I've now been cell phone only for just about a month, and have no complaints. That extra savings will come in handy when my grad school student loans come due this month.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Get rid of your land line telephone & save money
Thursday, April 29, 2010
How to put mail in rebates to work for you
I'm still waiting on receiving my rebate check, but according to the link it was sent out a few days ago. When I get the check it will feel like found money (well, about $5), since I have already paid for the paper.
I haven't yet decided what I will do when I get the check. But I can tell you that I'm not going to turn around and spend the money immediately. My options include putting the money into a savings account; transferring the money to an investment account, or applying it to my mortgage. It may only be $5, but in my mind I've already spent it, so I'm going to try to put it somewhere it can help me.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
How to save money the next time you feel like playing the lottery
So, next time you feel like playing the lottery you need to pay yourself first and put that dollar into a savings account. Imagine if you transferred one dollar a day into your savings account -- you would have an extra $365 in savings at the end of the year. And the best part is you probably won't even miss that dollar.
Even if you don't play the lottery this is good practice. And if you don't want to do it every day, you can deposit $7 per week, or $14 every two weeks, depending on when you get paid. It will pay off in the long run!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Save ink by not printing every e-mail
What I've found works for me is to save the e-mail as a PDF and place it into a coupon folder on my computer. As I'm saving it I'll make sure the file name includes the restaurant as well as the expiration date. This way I'll have my coupons handy and can print on demand, rather than printing each e-mail that comes through. This tip saves both ink, and paper. And if you sign up for discounts you can save the next time you dine out.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Think Long Term To Save Money
A couple of years back I had a slow shower drain that would get better after pouring some drain cleaner down it, but get worse pretty quickly. I found myself frequently spending money drain cleaner. Then one day in the aisle with the drain cleaner I saw a rubber "hair trap" that you place over your shower drain to keep hair from going down. It was only $0.99 so I figured I would give it a try. Since that day a couple of years ago I have not had a need to buy any more drain cleaner. That $0.99 investment saved the cost of many, MANY, bottles!
Another example I have relates to auto repair. In the spring of 2008 I got a 2006 Saturn Ion. That summer I hit a pot hole that caused a flat tire. I had been going to Firestone for years, so I went there to get my new tires (had to replace both front tires). At that time they offered to me unlimited lifetime alignments for a one time $20 payment on top of the cost of a regular alignment. I did some simple math and quickly saw the benefit since the car was only 2 years old and I would more than likely need future alignments. I was able to take advantage of one free alignment when I went back in 2009 to get my rear tires replaced. Unfortunately my car saw an early death as it was totaled in a multi-car pile up on an icy highway. I fully intend to add the lifetime alignments to my new car.
With a little upfront investment I'm sure you too will find ways in your life to save money in the long run.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Are coupons worth it?
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Farmers Markets
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Comparison Shop Online
Saturday, January 23, 2010
I love Amazon.com
Valentine's day is coming up, and I had a fairly good idea of what I want to get for my someone special (shh, I'm not telling since it's still before Valentine's Day). I turned to Amazon.com for a couple of reasons -- I shop there frequently, I knew they had the couple of things I wanted, and most importantly they offer FREE Super Saver Shipping when you spend $25 or more on qualifying purchases.
The free shipping is the main reason I keep coming back. I know I can get the items I want at about the same price as I could find them in a store, and I won't be paying extra for shipping charges. My son's birthday is coming up shortly, and I could have put his gifts in the same order, which I really wish I did. But I know I'll be spending more than $25 on him anyway, so I don't have to worry about free shipping.
There's always that excitement of getting mail at home that isn't a bill!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Save money on Twist Ties
Even with all of these uses, you should never spend money on buying twist ties. All you need to do is start saving the twist ties that come in packaging you use on a daily basis. The most common source for twist ties are on bread packages. Additional sources include packaging on any type of product. But bread is your main source. As you finish each loaf just start saving the twist ties, or start using them for any of the ideas mentioned above. It's not neccessary to save them forever. Once you feel you have saved enough you can stop. Just be sure to keep enough on hand for situations that come up where you'll need them.
Friday, January 8, 2010
More ideas for using samples
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Soap Saving
Use up your sample size products
One thing I found to stretch out my dollars was to use up my drawer full of sample size products. We all have drawers filled with these products we seem to always come across -- hotel shampoos and soaps,sample size toothpaste and mouthwashes from the dentist, free items we got from various local festivals, free samples we signed up for online simply because it was free. It doesn't really matter how you got them, now that you have this drawer full it's time to put these trial size items to good use.
By using up all of these item you will be able to stretch your budget a little it by not needing to purchase full-size items for the next week or two. An additional benefit is that you will get your drawer back.