Money Saving Tips

1) Make your own items instead of buying them.
You can make your own laundry detergent, and Goo-Gone, for starters. You can make you own Glade, Windex, and Soft Scrub. In both cases, it’s way cheaper than buying the commercial version. Hunt around for recipes - it’s amazing how many things you can make at home in just a few minutes that saves a ton of money compared to the commercial version.
For example, you can reduce your laundry detergent coat per load from $ .30 per load to $ .03 per load… that’s a 90% savings. This is a great way to do a family activity where your family can combine several things: learning how save money, working together as a family, a little chemistry lesson and good family fun. Turn it into a family devotion by using different scriptures, such as Psalm 51:2 - “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” and making practical life applications. Be creative and have “good clean fun”. To learn more about making your own cleaning items, go to www.thesimpledollar.com.

2) Magic Jack
This is a new service where you can use your internet to send and receive unlimited local and long distance calls for $ 20 per year !
Several JICC members are using it and have been very satisfied wit it’s results. You can use your existing cordless phone and/or go right thru your computer. Go to www.magicjack.com for more details or
go to Radio Shack (on Folly Rd) to purchase. It will cost $ 20 for the product (flash drive) and $ 20 for a year of service. Can you hear me now ?

3) Clean your car’s air filter.
A clean air filter can improve your gas mileage by up to 7%, saving you more than $100 for every 10,000 miles you drive in an average vehicle. Plus, cleaning your air filter is easy to do in just a few minutes - just follow the instructions in your automobile’s manual and you’re good to go. The average air filter cost $ 10-15 on newer cars. If you go to Autozone, they will usually help you change it out for free and you can get a Autozone Rewards Card where 5 x $ 20+ purchases gets you a $ 20 gift card.

Where Your Money Should Go (from USAA Magazine, Spring 2009, p. 24)
Housing: 35% including rent/mortgage, utilities, maintenance, taxes, insurance
Transportation: 15% includes car payment, gas, parking and upkeep
Giving: 10% tithe
Savings: 10%
Debt Repayment: 5% (not mortgage/car payment) student loans, credit cards
Life: 25% includes everything else: clothing, travel, healthcare, fun

Please comment with your ideas!