Tell us a few little things you do to save money

[Scuba]

I personally don't find most grocery coupons to come out to a lot of savings per hour of work and car mileage. I do shop at places like 99 Cents Only and Grocery Outlet. My last trip to GO I spent around $50 and saved $90 off local retail type supermarket prices so I find that to be a good use of an hour of my time. Sometimes Safeway will have good deals on $5 Friday so I will go and stock up on items like pesto sauce at 1/3 the retail price.

I sign up for many newsletters and store programs and have the offers go to a junk email mailbox I scan once a day. I also join a variety of nonprofits and seat filler groups, am a store product reviewer and do some of the credit card, store rewards, Reddit beer money and bank bonus hacks. In a good month I get $2k worth of freebies and discounts. We're trying to declutter so most of that is usually event tickets and consumables. Some random freebies from this past week or so - three tickets for a movie screening, three concert tickets, two musical play tickets, a $5 gift card for a home improvement store, a $5 Amazon gift card, three heads of lettuce, $20 in merchandise from an office supply store and $50 worth of toilet paper. Most of the events aren't completely free - I pay for the seat filler memberships. But the price usually comes out to under a $1 to $10 an event ticket with the cost of membership included.

Do you get good seats at concerts with the seat filler memberships? I'm kind of a "seat snob" but we do love live theatre and music so I'm curious what quality of seats you typically get. And are they 2 seats together? Thanks.

 

[Markola]

I like the Target Red (debit) Card combined with their Cartwheel app. We have a Super Target nearby, which has decent groceries and a liquor store. Target's prices are pretty low already. I scan each item's barcode with the Cartwheel app and there is frequently another 5-10% discount, which it calculates. At checkout I show the cashier my phone and he/she deducts those e-coupons. When I pay with the Red Card I get 5% off the whole remaining bill. It takes a little more time shopping to scan each item but it can really knock down the food and booze bill.

 

[Winemaker]

I figure I get 60% off when I brew my own beer (not counting labor), and have the benefit of some hours spent doing a hobby I enjoy.

There's another benefit: I don't pay the sin tax. My theory is that homebrewing wouldn't be quite as popular without the "stickin' it to the man" aspect

Lots of comments in the thread about alcoholic beverages:

I, too, save a bunch of moolah making my own beer and wine. The amount I save just skyrocketed! Caymus Vineyards, just started to buy grapes where I have bought them for 10 years, they make the $75+/bottle stuff.

I knew I had great taste!

 

[Nemo2]

I, too, save a bunch of moolah making my own beer and wine.

We used to make our own wine...now we save even more by (virtually) not drinking.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

I personally don't find most grocery coupons to come out to a lot of savings per hour of work......

I agree with you, But old habits die hard. I get a bit of a thrill when I cut out and use that 75 cents off coffee coupon. We dont drive to chase bargains of 10 or 20 cents, I always had gas guzzlers for cars, so wasted gas was always a factor. Im sort of stuck in the house most of the day, so when the weekly circulars/fliers get thrown on my stoop, I get about 2 hours of price shopping/looking for bargains.
I would probably earn more money than I save with coupons if I chased all those banking offers to open up a new account or a new credit card. I dont do that because for some reason I get no thrill going thru that exercise. I know many others do it with great success.

 

[braumeister]

If we lived near one (we don't) and we went there often, over a year's time it probably would be cost-effective to pay for the annual membership.

The nearest Costco is a 30 minute drive (each way) so I only get there maybe 10 times a year. I've run the numbers and even at this low level I save far more than the $55 annual cost, plus I get the (not insignificant) benefit of access to great Kirkland brand quality.

I don't spend nearly enough per year to warrant the Executive membership, even with the extra discount it offers, but the basic membership is definitely a bargain for me.

 

[Rianne]

Last time I bought new clothes, 2014. New shoes, 2015. I buy quality and keep it as long as my weight allows. We eat at home, for the most part and have a garden. I actually hate to shop which makes my husband happy. I volunteer for the Forest Preserve and love it, so my activities are free. Only pay for gas. Big part of our health care is the YMCA. Go religiously to swim and work out. Been to the doctor 3 times this year, so far (fingers crossed). My husband dyes my hair, $8.99 every 8 weeks. $4.99 hair cuts plus $2 tip.

And we still spend too much!!

 

[Nemo2]

Go religiously to swim

Have you tried walking on the water?

 

[brett]

For the past five years we have spent the winter traveling to and in warmer climes. This winter will be number six. I buy any summer clothing that I need in late Aug/early Sept. On sale. Same with winter clothing when we come home in late March or April. DW does the same.

If we buy something from Costco on line we always check the price a week or two later. Just scored a refund on a chair that we bought...it went down in price.

 

[Sojourner]

Something kind of new and interesting I did just recently to save a little money... I signed up for an online wine delivery service called NakedWines.com and I ended up getting 9 bottles of highly rated, boutique wines for about $6-7/bottle. Free shipping, too. A much better deal than buying similar bottles at my local wine store.

As for Costco and whether it's worth paying the membership fee, as a single guy with no kids I'd say it's definitely not. I do have three or four close friends who have Costco memberships, and they've all offered to take me along occasionally if I ever wanted to shop there for some reason. I'd guess many people who pay for Costco memberships don't shop there enough to realize any net savings, and they'd be better off just tagging along with a friend from time to time.

 

[brett]

We recently moved into a new home and had to buy new LR furniture etc.

We periodically cherry picked over several months at the clearance outlet of a high end furniture store. The economy is terrible here so we were able to buy high end, well made product at a reasonable price. They kept storing it for us until our move date. Also bought a king bed, rugs, and a leather recliner on line at very good discounts. Shopped on the web for brand name products from a reliable supplier. About 30 percent less, sometimes more, than what the stores in our area were asking for the same product.

The more we buy on the web, the more we want to buy on the web. Price, selection, and no running around from store to store.

 

[Nightcap]

Andrew Tobias recommended buying wine by the case, but this was during inflationary times. I mainly buy wine for guests. I'm teetotal myself and the Unindicted Co-Conspirator seldom drinks. I thought about buying a case of her favorite last year when it was ~ $20 per bottle, but only $18 if bought by the case, but I passed on it because it does have a shelf life. I just picked up a couple bottles at the local packie yesterday. Her favorite is now $12 per bottle.

 

[brett]

I often buy red wine by the case when it comes on sale. If I am not familiar with it I buy a bottle. If it is good, I go back for a case.

I don't have an issue with keeping it too long. Besides, DW often wants some for cooking.

 

[kcowan]

We buy Frontera red in a 1.5 litre bottle and in Mexico, we buy Finca Malbec by the case at Costco.

 

[Moemg]

I swim several days a week at the gym and the chlorine just eats up the bathing suits . I found I can buy new athletic bathing suits for cheap on ebay . Some as low as $7.00.

 

[ocean view]

When I get my haircut, I do not have the stylist dry & style my hair. This saves me $15+ per haircut. I've been doing this since 1988 (same stylist for all those years) and I figure I've saved at least $3500.

 

[Just_Steve]

Found out that now I am in style drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer "PBR" since it has become a craft/designer/yuppie brand in our area. 18 pack for $10.95 and I must admit taste the same as some pricier IPA's.☺

 

[flpanhandle]

Guilty except for socks. Only snowbirds wear them with flipflops☺

 

[Amethyst]

This is true, yet then again, there are so many cool patterned socks available these days that it's hard to resist.

Gotta watch those flipping fops, though

Guilty except for socks. Only snowbirds wear them with flipfops☺

 

[Totoro]

Something silly I sometimes too: charge my laptop at the local coffee place. I go there anyway, save a few cents on electricity that way.

Of course the coffee costs 2.75 a cup, so I'm better off making my own stuff at home and charging there. But hey, they got a free newspaper too and I need to go out sometimes, no?

 

[spncity]

I repair jeans with Tear Mender. See tearmender.com. SO much easier than sewing and more versatile. Able to repair tears next to thick seams; can even repair belt loops.

Of course, if you repair your jeans so that they are not shredded, you are obviously oblivious to the latest fashions.*

YMMV.


*In these hard economic times, we advise youngsters to "wear out your own jeans!"

 

[walkinwood]

Another small thing- the electric company offered me a free Nest thermostat and an annual credit of $50 if I agreed to let them cycle my A/C on and off during peak demand periods. I love having a thermostat I can control from a smartphone, especially when I travel. I can keep the house at a safe but uncomfortable temperature when I'm gone and reset an hour or so before I return.

Have you seen savings in your monthly bill? By how many degrees do you raise/lower the temp when you're not at home?

I'd like to see some real world data since I am skeptical that lowering or raising the target temp by more than a few degrees would save money if you're just gone for the usual 8-10 hours. The system has to work extra to bring the house back to the target temp.

 

[braumeister]

I am skeptical that lowering or raising the target temp by more than a few degrees would save money if you're just gone for the usual 8-10 hours. The system has to work extra to bring the house back to the target temp.

I got a Nest in 2013 but we moved in 2015 so I can't really show the data for several years prior and after. But I do feel as if it's saving money, and the monthly reports I get from Nest certainly indicate that.

But any savings are certainly small. I have no doubt they have amounted to far more than the cost of the thermostat, but I just look at it as a great convenience. Being able to crank up the heat or a/c as soon as the plane lands so the house feels good when we arrive is such a pleasure.

If we go away for a week or two (our typical trip), the house is set for about 15 degrees warmer in cooling season and 10 degrees cooler in heating season. Nest actually recommends a bigger differential for "away time" but we often leave the cat home (he gets a sitter to visit).

 

[ERD50]

Have you seen savings in your monthly bill? By how many degrees do you raise/lower the temp when you're not at home?

I'd like to see some real world data since I am skeptical that lowering or raising the target temp by more than a few degrees would save money if you're just gone for the usual 8-10 hours. The system has to work extra to bring the house back to the target temp.

With all the variations, including weather, usage patterns, and seasons, you're unlikely to see anything on a monthly bill.

The "working extra hard" to get the temp back is a wash. Here's a simple example to illustrate:

Heating season, you keep the setting to 60 F for 12 hours, and 70 F for 12 hours. That's an average of 65 F over 24 hours. It clearly takes less energy to heat the house to 65 F average over 24 hours than it would to heat it at 70F for all 24 hours.

The energy to warm it up was offset in the 'cool down' phase. Conservation of energy, physics, etc.

-ERD50

 

[athena53]

I've had this type of thermostat the whole time I've owned the house; the Nest is a fancier version. So, I can't measure its effects. I do know that A/C bills are down from last year but now that DH is gone (he could tolerate only a narrow range of temps) I keep the house warmer in the summer. When I'm home it's 78 degrees. I'm gone for a week and it's at 81. I didn't even turn the system on till mid-June.