5 Ways We Saved in October

I love reading blogs like Frugally Blonde and Medium Sized Family which share practical ways that their family has saved money.  A few months ago I decided to write my own post each month on how we save, and it has quickly become one of the most popular features here on The Orthodox Mama.

Here are 5 Ways We Saved in October:

1. My Husband Fixed Our Dryer

One busy Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago, I had one load of laundry in the washer and another in the dryer.  And then I realized something:  our dryer was no longer tumbling.  Do you know how dry clothes get when the dryer does not tumble?  Not at all dry.  I began to envision a large purchase in our future and even started looking on Craigslist to see if we could find a decent, reliable dryer for less than $100.  Then my wonderful husband looked at it and said, “I can fix that.”  Sigh.  You’ve got to love a handyman.  And, four Youtube videos and one order of parts from Amazon later, he did fix it.  It works great!  So, instead of buying a new dryer, he bought $8 worth of parts.  I think I practically swooned.

Estimated Savings: $100

2. We Reused Halloween Costumes

None of my children had a new Halloween costume this year.  Big Brother’s Iron Man costume from last year still fit him, and he happily wore it another year.  Little Brother wore an adorable penguin costume that all of our kids have worn when they were two.  It’s really fun to look at pictures of each of them in the same costume!  That is one definite plus for buying gender neutral costumes for the littles.  Finally, Sister borrowed a fantastic Princess Sophia costume from a family in our church.  The final result?  Three cute and happy kids who had a blast on Halloween and didn’t care at all that they didn’t have new costumes.

Estimated Savings:  $45 (estimated cost of $15 per costume for 3 kids)

3. I Ran Outdoors for Exercise

This month I ran my first 5K!  In order to prepare for it, I ran 3-4 times a week after I had finished my day at school.  That way I still had childcare for my kiddos and was able to decompress a little after a day of teaching.  I get a great workout without spending money on a gym membership.

Estimated Savings:  $30 (the cost per month of the gym membership I gave up)

4. I Used Swagbucks on a Birthday Gift

Our godson turns 3 soon (which I just can’t believe!).  When I asked his mother what he would want or need for his birthday, she mentioned that they don’t have any board games.  We love some board games at our house, so I thought that was a great idea.  I decided to purchase on Amazon since we could get free shipping with our Amazon Prime membership (click HERE to get a FREE 30 day trial yourself!).  Then I remembered that I had some Swagbucks gift cards that I had yet to redeem.  I was able to get a couple of classic children’s board games and save $10 (plus $5 on shipping).

Estimated Savings:  $15

5. Apples in Season

One of the best ways to save on groceries is to eat produce when it is in season.  Here in Virginia, it is apple season.  A pound of apples in the grocery store is running between $.89 and $.99.  We also went to a local pick-your-own orchard and stocked up on their organic, locally grown apples.  It has been a delicious month at our house.  🙂

Estimated Savings: $20 (the fruit portion of our grocery bill has been at least $5 lower each week than we budget for)

Total Savings:  $210

How have you saved this month?

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(Linked to Thrifty Thursday.)