25 ways I save money: The full list
Posted by
LuLuGal |
April 25, 2007 .
Here is the full list of the top 25 ways that I save money. The expanded versions of each set can be found in
25 Ways I Save Money: Part 4 and
In each section I gave a little bit more detail on what I do and how it has caused me to save money in my daily living.
These are things that I actually do myself to save a penny here and there and they have all worked for me. Try them and see what happens.
Top 25 ways I Save Money: Part 1
- Do not buy things from vending machines
- Buy in bulk
- Use Compact Fluorescent bulbs
- Use natural light
- Open the windows
Top 25 ways I Save Money: Part 2
- Order free samples online
- Use candles
- Turn off unused appliances
- Make my lunch
- Pick up pennies
Top 25 ways I Save Money: Part 3
- Automatic savings plan
- Pay bills online
- Reduce interest rates
- Take the bus or walk
- Cook for multiple days
Top 25 ways I Save Money: Part 4
- Use coupons
- Buy generic
- Keep extra money in high yield savings instead of checking
- Use the library
- Wash dishes by hand
Top 25 ways I Save Money: Part 5
- Re-use plastic shopping bags as trash bags
- Use a water filter
- No cable
- Use paypal for purchases
- Make lists…and stick to them
This is my top 25 list. What are YOUR tips for ways to save money?
Related Posts
- 25 ways I save money: part 4 of 5
- 25 ways I save money: part 3 of 5
- 10 ways to save money
- 25 ways I save money: part 5 of 5
- How I Saved Money At WalMart By Using a Coupon
Leave a Comment
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
These suggestions are great, adding them up in a lot of people’s cases would probably result in HUNDREDS of dollars in savings just for a month’s budget.
I had utterly forgotten about paypal’s awesome money market rates & their 1% cashback. I’ll have to sign up and get a replacement debit card. I used to use their card overseas because there was no international ATM fee, and their exchange rates were pretty reasonable.
A great alternative to the library is using internet book swap programs. Basically you list any books you’d be willing to give out, people request them, you ship it to them at media rates ($1.50-ish) and get credit towards borrowing other people’s books. I like this option because I can keep a book indefinitely if I want (and no late charges!).
I got rid of all credit cards and sew some of my clothes. I get cast off clothes in second hand shops because in DC people get rid of GREAT clothes.
Hey Willster thanks for visiting. I have not looked at the book swap thing because I am satisfied with the selection from my library so far.
Econo Girl…thanks for visiting as well. I am not into sewing so that option will not work for me. I have been trying to get rid of the credit cards and I was doing well but then some recent events will be forcing me to use them again soon.
Here’s two we’ve used in our apartment:
In the winter, placing towels and blankets around the edge of our front door. I would do this normally to prevent a draft, but our door is just slightly off alignment which results in a gap. Every night this winter I stuffed an old towel to keep the cold out/warm in.
In the spring/summer/autumn, use a fan to circulate the air. (Goes with the open windows idea.) We don’t do this 100% of the time, but it helps.
I dont agree with the he paypal suggestion. I think credit cards give you good enough cashback rates and some cards like discover even go to 5% on certain types of purchases. I would also advise against using checking card as a credit card becuase if in case of fraud, you loose hard cash and dont have a layer of protections which credit cards provide.
One of the things we do is instead of using cloth dryer on cold/wet winter days, we place the clothes on racks and place the racks over the central heating vents on the floor. We also wash our clothes in the evening night with off-peak rates.
When morning comes, the clothes will be dry.
In response to Tehnyit:
Well the central heating and cooling vents in my apartment are on the walls up near the ceiling so that tactic would not work for me…but thanks for sharing.
In response to I dunno:
I used the paypal card for cash back before I got the credit cards that gave me good cashback rebates. it worked well for me at the time because I could see my cash immediately instead of having to wait for it to reach a certain amount before I could redeem it.
Hi Lulu,
We also use the library now instead of buying books.
The savings are incredible as we read tons of books in a year.
We do also use the off-peak hours for the laundry.
Keep the furnace not too high in the winter and the AC not too low in the summer.
Rarely buy Take-Out foods anymore. Huge savings.
Try to eat a little less. Also good for the waistline.
Do not buy magazines anymore. They just recycle stories from other magazines in different months anyway.
Those are some of the things we have been doing to increase our savings.
Maire
Hi Marie,thanks for dropping by.
I use the library also because I am an avid reader. I love getting magazines and there are a few sites that give you a free six month or one year subscription so I look around for those. A good place to get magazine subscriptions for free is through Start Sampling.
Eating our neighbors saves us tons of money!
I really hope you mean eating AT the neighbors…:-)
I wonder if they are eating their neighbors with ketchup or mustard????
Marie
I prefer ketchup myself…yeah that was funny.
How about getting your hair cut for free by being a hair model at a local salon or hairdressing college?
Swapping is a great way to get rid of your clutter whilst getting new things. Have a clothes swap party where you invite a few friends to bring over the clothes they don’t wear or want! The satisfaction of getting a new wardrobe doesn’t have to cost you a penny!
[...] 41- Divana tells her tales of abundance through her 25 ways she saves money 42- LuluGal lists her 25 ways that she saves money 43- FrugalTrader journeys through his 25 ways of saving [...]
I always swap to clear my house. Its great way to socialize too.
I think “buying in bulk” needs to be paired with restraint. I have gone into Costco, and I find myself buying things I normally don’t buy (like a gallon of salsa one time). I bought it in bulk, heck yea. But then I had to eat so much of it over the next two weeks so that it wouldn’t go bad. Thus, I spent a bunch of money on salsa over two weeks and forced myself to eat a bunch of it when I normally don’t eat that.
I agree with you Flimjo that one has to apply restrain
on shopping in bulk.
Otherwise, it only brings a person to eat more and in the long run, it’s not a saving.
Marie
@ Flimjo and Marie:
Yes it is good to remind readers that they should not buy things in bulk JUST because they can get the bulk prices.
I would only buy things that I know I use. One thing I really liked about living overseas was that I could get canned milk by the carton which was much cheaper than getting individual cans.
So I get things like toilet paper, socks etc. that I know I will be using.
Flimjo: funny about the salsa dude!
Nice money saving tips. We save our cans and bottles for a few months, then return for the deposit and treat ourselves to lunch!
This is so useful but very hard to follow esp. if there are too many temptation inside the mall… How about not going to the mall?
@ Personal Development:
Well I don’t go to the mall anyway so I did not think to put that one in there..but if you need that then go ahead and add it as # 26
In regards to purchasing in bulk, freeze in portion sizes, then you can save items to eat when you are really in the mood for it. Salsa freezes well, and so do a lot of other items. Enjoy
@ Bud:
Thanks for the suggestions. I actually do this with most food because my mother taught me that way. It saves time to just defrost what you are going to use than to defrost a giant bag of stuff and then have to refreeze it. Great tip!
We get our hair cut at the local beauty college- much cheaper than the hair salons, and they do a very nice job, too. Haricuts are only $6.00, as compared to $12 and up at the other salons.
@ Mommyof4:
That is a great tip to save money. Thanks for sharing!
Great series and some really good tips to save money!
Well I messed up with #1. I’m a junk food junkie. I have gotten better about packing lunches though.
I go to SuperCuts for my 6-8 week haircuts. There’s usually at least one stylist who can cut and style my hair.
@ Sabrina: stop carrying cash for a week. That way you will NOT be able to get stuff from the vending machine..even though you are salivating at the thought of a pack of skittles.
And you can’t ask anyone for quarters either.
Then come back and let us know what happened.
The top ways I save money is:
1. Gave up soda. Now I drink ice cold homemade sweet tea instead.
2. Wash and reuse zip top baggies
3. Make my own on-the-go snacks and lunches.
4. Make homemade cleaners and laundry detergent
5. Make homemade facial scrubs and masks
6. Never afraid to try the store brand!
7. Ask for a rain-check when on-sale items are sold out.
8. Rebates Rebates Rebates Coupons Coupons Coupons
9. Mystery Shop retail and food and hair cuts!
10. Shop only with a list and appropriate coupons.
11. Stay out of stores in general, as often as possible.
12. Only shop for clothes at second-hand stores, and only on their 50% off tags days!
@ Cricket
Thanks for giving us your list. I like most of the things you do but I am not frugal enough to make my own laundry detergent.
@Cricket - Man, I thought I was the only one that washed zip-lock bags! My wife always rolls her eyes at me when I get the soap out with a pile of bags. I also gave up the soda habit. I was doing 3-4/day for the longest time, and now I’m saving that $1-2/day for going cold turkey. The financial benefit and health benefits are both great.
Wow, what a list. I think you have covered everything. I was going to do a post on a similar topic, but I think I will just reference this post.
Andy.
@LuLu Gal Making your own laundry soap is super easy - Why pay upwards of $11 a bottle when for $11 you can have enough to last a year? I only make mine a few cups at a time it’s super concentrated.
@MrDebtbeater yeah my Ryan looked at me strange when I washed out the ziploc baggies. Seriously SODA is evil pure evil. What do you drink instead? (water? Tea?)
@ Cricket:
Ok you got me. I have not made my own detergent because I am lazy! It sounds like work and I just did not want to do it. Boy you put the thumbscrews on me on that one. Now I am all embarrassed to face the other bloggers.
@ Debtbeater:
I used to wash out ziplock bags too for a while but then:
1. I am lazy
2. I heard you are not supposed to wash out baggies and bottled water bottles and reuse them.
@ Cricket - I drink a lot more water, or whatever else is around for that matter. AND I chew an awful lot of gum to keep my mouth occupied.
As for the bags, I don’t reuse anything that had raw meat in it or liquids, and I don’t wash them more than a few times before tossing them. I sure remember my mom making us reuse bags dozens of times though. LOL
Oh my gosh, this response had me rolling on the floor laughing for a good 5 minutes!!!
HL Says:
July 24th, 2007 at 3:57 am
Eating our neighbors saves us tons of money!
I really needed the laugh!!
As for the plastic baggies, I was them too if it only contained non-icky stuff. I’m thinking if I should continue to use disposable baggies. I have a bunch of tupperware I can use instead. That’ll save money instead of buying box after box of ziplocs.
These are some awesome suggestions. Thanks for sharing.
Need lawn chairs? Garbage pick them. Spring time is perfect, because people throw away stuff like that in the spring and get new ones. Half the time, they are in great shape, and just get thrown away for no real good reason.
Top 10 Ways I Save Money in this Ridiculous Economy!!
1) Own your assets instead of renting and/or leasing
Don’t get in credit card debt! Be willing to eat peanut-butter and jelly for a month straight rather than fall into the death cycle of credit card debt…
2) Carpool
3) Take banks up on offers for $50 or $100 bonuses when you open a new checking account. Most banks allow you to maintain a small minimum balance(perhaps $500) and often the time limit for keeping the account is only a few months. Open several of these accounts each year and switch them when allowed.
4) Use coupons (I save an average of 15-20% each time at the grocery store)
5) Instead of going to an insurance agent who takes a cut or the companies that have quotas to make for certain areas, check out this site that tracks good deals: http://www.insuremeonline.com/home/index.cfm
6) Exercise or play a sport for entertainment instead of going to the mall or the movies
7) Drink a glass of milk or eat an apple each time you’re hungry for a snack instead of dropping $4-5 on a value meal.
9) Watch for sales at outlet stores like Kohls and TJ Maxx. You can score big on already discounted name-brand clothes when they put on 30% off sales.
10)Make it a concrete rule to put 20% of each paycheck into a savings account.
11**) Give 10% of your earnings to charity or as a tithe to your church/religious institution. It all comes back in the end.
Save money? Here’s how I save money.
Live well below your means….and the only means is passive income….so that the extra passive income can be saved for capital on more passive income.
It’s like being unemployed and enjoying your life…how novel.
Take that homecheese. Let’s see if any of you can live like me
One of the ways I save money is by reading other people’s money saving blogs!
Lots of great tips here!
@ Frugal One:
Thanks for stopping by and I hope the tips here help you to save even more money.
1. I bake my own bread, not in bread machine, but I knead the dough and bake in oven - total cost about 30 cents and lasts two days for family of four. Actual work time to mix dough and knead takes about 10 minutes but rise and bake time is about 2 hours.
2. I buy sliced bone in ham when on sale for 99 cent/lb. Then I cut up in smaller portions and for use in sandwiches. I put rest in freezer and will thaw in refregerator as needed. I save bone and use to make base for soups, which leads to my number 3.
3. I use crock pot to make soups using scrap meat/bone from ham from above, with leftover veggies and dry beans. Dry beans are $1/lb and can feed family for 2-3 meals. When combined with home made bread, cost per meal is under 50 cents.
4. I launder in cold water overnight and line dry. I look up weather for next day to make sure it’s sunny and dry and clothes are dry in 4-5 hours in the sun. Sometimes on weekends, I wash manually by filling bath tub quarter with water, put laundry with 1/2 recommended detergent and stomp (like stomping grapes for wine) for 10-15 minutes. Drain, and rinse same way (except, without detergent). I get a workout out of it as well. Only difficulty is wringing water, so I use only spin cycle on washer to get water out afterwards.
5. Cut out meat consumption and cook from scratch. Most of my deals are vegetarian. Typical weekly grocery bill for my family is between $30-$50 and consists of flour, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. I rarely use coupons as most things I buy do not have coupons as I almost never buy processed foods. During warmer months, I make my own yogurt.
There are other things like take public transportation and walk but they may not be practical in rural areas. However, above steps can be taken by just about anybody and can save quite a bit.
My favorite way to save money is by going to http://www.dynamicshops.com before I purchase anything online. Almost every major store is listed there, and if I use their link, I get Cash Back on my purchase! If my friends make a purchase, I get a commission, too. What a fun way to save and earn money!
The best way I know to save money is….
Get a job that pays LOTS of money, live within your means an d spend responsibility. Then put money in a bank.
In my mind that’s a hell of a lot better than making your own detergent ;-
@ Jamie
It is not always possible to just ‘get a job that pays LOTS of money’. If it were that easy then we would all do it.
Making your own laundry soap really isn’t hard!! I’ve done it for years. For a laundry soap recipe and others go to http://www.savemoneytoday.net!!
To save money on my dental expenses i go to http://www.dentalpricecompare.com. It shows the average prices for dental procedures based on your zip code. That way you can see if you’re getting a good deal or being charged more than necessary.
I use the library for everything–books, cd’s and dvd’s (they have new ones that are the same as any rentals) and they have a coupon swap box were you can take or leave coupons.
Another MONEY SAVING tips that I can share is this 1-800-411 SAVE. I just learned about this service and its really free..Now, I can save huge from my phone bill especially when searching for information thru an operator…I actually had a great time searching for my old friends yesterday using this free service. didn’t imagine I can get in touch with most of them that’s why I also would like to thank those operator who patiently assisted me even if am not sure with the information i gave them. Well to my amazement, they found most my them fast and accurate. Thank you reallv!…….one more thing I would like to share is the directions that they provided me when I got lost finding that restaurant where we used to dine in years ago.That was awesome!!.. And I got those informations for FREE. Isn’t that amazing?
always shop around and look for better deals on your utilities.
this market is very competitive and you should do regular comparisons to ensure you are always on the most competitive tariff.
I get many enquiries through my website with people paying a primary rate of 22p for each kilowatt hour ont heir electricity. In many instances I have brought this down to a flat rate of approximately 10p each.
the rising cost of energy is hitting every home owner in the pocket so more disposable income, a pay rise and and excellent cost free investment is worth it.
regards
All great tips so far! I came across http://www.smarthealthbuyer.com . It says that its a way to compare health prices and get the average price based on your location for things like chiropractic, cosmetic surgery, dental, and other things too.
Dear Sir,
We are pleased to inform you, that we have recently launched our affiliate system in our site. If you want to earn good amount of money, just join our affiliate system. All you have to do is, place our site’s banner or link in your site. For each visitor from your site who signs up with us, you will be paid US$ 25. Our affiliate system is absolutely free.
We are a popular financial site providing quality debt services with free counseling to all debt-burdened people and have the world’s largest debt community. So, here is your chance to earn good money. Don’t miss out, this golden opportunity to earn without incurring any cost. So, if you have a financial website and want to get recognition as our active affiliate partner, you can join our affiliate system.
Thanks for the list! Interesting on the candles. Do you have a feel for how much you save by using candles for light? I definitely have found savings by buying generic as well. Check out my list of savings tips! I’m going to add some of yours to my list.
Thanks
This is great stuff. I have one thing to add. I joined DirectBuy in 2006 and have found it to be a great money saving tool. My husband and I buy just about everything for our home at DirectBuy. Check them out for yourself at http://www.directbuylosangeles.com.
Going to my parents house to eat their food saves me quite a bit.
My mums buys me buiscuits and i dont think i should be eating so many, so i end up not going there so much.
I save money by giving the old heave ho to AT&T for local and long distance services on my residential landline. I switched to VoIP.
Cheap residential phone costs compared to your local telephone service provider and great for long distance.
I don’t buy soft drinks at fast food or dine-in restaurants. I drink free coffee, tea and water at work all day. I buy generic 12-packs of soda, such as ‘Big K’ at Kroger - they have flavors that taste like Coke, Sprite and many others. I take those with me for lunch when I want a drink - they cost about 20-cents each. At dine-in restaurants I order water with lemon. I can’t stand to pay for a drink plus a tax and a tip on top of that. I think I save a lot of money every week on drinks!
5 steps that my wife and I took to trim about $300 off our monthly budget by doing the following:
1)Quit the Gym (doing more walks, hikes, pushups, etc)
2)Dropped Qwest home phone and switched to Comcast Digital Voice (almost free since we already have cable and internet bundle)
3)Got cheaper auto insurance at one of those online quotes sites http://www.insurancequotehelp.com
4)Cancelled Sprint cell phone plan and switched to a pay as you go plan (we dont use much mins anyway)
5)Instead of buying books, we go to library.
We are really no worse off at all from these cuts but certainly it helped our budget.
Good for you and your wife Van.