What is your best money saving tip?

[Amethyst]

Or, one could just add a few more cats to the bed. Then again, a cat-bed-heating system tends to self-regulate; when it's colder, there are more cats, and they get under the covers too.

Amethyst

My ex-MIL would do that AND put another blanket on the bed.

 

[freebird5825]

So, your marriage was a business proposal, got it!

Love is love, Business is business.

 

[Walt34]

We bought our HDTV through Amazon. I put it in our cart at $2800.00 and kept coming back to visit the cart. Over the course of a year, the TV's price dropped to $2K [much lower than if purchased locally] and the suppliers competed on shipping. We finally hit the "buy" button at $1900.00 and free shipping. Worth trying, Walt, if you need that $3K camera's features to bring out your inner Ansel Adams.

Yes, I am painfully aware that anything electronic is going to get cheaper and perhaps useless as time goes on. This makes me reluctant to spend heavily on the "latest and greatest".

I keep my $600 Betamax VCR (a large chunk of cash at the time) on a shelf in the basement to remind myself of that.

 

[MDJO]

Apologies if these have been posted already:

Gas buddy.com has been a great help when shopping for low gas prices. I travel frequently and plan to fill up at locations I pass during travels.

DW is a fabulous cook and we eat fairly well at low cost, avoiding pre-made meals and restaurants. While on expense account from megacorp, eat large meals and small ones at home.

Added insulation and installed new windows last year - heating and cooling bills dropped dramatically. DW doesn't like AC in the summer until it gets stifling hot, so we don't spend much on cooling.

Reduced fees we pay for garbage collection by aggresive use of free recycling.

Paying bills online instead of through the mail, or auto-payment.

CFL's in all outlets. Turning off unused appliances that "trickle" electricity.

Charge all expenses related to work on my 2% cash back card, get reimbursed before the bill comes in, then pay off when statement comes in. Did this one time on a $9,000 catering tab - nice little bonus. Another time I moved the balance to a no interest credit card for 12 months, made the minimum payment, (too bad those days are gone) and invested the 9K until the end of the no interest period, then paid off.

Netflix is a lot cheaper than going to the movies.

Combine trips to visit relatives with work trips that are reimbursible. This sometimes saves megacorp money too, if I stay a little longer, the airfare may be less.

 

[foxfirev5]

Find a spouse your compatible with. Lots of DIY projects, including building a house, a whole house. My DW and kids started hand digging the foundation as soon as the frost was out. We finished digging, poured the footers, layed the bocks and had it under roof by the end of that summer. Even with the collapse in housing in our area we're still ahead. Also. 30 years of free hair cuts have saved also.

 

[harley]

Find a spouse your compatible with. Lots of DIY projects, including building a house, a whole house. My DW and kids started hand digging the foundation as soon as the frost was out. We finished digging, poured the footers, layed the bocks and had it under roof by the end of that summer. Even with the collapse in housing in our area we're still ahead. Also. 30 years of free hair cuts have saved also.

Yeah, 30 years of baldness has covered that one for me.

 

[fern]

Get one of those Foodsaver vaccum sealers. Great for saving buying in bulk and freezing/sealing/saving, sealing extra portions, or keeping snacks (chips, pretzels, cookies, etc.) fresh.

No,don't waste your money on yet another one-use gadget that takes up valuable counter or cabinet space. Use a straw to suck out air as you zip lock the plastic bag closed. This works just as effectively as a high-priced gadget.

 

[fern]

My best money saving tips:
1. Drive your car for at least 10 yrs
2. Don't buy too much house
3. Pay attention to credit score as it affects what you pay on insurance as well as loans
4. Use credit cards for the rewards & benefits as much as possible (but don't carry a balance)
5. Limit eating out, bring your lunch to w*rk & learn to creatively use leftovers to stretch the grocery budget
6. Don't chase fashion trends - buy simple, basic clothes and take care of them. Same with shoes & purses (for the ladies, unless you guys like buying shoes & purses too...no judgement )
7. Color your own hair - I just need to cover grays, so I buy the box stuff for $7 or so, vs. paying $40 or more for a salon to do the same thing. I also keep my hair cut in a simple style, and just go to Super Cuts to get it cut for ~ $18 every couple of months.
8. Buy store brands vs. name brands. For most stuff they are fine. If you try & don't like, than stick with the name brand but look for coupons. I find Costco's Kirkland brand to be good for most stuff. Also Whole Foods' 365 store brand is very good.
9. For cooking, try learning some vegetarian meals to mix in once or twice a week - will shave a bit off your grocery bill vs. eating meat every day.
10. Limit magazine & newspaper subscriptions, as they can add up every month and there is a lot of stuff on the net for free
11. When traveling pack your own food. When flying, bring an empty water bottle and fill it up at a water fountain once you are past security, instead of buying a bottle in the airport. Pack only what fits in a carry on vs. checking bags w/ a fee (plus, if it doesn't *happen* to fit on the plane...they will gate check your bag for free, vs. paying to check it in ).
12. Wash & re-use zip-lock bags & the "disposable" plastic containers.
13. Condition your hair with egg yolks instead of store bought conditioner (yes, its a little gross, but it works great...leaves my hair shiny, soft and manageable). Eat the leftover egg whites for breakfast

Hm, that's all I can think of right now. I need to look at restaurant.com again, the last time I checked it out the participating restaurant list wasn't that great...

Why pay $7 for a box? I'm guessing you use L'Oreal. They all use the same chemical and it's just marketing you're paying for. I get Revlon Color Care for $4 a box.

 

[fern]

In addition to growing your own vegetables, don't limit your enjoyment of organic, homegrown produce to the summer months. Plant extras of everything you can blanch and freeze for winter use. I do this with tomatoes, zucchini, stringbeans and berries.

Speaking of berries, I have tons of wineberries (similar to a raspberry) growing wild in my backyard. I used to be content to pick a few each day for my breakfast cereal. Then last year, i was out of work, so i had the time to pick a lot during the month of July, when they are ripe. I picked 39 cups of berries, froze most of them and am enjoying them on my breakfast cereal...in January. (Frozen berries are also great in a berry crisp.)

Another $ saving tips: Drive like a little old lady. Seriously. It's great if you have an economical car to begin with, but if you avoid jack rabbit starts and sudden stops and generally accelerate gradually, coast to a stop, etc., you really boost your mileage. My 99 Honda Civic is rated EPA-rated 35 city/29 local but by driving like a little old lady, I average about 38 and can get as much as 42 mpg when i drive about 60 on the highway.

 

[freebird5825]

...Another $ saving tips: Drive like a little old lady. Seriously. It's great if you have an economical car to begin with, but if you avoid jack rabbit starts and sudden stops and generally accelerate gradually, coast to a stop, etc., you really boost your mileage. My 99 Honda Civic is rated EPA-rated 35 city/29 local but by driving like a little old lady, I average about 38 and can get as much as 42 mpg when i drive about 60 on the highway.

Allow me to add on a little extra in this category, please.
Use your cruise control in city or country driving as well as on the open highway. You can use the Coast to slow down slightly, Cancel and Resume as needed, and a light touch on the Accelerate to increase speed gradually instead of using the gas pedal.
I drive an 8 cylinder Jeep Grand Cherokee in winter months. Driving by touch versus all gas pedal does help the gas mileage a little bit. It does add up.

And by all means get a cashback credit card that offers a good percentage back on gasoline/automotive purchases. Mine has 4% cashback and I am almost ready to get my first $100 check. Gas here is now $3.25 per gallon.

 

[fern]

Allow me to add on a little extra in this category, please.

And by all means get a cashback credit card that offers a good percentage back on gasoline/automotive purchases. Mine has 4% cashback and I am almost ready to get my first $100 check. Gas here is now $3.25 per gallon.

Can you share which card gives 4% cash back?

 

[samclem]

Another $ saving tips: Drive like a little old lady.

Oh, I think I've been behind you on the onramp. Seriously, it's possible to save gas like this, but I hope folks will use common sense. Or, just put on the neck brace now (you'll need it soon anyway) and drive with the hazard lights on (if you're a rolling barricade).

 

[fern]

I wouldn't advise getting a driver behind you getting seriously ticked off, and maybe you can't do that as much in the city, but here in the burbs traffic can be light, so i coast to a stop at lights and such.

 

[freebird5825]

Can you share which card gives 4% cash back?

PNC offers a VISA card called Everyday Rewards. It features 4-3-2-1 cashback on gas/auto (4%), entertainment (3%), groceries (2%), and everything else (1%) over $10K in annual purchases. No annual fee. APR depends on your credit rating.
Everyday Rewards used to be issued by National City Bank. It may be geographically limited. I have had the card for quite a while, before National City imposed the state of residence limitations.
PM me if you cannot locate it.

 

[fern]

Freebird, are you saying you don't earn any rewards before you hit $10K in annual purchases? If so I'd never charge that much!

 

[freebird5825]

No, the $10K annual thing is only for the 1% category.

You get the 4,3,2% categories right away. There are monthly limits for the 4,3,2% but it would take a LOT of spending to reach them.

Here it is:
https://www.pnc.com/webapp/sec/Solu...sonal/Cards/Everyday+Rewards+Visa+Credit+Card

I carry a zero balance from month to month.

 

[fern]

Sounds like my kind of credit card.

 

[fern]

I am SOOOOO disappointed. I went to apply online and they don't offer the card in Connecticut. If anyone has a similar great CC, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[REWahoo]

I am SOOOOO disappointed. I went to apply online and they don't offer the card in Connecticut. If anyone has a similar great CC, I'd love to hear about it.

PenFed Credit Union (anyone can join, see #8 here) offers a popular cash back Visa card - 5% on pay-at-the-pump gas, 2% on groceries, 1% on everything else. No fee, no annual reward limits and the cash is credited to your monthly statement.

One caution: PenFed had a recent security breach and are in the process of issuing new account numbers to all Visa card holders. Some of us have been less than pleased with the process. Here is a thread discussing it: http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/penfed-credit-card-woes-52448.html

 

[fern]

Thanks very much wahoo. I will look into that.

the security breach doesn't bother me too much as i would have to assume they will now take steps to tighten security, plus there is 0 liability for credit card holders in the event of ID theft.

 

[fern]

Well, it appears as you said. However, eligibility-wise, since I'm not a veteran or federal govt employee, it appears the only way i could join is as an American Red Cross blood donor, although i have nothing to prove I've given blood so will see when i apply.

Since i track my expenses, i can see that in 2010 if i charged most of my gas and food purchases, i'd get just about $100 back. I don't have a special reason to get a new credit card, other than because the cash back Amex card i use now has much smaller rewards (it's an older card). But i like the idea of making a little money without having to do much. I pay my credit card bills in full each month anyway so they wouldn't make a dime off me.

however, i recently opened a new sears card a few months ago and i imagine if i opened this new card it might zing my credit a little since it might appear i'm a little too active opening up new cards. My score now is at an all-time high of 801 last i checked.

what do you think? Should i go for it?

 

[REWahoo]

Well, it appears as you said. However, eligibility-wise, since I'm not a veteran or federal govt employee, it appears the only way i could join is as an American Red Cross blood donor, although i have nothing to prove I've given blood so will see when i apply.

Fern, look at item #8 on their "How to be a member" page. A one-time donation of $20 gets you lifetime membership in the CU.

National Military Family Association

If you do not fall within our regular field of membership, you can join the National Military Family Association in order to become a member with Pentagon Federal Credit Union.

• Low, one-time only $20 fee (fee is non-refundable tax deductible donation)
• Membership is open to anyone
• National Military Family Association is the leading non-profit advocacy organization for military families
• You do not have to retain National Military Family Association membership to stay a member with Pentagon Federal Credit Union

 

[fern]

Yeah, i saw that but was trying to avoid paying that fee, cheap as i am.

 

[freebird5825]

I am SOOOOO disappointed. I went to apply online and they don't offer the card in Connecticut. If anyone has a similar great CC, I'd love to hear about it.

Bummer...
I originally found out about it via www.bankrate.com
I am figuring I was grandfathered in as an active account holder when National City decided to impose geographical limitiations on accounts. Then PNC acquired National City.

Here are the current offers for Cashback cards
Cash Back Cards by Bankrate

Watch out for ones that have annnual fees.

If you look on the right side of the BankRate CashBack Card webpage, you will see a box with circles that allows you to change the search criteria.

 

[fern]

Giving blood doesn't cost me anything