3 Bigs, 3 Littles This Week

There are just a handful of ways to save really big. But there are a lot of ways to save somewhat big, and loads of ways to save a little at a time.

The really big savings comes along just a couple of times in an average person’s life. It may look like getting a deal on a home because you found a motivated seller. You could gain tens of thousands in equity the day you sign the papers. 

We won’t be buying many homes in our lives. But we might still save a hundred dollars here and there. Those are great savings. But they don’t come along every day.

And that’s why I believe there is enormous value in doing the little things. As we move through each day, we have hundreds of opportunities to save a few cents here, a dollar there. By choosing the frugal option, our savings can grow hundreds if not thousands each year. 

That savings can be the difference between staying home while your kids are small or working outside the home. Or it can allow you to retire sooner than you’d hoped. Or it can fund the luxury in your future.

So today I want to celebrate our successes in making choices that save, in particular what we’ve done recently to enable those savings to grow. Here’s my list.

Let’s start with the bigs first:

1. My husband submitted a medical claim to the insurance company  not expecting anything. Lo and behold, they sent a check for $82! We didn’t think they would cover this, but it fell within their guidelines for durable medical equipment.

2. My husband and I are doing some repairs to our deck ourselves instead of hiring labor. The only things we’ve had to buy are a small can of paint and some construction adhesive.

3. My daughters pressure-washed our brick patio over the weekend, using the washer we already own.

Now for the 3 littles:

1. When I cleaned out the fridge this week, I had nothing to throw out. We managed to use or freeze everything for 1 week! Let’s  make this a trend!

2. I continued to save water in the kitchen to use on outdoor plants. As I wait for either hot or cold water to come to the faucet, I use a pitcher to catch the wrong temp water. I use this to water potted vegetables and herbs.

3. I cooked at home for all our meals this week.

I actually made a lot more little savings this week, perhaps dozens per day. I used up watermelon rind in cooking, arranged my shopping to use gas efficiently, used leftovers in spaghetti sauce and soup, froze milk before it soured, hung laundry to dry, turned off lights when not needed, took shorter showers, etc — all of the usual things we know to do.

The beauty of the littles is you can do them over and over and over in your lifetime. 

I’ve packed my husband’s work lunch for every day of work over almost 40 years. Packing a lunch one day saves $5 to $10. Packing 250 lunches per year saves $1250 to $2500 per year. Now packing lunches for 40 years saves $50,000 to $100,000. It would take extraordinary luck to find a real estate deal underpriced by that amount. 

And yet, packing lunches is a very doable daily task. After a while, the task becomes a habit. So each successive day I pack a lunch, it actually feels a little easier than it was a decade ago.

Celebrate your frugal wins! You earned it! If you had to name 3 big ways and 3 small ways you’ve saved recently, what would go on your list?