I am looking for Suggestions on how to save $

[-Art]

I am looking for Fresh New Ideas on how to save a few dollars here and there.

My kids are back in school...I am going to need it : )~

What is your best tip?

[Aleta]

I find that checking the grocery sales ads are a good start. I try to make menu's based on the week's sales. Also, check your other stores as well such as Walgreens, CVS, target, Kmart, etc. I have seen so very low prices on such things as olives in a jar and many other items. In your Sunday paper, check out the SmartSource coupons and clip the ones you regularly use. After, I get home from shopping, I deduct the amount of the coupons and put the money aside. If you spend it, you're not saving anything.

Keep a jar around and add change to it, even if it's small amounts. Do rebates on products and on credit cards.

Do online surveys. They add up. Get together enough money and make something, (a craft, clothing) and sell it.

Go to the library instead of buying books. Then you can make the choice of buying it or not in the future. You can also get movies from the library as well.

Sell stuff on ebay, craigslist, or half.com. Have a garage sale. If you don't have enough, see if one of your friends would like to combine one with you.

Open a new bank account or online that will give you a bonus for signing up.

[Fern]

BRowse the site and you'll find out!

[minnie1928]

I'm saving a ton of money working the CVS sales fliers. I pay for very little but get a lot of stuff. So far this year I've paid about $125 for almost $700 worth of stuff. It's all stuff (for the most part) that I would have paid for at the grocery store. Other items I donate if I don't have a need for them.

I treat it like a scavenger hunt to get the most for a few dollars/week.

[cschin4]

My best tips:

Do not buy drinks such as soda or coffee when out and about. If eating out, get water. If going through the drive through, skip the fries and drink and take the food home to eat. Brew your own coffee to carry along in a travel mug.

Do not shop! Shopping is often used as a form of recreation. The fact is that the more you shop the more you will spend be it grocery shopping, yard sales, going to the mall, etc. Shopping for "bargins" is OK but the drawback is it puts you right in front of more merchandise. So, I rarely shop for "bargins" anymore. I only shop when I need something. And, when I am going for something specific, I may then look for a bargin. But, now I find that I really hate shopping whereas I used to love it. I can't stand walking around the mall. I would much rather spend my time doing other things.
If you find that often stop at the mall or other stores just to fill time, then find new hobbies. Go to the library, walk in the park, stay home and try a new recipie, etc and soon you will wonder why you ever wanted to hang out at the mall anyway. I am always amazed by how many people are constantly shopping, especially on beautiful sunny days!

[Aleta]

Art: I'd also reccommend checking out your different insurance policies on your car, life insurance, house,etc. This is where you can save your big bucks. I read a book called ALL YOUR WORTH, by Elizabeth Warren and her daughter and her one biggie is to start by looking at the big ticket items to see if you can get them for less. If you have cable or satellite, you might want to get rid of it for a while or just get basic channels for a while. Get a prepaid cellular phone if you don't make many calls, and get rid of unnecessary charges from your land land phone bill like inside wiring. Buy your bank checks from a private company rather than the bank. There are many ways you can save and some would be to read as many books as you can and keep a daily accounting of your cash for a month to see where you are spending. Hope this helps.

[loanstar]

i think the first step should be to look at where you're spending unnecessarily and then work on reducing those expenses.

[Staceyy]

I buy whole milk and mix it with half water to get an approximate 2% milk. The taste is indistinguishable from 2% milk, andy you'll save about half the money.

[Ima saver]

Carry a small notebook and write down every thing that you spend. Turn the hot water heater off when you are not using hot water and your electric bill will go down.

[msnln]

Imasaver, is there timer or switch for gas water heaters that you know of? I have gas heater and it's on all the time and I want to get something installed to shut gas off when not needed.

[Ima saver]

I honestly think for gas water heaters, they have to stay on all the time, sorry.

[msnln]

Shoot. I had been looking online hoping to find timer but had not been successful and was hoping you could help. I guess next time I have to replace the tank, I will get the instant heater that comes on only when hot water is on. Thanks for your quick reply.