100 Ways We Save Money - Part 7

I am slowly working my way through a series on 100 ways we save money. It has made me more aware of all the little things we do each day that add up to big savings and I hope it gives y'all some ideas. You can read about part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, and part 6 by clicking the links.

#36 - I can our own food. When we get great deals on produce, I preserve it to use all year.

#37 - We don't eat a lot of meat. Meat is more of a side dish for us. I have heard so many reports about how Americans eat too much meat and that the actual portion size is about the size of my fist - or 4 oz. When we do eat meat, I will usually only cook 1 lb at a time for 6 people. Keep in mind I have small kids though.

#38 - We pay many of our bills online. I save about $3 a month in postage by doing this - or $36 a year, which is a tank of gas in my husbands car. Well worth it.

#39 - We keep our monthly bills to a minimum. We have combined where we can to reduce the number of bills, but we also don't sign up for lots of bills. Many people consider things like Netflix a given today, but you don't have to sign up for those services. The less money we have committed to someone else each month means more money in our savings account.

#40 - When I run the washing machine or the dishwasher I run full loads. When my husband thinks it is full I can get many more items in. They use the same amount of water, energry and detergents, so I get the most bang for my buck and pack them full.

*This post is linked to Life As Mom's Frugal Fridays.