Savings Galore

At first, the thought of having to spend less was a little disappointing, but now it's become quite exciting.

Some things I've been doing to save:

• Using coupons. I almost always get a coupon with my receipt at Target and it's usually for a product I buy regularly. Just today I was able to save $6.53 on my groceries.
  
• Switching to private-label brands. On items like bread and pasta, I buy Market Pantry, Target's house brand.
• Buying fewer organic items. I'm trying to only buy organic meat, produce, and dairy.
  
• Selling old books. In the past week, I've made $11.50 off some old paperbacks. Book-A-Holics at 21st and Tyler will give you 10% of the publisher's price if you sell and 20% if you trade.
  
• Combing my laundry with Seth's. We used to wash separately, but now I wash our clothes together and in cold water. We've definitely seen a difference in our water bill.
• Unplugging appliances when they're not in use. Most electronics suck electrons from the outlet even when they're not in use. I unplug the microwave, toaster and cell-phone chargers and turn off my power strips when I'm not using them. This, on top of not running the AC for the past month has decreased our electric bill by $22.
• Unexpected income goes straight to my savings account. I've also set up for a portion of each paycheck to be directly deposited in my savings account instead of the entire balance going straight to checking.

I've been doing all of this for a few months now and I'm really starting to see the benefits. My bank statement is shorter due to less frivolous spending, my checking account cushion is growing and the bills are going down.

I'll continue to update on my savings as I come up with more creative ideas.