101 Painless Saving Ideas

[jeffrey]

I was explaining my Painless Savings philosophy ( http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/s...ead.php?t=6253 ) to a friend and while he liked it, he immediately said, "the problem with painless savings is that there aren't that many painless saving opportunities. I bet you can't come up with a dozen..." Coming up with a dozen wasn't a problem and I listed them right then and there:

1. compare car insurance
2. compare life insurance
3. compare home-owner's insurance
4. refinance mortgage
5. call and ask for lower price for cable TV
6. call and ask for lower price Internet Service
7. call and ask for lower price telephone service
8. use discount stamps
9. buy second hand gift cards at discounts
10. refinance education loans
11. call credit card companies to lower interest rate
12. transfer balance to a lower rate credit card card

to which he said, "okay, can you come up with 100?" I said I'd do better - I'd come up with at least 101 painless saving ideas by next week. To accomplish this, I'm going to ask for your help with any ideas that you have.

As a reminder, a "Painless Saving" idea is one where you get the exact same product or service that you are currently getting and paying for, but at a less expensive price and without significantly changing your current habits. I know with your help I can present a list of ideas well over 100 come next week!

[Tightwad Kitty]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

Discounts from senior cards, membership cards, trade discounts or just asking for a discount. I got, over 55, managers discount, multi policy discounts all off the same house & contents insurance plus a discount by paying for year total 35% off. ($665 down to $430) The same deal with my car insurance, I am only paying $40.00 more per year than my old car, value between cars was $1200 v's $12000.

Many people don't know that some membership cards, just by showing these cards will gives you discounts in others areas also!

[sweeps]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

Put all your purchases on a rewards credit card for 1% - 5% off.
Share some expenses (newspaper/magazine subscription, food, etc) with a neighbor.

[Lori63]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

Learn to barter-hubby is a cartoonist/artist, traded work for free mulch
Train yourself to realize the true difference between want and need

[Haku]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

Brain not working very well, but I'll contribute whenever I can.

Carpooling comes to mind.
Buying clothes from thrift stores.
Skipping on the morning latte.
Oh yeah, and I'm bad about this, but only having water for a drink when you're out in a restraunt.
Smart bulk shopping through club warehouses.

[sakigt]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

Make enough dinner to use for lunch the next day
When dining out get a meal that heats up easily and only eat half (this is my new favorite...I havent bought anything for lunch in 2 weeks)
Check your tire pressure to get better mpg, and therefore gas
Get the cheapest Netflix subscription which is cheaper (and easier) than picking up 3 movies each month from Blockbuster

[sweeps]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

Take advantage of a matching contribution on your 401k/403b/457 before contributing to other savings.
Switch from a lower-yielding savings account (your local bank, ING) to a higher yielding savings account (GMAC, ED, HSBC).
Pay bills with online bill pay to save on checks, stamps, and envelopes and to also keep your money in savings until closer to the due date.

[shelbylovesmelby]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

*If you have a vehicle that you don't drive alot or daily (like me I'm a sahm & I don't have much running to do usually) you can call your insurance agent & they can reduce your vehicle insurance by a few $
*cancel all the extras on your regular phone
*if you don't use your cell much buy a pre paid phone. $20 lasts me the 90 days, wich is cheaper than most contracts that would be $120-150 for a 90 day period
*reuse as much as you can around the house
*borrow things you only use once in awhile instead of buying, reduces clutter too (we borrow our neighbors tiller once a year to do our garden & that's the only time we use it)
*NEVER PAY FULL PRICE FOR ANYTHING!
*brown bag lunches for work or school
*try using half the recommended amount for some items like dryer sheets, softner, detergent ect

[Trillian]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

Painless savings method: Try using HALF as much. (or even a LITTLE less)
Half as much shampoo. Half as much conditioner. Half as much dish soap. Etc.

I know I tend to be overzealous on these and others. But simply using a little less can make it last longer. Does it add up fast? Maybe not. But, it helps. Every penny counts!

And hey, freebies can help with this too. If you travel and buy a travel sized bottle of shampoo, you will pay average of a dollar. Get one free, save a buck.

[boefixepa]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

-Take over your escrow account on your home loan and earn the interest.
-Change over light bulds to the new energy efficant ones as they old ones burn out.
-Take the dog(s) out to the park to play each day instead of having a gym membership
-Go to trade schools for things like hair cuts and massages
-Pay all your bills on line just before they are due - someone already said this...but I really like it...I just set it up and I don't have to worry. I don't buy stamps any more.
-Use reward CC to pay for everything...not only will you earn the discount mentioned above, but you keep the $$ in your interest bearing account for another month and earn interest there too, plus you earn points for free things too...like gift certificates that make great gifts.
-Check out books from the library rather than buying them at the book store.
-Take up cooking as a hobby and get really good at it so you like your cooking better than going out!
-Mow your own lawn instead of paying someone to do it.
-If you don't have a budget...make one...track your spending, just knowing where all your money is going helps you to reconsider many purchases.
-Read a few books to motivate you to want to find ways to save.
-Reduce, reuse, recycle - This applies to sooooo many things
-Evaluate the real reason behind what you purchase --- many are emotional and really just expensive therepy.
-Buy generic instead of name brand.
-Buy bulk

[JoyJoy]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

Going to the library and getting books is good like boefixepa mentioned. I also compare prices between online bookstores. Alibris sells books, cds, videos, and dvds (hard to find books and music are there too). Some books at Alibris sell for $2.95 plus shipping, but they have coupons that they send you on a regular basis to offset shipping and handling. Also Amazon.com is a good place to buy some discount books along with Ebay or Half.com.

Fragrances can be purchased online at Perfumania.com and Fragrance.net. Scents are genuine.

[Trillian]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

You can also price check many book sites at once:

http://www.bestwebbuys.com/books/

[JoyJoy]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

You can also price check many book sites at once:
http://www.bestwebbuys.com/books/

Thanks for this site Trillian! Makes searching that much easier for music and books!

[Haku]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

Basically anything that avoids overcharge fees. Pre-pay phone cards are one example.

[Ima saver]

Re: 101 Painless Saving Ideas

I use my Ingles advantage card and save a lot every week, that applies to bi-lo, cvs, etc.I keep my hot water heater off 23 hours a day. I budget $160 a month for electricity and save what I don't spend in my challenge money. I always take home half my food from a restaurant and use it for lunch the next day. I always order water when I have a meal out. I eat off of the $1 menu at Wendy's. I turn off the motor at the bank's drive in window to save on gas. I go in and order at fast food places.