The NEVERENDING Money Saving Tips Thread

[el Guapo]

My secret: I married an Indian woman. Now I am fabulously wealthy. I could buy and sell everyone of you bast*rds and bit*hes if she would only let me have access to the money.

I keep track of my precious bodily fluids. It can cost you if you misplace just one swimmer, for instance in a fertile woman.

Drive cars other people have abandoned.

Don't tithe. Don't even join a religion, cult or service club. They all have hidden fees.

Homemade Kimche - saves on entertainment expenses in so many ways.

Columbia House Record and Tape Club: 12 Cd's for a penny. Then say Manuel Guapo moved two weeks ago when the cops show up. Don't let them in to see your Manalow room!!!!

[donk]

Amen to that! My current girlfriend is a total logo whore. If it doesn't have some mass market designer's stamp of approval just like the clothes worn by 80% of the other sheep, she doesn't want it.

The stuff I bought was not "mass market", it was fashion forward, underground, chic. I am no longer with her, that was an expensive, but fun 10 weeks.

Except for the risk of botulism, don't foget the dent and label missing sales on canned goods.

[Downtown]

Rob's latest money saving enterprise is waiting a couple extra days after registration expires on the cars to get a "free" month.

Oh - and if your employer has a medical spending reimbursement program - take advantage.

[SW MI Planner]

Maybe I missed it, but does anyone shop with coupons?

We go to the grocery store at least once a week, and always use coupons. Our Meijer doubles coupons up to $1, plus we buy a lot of the stuff that is on sale. Nine times out of ten our savings exceed the cost of the groceries. It doesn't take that much work, just a little preplanning, and it saves us A LOT of money.

We also pay our credit cards off each month. Saves a lot in interest

We have no debt except the house, my car, and my school loan. Which is more than enough, but anyway. My car is at 0%, so I just pay the monthly amount. I put most of my extra money into my school loan, because the rate of the loan is much higher than the interest I have for savings.

[Downtown]

Maybe I missed it, but does anyone shop with coupons?

Not so much. The vast majority of our grocery bill is fruits, veggies and dairy. have been using coupons for what little baby food we buy- but we make most of that also.

[Repo Man]

10 Tips

1. If you haven't used it in 1 year, put it on e-bay.
2. Before you buy anything in a store, check the internet. Chances are you can find it cheaper elsewhere.
3. I also do the coin jar. I never pay for anything with change. I alsways use paper bills so I get more change to save. I then put the money towards x-mas gifts at the end of the year.
4. Invest in a DVD burner.
5. If your employer offers deferred compensation, take advantage of it.
6. Shop at TJ Maxx, Target, or Marshalls for clothes.
7. Look in the scratch n dent section for furniture. Often times the damage is so minor that you barely notice...and keep in mind that one of your friends or relatives will probably damage it anyhow.
8. Get your own stuff for washing your car. For the price of a couple of machine washes you can get a bucket, a sponge, soap, and wax. (Unless it is winter, then you can splurge for the machine wash)
9. Get a Costco or Sams Club Card and take advantage of any grocery store discount cards.
10. Go back to school and become a lawyer or a real estate developer. There's no money in planning!

[Michele Zone]

1) If it's not 50% to 90% off, it isn't REALLY "on sale". When it is 90% off, get two or three of them, in variations (like different colors of the same skirt or different sizes of the same style of basket). It will still cost less than one at half price and it will be a loooong time before you are really needy again. If it is done right, odds are good that you will find stuff at least 75% off before you really need another one.

2) Think long and hard about what you need and don't buy until you trip across the perfect solution -- on the clearance shelf, of course.

3) Unless it is a fantastic, not to be missed, once in a lifetime deal -- don't buy it the minute you see it, especially if it is expensive. Go home and sleep on it. Heck, take a week, if need be.

4) Don't do consumer spending. Instead, focus on purchases that are an investment in some way. Ex: I bought a ton of clothes at steep discount in January. But it is clothes that I need for launching a business and being taken seriously as a business woman. I am too cheap to buy much makeup, much jewelry, or much in the way of dress-up clothes. I usually do have something appropriate for a "black tie" dinner but most folks don't go to those very often. As a military wife, I generally go to such things about once a year or so. After I part with the bucks for clothes, by god, it is going to be worn to tatters. Rhinestone covered sweaters and garbage like that will hang in the closet and not get worn but once or twice a year. To me, it is a huge waste of money.

5) Buy yourself some good cookware and learn to cook well. Good cookware costs a ton (but you may be able to get it at steep discount or in exchange for slave labor, after taking care of your sister's baby for a month :-P ) but I think a lot of people eat out because they can't cook and they want a decent meal. You cannot turn out a good meal without good tools and a little skill.

6) [HUMOR]Homeschool. You can stop spending money on clothes, lunch boxes, donations, the long list of school supplies they send home at the beginning of the year, etc. You know you are going to attempt to single-handedly keep Barnes and Noble in business anyway. Why waste money on the trappings of an education when that money would be better spent on a real education? Eliminating those silly expenses frees up money for more books and other actual educational supplies.[/HUMOR]

7) Last: don't be "penny wise and pound foolish". Learn how to judge when it is the financially sound thing to do to cough up the dough and don't quibble when that is the case.

[boilerplater]

1) Get a travel mug for your morning coffee that you normally buy in paper cups. Most places give lower prices when you bring your own mug.

2) Switch your phone service to IDT if you can. $39.95 for local and long distance!

3) Learn to do home repairs yourself. The hourly rates of some of those guys are ridiculous.

4) Become a landlord. Lots of deductible expenses if you do all your own repairs and maintenance.

5) Just don't give s**t about keeping up with the Joneses or being fashionable.

[JNA]

5) Just don't give s**t about ... being fashionable.

Not with the standard planner uniform :-P
of kahaki or black pants and blue or white button down shirt.

[Downtown]

1) Get a travel mug for your morning coffee that you normally buy in paper cups. Most places give lower prices when you bring your own mug.

Or better yet - make your own coffee and save literally 200% - which is the mark up of most coffee in restaurants and at quickie marts.

[donk]

Not with the standard planner uniform :-P
of kahaki or black pants and blue or white button down shirt.

One thing I noticed when I moved was the number of blue shirts I have. (3 short sleeved, 3 long sleeved) Anyone need one. (16 - 17 necks 34-35 arms)

Same with pants I did not realize how many pairs of khakis I own (5 tan, 3 olive and 2 blue) , the worst thing is that I bought a new pair before I left and have not even worn them yet becasue I've lost so much weight I'll be embarrassed to try and get them hemmed because they fit so poorly now. If you need a pair of flat front khakis, unfinished leg, 38 waist maybe we can work out a trade. These are awesome pants from bills khakis, they are just waaaaaaaay too big for me.

[AubieTurtle]

Or better yet - make your own coffee and save literally 200% - which is the mark up of most coffee in restaurants and at quickie marts.

Or you could kick the caffeine addiction and do away with coffee altogether.

[jestes]

We have a store here called Hudson's Treasure Hunt. They are basically a salvage retailer. They buy out insurance settlements, clean the stuff up and then sell it. On any given day they will have clothes, electronics, housewares, toys, lawn and garden stuff, etc. Most of this is stuff that you would see in Walmart, Target, Office Depot & other big boxes. Generally the merchandise will hit the stores at 30-40% off. Usually, if you are patient enough it will eventually get to anywhere from 75-90% off. If you play your cards right you can get some super deals there.

[Downtown]

Or you could kick the caffeine addiction and do away with coffee altogether.

Please. I have a 6 mo old infant at home who has yet to sleep the night through. Coffee sustains me just as much as oxygen right now.

*note* I have switched to decaf after my second cup of regular in the morning.

[JNA]

Or better yet - make your own coffee and save literally 200% - which is the mark up of most coffee in restaurants and at quickie marts.

I usually wait until I get to work to make my own coffee.
Also I wait until coffee supplies are on sale - 2 for 1 or have a coupon,
even better yet both.

[SGB]

Or you could kick the caffeine addiction and do away with coffee altogether.

Blasphemer!

A planner without coffee is like a fish on a bicycle. Or something like that....
:-P

[NHPlanner]

Blasphemer!

A planner without coffee is like a fish on a bicycle. Or something like that....
:-P

Call me a fish on a bicycle then.

[Dan]

You probably hate Best Buy as much as I do. However, their US stores currently have 50 packs of Fuji CD-Rs on sale for $13.99.

That doesn't seem like a great bargain, considering that you can get spools of 50 CD-Rs for $8 or $9 if you hit Comp USA or MicroCenter on the right day. What's the big deal? Look carefully on the spool. In small print, you'll see ...

MADE IN JAPAN

Most retail CD-Rs that you see, including those normally co-branded by Fuji, are made in one of several palnts in Taiwan or India. The "Made in Japan" CD-Rs are manufactured by Taiyo Yuden. CD-Rs made by TY are considered some of the best in the world; their data integrity is much longer tha n a Taiwanese CD-R (50-100 years, compared to 5 years), and you seldom get a coaster when you burn one.

Did I say they Japanese CD-Rs are very, very hard to find at a brick-and-mortar retail outlet in the US?

Go to Best Buy, get some spools of Fuji, and laugh at the moronic sales boy asking you if you want an extended warranty with that. Good stuff.

[dobopoq]

A few tips not already mentioned:

1. Don't shave. Guys: buy an electric razor if you want to keep your face almost as smooth as a wet shave, or an electric beard trimmer to keep a nice neat beard. Or else walk around like your in ZZ Top. Chicks: don't fear a little fuzz on the legs; Guys will do you just the same. Furry pits ok too. Hirsute is sexy! If you're friends criticize you for this, reevaluate their friendship; they probably have fake tans and fake boobs. Just say no to superficial high-maintenance crap!

2. Don't pay a barber to cut your hair. You can do a decent job by yourself with buzz clippers or a beard trimmer, scissors, and a 3-sided mirror. You can use tape to provide a smooth even line in the back. Or, let a trusted friend do it.

3. Brush your teeth with baking soda instead of tooth paste. It's cheaper, and does a better job IMO. You can also save by rinsing with saltwater instead of mouthwash.

4. Buy lots of articles of clothing in black. They don't show dirt, and they go with everything so you can get by with a smaller wardrobe overall. (Not recommending you go goth though. Piercings, tatoos, chain mail and make-up are unneccessary expenses.)

5. Buy clothes that are wrinkle-free and/or machine washable. With some occaisional ironing, you can avoid dry-cleaners altogether.

6. Always bring a reusable bottle of water with you wherever you go. This way you can avoid soda machines, restaurants and expensive bottled water.

7. Always be ready to volunteer to help a friend move, and they will likely be willing to part with something that you could use.

8. Share your CD collection with friends, and they'll share theirs with you. (I wouldn't want to suggest burning each others CD's though. That might violate copyright laws which would be wrong. )

9. Develop a close circle of friends who have parties at their own place or have them at your place, rather than always going out to a bar.

10. Live in an affordable crime-prone neighborhood. Seriously though.

11. If you live in a crime-prone neighborhood, get/fabricate an official-looking sticker of some security system company (fictional or real), and put it on your door to deter burglars, instead of paying for a real security system.

12. Live car free. There are many ways to make this work: Live near good transit; Live in an area where it is safe to ride a bicycle and walk; Live close to where your job is; Live where you want to live and make do with the jobs available to you there within a reasonable distance.

13. Invest in a coffee thermos. This way, you can not only brew your own, but make it to go.

14. Reuse sturdy containers. Plastic yougurt and Country Crock margarine tubs are great. Pasta jars make nice beverage glasses.

15. Avoid disposable paper products. Sponges last a lot longer than paper towels. Cloth napkins and hand towells are both washable and nicer than paper napkins. Paper/stryofoam plates, cups and bowls are idiotic.

16. Insulate with storm windows, chalk and weather stripping.

Also, if you're a renter:

17. Elevate your bed to a bunk so you can utilize the space underneath and thus get by with a smaller apartment.

18. Hang your clothes up to air-dry. 24 hrs will do the same job a buck or two in the dryer will do.

19. If you live in a cold climate, rent an upper level apartment so you can soak up the free heat of those below. Avoid places with high ceilings and large vacuous rooms which are costly to heat.

20. If you live in a hot climate, rent a basement or 1st floor apartment so there will be less need for AC. (If have extreme winters and summers as many of you in the midwest do, I guess you can only make one of these last two work.)

[SkeLeton]

Just One but good tip: Cash Not credit, on most things, except large investments such as real estate, everything else can be bought with cash if you save enough and you'll forget about stupid interests, why let banks steal your hard earned money? This also means that you have to pay on time all your bill so you also avoid interests for paying off date.

[jordanb]

Chicks: don't fear a little fuzz on the legs; Guys will do you just the same. Furry pits ok too. Hirsute is sexy! If you're friends criticize you for this, reevaluate their friendship; they probably have fake tans and fake boobs.

Just for full disclosure, do you actually have friends?

[BKM]

Just for full disclosure, do you actually have friends?

LOL.

I'm sorry, I like doing many of those things. I like going to a coffee shop in the morning and chatting with the cute counter help. I like driving and enjoy cars. I hate beards as an aesthetic/sensory thing. I'm an agnostic, so I have no real burning evangelical need to live THAT frugally.

That said...I have problems with overspending, so the thread is very interesting to me.

[Jaxspra]

LOL.

I'm sorry, I like doing many of those things. I like going to a coffee shop in the morning and chatting with the cute counter help. I like driving and enjoy cars. I hate beards as an aesthetic/sensory thing. I'm an agnostic, so I have no real burning evangelical need to live THAT frugally.

That said...I have problems with overspending, so the thread is very interesting to me.

Ditto. I enjoy the things I have, I enjoy buying my children things they WANT and I like to do what I want. Could I cut back?? Gawd yes, do I need expensive jeans, purses, going out often, no...do I enjoy it and does it make me happy, yes. I could save and save and I am sure I would be happy, "things" don't make a person happy, I know that. I lived in a van for a few years, bartering for food, clothing, tickts, etc...I enjoyed it...now I work very hard for my paycheck and I enjoy spending it on me and my boys. Not shave my legs or pits (been there, done that, razors aren't THAT expensive)? Jeez I'll be single for the rest of my life...

[BKM]

. Not shave my legs or pits (been there, done that, razors aren't THAT expensive)? Jeez I'll be single for the rest of my life...

But after the glorious dobocquian revolution, you will be considered PRIME marriable material! Of course, isn't "marriage" just an oppressive bourgeoise imprisonment, anyway?

[dobopoq]

Just for full disclosure, do you actually have friends?

I had a good social life in Baltimore after a couple years, but once I decided to go back to school while working at the same time, I had to lower it to a trickle. The only thing that's holding up my development of friends in PDX is that I'm still trying to get my foot in the door with an accounting job. Once I do, I should be able to develop an active social life, without compromising my ideal to avoid cars and instead walk, ride a bike and use transit.

In a post cheap oil world, I really don't think people are going to concern themselves with something as futile and short-term as shaving. Once our debt-based monetary system collapses, people will once again concern themselves with the building of actual wealth, rather than the appearance of wealth. Actual wealth: being part of a strong community of interconnected REAL friends, able to draw from and share each others strengths, rather than appearing to be completely self-sufficient through a fetishism for conspicuous consumption with a borrowed pile of money that is becoming increasingly worthless.

If you're a millionaire, saving money is waiting a year to sell your stock so it's taxed as a Long Term Capital Gain rather than as a Short Term Capital Gain. If you're poor and living on minimum wage, saving money is saying no to the waste of advertising-created artificial needs such as shaving, smoking and teeth whitening. This is the basic problem with capitalism. When you look at the people at the top of the income scale, many of their expenses are merely a matter of course to grant them membership in their class, rather than being aimed at satisfying real needs and wants. When you strip away all the status symbols that are ruining the long term livability of the planet, the relentless pursuit of infinite wealth rapidly reaches diminishing returns in the level of innovation it spawns.