Save Money by Unplugging Energy Vampires

Energy Vampires are appliances or anything with a cord that you plug in that even though the item is turned off still use a small amount of electricity.  The electricity they may use can be standby power or as simple as the clock on the DVD player. 

You could save hundreds of dollars on your electricity bill by consistently unplugging virtually everything in your house that gets shut off.  For example got a treadmill that is plugged in and being used as a clothes rack?  That piece of exercise equipment is costing you money even though you aren't' turning it on.

Got smart phones and iPods that are constantly needing charging?  What about that huge flat screen TV that you have plugged in all the time?  Yep those are all wasting electricity and your money. 

The average U.S. household spends $100 per year to power devices while they are off (or in standby mode).  That is average, your home could be spending or saving much more if you have many devices plugged in.  Several people have tried an experiment even one on Oprah where they unplugged everything, and I mean everything and they saved anywhere from $45 to $200 dollars a month. 

Maybe you should try your own test and see if you can save money by unplugging everything in your house.

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Save Money Tips Cell Phone Plans

Save Money with Pre-Paid Cell Phone Plans

Prepaid cell phones are a great option for many people.  The pre paid cell phones are usually very inexpensive to purchase, although you can purchase nicer phones and pre-pay for service and still save money.  The nicer prepaid cell phones are great for those of us who want to cut back and lower our cell phone bills and save money.  

The freedom of no 2-year contracts, that could be costly or a pain to get out of the cell phone contract.  With prepaid cell phones you either have to keep purchasing prepaid money cards or prepaid phone cards.  The prepaid phone cards allow you to add minutes or texting time to your prepaid phones.  It is almost exactly like a regular cell phone only without the long-term contract, and the fact that you will likely be saving lots of money. 

I am a very frugal person and so I would recommend using Tracfone for your prepaid cell phone company.  You can save much more money if you choose Tracfone for your prepaid cell phone needs.  Tracfone has some awesome promo codes out there, and they will even send you some promo codes every once in a while.  To find Tracfone Promo Codes for free CLICK HERE.

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5 Money SavingTips for Surviving A Slow Economy

Here are 5 Money Saving Tips you can use for surviving a slow economy.  
 

Stop Using Credit Cards:  Laying off of credit and credit cards is the first step saving money (interest & late fees).  Spending on credit brought us to the credit crunch and now it needs to end.  You are spending money that you have not earned yet, essentially someone else’s money.  If you cannot stop your shopping spending habit it may be time to put your credit cards in the shredder or on ice. 

If you decide to shred or ice your credit cards do not close your accounts, which will result in a lower FICO credit score.  You may also need some credit in an emergency.  If you are not responsible enough to stop pulling out the plastic then get a friend or family member to hold it for you, preferably someone you would be embarrassed to tell that you are just buying a pair of shoes or the latest tech gadget. 

Even though the Christmas shopping season is coming up you do not need to go into debt buying the latest toys.  Going deeper in debt around the holidays is not the best way to save money this year.  There are several stores who have brought Layaway back and you can take advantage of that.  If you start buying gifts now you can buy one or two presents every time you get paid.  Several other options for Christmas gift giving:  simply cut back, make gifts, or try a gift exchange.

Refinance your credit:  Get lower interest rates for all debt that you have.  This may mean that you will refinance your mortgage or consolidate student loans.  Interest rates are very low and refinancing can be a step in the right direction towards freeing up extra money.  You may even be able to reduce your credit card interest rates if you always pay on time. 

Downsize:  When you want to save money in a slow economy or recession it is a good time to step back and decide if you can do with less.  If you own a four bedroom home and the kids are long gone it may be time to move to a smaller house, as long as you can sell yours.  That huge SUV you bought a few years back may really be too big for your actual needs.  

Alternative Thinking:  Find alternate ways to save money and get what you want or need.  Begin using coupons when making food or toiletry purchases.  Look around at what you are not using and sell those items on eBay, craigslist or at a garage sale.  If you are handy with a sewing machine you have an excellent resource for making a few extra bucks.  You can sell your handmade articles on Esty or at a craft show. 

 

Start Saving:  Saving money is good advice anytime.  If you have money in the bank it can rescue you from an unexpected auto mechanics bill or any other emergency bills.  If you have money in the bank (the recommended amount of three or six months salary, but $500 to $1000 is a good start) and your job disappears life will be less stressful.  This has made such a difference in our financial lives.  Read more about this in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace book.

In five simple steps you have the keys to surviving a slow economy.  It may take a bit of critical thinking to get you out of the tough spots here and there but it can and has been done before.

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Save Money Tip: Homeade Laundry Soap Recipe

Saving Money Tip:

Looking for a way to save money on your Laundry Detergent?  You don't have to buy Tide or any other Laundry soap - you can make your own Laundry soap cheap!

If you are allergic to regular Laundry Soaps or even sensitive to the added colors or dyes in the name brand laundry detergents you can make a frugal alternative at home.

I only list the homemade powder laundry soap recipe because the homemade liquid laundry soap recipe took a while to make and it was messy.  The powder soap is easy to make and only takes 3 ingredients.  Quick & Easy - don't forget cheap.   I think all three of those should be my middle names.  Except I don't want cheap for a middle name, I would use frugal instead.  But anything that saves me time or money is a winner in my book.

Homemade Laundry Soap Powder Recipe


1 Cup 20 Mule Team Borax
1 Bar Fels Napa Soap
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (this is not regular Baking Soda)

Grate the bar of Fels Napa soap just like you would cheese, then if you have one you can make the pieces smaller by putting it into a food processor.  Then add all the ingredients and mix together. 

Just like all homemade cleaning recipes you will need to store the laundry soap powder in an airtight container.  Also just like regular store bought powder detergents you will need to add the soap to the washer and start the water before adding the clothes.

You can purchase the Borax at most grocery stores.  The Fels Napa bar of soap and the Arm & Hammer Washing Soda may be a little more difficult to find.  If you live near a Meijer grocery you can get all three in one stop.  You can also buy the washing soda online at Meijer.com and many other online retailers.

This recipe is by far the cheapest laundry soap I have ever purchased.  You can use this homemade laundry soap powder detergent in a High Efficiency HE washing machine because it is low sudsing.

Just a little note:  if you smell the Fels Napa bar of soap it may be a little strong and off-putting.  Don't worry though when your clothes come out of the dryer or off the clothes line they will smell nothing like that, just fresh and clean.

Good luck and let me know how it turns out and what you think of the Frugal Laundry Soap Recipe!


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How to Save Money: 15 Ways to Save Cash and Lower Your Bills

How to Save Money    

Try to make a budget and keep track of your monthly spending. If you keep good records such as your credit card statements, bank statement or checkbook this should not be hard or take too long.  Everyone has certain items you must have and items you have to spend money on each month but then there are the extras that you don't need and maybe you could cut back on.

If you were spending freely on all the items mentioned below you would be spending hundreds of dollars a month. If you take my advice and follow the tips below you could be saving thousands of dollars a year.

1. Make coffee at home instead buying that pricey, fancy named coffee at Starbucks. Save yourself $5 a day by not stopping off to get that specialty coffee. You can make a decent cup of coffee in your own home.

2. Try eating out less often, you can bake a pizza at home. If you have children go out on those kids eat free nights. Making food at home from scratch or from a box will save you a lot on your food bill.

3. Color your hair at home instead of going to a salon and having a hairdresser to do your die job. You can also wait a few more weeks in-between your appointments than usual.

4. Stop going to the theater to see every newly released movie. Instead visit your local library or try Blockbuster or some other video store in your town. You can still go to the theater but this is the time to cut back and go less often.

5. Stop taking your clothes to the drycleaners, unless they are truly soiled. All those chemicals are bad for the environment anyways. You can use the home dry-cleaning kit from Procter & Gamble called Dryel. Dryel successfully works in your dryer at home, and it even gets stains out.

6. If something breaks search Freecycle before you buy new. You would be amazed at what you can find on your local Freecycle group. The bigger the city you live in the more stuff you will find. Great for replacing small appliances, and finding weight loss machines.

7. Instead of having your own long commute, try finding others to share the ride and carpool. People in your carpool don't even need to work with you; just near your building would be helpful. If its available and you don't mind ride the bus. By not always driving you can double task, clip coupons, read a book, get extra work done.

8. Stop using credit cards unless you always pay off the monthly balance. If you don't have enough self-control then cancel all credit cards except for one. Then if you still can control your credit spending put the card on ice, literally.

9. Ask your doctor for a free sample of the prescription drug that he just prescribed. Those pharmaceutical companies practically bribe doctor's offices to use their drugs, and leave many free samples for them to give out. This is especially true of the allergy doctor's offices.

10. Get a smaller used car that gets lower gas mileage than your current vehicle. We have done this ourselves we went from 2 minivans to one minivan and a smaller sedan that can fit all of us. You will notice that the fill ups are less often, which means more money in your pocket.

11. Shop around for car insurance; don't go below what you need. As you have seen on the TV commercials you might be able to get a better deal elsewhere.

12. Go food shopping only once a week, this will help you stick to your list and cut down on impulse buying. If you normally make 3 trips to the grocery that is 3 times the cost for things you don't need.  With this idea you will save time and money.

13. When a light bulb burns out try switching it to florescent. The newer more energy efficient bulbs do cost more at purchase but they can last for many more years.

14. Pack your lunch, and you will save money. If you get bored when brown bagging then spurge once a week and buy or pack an extra special lunch for yourself.

15. Turn down your heater, by just turning the thermostat down by 1 degree or more you will be saving money on your heating bill. "One rule of thumb is for every degree you set back the thermostat, you save 3 percent on your heating bill. That's assuming it's 24 hours per day." ~ Bill Prindle (Expert in energy efficiency!) 

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