100 Ways We Save Money - Part 6

I am working through a series on 100 ways we save money. Click on the links to view part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 and part 5.

#31 - Look for alternative food sources. This can be places to shop or places to forage. I have found that sometimes it really is cheaper to buy food at the drug store, or even milk at the gas station. We have also had great success picking wild blackberries here. Searching for wild blackberries provided many an afternoon snack for us this summer. You can also forage for mushrooms (be careful!), asparagus and salad greens.

#32 - We look for free entertainment. From programs at our library, to concerts downtown and even hiking in the park system. There are so many great things to do in life that really don't require any money.

#33 - Cook multiple things at once and maximize your oven use. I make it a goal of mine to only turn my oven on once a day (I don't always succeed though). I frequently cook breakfast the night before while dinner is cooking, or I will make a homemade snack at that time.

#34 - We keep our heat low. I have heard from many sources that for every degree you turn your heat down you will save 3% off your heating bill. That makes it worth it to me.

#35 - When I hit upon a great sale I buy a lot. For instance I bought 40 boxes of pasta a couple of months ago. Some issues to consider when stocking up like this are expiration dates, storage and whether you will actually use that many of something. We have pasta about twice a week, so 40 boxes is nothing for us.