Your Best Money Saving Tips

[jeffrey]

I need to ask a big favor of the members here to help improve, grow and make better a new section of the website. We now have a money saving tips area which you, as a member, are one of the editors. In the top right corner of every tip, there is an edit button which will allow you to correct mistakes (spelling, accuracy, whatever), add to the tip, or make changes so it reads better. You can also add your own tip if you have a good one that isn't mentioned.

Basically, we're hoping to create comprehensive lists on ways to save on any topic that can help members get their finances in better order. The issue is that a lot of topics can change year to year (taxes being an example), so we wanted to create an area where everyone can help keep the information current and applicable.

What I would like is for you to take a look at one of the topics right now:

Great Money Saving Tips on Gas

And correct any mistakes you may see in what has been written thus far. Feel free to add another tip you have directly there or leave a comment here and I can add it. I would also be interested in what topics you would like to see added to the list (or you can add them yourself if you want). Much appreciated and let me know if you have any questions or comments.

You can also leave your best money saving tips (with a brief explanation as why it is able to save you money) in this thread and I will transfer them to the area (or, again, you can do it yourself)

[gogirlanime]

----------Food----------
-Shop at a supremely discounted grocery store with very inexpensive bulk foods.
-Eat vegan
-Cook from scratch
-Eat a lot of raw foods
-Buy spices on online bulk spice websites, most spices are $3 a pound instead of $7 for an oz
-Don't buy fancy pre-packaged meals or snacks without a sale and coupon at the same time
-Buy multiples of coupons on coupon clipping websites and stock up
-Buy a bread maker at a second hand shop, a loaf of bread costs about $0.25 to make.

----------Electric----------
-Wash your clothes by hand, it's not as hard as you think.
-Unplug anything not in use
-Do not use a heater. Make cloth bags full of dry rice and nuke them in the microwave and place them in your bed or on your lap, you stay warm for hours for pennies to the dollar. Also, layer up
-Buy a small heater dish for $15 off of Ebay (new) and use it when it's really cold, again, pennies to the dollar compared to a built in heater.
-Apply cornstarch to your skin in the summer & hang out in cool places. At night use an energy efficient fan & ice packs from your freezer to stay cool, & cold showers, no AC
-Plugged in energy efficient bulbs and anything else you can afford. Keep your computer on sleep, have an energy efficient TV, computer screen, and heater.

----------Car Gas (not now obviously)----------
-Remove your foot from the gas as much as you can and glide until you reduce speed. Especially when going downhill, just use your break to control the speed of your car. Going downhill you don't need to press on the gas.
-Park in the first spot you see near the exit of a shopping area so you don't spend gas driving around finding the closest spot to the entrance of where you are shopping
-Drive behind a big truck when you can to reduce wind resistance, you will make your gas more efficient
-Ride your bike or walk when you need to make a trip that is within 5 miles of where you are going
-Empty your car of anything excess (stuff in trunk) anything you don't need in your car, keep it out, it weighs down your car to use more gas
-Always shop at the cheapest gas station you can get to that is between your home and workplace
-Own a gas efficient car
-Drive at the speed limit
-Figure out the best route for wherever you are going so that you drive the least amount of mileage
-Avoid traffic and bad weather when you can
-Avoid groups of cars on the highway, drive the speed limit and stick to the side, you'll avoid crashes and save money by not having to break behind the person in front of you all the time.
-Don't use your heater or AC
-Keep tire pressure good
-Do all this and you'll save 20% off of your gas like I do

----------Toiletries----------
-Make your own dish soap and laundry detergent out of Ivory soap bars, borax and washing soda. Bake baking soda to make washing soda, get the 3 packs of Ivory soap at a dollar store. When you wash your clothes by hand, with this detergent it costs about $0.02 to wash a load of laundry.
-Use soap and washcloths to wash most things in your home, this saves 100s of dollars a year. Use paper towels only when you absolutely need them.
-Buy toothpaste at your local dollar store when you have $1 off coupons, buy 20-40 tubes every 1-2 years and get them for free with those coupons.
-Buy your toilet paper from your local dollar store.
-Clean many things with vinegar, bleach, and baking soda.
-I buy cat liter from my dollar store
-Stock up on toiletries when they are on sale with a coupon
-Make home made lotion out of beeswax, olive oil, petroleum jelly and glycerine for virtually pennies to the dollar.
-Buy semi-high quality disposable razors and re-sharpen them on the striker of a match box. To clean them, throw them in with your dishes.
-Wash and rinse your dishes by hand
-Cut your own hair
-Buy sturdy cleaning supplies that will last for years.

----------Entertainment----------
-As I said in my income spread sheet I watch a lot of anime for cheap (Japanese animation series) for $13 a month, then my bf pays for Netflix and Hulu for $20 a month, we get all the TV entertainment we need for $33 a month instead of almost $100 for cable
-I borrow a lot from my library
-I buy vouchers from Restaurants.com I got $25 worth of food for $5 for the Station Bistro in downtown Auburn, then they had coupons for BOGO meals, I spent $5 treating my bf and two friends to a nice dinner.
-My bf has a subscription to Game Fly and he lets me borrow one of his slots every month, so I play whatever video games I want for free
-I had to pay for my camera, but after that digital photography is 99.9% free
-I make things I want or need with crafts.
-I shop in stores only when stuff is on sale and with a coupon, usually I buy clothes at Goodwill only during their $1.29 per item sales
-When Goodwill has a $1.29 sale I buy things people on Ebay would like and sell them for 10x what I paid.
-I've bought most of my apartment furniture from Goodwill, all are barely used, I have a couch, coffee table, and two small book shelves from Goodwill, I have a Japanese-themed living room, they all match beautifully together and cost me only $75 all together
-I designed my bathroom superhero style, 50% of the decorations and matching toiletries I bought from the Dollar Tree. I just bought Superman Christmas wrapping paper and used it to cover one wall as wallpaper instead, $1. I have Spiderman toothpaste, Wonder Woman make-up, Batman soap, etc etc.
-I read fashion magazines for free at my library and jot down ideas, then buy similar clothes at Goodwill and buy fabrics and accessories from Jo Ann fabrics (with a coupon) to customize and tailor those items to be "in fashion". I have a black pea coat where I sewed black lace to the bottom of it on the back like a tail or veil, it looks like a $300 coat but cost me $20 to buy/make
-I workout (not currently but usually)

----------Other Tricks----------
-Look online and anywhere you can to find what you want for cheaper, never settle with the first price you see.
-Learn to haggle, I works for me sometimes, I am still practicing. I am learning from books I borrowed for free at my library
-When I need to print something I go to my library for free or cheap prints
-I print several copies of online coupons with the multiple computers at my college for free. (these websites only allow 2 copies per computer)
-I shop for many household items like nick knacks, kitchen tools, Blu-Rays, etc on Ebay, daily deal websites, and Amazon
-I purchase things with my credit card such as groceries which gives me 2% cash back and always pay my credit card bill in the gracing period so I don't have to pay interest.
-When I buy stuff online I do it through Ebates and other discount or cash back websites. I have earned $346 in the past two years just buying stuff through special links online.

----------"Steal" Purchases I have made----------
-On Daily Deals I bought 800 thread count sheets (set) for $20
-On Ebay I buy eyeshadow primer that usually costs $17 a tube at Sephora. I get 2 for $11 total
-I bought a brand new computer keyboard at the Dollar Tree $1
-I buy "lightly used" perfume bottles on Ebay. My perfume is usually $75 an oz ("Alien") but I get "lightly used" perfume bottles, 3oz for $40-$60
-With coupons and a sale combined I got 10 Revlon foundations for free
-On Daily Deals I bought a small leather purse and large leather clutch wallet for $21 total, owned both for 4 months now and still sturdy as hell
-Bought a 12 carat, sterling silver, platinum plated smokey quartz (genuine not man-made) ring for $16 on Daily Jewelry
-Bought a 5 carat total weight necklace and earring garnet (genuine not man-made) set (sterling silver) for $10 on 1sale
-Bought a 11 piece knife set, steel, Cuisinart brand for $25 on 1sale (usually runs for $70 at Walmart)
-Bought a Panasonic Blu-Ray player with internet, Hulu, and Netflix function (also my Crunchy Roll) for $25 at Walmart on Black Friday 2012

[DRILLINDK]

^Could you recommend some site to purchase spices in bulk? My girlfriend loves to cook, but I think we have a small fortune sitting in our spice cabinet. TIA!

[jeffrey]

Thanks gogirlanime -- I will begin adding those.

[gogirlanime]

^Could you recommend some site to purchase spices in bulk? My girlfriend loves to cook, but I think we have a small fortune sitting in our spice cabinet. TIA!

The most inexpensive place I've found is herbco.com