Hi everyone. I know there are many in the same boat as me.......I really need some money saving tips for surviving while in nursing school. Our income is about to be cut in half and I would love everyone to share things they do to help cut costs. Thanks. :)

I just switched to broadband phone. $25 a month for unlmited calls/ local and long distance, as opposed to MCI's 50ish.... I also cut food coupons. I also took out a new credit card and will transfer the balance on my old one over to it, as transfered balances are at 4% for the first six months. I also pharmacy hop. There are always ads to transfer your prescription and get a $20 gift card. I have done this 4 times in 6 months. I do other things, but that's all I can think of now.....

I love those pharmacy gift card promotions. I saved mine from last year and used it towards Christmas for my kids. Spend some time planning meals that don't cost a lot (or is it alot, LOL. I can never remember.). Do you have kids? Secondhand clothing stores (or hand-me-downs from older cousins) are great.

One thing that helps me is to only spend cash, not checks or debit/credit cards. I pull out what I've budgeted for the week, put some aside in an envelope in a drawer for emergencies, and once I'm out of money, I'm done. If I have any left, it goes in another envelope for BIG emergencies (not the weekly kind). Somehow it seems harder to spend real money than just to swipe my card--plus I don't want to come up short in the checkout line, LOL.

One thing that helps me is to only spend cash, not checks or debit/credit cards. I pull out what I've budgeted for the week, put some aside in an envelope in a drawer for emergencies, and once I'm out of money, I'm done. If I have any left, it goes in another envelope for BIG emergencies (not the weekly kind). Somehow it seems harder to spend real money than just to swipe my card--plus I don't want to come up short in the checkout line, LOL.

This cash thing is a great idea

Look at your current bills to see if there are any you can lower (cheaper cable, phone, cell phone plan, etc.) Like someone else said, try to lower credit card interest or eliminate credit card debt as much as possible. One way you might want to consider, if you own your home, is to refinance and get some cash out. Your payment might go up, but your credit cards will be paid off. (We refinanced a couple of years ago, went from a 30 to a 15 year mortgage, got $20K cash, and we're only paying about $40 more a month.)

As far as day to day expenses...Really scour those supermarket sales flyers. Look for items you use a lot and buy as much as you can store when they go on sale. (I personally am no good at the coupon thing, but try it, it may work for you.) Try to be as frugal as possible when planning your meals. Also, look for little luxuries that add up and you can do without. A gourmet coffee each day can easily add up to $75-100 in a month.

Holiday shopping: start as soon as possible. It is much less "painful" if it is spread out over several months.

I definitely like the idea of using cash/debit card as often as possible.

One thing that helps me is to only spend cash, not checks or debit/credit cards. I pull out what I've budgeted for the week, put some aside in an envelope in a drawer for emergencies, and once I'm out of money, I'm done. If I have any left, it goes in another envelope for BIG emergencies (not the weekly kind). Somehow it seems harder to spend real money than just to swipe my card--plus I don't want to come up short in the checkout line, LOL.

My mom does this and it works great. When her septic tank backed up, she just went to her emergency fund, and she had the money in cash.

Go generic on food. Take a calculator to the grocery store.

Layaway is a great thing.

I switched from cable modem to dial-up. Yeah fast is nice, yet it's not necessary.

Cut out the soda, and go water.

Ramen noodles (10 packs for a dollar)

Box Mac and cheese (20 cents a box)

If you have kids a babysitting coop with friends and neighbors.

Marie stole my idea about ramen noodles.

stretching meals by making extra for lunches. Not eating drive through.

Go generic on food. Take a calculator to the grocery store.

Layaway is a great thing.

I switched from cable modem to dial-up. Yeah fast is nice, yet it's not necessary.

Cut out the soda, and go water.

Ramen noodles (10 packs for a dollar)

Box Mac and cheese (20 cents a box)

ooh, please be careful about those Ramen noodles....they are insanely high in sodium! They're tasty and cheap so it's easy to eat lots of it, but when you look at the label, you'll freak!

Savings tip: check out your local Dollar Store. Sometimes I find things that I needed to buy and it was cheaper there; I can also find things I'll put aside for kids' stocking stuffers or whatever. One time I found Hanes underwear (fitting my kids) in three-packs for a buck. Have no idea what was supposed to be wrong with them, but they are wearing fine after many months!

I could be Rockefeller himself if I just quit putting gas in my car...

We have experienced a similar situation. I had the cable turned off completely. Not only did I save $50 a month, but the housework gets done faster and so does everyones homework. I have my internet through my phone company. It only costs me $10 a month extra and I have no call waiting or caller ID. If it is important they will leave a message on the machine. Clipping coupons is a great help, but many times I can find a store brand at the dollar store cheaper then what I would have saved with the coupon on a named brand item. I always buy my kids shoes when they have the buy one get one... offers. I have three, so I can get all four of us shoes cheap that way. I also buy clothing at second hand stores, dollar stores, and yard sales. But only if it is a good deal. Don't want to wash something once and have it fall apart.I menu plan and freeze with my foodsaver. When I cook a casserole (sp?), I make extra or I make something else. Two meals cooked for the gas it takes to cook one. Plus I have a fast dinner to warm up on a busy night. Do some searches on freezer cooking. There are websites. I clean with bleach and water. Love the smell, it disinfects, and it can be put mixed up in a spray bottle for easy cleaning. Outside of dish soap, Barkeepers Friend, and the soaps to do laundry, this is all I use. Turn the thermostat down or up a couple of degrees depending on what time of year it is. Form a car pool at school to help with transportation costs. And make every trip count. If you are going through town on the way home from school, do any errands then. Saves time and money. Pack a lunch and fill old water bottles with water. I keep them in the freezer and take them out in the morning to take with me. We use layaway systems for back to school and holiday shopping. That way we don't have to use credit cards or take a huge chunk of money out all at once. You do have to start earlier, but it is worth it. Try to pay bills on time if at all possible. This keeps those late charges from racking up.

I know that I just kind of babbled along but I had to get all these down before I forgot. If I think of any others I will try to pass them on.

1. If you must drink soda then buy cans and take them to school. Do not buy drinks or snacks from the machines.

2. Instead of buying individually wrapped snacks I bought chip, or snack crackers and just took some in a ziplock bag.

3. Don't go to lunch with the group that eats out every day then complains about not having money.

4. I started family night. Rent 5 movies (older) for $5.00 for 5 days. Bake a pizza or popcorn. No more 100.00 movie weekends. The kids actually enjoyed doing this more than going to the movies and with 5 days to return the movies I didn't have to get in a hurry to return them. - Sometimes I bought one pay per view movie for about 3.99, no return issues.

5. My kids suffered the most while I was in school so I would take them to the dollar store and say ok you have earned 1,2, or 3 prizes this week and you can have ANYTHING YOU WANT!!! :)

6. I took my kids to the park alot and I was able to get studying done while they played. This is a freebie.

7. Now is the time to buy school supplies while Target and Walmart has really good sale prices on pens, paper, and pencils. stock up.

8. I realized too late that I was paying full coverage on a vehicle that was payed off, old, and wore out. I was paying $770.00 a year. blue book was 1200.00. Now I pay 360.00 per year for liability.

9. carpooling really helps save on gas money, and you know how hard it is to park at school.

melissa

Visit the website http://www.stretcher.com - It has a ton of articles about saving money. Look under their topic index for just about any subject you can think of. They put new articles on it every Monday. I love it!!