Here’s one way I save money at home; I no longer pay for trash removal…

The company that collects my trash has just upped their sticker price to $3 per sticker/can. This is starting to add up quick… I hate spending money on garbage. I do have to admit that the first point may seem questionable, but hey, every bit helps. So, in attempts to save money on trash removal, do the following:

• Throw trash in the small plastic grocery bags from the grocery store. Take the trash bags with you each day and dispose of at work, gas stations, etc.
• Recycling is free in most places now. Be sure to recycle as much material as you can. I bring a large can of recycling to the curb each week; my trash collection company takes it away for free each week.
• Compost all food scraps (with the exception of dairy and meat). Compost all grass clippings and yard waste. I often see people place 20+ large bags of leaves at the curb in the fall – they’re spending $60 to throw out something that will deteriorate on its own in less than six months! Crazy! Spend $50 on a leaf-shredder and add the material to gardens and/or your compost pile.

Let me know if you have any other trash-related money-saving ideas. Post a comment below with yours…

I wanted to pass along a tip that may already be obvious to some of you.

For whatever reason, in the past, I have rarely been able to make it through a complete loaf of bread before it becomes moldy. Surprisingly often, mold sets in on the loaf within a week?! I used to keep the loaf in its original packaging on top of the refrigerator. After wasting countless loaves of bread, I no longer go this route.

Now, I will buy-in on buy-one-get-one-free bread sales and from the start, I keep the loaves in the freezer. I have found that doing so has a few benefits. First, as I stated, I am able to take advantage of good sale prices on bread. Second, I have used the bread after freezing for over a month, and haven’t noticed any significant loss of taste quality. Third, when I use the bread to pack my kids lunch, they have noticed that their sandwiches no longer get soggy or mushy by lunchtime.

To be clear, I keep the bread in the freezer until I use it. Each time I use the bread, I take a couple slices from the loaf in the freezer and use (I do not take the whole loaf out until used). If I want to use for a sandwich that I am making to eat immediately, I simply put the slices I need in the microwave and defrost for about 1 minute. Is the bread as fresh and soft as bread brought back from the store and not frozen? Probably not, but I truly haven’t noticed a loss in taste quality (and it usually stays pretty soft). Besides, for me, the benefits far outweigh the downsides.

Take care, Dave

In attempts to save as much money as possible on household expenses, I had decided to use my cellphone exclusively and drop my land line service.  I had used Vonage in the past, but didn’t want that recurring payment either.  In the first two weeks, I ran into a couple of problems with this strategy.

The first issue I encountered was poor signal reception – no bars, low bars, and dropped or missed calls. There were areas within my house that I dared not take my cellphone; these areas I came to call “signal-slayers.” The second problem was that I truly did not feel comfortable that my young children did not have a way to dial 911 should I drop dead in the backyard (or if some other emergency occurred). It was at this point that I determined that I had to have a backup home phone.

These are the requirements that I had for the new backup home phone service:

• The actual phone had to be a standard telephone (not a soft-phone or pc-based phone) that my children could easily operate.
• I did not want to have my computer on 24/7 in order to utilize the phone service.
• The phone service had to offer 911 (or E911 at the very least).
• The service had to be VERY affordable (the cheaper the better).

Based on these requirements, I investigated the following options…

VOIP Services like Vonage

Having used Vonage in the past, I felt the service worked well.  Though this service is cheaper than most standard phone lines, it still included taxes and fees that I found annoying.  I received a discount for paying annually, but I was still paying about $220 per year, and I wanted to pay less than that.  Vonage VOIP was not the right answer for me.

Other VOIP like Skype

Skype is more affordable no doubt, even with the $60 annual fee to have a dedicated phone number.  The problem, for me, was that the service would require my pc to be on at all times in order to make / receive calls (or a WIFI phone can be used, but that seemed too pricey for me).

Basic, Traditional Land-Line Service

I contacted ATT and the cheapest option they would offer me was $12/month + $7 tax ($19/month or $228/year for local service only – no long distance or local toll service included).  This option was clearly too expensive for the very limited service provided (and I hate paying all those bs taxes).

The Solution…

After reviewing my options, none really seemed to fit what I wanted.  I continued my search…  Eventually, I found a VOIP service called “Ooma.”  I had never heard of the service prior to stumbling upon they’re website.  Ooma has a business model that sets it apart from all the other VOIP services I found out there.  With Ooma, you pay only for the equipment; the service is free.

The one-time, upfront expense averages about $240.  This cost was comparable to all the other options that I had reviewed with one distinct difference – I never had to pay another dime for the service.  There are no monthly fees or access charges at all going forward.

I will continue in the near future with a review of the service after using it for a month.  I will also provide some information about Ooma’s features at that time.  Please check back soon!

Ooma Phone System

Save money at home! Here is an introductory list of savings opportunities in and around your home. Check back soon as each of these topics will be the subject of an in-depth future post. Enjoy!

Cellular Phone Savings
Reduce your plan level and rethink your need to have internet, text, and other expensive features. I have found the most economical plans and good service using TMobile.

Clothing Savings
Buy clothing off-season, on sale, or clearance. Look for coupons before shopping. Try to buy clothing that can be mixed and matched into multiple outfit combination. Look for the quality in the material and craftsmanship – do not buy on brand name alone. Wash and dry your clothing as directed.

Commuting Savings
Do one of the following: carpool, ride your bicycle to work, drive slower, inflate your tires properly, take the city bus, take the train, ask your boss if you can work from home, etc.

Electricity Savings
There are tons of opportunities here… Some of these include switching to CFL and/or LED light bulbs, only washing dishes when the washer is full, planting a tree to block sunlight and hear in the summer, turning up the thermostat a few degrees in the summer, using the sleep or power-save mode on your computer and monitor, turning off lights when not in use, use a Smart Power Strip, using high-efficiency appliances, and many more…

Exercise Savings
Cancel that gym membership that you never use but haven’t gotten around to canceling – yeah, the one you picked up January 2nd last year? Go jogging, hiking, ride your bike (see commuting), do push ups, get dumbbells. Many people are far more likely to work out in the comfort of their own home. It is often very difficult to get to the gym after a long, hard day at work.

Food Savings
Dine out less or not at all – pack your lunch and take it with you to work (leftover’s are perfect for this). Buy store brands. Buy in bulk when non-perishable foods are deeply discounted. Don’t buy “serving size” prepacked foods (including fruit, etc.). Don’t buy pre-cut fruits and vegetables. Look into discount food clubs and local markets.

Home Improvement Savings
There are many great, free online resources to learn what it takes to complete home maintenance and improvement projects. You really would be surprised at how many of these mystical, scary-sounding repairs can be done by yourself – the feeble, yet back-strong home owner.

Insurance Savings
Raise your deductible if it makes sense (especially if you are still driving that clunker). When possible, lower your coverage amounts. Buy term life insurance instead of universal or whole life insurance plans. Compare rates across multiple insurance providers.

Internet Savings
Find the lowest cost option available for your needs. Compare the pricing and speeds of DSL, cable modem, satellite, and dial up. Look for or ask for introductory offers to switch or start service providers.

Natural Gas Savings
Make sure you have a programmable thermostat and be sure to adjust the temperature to account for the hours you are not at home. Lower the thermostat and wear layers or a sweater when at home during winter. Be sure to weather seal drafty windows, doors, and electrical outlets. Use your microwave instead of the stove or oven to cook vegetables.

Telephone (land-line) Savings
Sever the land line already… They’ve been gauging you for years anyway. Swich to a free or low-cost VOIP (Voice Over IP) provider. There are many options out there including Skype and Vonage. Another option is to use your cellular phone only.  Check out Ooma for really big savings potential!

Trash Removal Savings
Recycle every possible item you can – it is usually free to recycle. Try to find alternative uses for items that would normally end up in your trash (re-use). Compost your lawn clippings and leaves rather than paying for the yard bags and trash stickers or fees..

TV / Cable / Satellite Savings
If you can deal with it, get rid of cable or satellite TV altogether – remember that antenna thing on the roof or in the attic? Watch your favorite shows online. Find plans to make your own DVR. Check out movies at your library. At the very least, fine-tune your programming to the essentials you require. Read and / or play games with your kids – too much TV will make your head turn to mush anyway.

Water & Sewer Savings
With many toilets, you can add a 1-liter bottle to the back tank to reduce the water fill (and flush) volume. Check for, and repair any leaks you may have. Use a rain barrel to collect rain water for watering plants. Plant drought-tolerant vegetation. Sewer / drain collection fees are the real expense here – if you do a substantial amount of watering in the yard or have an irrigation system, you may want to ask your city or municipality if you can have a separate watering meter (sometimes called a “deduct meter”) added. This will deduct the sewer collection fees for any water used for irrigation purposes.

Yard & Landscaping Savings
Mow your own lawn, shovel your own snow, lay your own mulch, trim your own trees and bushes, fertilize… Rent any equipment you deem necessary to complete a project from a local home improvement center. It’s great exercise…