For the first installment of one hundred ways to save money, see here
11. Always, always eat breakfast! I know for me, skipping breakfast is far more likely to make me nip to the shop mid-morning for a snack which is usually an unhealthy quick pick me up due to low blood sugar!
12. Try to make use of free ways to exercise! Committing to a one hour quick walk or a 1/2 hour run each day, plus a hike each weekend is a great way to get exercise without having to pay for it! Check out free community resources as well, such as tracks and free swimming or skating sessions. My local pool is running free adult swimming lessons all summer long!
13. Wear most things at least twice before you wash them! Apart from underwear, everything I wear is worn 2+ times, jeans often 3 or 4 times before being washed! Including bed sheets & towels, I do a maximum of five loads of laundry a month now simply by making sure I only wash what needs washing!
14. Get frugal hobbies! I have always thought a lot of people spend money because they are lonely or bored, getting a new frugal hobby like joining a knitting, crochet or sewing group, or becoming a member of a walking group, gardening club or book group is such a frugal way to make new friends and improve your social life! In my area there is even a great fun walking group for 20′s and 30′s which meets twice a month for a 10+ mile walk, followed by a drink at the pub!
15. Buy generic drugs! As long as there is no medical reason why you can’t (check with your Doctor or Pharmacist) look for the same drug with cheaper alternatives – I buy generic headache/fever/pain relief for 24 pence instead of £3 for 12!
16. Keep a gift drawer! This is something I always try to do, have a nice stash of gifts on hand for Birthdays. In my gift drawer I keep a couple of books, craft supplies, nice hand lotions and soaps, gift certificates and anything nice I can find on sale. Currently I have many items from the body shop which normally retail for £12, but I got on sale for £4! This means birthdays don’t break the bank and it is easy to bless someone in need!
17. Think about who you really need to buy gifts for! I am amazed, absolutely amazed when friends tell me they have over 25 or 30 or even 50 people to buy gifts for at Christmas and Birthdays, although thinking about it I probably used to do something similar (20 or so)…now? Well I pretty much have three friends I buy for, my niece and immediate family members, probably no more than 6 people a year. I do however, always try to buy gifts for friends who have just adopted as I know, sadly, they are often overlooked especially if they adopt an older child!
18. Before I buy something I ask myself the following question: is this the BEST use of my money? Generally it stops me in my tracks!
19. When I swim, I bring my shampoo & conditioner and make use of the shower at the pool, it seems ridiculous to come home to shower again and as I swim 6x a week, this seriously lowers my water bill!
20. I wash all my laundry at 30 degrees and on quick wash (a 30 minute cycle!)
Thinking about it, these twenty suggestions alone save me about £100 ($150) a month and we still have 80 more ways to save money 
Great tips FT!
Taking proper care of your things helps you save money too. I have started to properly hand wash my bras which will help them last longer. I’m a large breasted girl and bras are expensive for me. I also wear items a few times before washing. I change out of my work clothes when I get home and hang them up to help keep them nice.
I buy eco-friendly laundry detergent designed for cold water washing, which will help with our electrical and heating costs.
Another tip to save money is to look for used items. I bought a mountain bike this week used from an on-line site, Kijiji. The bike was just bought in May for $150 +taxes and the lady had it tuned up at a bicycle shop for another $30. She was given a more expensive bike so she sold me the other one for $75. I got a 2 month old bike and saved $130! I’m really enjoying getting outside and biking with my son, though it will be more enjoyable when he no longer has training wheels on his! : )
I am taking a cake decorating class in August that I was able to sign up for at 40% of the regular class cost. I’ll be going to 4 classes for $27. Plus, I was able to buy $200 worth of cake decorating supplies for $65 – any it was all brand new in the packaging, again from someone who posted an on-line ad. (I realize I’m spending money here, but I’m getting entertainment and a new hobby for a lot less than it would normally cost me.)
We save money by preparing our own meals and baking treats. We bring snacks with us when we go to the park etc. My son loves to cook and bake with me. It’s fun time together plus he’s learning new things.
I’ve done a lot of research on-line for ideas of gifts I can make for Christmas this year. Many gifts this year will be food that I have made.
I think a huge money-saver for us, it eating at home and bringing our own lunches and snacks.
hurray for showering away from home. I love it. Change of scenery does a lot to shake up my brain.
And I’m seriously considering cutting off my gym membership because it turns out there’s a wonderful park about 15 minutes walk from my home. I walk down there, jog a little, then walk back.
Another great ten tips. As far as gift giving goes, I like to give homemade when possible. One relative of ours loves homemade bread, and never makes it himself, so every year I bake him a loaf of bread and he just goes giddy. Costs me hardly anything, and makes him really happy. Also asking a question always helps me too. Would I rather buy this coffee out? or save $3 for moving etc.? Works every time. Can’t wait to see the next installment.
These are really great tips, I’m loving this series! I can’t wait to read the next 10!
as per #14 – Get other people to fund your frugal hobbies! I knit and have many friends who are willing to buy the materials and patterns if I do the knitting for free – with an understanding that the knitting is deadline free. I get the pleasure of knitting without using my own money the whole time and my friends get their hats, gloves and scarves (no big projects like sweaters though) for relatively little cost!
p.s. I also get to keep any leftovers/extra yarn and specialty needles, patterns after the project is over! so it’s kind of like getting paid!
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