The last two tips I have for saving money in ways that might not be obvious are both tips that took me a very long time to decide to implement. I wouldn't be offended if you didn't want to put them into action right away; I've had to make a conscious effort to use both of these tips myself!
9) Don't order name-brand ink for your printer. I know, I know: Your printer's manufacturer clearly states in no uncertain terms that you are to use only their brand of ink in the printer. However, this can be extremely costly!
I know these pictures aren't great (I just had my iPhone handy when I started this post, so I took them with that!), but do you see any difference(s) in any of the three ink cartridges (besides color)?
We generally purchase ink once every other month or so, depending on what we've been printing and the quantities of what we've printed. At $28.01 per cartridge, and $69.99 for a 4-pack (all the ink my printer takes - black, cyan, magenta and yellow), that can run us between $419.94 and $672.24 per year in ink costs!!!
That was an unacceptable price to me, even purchasing it once every other month.
I talked to my friend Bryce, who is very computer savvy, and knows what you can use and what you can't in nearly any computer-related situation. He advised me to quit buying the name-brand ink immediately, and that there was really no drawback. The computer gives you a warning that leads you to believe you wasted your money when you put generic ink in your printer, but I never experienced lower quality printing, and I will never purchase name-brand ink again.
Instead, I order from inkquik.com. Their customer service is relatively speedy, and I get my ink shipped to me and received within 48 hours.
And I only pay $27.50 for it!!!
That's all 4 ink cartridges - same sizes and colors as the name brand ones are sold in - AND it includes shipping!
I highly recommend that everyone switch to inkquik, and I rarely do that.
10) Don't over-extend yourself. Instant-gratification is the root of 90% of the debt problems people have, in my opinion. Just because your friend wants it, or your parents have it, doesn't mean you have to leap at the opportunity to get something! Be patient; have faith in God to provide, and in His timing, He will bless you abundantly.
Some examples from my life are as follows:
- I really wanted a piano. A real one. Right before Robert and I got married. My dad and I looked and looked, and never found one worth buying. Within 1 month of us moving after we got married, a friend let me give their upright grand a home temporarily. Eventually, that friend turned around and blessed us by saying I could keep the piano! Amazing how God worked that out! My friend was thrilled the piano got a good home and an owner who loves it!
- We had plenty of televisions in our house when we got married. Even though all of our friends and most of our family had brand new, big, flat-panel HD TVs, we were still watching the old RCA box from 1983, and didn't get our next hand-me-down for several months. When we got it, we kept it until we had saved enough for a small (but new), inexpensive television. We found a great one at Wal-Mart (40"!) with a 2-year warranty for a fantastic price, and purchased it as our gift to each other for Christmas 2011.
I could go on and on. But I don't need to; I know you all get the point! I am so very thankful that we have all that we do, and I feel 100% confident in our decisions regarding what we have purchased to live with - and even the things we said, "No" to, or even "Not right now." I have learned that patience and preparation are the keys to living beneath our means. It is definitely not always fun! It's really hard sometimes! One instance in particular is saying "no" when everyone else is saying "sure, why not?" That could be anything from having dinner out with friends and or/ family to buying a brand new car! And let me just say that the day-to-day decisions to live and spend frugally are the most trying decisions. But we've seen it pay off! As mentioned previously, we were able to pay for a trip to Las Vegas this year completely off of what we had saved in coupons, sales and discounts!
The savings adds up, my friends, when you are careful, purposed and intentional. Always discuss your goals as a couple, pray about it, and above all remember the words of Mark Hall (lead singer for the Casting Crowns): "You'll live what you believe." So, if you go out and spend $500 on food for your family for one week, you must believe that's an acceptable standard of living cost. (That is just an arbitrary number! I know everyone has different budgets, and it's not meant to point any fingers). Contrarily, if you want to spend $500 at the grocery store to feed your family for one week, and you instead only purchase what you need and a couple of extra items, combine it with sales and coupons, and walk out only having spent $50, then you must believe that is an acceptable standard of living cost.
Thank you for the emails you all have sent me regarding how you're doing with your goals, and telling me that you're implementing some of my ideas! I'm so happy for all of you! Feel free to post comments here, too, if you want! :)
Keep saving!! :)
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