Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Paper towels

If you use paper towels, they now have some that allow you to cut off a smaller piece rather than just a big size piece all the time. You can make the roll last a lot longer this way.

Sink clogs

You can save money on expensive plumbing bills by not allowing any food to go down the kitchen sink drain. Over time it will clog up the drain and you are left with a big repair bill that may cost hundreds of dollars to fix.

Save on storage boxes

You may never need any if you save the boxes that you buy items in at the store or through the mail. You can store anything in them, from junk to clothing.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Save your driveway

Keep patching up the cracks on your tar driveway. The cracks keep getting bigger if you don't patch them up. You can save money by increasing the lifespan of your driveway.

Get free calendars

Sometimes you can get free calendars from your bank. You can save money if you usually buy calendars each year.

Save money on chairs

If you have a chair in your house that has a worn out seat cushion, you can avoid buying a new chair by putting a few blankets on the seat. The seat is now raised, and when you sit on it, it is no longer hard.

Save for college

If you are a kid and plan on going to college, save money that you get when you are young or work. The extra money can at least be used for some entertainment when you finally go. Since it is your money, you can use it for what you like when you go.

Share a car at college

If you are going away to college, if you are lucky enough to make friends or go with someone you know, share a car. You can save money this way. Even going half on getting a car or sharing car expenses.

Buy a digital camera

If you use the cameras where you take pictures one time and then throw them out, you can save a lot of money if you buy a digital camera instead.

Take items to college

If you are going away to a college and staying on campus, try to bring everything you can from home before you go that you may need. If you don't have items, see if you can borrow them so you can save money. Appliances and lamps and other things you may need.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Pick up store circulars

Pick up the store circulars when you walk in. You can find stuff on sale that you may not know about. This works for all stores.

Buy products you have coupons for

Buy the food for the week that you have coupons for. So whatever you get a coupon for, look into buying that item even if you don't use it as much as other brands. You can save a lot of money this way on food.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Make calls at night

Most places it is cheaper if you call at night than in the day times. Check your phone company rates and see how much cheaper it is at night than in the daytime for making calls.

Use email

You can write someone free anyplace in the world through email rather than calling a foreign country. With web cams, you can also see people as you talk if you both have one.

Garage sales

You can find cheap items at garage sales, and you can also resell some things that you buy. You can also sell your own items you no longer need at your own garage sale and make extra money.

Watering lawns

When the Sun is out in full force the lawns dry up faster. Water in the morning or just past the afternoon hours when sun is not at full force and the temp is lower. You will probably have a better lawn and save money on water.

Invest in bank CDs

CDs can pay as high as 5% interest. Regular savings accounts pay only 1.5% or less. The bank CD rates change all the time, but usually are higher than a savings account. You can open one for just $1,000. Time lengths could be from three months to five years.

Turn the TV off

If you are in other rooms and leave the TV on still, you are wasting electricity. The same goes for lights in the house. Computers use a lot of power also.

Walk when you can

If you travel a lot to work, try walking rather than taking a bus or train on certain days. Transportation savings add up over the year.

Cut your own grass

You can hire someone, but if you have a small area only it is cheaper doing it yourself. If you live in warm climates all year you can save a lot of money.

Save a quater or dollar daily

If you did this for 40 years (a quarter saved every day) you just saved $3,650. If you can find a dollar to save each day for 40 years, you just saved $14,600.

Don't buy paper cups

It is cheaper using glasses than buying paper items all the time and throwing them away. If you like using paper dishes, make sure you reuse them many times before you throw them away.

Get free shipping

Some places online offer free shipping if you buy a certain dollar amount of items. This can add up if you purchase a lot of items through the mail or the Internet. Shipping charges can be expensive. You can save a lot of money this way if you can get free shipping.

Buy items in bulk

You can sometimes save money by buying food and other items in bulk instead. Price them in a supermarket and see if they are more expensive.

Stamps

Stamp prices keep going up. You can actually pay some bills online through your bank instead. You can also email someone rather than send them snail mail. You can also email pictures this way for free.

Bring your own lunch

If you buy lunch at work you are probably wasting more money. Bringing lunch from home is usually cheaper and over a lifetime you can save a lot of money over the years.

Don't speed

Driving slower rather than speeding uses less gas. This can help with some money saved on gas. Don't floor the gas pedal.

Use cheaper gas

Using low octane gas is just as good for most cars. The higher octane gas is usually never needed and cost much more money.

Credit card rates

Look for credit cards with cheaper interest rates. Also, pay off the balances as soon as you buy something. Some credit cards have rates near 20%, others have rates near 10%. The money you can save is big.

Rent books

Renting books at the library is free. If you read a lot of books over the year, this is the best option sometimes instead of buying them all. Good tip if you have a lot of kids or big readers in the family.

Wash your own car

Saving money over the lifetime of owning your car amounts to a lot if you wash your own car yourself. If you live in a warm climate all year the savings is huge. In the winter of course it is best to not do it on your own if you have below freezing weather.

Movies

You can save a fortune over your lifetime if you go during the day rather than at night. The tickets are a few dollars cheaper during the daytime. If you have a large family you will save a lot of money by going in the daytime instead of at night.

Senior discounts

You can save money if your older and ask for a senior discount at movie theaters, usually $0.50 a ticket in savings. They also have senior discounts at many places besides movies that you may visit. Always ask.

Magazines

If you buy a magazine all the time, subscribe to them instead. Some magazines are $5.00 per issue, but only cost $20 per year to subscribe to.

Fix car repairs early

Most of the time car repairs not fixed early can lead to bigger repairs later on. Maintenance is important for cars to avoid large repairs.

Wait for sales

Usually most things are on sale for the holidays in almost every store. Online stores have a lot of sales for the holidays so look into them also. You can save a lot of money this way if you have a big family and buy a lot of gifts.

Do away with appliances you do not need

In place of a dishwasher, wash dishes yourself, or even use paper plates and cups. Most of the time when I put something in the microwave oven, I reuse the paper dish several times before I throw them away.

Buy used textbooks for college

You can get a good discout if you buy them used from stores. College campuses should have some used book stores where you can buy them. This is a great way of saving money on textbooks.

Cut back on smoking

You can save a lot of money each year by cutting back depending on how much you smoke. You can save even more money if you give it up.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Print out cards

If you already have a computer, you can print out family cards. This can save you a lot of money. Most computers have software where you can design your own cards. Birthday, Christmas, and all occasion cards.

Use grocery bags

If you use those plastic grocery bags for shopping, you can save money by using them at home. When you get home and take the food out of them, you can use them as garbage bags or for the small trash can in the bathroom. You never have to buy bags again.

Save money on fast food

If you go to any fast food restaurants, look for specials during certain days of the week. Usually they reduce the prices on some food if you go on that day.

Shop for cheaper gas

Shop around for cheaper gas prices at gas stations in your area. If you do a lot of driving, a few pennies here and there can add up to some big saving over the year.

Keep thermostat a bit lower

You can save on on fuel bills if you turn it down a little in the winter. With the price of oil high, you can save some money in winter months.

Buy energy saving light bulbs

These can save you money in the long run on electricity cost. If you use a lot of light bulbs in your house, it can add up to a big savings over time.

Don't run shower water long

Watching TV and running the shower water before you go in will waste a lot of water. You can save some of Earth's water and money at the same time. Don't run the shower water until you go in it.

Fix it yourself

Changing a washer in a sink is not that hard and you can save yourself a lot of money. A small plumbing book can show you how to fix simple problems with sinks and toilets.

Drink water

If you are short on money when you go to the supermarket, cut back on the soda and other fruit drinks. They usually cost more even if you buy bottled water.

Borrow items

If you are only going to use a tool one time, try to borrow it from a friend instead. It will save you a lot of money since you don't have to buy it.

Avoid late fees

You can save money if make sure that you don't pay any fees for bounced checks or not maintaining the minimum amount in your checking or savings account. I know bounced check fees can be near $25.00

Carpool if you can

Carpooling can save you a lot of money with high gas prices latley. Going with friends shopping or to work can save you money. One less car on the road and less gas used.

Use shopping list

It is best if you shop with a list. If you don't have a shopping list, you will wind up buying more. You will spend more money if you don't use one.

Ask for older toys

If you know someone in your family or friends who has kids who have gotten older, you can ask them for toys if they no longer want them. If you have your own kids, you can pass down the toys and games. This works well with clothing also.

Maintain your weight

You can save some money on clothes no matter what age you are if you maintain your weight. How many times did you buy new clothes because the old ones did not fit? You can save money on clothes and your health at the same time.

Buy clothes a little bigger for kids

This is a good way to save some money on clothes. If you buy them a little bigger at first, they can get some extra years out of them.

Budget your gas money

You can set aside a certain amount of money for gas each week. Never go over this amount. With high gas prices, you can save a lot of money this way.

Budget when you eat out

Set aside a certain amount of money you will spend when you do eat out. Do not go over that amount ever. If you eat out once a week and you go over you budget by only $1.00, after 30 years you wasted $1,560 in extra money.