Hi. I'm looking for ideas on cutting back to buy a home.
We live in the Beverlywood area of Los Angeles so to buy we really need to put a big down payment. We make good money but we spend a lot too. So the new me has been cooking a lot at home, going green, and now looking for all your ideas on what you do to save money.
Thanks so much!!!
Hiya! I know this isn't going to work for everybody, but for us, we first got rid of all our credit cards (except for 1 for emergencies - and for 3 years, no emergency has come up yet). We adopted the "if you can't afford it now, don't get it until you can" motto, which seems to have worked. Also, we used our debit cards for everything for one month because it was easier to track and categorize through quicken, and gave us a nice report at where our spending went. Then knowing where we were overspending, we cut back. Along with eating out less, we cancelled our premium cable channels, stopped using the a/c and heater until it just gets too unbearable. We bundle up when it's cold, use ceiling fans and try to stay out as much as possible, taking advantage of the a/c at the mall or having picnics outdoors in the shade of a tree, etc. My husband also uses catches the metro to work as much as he can so we save on gas. If I can't prepare lunches for us, Trader Joe's has the greatest microwaveables for like $1.99-2.59! Hope this helps!
Cooking at home is a great start! Limiting your trips out. So when you do head out you get more than one stop taken care of. Shop online~ I have some great stores to recomend, especially since your going green. I can also show you have to get your cleaners, personal care products, make up etc for free. If you interested let me know.