Money Saving Tips

[jacquelynrose]

I would love to hear how YOU, as a Consumer SAVE Money. I need the ideas! Plus I think it would be fun to Post.

I will write down some.

1) Couponing
2) Shopping in Bulk
3) Money Jar

YOUR TURN!

Jacquelyn

[The Budget Man]

We shop from the catalogues. Whenever there is a good special we buy up and save. My wife has a special cupboard where all the "SPECIALS" go and we use them over time.

[corns]

Take advantage of cash rebates and discounts for paying bills using credit cards.

I subscribed to auto-payment for some of my bills because the service provider offers a cash rebate for auto-payment.

I also use a cash back credit card for paying the products or services I buy. This saves me from between 0.3% to 2% per transaction. And clear off the credit card balance every month.

[jodi]

I cook from scratch and work hard to not waste food. It's amazing how much gets forgotten and consequently thrown away.
I shop in bulk at a local Mennonite store. In addition to having very little packaging (less waste, less money), they also offer items that regular stores can no longer sell due to damaged packaging or being past the expiration date. I get these items for half price or less. Today I picked up green peppers for $.10 each, DiGiorno pizzas without the box for $1.89, brand name ice cream for $1.59, etc. It's worth a check to see if you have a store like this around. Ours is literally 10 minutes away and I just found it last year.

[pearlieq]

Just don't buy things. Put it back on the shelf, or better yet, don't go into the store to begin with.

Honestly that's my biggest savings tip. Chances are you didn't really need it or had something already on hand that would work just fine. There's so little that we really need. "Stuff" doesn't bring happiness and usually just ends up costing money to clean, maintain, store, and insure.

If I find I really want something, I tell myself I can come back next week and get it. And 99 times out of 100 I've forgotten about it before I even got home.

[Ima saver]

Pearliq, I think you have the right idea. the older I get, the less things I need or want!
I keep the heat set on low all winter and the hot water heater turned off.

We use coupons, bulk buying when we can and multiple items when it's on sale.

[cbmeeks]

Originally Posted by corns

I also use a cash back credit card for paying the products or services I buy. This saves me from between 0.3% to 2% per transaction. And clear off the credit card balance every month.

At 4 - 25% interest....hope you don't forget one month. Or, I hope the CC company doesn't accidentally "loose" your payment or not post in time. Blammo...instant back charges... :-)

CC are dangerous.

On to topic...

I make grocery lists on the weekends and plan each meal. I only buy what is on the grocery list. That's how I feed 5 people on $130 per week.

[greedy4chips]

I quit drinking soda and now I drink water (not purchased in bottles, but from the tap at home). Several years ago when were trying to eliminate our debts I quit the soda to drink coffee, which is cheaper but doesn't taste as good IMO. Once money wasn't as much of an issue I went back to soda. This time I quit so I could get out of the caffeine cycle.

[Diolla]

I went to a pay as you go plan on my cell phone, now instead of paying $60 a month for minutes we don't use I fill up with 1000 minutes every 4-5 months for $100.

I don't have a landline.

I walk anywhere that is 2 miles or less away.

I plan our meals around the sales and stock up on stuff when they are severely discounted.

I buy tops at the thrift store for <$3 each.

[ericmedem]

Originally Posted by Diolla

I went to a pay as you go plan on my cell phone, now instead of paying $60 a month for minutes we don't use I fill up with 1000 minutes every 4-5 months for $100.

I don't have a landline.

I walk anywhere that is 2 miles or less away.

I plan our meals around the sales and stock up on stuff when they are severely discounted.

I buy tops at the thrift store for <$3 each.

I have just started using the cell phone technique as well.

I might ad one more, I do property flips and rehab homes and we buy 10% off coupons on ebay for menards and lowes. Two weeks ago I bought 5 rolls of carpet and my $3 coupon saved me $700.

Originally Posted by Diolla

I went to a pay as you go plan on my cell phone, now instead of paying $60 a month for minutes we don't use I fill up with 1000 minutes every 4-5 months for $100.

I'd like to do that as well, but I'm under a contract. I have verizon. I want to do this as soon as my contract ends, but that's a year away

[Ima saver]

I just use those long distance phone cards. A $10 card will last me a year.

[bigsaver]

For anything I buy, there has to be some kind of discount on it. Thus, if it ain't on sale, I ain't buyin' it.

[Staceyy]

I use coupons, stockpile, do drugstore rebates, send for internet freebies, vegetable garden, save my change, cook and bake from scratch, unplug energy vampires, stay out of stores.

[Cassandra]

I shop at thrift stores, popping in once every season to get anything I might need (new winter coat, capris, etc.). If I want something that I would have to pay regular price for, I wait a couple days to a week before I buy it. Quite often I don't go back to get it.

I do direct deposit so I don't have to drive to my work and to the bank on Fridays (I have Fridays off).

I also use the very last drop of everything-shampoo, soap, etc. I won't buy more until the bottle is empty or the bar has completely disappeared.

Most of the time, though, I do without.

Cassandra

[LuxLiving]

I made the majority of our savings/investing automatic.

[mom-from-missouri]

Only buy what you have to have. My body has to have water to live. Not soda or liquor. I need good food, not chips. having cable isn't necessary to stay alive.....
I cook from scratch, feeze leftovers to avoid waste.
Take advantage of Aldi's, bulk shopping stores-Amish & Mennonite ones are wonderful, Dollar Stores...
Buy and stock up when on sale-but only if it won't go out of date. Shampoo is a good stock up item. Eggs are not.
Bake if you can. My local store wants $3.98 for a loaf of bread. I can buy Always Save frozen dough, 5 to a pack and bake my own for $2.98. Or, for about 39 cents each, I can make my own from stratch.
Beans, potatoes, and rice--cheap and will fill you up.
Check the section of your grocery store where they keep items that are packaged in larger sizes. I buy peanut butter a gallon at a time. It keeps and is cheaper that way. Applesauce is another one-you can freeze it,
Garden and perserve what you can thru drying, freezing and canning.
Pay bills online for discounts and to save on postage and cost of envelopes.
Use free services from library instead of going to movies....
line dry clothes
reuse items--my metal feed scoop broke, so I am using a cut down bleach bottle till DH friend welds it back for me. A cake pan with a hole in the bottom started some of my seedlings for my garden this year--the plastic top for it acted like a green house, and it was cheaper than using jiffy peat pots
check out the free section & barter section on craigslist.org
garage sale--shop them and have one for what you don't need
combine trips to save on fuel. walk or bike when you can.
recycle--office depot gives you a free package of paper when you bring in 3 empty ink cartridges. Other companies on line give you cash back for them.
buy used when you can
learn to trim your families hair yourself between major cuts--that one saves me about $30 every 6-8 weeks
don't charge save and pay cash for it
don't always buy name brand. esp on clothing and shoe items for kids who will outgrow it quickly.
buy off season for good deals. I am now shopping ebay for a winter coat for DD #3. DD #4 and #5 will have hand me down coats this winter but the one in the middle needs a new one. 2 winters ago I got swim suits for $1 at Kmart right after Thanksgiving.
We like to cook outside over an open fire during the summer. Requires no fuel, no charcoal--just downed limbs from the yard and fence row. Kids love the time to roast marshmellows and cook hotdogs--basically a free night.
On supper hot days or evenings, instead of cranking the AC, go to the library or other free public area for a couple of hours.

[Ima saver]

Drive more slowly, you will save gas.

[bigsaver]

Use less.