5 ways we save $100/year

1. Cloth Diapers: Our first baby was born in October and we use plain old fashioned pre-fold cloth diapers with Dappi diaper covers during the days with her. This saves at least $100/year, probably a lot more (I hang most of the diapers to dry on wooden racks, which saves on drying costs)

2. More with Less Cookbook. I have learned how to utilize cheap sources of protein such as lentils, beans, brown rice and whole grains as a regular part of our cooking from this cookbook. Combining these with a little meat adds more bang for the buck$$!

3. Bike to Work/No drive days. My hubby bikes from our house to a ferry, then bikes the rest of his commute to work every day. The drive-on ferry pass costs > $400/month, and the bike pass <$90, so we save several hundred a month by doing this. It benefits my husband's health too of course! There are drawbacks of course...including riding in bad weather, more potential for injuries, but so far these have been bearable and minimal and hubby is a trooper! Since I am staying at home with my munchkin (3 months old) and not working anymore I try to use our one car less. I make a point to stay home every other day if possible.

4. No TV/No landline. We both have cell phone contracts, so we don't really need a landline. We decided early on in our marriage that a tv was a bad idea for our marriage, so we have no costs associated with that. Instead we watch dvd's on our computer once a week during our date night, and make Crystal's frugal pizza recipe (its the best!)

5. Soda/Coffee at home. I used to pick up the occasional soda or latte during my work day, but now I make/drink my caffeine from home:) I can get good deals at sales and save approx. $100/year by doing that...although once a month I still get a latte at Starbucks:)