I started running again the the other day. My workout plan involves running on 5 nights a week between when the kids go to bed and my bedtime. Three of those nights are weekdays. I realized that this could save me some pretty decent money.

Instead of spending money on any number of food or entertainment related things, I now have three nights where I just will not have time to do much besides normal family time, nightly chores, and my workout.

Now running is as much a hobby for me as a health thing.

So I started thinking of other hobbies that I have that prevent me from spending money.

I like to read but prefer to buy used books or get them at the library. I read about 15-30 minutes most nights so books take me a fair amount of time to finish.

I have started to enjoy poking around at the yard. Things like mowing and, in particular, picking the weeds. I spend 1-2 hours a week and since I have a new push reel mower I don’t even have to pay for gas.

I like to write fiction. Every few months I’ll play around with a story idea for a couple weeks.

I like to watch movies. I used to see a movie virtually every week. With movies going for about $8/ticket plus popcorn, that would easily be $50/month. I use Netflix now and pay $13.99. I end up watching more than 4 movies most months and pay significantly less for treats.

Those are most of my cheap hobbies. What hobbies do you have that end up saving you money?

Thanks so much to Mike for today’s guest post.  He is the father of 5 year old twins and a new baby.  You can find him writing about IVF, raising children, raising a child with autism, and fatherhood.  I hope you’ll visit him at Be A Good Dad!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I am hoping the gas prices will go down at some point and then those people will have left homes they loved to battle the city might regret loosing the quiet of the outskirts for the bustle of city life.  Then again, I can do a lot with $400 a month.

What do you think?  Is this going to the extreme or does it make sense?  Let us know.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

• Buy only what you can carry. TM – I use the little hand basket for a quick trip to the grocery store. Otherwise, I might trip and fall. Now that was a sight to behold.
• Find a shopping buddy. TM – Tell your DH or shopping accountability partner exactly what you are going to buy and then call and tell them what you ACTUALLY bought. I can’t go with my MIL shopping because we always end up at B Moss and I tend to get in trouble.
• Go on a treasure hunt to the dollar store. TM – I buy all my party favors and supplies for baby showers I throw here.
• Satisfy that shopping urge for less. TM – Make sure you can’t get a better deal from a sale first.
• Use credit cards the right way. TM – Dig into the details first and find the best rewards card for your family. Don’t just get any old card.
• Clear up credit card debt faster. TM – When I used to use credit cards to build my credit, I would go home and immediately take that amount out of my check book so that I would have it at the end of the month in order to pay off my card each month.
• Track what you charge. TM – Put each charge in your check book and subtract that amount from what you have. That way, you can make sure you have it at the end of the month.
• Climb down the debt ladder – TM – This is the snow ball effect. I think you should celebrate each time you pay off a debt. Even if it is an ice cream cone. Take no more than 20% of your payment (up to $50)and celebrate each time you retire a debt. You have earned it.
• Make your sock drawer your ATM. TM – I like to use quarters instead of dollar bills. It is much harder to spend $5 in quarters when you have to actually ask a cashier to count them all than it is to give the cashier a $5 bill.
• Get the best tax advice. TM – Whatever your situation, every few years, you should consult a tax expert to make sure you arent’ loaning the government too much money. They will surely spend it and not give you interest on the loan.
• Refinance your car. TM – You should always try to refinance when you can lower your monthly payment. But if at all possible, keep paying the same payment so that you have the option of a smaller payment but you are paying a huge chunk of principle each month. Check out Million Dollar Car.
• Don’t spend money on biweekly mortgage payments. TM – This is a great tool to use if you are not disciplined. If you are financially disciplined, however, just pay an extra determined amount, then you will gain the same effect but with no one holding your money.
• Insure the cost of rebuilding your home. TM – I can’t imagine having lost your home and then not have enough insurance to pay for rebuilding it.
• Take a look at your big money magnets. TM – We preach this all the time. But you will never know what they are if you don’t write down what you spend. You will be surprised if you take a month to write down everything you spend.
• Put a photo of your dream in your wallet. TM – Ok, this doesn’t help me loose weight but maybe it will help not spend so much money.
• Live within your means. TM – HELLO!!! If you can’t pay cash, you probably don’t need it.
• Have fun with your money. TM – Always make sure you can have fun with cash. This way you aren’t paying for it next month as well.

I also took the saving test and did well. It made me feel better about my lesser successes.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy