Its easy to stop pulling out the wallet every once in a while and declare triumph, but dont kid yourself we know its the recurring expenses that really drown us into debt. The monthly expenses are what most people neglect because they are subconsciously trained to ignore it after seeing the same line item month after month after month. Let me tell you the truth. Its the area thats most beneficial to look into because you work on eliminating it once and you are saving money every month. Want to know where to start? Heres the tip of the iceberg.

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Regarding a home phone my wife is home during the day with our 3 little kids. We maintain a corded, non-fancy telephone plugged into our landline for the sole purpose of being able to dial 911 in case of emergency and not having to worry about coverage/dropped calls/low battery/cant find the cell phone/etc Another nice benefit is that the 911 operator would be able to see our home address instantly, rather than having to rely on the GPS or whatever.

On the flip side, our landline plan includes unlimited long distance, and we dont pay for a monthly cell plan either. I have a work-owned mobile phone, and she has a prepaid mobile for when shes out and about. (So our monthly mobile bill is near nonexistent; we pay maybe $100/year for service that matches our usage pattern.)

911 service is the same reason we havent switched to a VOIP phone setup, either. Perhaps Im over-cautious, but in case of emergency I would hate to think that there might be any sort of delay at all in communicating and getting help.

I totally agree. Im glad I now have a land line. I think wireless providers charge way too much for phone service today, especially if you get the smart phone package.

CJ, Low Insurance

Yes I agree. Having a landline these days is MUCH cheaper than the smart phone plans. Paying for the smart phone plan is paying double for the same features. Why am I paying for internet on a phone when Im at a computer all day long at work? AND pay for internet at home.

Im coming to the realization of how much I could be saving, but is it worth paying the termination fees? Its a good long run decision, but I dont have the short term cash

Termination fee vs. monthly cell phone charges. Chicaits cheaper to terminate and get hit once vs. getting hit monthly!!

That is dumb. All water is recycled. Its called evaporation and precipitation. The amount of water on earth never decreases. Wash your car at home, using a moderate amount of water and detergent. You will use much less of both than a carwash. And washing a car is good, free exercise.

Calling peoples comments dumb make you sound dumb and ignorant. I happen to agree that washing cars at home is way cheaper than going to a car wash and this board is about saving oney not spending it.

For those who say they save money, unless that money goes straight into the bank, youre not saving. You are just spending on something else. Unless you put everything you havent spent on then you arent saving monies. I have a bank receipt that Ive been doing for over a year now. Every penny sitting in my purse, every dollar that has been in my wallet for a month all goes in the bank. Ive saved I mean saved 2,391.26 in one year. This is the 1st time Ive ever done that it is because the masses always say save money, or you save money because you didnt buy something when in reality they didnt save, they just spent on something else. Unless you can show that youve saved like I can, anything you dont spend your money on that goes into saving is called you saved. Deposit loose change in your account deposit dollars, everything adds up and then your interest will be more and more. Im happy getting 15 cents a month in interest makes my savings grow and this is only my money, not family saving or family money. It is what I have saved!

In terms of wise, you are not wise if you are calling the things ppl say dumb. EVerybody has the right to give opinions and it isnt for you to decide if they are smart or dumb. Only God has that right and HE most certainly would never call his creations dumb. For us Christians we were created in Gods perfect light.

I feel it is better to worry about how you can save money for yourself which is an investment in your future. You would save at least $ 9.50. If you are worried about the environment. talk to your Congressmen. Since 1950. the U.S.A. has instigated well over 30 wars against poor 3 rd world countries who were no threat to us. We threatened. intimidated. bombed and invaded country after country and in the process our thousands of Jets spewing noxious fumes and dropping Blockbuster Bombs containing depleted uranium. napalm and in the process totally reducing cities to rubble and murdering MILLIONS of innocent men. women and children. Depleted uranium poisons the atmosphere for hundreds of years. That is the greatest threat to our environment. not washing your own car. The HOT AIR coming out of WASHINGTON is another threat to our environment. What EVIL lurks in the hearts of men .

This isnt a political forum so Id think it be best if you went to a political forum and stop trashing The USA. Im a proud American and we live in the best country on earth so back off the hate comments and stick to the topic of saving money!

Theres plenty of people in the world, including the USA, who would disagree that you live in the best country in the world.

Its a sad fact of life that many people around the world laugh at the USA. They laugh at their supposed superiority to other countries, despite having the worst educational system in the world, where up to 60% of students fail.

Want to save money? Spend it on FREE education. Take it out of the money grubbing lenders who put mill stones around University Graduates for the rest of their lives.

In our small rural area, we are forced into having a land line phone if we want cheap internet. I cannot get the internet from my local provider without the landline (basic with no long distance). its a major pain, but thats how it is. I could go to satellite internet, but it is more expensive than the phone and internet combined. My employer covers my cell phone, so I have no personal expense there. The business phone also hooks to the fax machine not everyone wants to send via email or internet. (nor has the capability) Plus around here, during stormy times, the cell towers go out in windstorms no cell service for a week last winter. Its best to have a back up plan.

Basically, to save money, I stay out of the stores and off-line. No temptations allowed. ie, Dont spend any money and you save a lot

Basically free food is available almost all over if one wants to put the time into finding and harvesting it. Fishing and clamming provide most of the meat and the garden provides most of the veggies and fruits. Trading excesses with friends also helps fill in the gaps of what I dont grow/harvest. I trade meat cutting and wrapping for free deer, elk, and beef. Freeze, can, dehydrate, and use up everything. For clothing, home decor, and gifts, go garage saling. All those things enable me to get by on very very little actual cash out of pocket, and still live great.

I just love free food ideas. I purchase our small town newspaper (also available on-line for cost of subscription) and put on the family calendar all the local events. In our area [11,000 residents, 45 min north of Santa Fe NM] there are many book & poetry readings, local govt and social clubs, church speakers and fundraisers events, school plays, science bowls, and events, etc. that advertise free food with attendance. Our county has arts & crafts in the parks, family picnics, big band dances, etc. Its a great way to get our familys time together and enjoy excellent food for next to nothing.

We also love to go to Santa Fe on Saturdays and hit Whole Foods just before lunchtime. We cruise the isles, picking up complimentary samples of wine & cheese, chips & dips, itty-bitty finger sandwiches, soup tasters & 1 oz coffee samples. We never walk away hungry.