YAY to Unplugging!!!

I am happy to report that my roommate & I committed to unplugging everything that doesn't require electricity while away from our home and my electricity bill went from, drumroll please....$64.22 to $34.89!!!

I do realize that some of this may be due to the fact that the heat is now on, but it's been on since we received our last electricity bill. I'd also like to compare this electricity bill to the one from October of last year. However, I'm not sure Dominion's eBilling is that savvy. I'm sorry Dominion...I stand corrected (blushing). Our electricity at this time last year was $46.22, so it did go down...and we didnt' even unplug for an entire month.

Anyway, savings is savings...and I'll happily take my $29.33, divided by 2, thus $14.67 all the way to the bank! YES! I'll let you know how it goes next month.

Friday Saving Tidbits

I was watching Oprah about a week or so ago, and guests were sharing ways that they saved money. One guest in particular had a very easy tip that's easy to implement. Unplug. When she left her house, she started unplugged devices, and in the first month of doing so her energy bill went from $268, to $91!!!! That's a lot of money for a fairly easy task! Just unplug it! Oh, and when the guest really started unplugged everything, her bill went all the way down to...brace yourself...$60!!! Also, interestingly enough, as I exited the Metro this week, I noticed an energy campaign on the billboards. One of the billboards has a woman saying, "I'll unplug more stuff." So...there you have it, unplug it to save. Yes, it's annoying at first, but I'd love to have that extra money every month and be green at the same time!

And one more tip for all of the shoppers (like me) out there. I found this great website called Sale Habit that features only sale items from various internet sites. The best part is that everythings on sale, so it's pratically guilt free! There are thousands of items on the website, so I recommend searching for what you want. If you know exactly what you're looking for, this site is an excellent resource to see where you can find it! Not really "Money Saving" I suppose, but if you already planning on spending the money, why not get it on sale?! (wink, wink). Happy Shopping.

Is the Library Really a Thing of the Past?

While watching Sex And The City: The Movie this weekend, I realized that Mr. Big teased Carrie for having a library book to which she replied that she liked the way they smelled. And my mind quickly recalled the old library book that was in my room on my dresser. I'm not sure how that thing smelled, but from the looks of it, I wasn't going to find out either.

I've been going to the library since I was very young. And while I abandoned it during college due to schoolwork, I returned after graduation. For a while, I did buy books, but what happens if you don't really like it or don't plan on rereading it? Then you've wasted your money most likely. I mean you could post them on Amazon or sell them for half price on Ebay or one of those book stores, but most likely, you'll do absolutely nothing with it. It'll sit and collect dust. Which is why I am a strong advocate for the public library! Yes...some of the books are dirty looking like someone ate Cheetos while reading, but majority are clean, and it's FREE! F-R-E-E! Yep! Courtesy of hmm.....taxes I'd propose. And you can have this service too for just a mere flash of your license and filling out an application. They even have audio books and you can go online and reserve books without driving out to the library, they'll email or call you when they're ready to be picked up! Fantastic library!!! And best of all....you save that $15-20 you'd pay for a book at Borders or Barnes and Noble. Just a thought...

Some Ways I Save

Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the best saver there is, but I do tend to have a few money saving habits that are ingrained in my being. So with all of this economic fallout going on around us, I figured I'd post something positive...to cheer myself up mainly, but that's beside the point.

• I participate in a commuter benefits program that takes money out of my check pre-tax for my metro trips. If you ride the metro everyday to work, which I do, this saves you about $300-400 per year. And that's just for my fare.
• I automatically have my company deposit money into a separate high interest savings account every check. I don't see it, I don't touch it...simple as that.
• Instead of buying coffee at work everyday, I have a thermos that I fill up at home before I leave, and I drink it once I get to work. That saves me about $500 a year.
• I contribute to my TSP (my equivalent of a 401K) with pre-tax dollars, so that lowers my net income, hence less taxes.
• I try to make a list (at least mentally) of what I plan to eat for the entire week before going to the grocery store, thus eliminating or lowering impulse purchases.
• I stretch my eyebrows between waxings by touching them up with a razor and using eyebrow gel so I don't have to get them done as frequently. I look a little rough, but not too bad. And if I have something to do, I get them done. Otherwise, I stretch time between appointments.
• I paint my own toenails, unless I have something important...I can paint them just fine. No thanks to paying Mr. Salon $10-$12 to paint them. I can bend down and do it just fine myself!
• I shop for shoes on Amazon (they seriously rock) and they have free shipping! Plus a lot of time they run specials and you can get 20% off on top of the sale price. I'm not kidding, Amazon seriously rocks.
• I only buy things when I have a coupon or offer...and then it's something that I've been watching for a while. It takes some self discipline, but it's usually worth it. I don't always do this, because if I love it, I get it most of the time. But how often do you geniunely love something? That's what I thought.
• I decide what's important to me and only spend money on it...whatever it is. Meaning going out to eat may not be as important to me as having a nice pair of flat knee boots, so I'll slash my dining out budget in order to accomplish. Eating out is one of those things I can live without, I'd rather have clothes that I can wear again and again. And as my dear mother says "Why should I go out and pay money for food that's going to be flushed down the toilet the next day? No thank you! I'd rather spend my money on things that will last." So I guess I've inherited that mentality.

That's all I've got for now...but when I think of more, I'll add them.

What are some ways you save money?