25 Ways I Save Money
Personal Finance
There is a link fest over at Frugal for Life on 25 Ways I Save Money. Below are my 25:
1.) Clip coupons.
2.) Cook at home instead of eating out the majority of the time.
3.) Wait for a great deal on most of my major purchases by checking Fatwallet, Slickdeals, etc.
4.) If the service engine light comes on in my car, take it to AutoZone and get the trouble code read for free before taking it to a mechanic (sometimes its something stupid like the gas cap is loose).
5.) Do 0% balance transfer app-o-ramas to earn money off interest.
6.) Fully fund my ROTH IRA and my 401k.
7.) Purchase gift cards to many stores at 20% off from Dealpass.
8.) Changed all bulbs in the house to CFL
9) Buy generic drugs and food over name brands.
10.) Do most home maintanance/improvement jobs myself to save on labor.
11.) Keep extra money in a high yield savings account instead of checking.
12.) Use the library for books instead of purchasing them (especially travel books).
13.) Keep track of purchases, spending, and savings in Yodlee.
14.) Run the washer on cold to save energy.
15.) Sell unneeded items on Ebay or Craigslist.
16.) Search on A9.com occassionally to get 1.57% off purchases at Amazon.
17.) Sign up for rewards programs whenever possible.
18.) Call the cable company so they to give me a better deal on cable/internet service.
19.) Turn off the pilot light on my gas fireplace when it isn’t going to be used for a while.
20.) Air dry clothes when possible.
21.) Switched home phone service to VOIP and cell phone to prepaid.
22.) Plant my own garden.
23.) Buy liquor in the caribbean where it is about 60% cheaper than in the US.
24.) Bake my own bread.
25.) Use cashback credit cards on purchases instead of cash / checks.
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The Autozone one is a gem. I’ve gotten better about doing maintenance around the house, but my father-in-law still helps me tackle the really tough ones.
Great list!
Great post overall, but I would say that the prepaid cellphone is much more expensive than a traditional in per minute terms. It would only save money if the phone was used very sparingly.
Ken - I agree there is a certain break even point where it is more advantagous to use a traditional plan. See my post on Saving Money On Phone Service for more info why I use prepaid.
A lot of you use coupons. I’m from Scandinavia, so excuse my ignorance: How do you collect and use coupons. What are they typically for?
Coupons are in the newspaper or come in the mailbox. They are ususally for a small amount off of a certain item at the grocery store, or a “deal” , such as one might say that with that coupon you could get one pizza for half price at a pizza place. Though it has been my experience that even though some coupons are useful, some of them are for purchases you would not make anyway. But coupons for grocery store food are very helpful when trying to save money!