Summary Of Savings From Our Thrifty Living Project
Adding Up All The Savings From Our Two Year Thrifty Living Experiment
Here is a summary of the savings that we accomplished in our thrifty living project. While there may be some small errors and omissions it is a fairly accurate account of what we actually did save over the course of two years, and what we will continue to save for years to come as a result of the changes that we made in our lifestyle.
While every family's situation is different, many of the was that we used to save more money each month can be practiced by anyone, regardless of whether they own a home, live in an apartment or rent a home. There are things that you can do that we didn't think of, and things that work best for your geographic area.
For example, studies show that if you live roughly south of Dallas, and paint your home a shade of white instead of a dark color, you can save 20% on your utility bills.
Conversely, if you live in the north, and choose a dark color for your home you can save the same amount on your cooling bills. Some areas of the country have amazing rebates for solar energy. For example, in California, Florida, Austin, Texas and other areas, the state or city may pay you for more than three quarters of the cost of a solar electric or hot water system.
What we learned as a couple is that saving money is more important than making money. We can save money at home but to pay for all the things we were wasting money on we had to work second jobs and stay away from home, where we ultimately wanted to be.
By working less to feed our energy hungry home, credit intensive lifestyle and new car payments, we could enjoy life and spend more time with each other.
While the current recession is causing hardship for many Americans, it is also teaching us to come together as families and return to the values of year past, which included family, quality, thriftiness, and thinking long term about everything that we buy.
Monthly Savings On Our Combined Bills
Savings On Phone, Cellular and Internet Bills: $439.00 per month
Savings on Electricity Bill: $150.00 per month.
Savings On Small Items: $60.00 per month
Savings by Using Coupons and Cash Back Programs: $100.00 per month
Savings on Car Payments and more efficient vehicles: $1350.00
Saving Per Month On Insurance: $150.00
Savings on food bills from gardening: $100.00
Total Savings: $2349.00 (or about 60% of our previous bills)
(We estimate that we saved approximately another $400 per month just by re-thinking how we spend money on various purchases).
We continue to find new ways to save money each month. Stay tuned to this site for more ideas on how to save more money each month.
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