How We Save Money

It's no secret that Robert and I are penny pinchers.  I've always enjoyed saving money toward a goal, and this is something that has definitely worn off on Robert throughout our relationship.  I thank my parents for instilling in me a good work ethic and teaching me to be a saver.  I wanted to share with you a few things that Robert and I do to save money.  I'd like to preface this by saying that all of these things are things that I find rather easy and non-torturous.  I know there are plenty more ways to save money, but I think I've compiled a list of ways to save without changing much of your normal routine.  Okay, here we go:

• Receipt app
• I personally use Checkout 51.  All you do is take a picture of your grocery receipt and submit it.  There are deals each week, and their system checks your receipt to see if you purchased any of the deals of the week.  I like this app because it has deals that aren't brand-specific so my generic "bananas" can save me $0.25.  It doesn't have to be a specific brand.  I usually save about $1 a week.  I know this isn't a ton, but once you save $20 they send you a check.  I figure that's about $50 a year, and all I have to do is a take a picture.  They're pretty much giving you the money!
• Turn up AC when gone
• This is obvious so I won't belabor it, but it's so easy to crank the AC up to 78 while you're gone, and then just turn it back down when you get home.  I'd guess this saves us at least $5 a month.  We have a small apartment, and I know it would vary based on house size.  I know some thermostats even have settings where you can pre-program it to change while you're gone.
• Aldi
• If you don't shop at Aldi I just have one thing to say to you, "Why on earth not?"  There's just one brand of each food item so you don't have to stand there trying to calculate the price per ounce to ensure that you get the best rate.  Sure, there are some things they just don't sell, but I'd say you can get at least 80% of your weekly list there.  The prices are kept low due to things such as not providing you bags (which is fine with me since we use our own canvas bags anyway) and having you put up your own cart (who couldn't use a bit more walking?).  And I can honestly say that almost all of the food tastes just as good.  
• Extra job
• This is one that I know isn't for everyone, and it is definitely the most life-altering, but for about 4 months early on in our marriage I worked a part time job about 6 hours a week.  I pretty much hated this and decided it wasn't worth it, but it's doable if you must.
• Coins at car wash
• This is one that obviously not everyone could do and some people might find gross, but we are not above admitting that Robert collects the extra coins and cash that get sucked up in the vacuum at work.  We usually make about $20 a week off of this so that's about $1000 a year.  Sure, it's a lot of pennies and coin rolling, but he's brought home $1 coins and $10 bills before.  This is kinda icky, but it doesn't take him any extra time, and I just roll the coins while watching TV so it doesn't take up any extra time.
• Cash back credit card
• We try not to use our credit card much, but we found one without any annual fees that gives 3% cash back and can usually get about $100 back in the course of a year
• $0.10 debit card transactions
• We also found a debit card without any annual fees, and it gives us $0.10 back each time we swipe our card.  This is by far the easiest way to save money.  If you're not getting cash back every time you swipe, go take care of that right now.
• Wal-Mart gift card for gas
• Our Wal-Mart also has a gas station.  It's the cheapest gas in town, and we make it even cheaper by paying for it with a Wal-Mart gift card.  We save anywhere between $0.03 and $0.10/gallon depending on the time of year.  They do extra savings all summer and around Christmas.  So let's just say for ease that it equals out to be $0.05 off/gallon.  We use about 12 gallons of gas a week so that's $2.40 a month or about $30 a year.  Not a ton, but super easy.
• No cable - antenna instead
• Cable is way too expensive here, but we purchased an antenna called a Mohu Leaf and it is the bomb.com  It cost less than $40, and we get about 15 channels including the majors like NBC, ABC, Fox, and CBS.  We miss TLC, HGTV, and ESPN (guess who misses what!) but not enough to spending approximately $1000 a year on cable.  
• Unplug things when we're gone on vacation
• Duh
• Crockpot
• Less oven, less AC.  I think a lot of people think to use the Crock Pot in the winter, but I enjoy using it in the summer as well so we aren't heating up the whole house with our oven.  Did you know that 1 hour of the oven on 350 uses the same amount of energy as your Crock Pot would use in 10 hours?  I'm part of a freezer meal swap group that makes meals and swaps them each month, and I always cook them in the Crock Pot when I'm ready to eat them.
• Selling things
• Craigslist is always an option, but Robert and I have also had success with a local Facebook Group called Buy/Sell/Trade.  Maybe you have one for your area.  You just post a picture and price, and people can comment on it to arrange a sale.  Super easy and convenient!
• Cut Robert's hair
• We got a pair of electric clippers for $10.  If you think that a guy typically gets his hair cut once a month for $15 then that's $180 a year that we're saving.  Plus, it's kinda fun to do his hair.  I get to shave it into a mohawk first. :)  I grew up with Memaw cutting Pepaw's hair and my mom and I cutting my dad and brother's hair so it just feels normal to do R's hair.
• 1 car
• This is another semi-life altering one, I know.  It's definitely not doable for some people, but Robert and I made it work for about a year and a half, and we are so thankful for the money it saved us.  Minus the whole scooter getting stolen thing...
• Wish list
• This is one of my favorites.  Robert and I keep a running wish list that we add to as we think of something we want.  This helps us to avoid impulse purchases, but it also helps us remember what each other wants for birthdays/Christmas/etc.

There you have it.  I am by no means a financial expert, but I hope I provided at least one fun/easy idea for how you can save some money.  What are some unique ways you save money?