I cut back by getting the Acadia after the accident that totalled the Avalanche, turns out they get the same mileage. My home is very "green" in that we have geothermal heat, wind power, and solar running various parts of the house at various times, so the power company hates us because our bill is never more than $50 for a 3500 square foot home. The house being built down in CenTex is being built to LEED gold/platinum standards. It will also be smaller than the current home.
At the business, I have changed all the light bulbs to those high efficiency ones. I have also had more extensive door and window seals to reduce the drafts in the building. This is all in an effort to save on the power bill. I am also requiring employees to bring their own coffee cups and plates. I have also required them to bring cloth napkins or their own paper towels for their lunches. It has saved me about $200/year.
At home we have the high efficiency bulbs, but we also clip coupons from the Sunday paper. We only eat out once a month now, more for our health than to save money, but the first month we saved $300 by only eating out once that month. In the summer, we grille out anytime we can to keep the house cooler. Everyone is required to turn off the lights as they leave the room. For small appliances in the kitchen and bathroom (toaster, shaving cream warmer, blender, hair straightner etc.) are to be unplugged. Even when they are off they still use up a small amount of electricity. We dont run the water constantly when we brush our teeth, and we have one of those tankless water heaters. I have also begun taking a 7 minute shower rather than a 20 minute shower. J and my daughter are also taking shorter showers.
Outside the house we are not running the fountains in the landscaping unless the house is being shown or there is company here. The exterior lighting on the house has been change. The lighting along the pathways, sidewalks, and driveway are solar so those stay on.
For driving, we are making one trip of errands during the day instead of 20. We have also consolidated supermarket trips to once a week only. This has saved us $40 in gas/month as well as some wear and tear on the cars.
For buying clothes, we have joined every rewards program imaginable. It has helped when buying new clothes. Men's Warehouse has an awesome rewards program.
I have stopped buying CD's and started downloading songs from iTunes. I figure its cheaper for me to just buy the songs I want rather thant he whole album for $14 each. J has been doing the same thing. iTunes is awesome like that. I used to spend $500 a year on CD's. Now I spent $200/year at iTunes, plus the $250 for the iPod touch. I've saved $50 so far. Now that I am strictly digital, I will continue to save money.
So thats how we save money here.
