ways i save money living alone.
May. 23rd, 2009 02:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rubahI've known for a while that I turn incredibly miserly when left to my own devices, spending my own money.
My family, both branches being of poor farmer descent, has a long tradition of scrimping and saving, and in my solo adventura this summer, I have found myself turning to some of the tricks I've picked up along the way.
1) Not eating out. The simplest. One makes one's own meals, and one eats them. Since most meals are made for more than one, one then eats leftovers the next night. One packs one's own sandwich to eat at lunchtime and fills one's waterbottle at the water fountain during the day. One reuses the sandwich bag from day to day :p
2) Not pigging out. This is actually the thing I have the hardest time with. Those of you who are familiar with my ways realize that I have an incredible weakness for snacks. At my worst, I can put way entire bags of doritos without realizing it. This is why I weighed 108 lbs in the third grade. I started this week with a bag and a half of chips and they were all gone by Tuesday. The only thing keeping me from not repeating that spectacle is the fact that I haven't gone to the grocery store.
3) Not running the air conditioner. Today was the first day I ran the AC, and that's because I dried two loads of clothes. Not saying it hasn't been hot. I use a macbook pro, and those get *hot*, but I've toughed it out, locking the doors and going around in a shirt and panties helps. eating popcicles, opening the windows at night, and always leaving the ceiling fan on.
4) Taping a blanket in the doorway. My Granny Sue does not live in a house with central heat and air. She has a wood stove and a window unit. Sometimes in Arkansas summer, it gets to be 107 out. How does she cope? She stays in the living room with the air conditioner and keeps all the other doors shut. There is no kitchen door, however, so there is a sheet perpetually draped over the doorway. Doing the laundry today, I realized it was going to be over 80 degrees if I didn't so something, so first I turned on the AC. Then, ashamed, I thought it over, realized if I could close off the dryer, I would be better off, then hunted around for an insulating blanket. It only blocks half the doorway, but it is the half that heats slips through!
5) Not flushing. At the Rollet's house last summer, the upstairs toilet could go all day without being flushed. It got pretty damn yellow. I reckon, as long as I don't leave a turd in there, I can easily go two uses without having to flush.
6) Turning the water heater down. They say you only need your water heater to run at 120F. Mine was at 130F. Thanks, energy star suggestions!
My family, both branches being of poor farmer descent, has a long tradition of scrimping and saving, and in my solo adventura this summer, I have found myself turning to some of the tricks I've picked up along the way.
1) Not eating out. The simplest. One makes one's own meals, and one eats them. Since most meals are made for more than one, one then eats leftovers the next night. One packs one's own sandwich to eat at lunchtime and fills one's waterbottle at the water fountain during the day. One reuses the sandwich bag from day to day :p
2) Not pigging out. This is actually the thing I have the hardest time with. Those of you who are familiar with my ways realize that I have an incredible weakness for snacks. At my worst, I can put way entire bags of doritos without realizing it. This is why I weighed 108 lbs in the third grade. I started this week with a bag and a half of chips and they were all gone by Tuesday. The only thing keeping me from not repeating that spectacle is the fact that I haven't gone to the grocery store.
3) Not running the air conditioner. Today was the first day I ran the AC, and that's because I dried two loads of clothes. Not saying it hasn't been hot. I use a macbook pro, and those get *hot*, but I've toughed it out, locking the doors and going around in a shirt and panties helps. eating popcicles, opening the windows at night, and always leaving the ceiling fan on.
4) Taping a blanket in the doorway. My Granny Sue does not live in a house with central heat and air. She has a wood stove and a window unit. Sometimes in Arkansas summer, it gets to be 107 out. How does she cope? She stays in the living room with the air conditioner and keeps all the other doors shut. There is no kitchen door, however, so there is a sheet perpetually draped over the doorway. Doing the laundry today, I realized it was going to be over 80 degrees if I didn't so something, so first I turned on the AC. Then, ashamed, I thought it over, realized if I could close off the dryer, I would be better off, then hunted around for an insulating blanket. It only blocks half the doorway, but it is the half that heats slips through!
5) Not flushing. At the Rollet's house last summer, the upstairs toilet could go all day without being flushed. It got pretty damn yellow. I reckon, as long as I don't leave a turd in there, I can easily go two uses without having to flush.
6) Turning the water heater down. They say you only need your water heater to run at 120F. Mine was at 130F. Thanks, energy star suggestions!
