Save Money the Frugal Way

The 10 Most-Hated Money Saving Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:41:00 +0000

After all of those thoughts, suggestions, and ideas, one thing I can tell you about saving money is that despite the fact that they can save you a boatload of money, some tips are hated. And I don't mean disliked a little. I mean people HATE them. They hate the thought of them, the suggestion of them, and the fact that I would have the nerve to even list them. How do I know this? I read the comments. I get the emails. I see the blog posts rebutting the suggestions. Believe me, there are just some money saving ideas that tick people off.

It's too bad because many of these ideas can save people a bundle of money. We're not talking a dollar here and a dollar there, but thousands of dollars in savings (and some even offer tens of thousands of dollars in savings.) And yet, people don't want to hear them.

But since I'm a glutton for punishment, I thought I'd highlight what I see as the 10 most-hated money saving tips. I'll list them all in countdown fashion according to how much they are hated. I'll give a brief summary of each of them as well as some links to related posts in case you'd like more information.

With that said, here we go:

10. Be healthy -- Let's face it, people don't like being told they are fat and lazy. I think that's at the core of the disdain for a healthy lifestyle. But despite the pans this suggestion gets, there's no debating that being healthy can easily save you thousands of dollars on items like medical expenses and life insurance. Even something simple like losing some weight can add up to big savings. Or you can sit on the couch watching TV every night eating bon bons. You decide what's best for you.

9. Move to a foreign country (or even visit for health care) -- How dare I even suggest this idea? It's unpatriotic, would require extensive travel to see family, and, after all, the United States is the "best" in everything, so why move? Let's take these objections in reverse order.

First, here's a news flash: the United States is NOT the best in everything (such as health care, lifestyle, culture, weather, etc.) I know, some of this is subjective, but come on, does anyone really believe the U.S. is the best in everything? Second, living in Central America may actually require LESS travel to see family than if you lived somewhere else in the U.S. Example: You live in New York and your family lives in LA. You move to Mexico. Are you closer to them now? Besides, once you have to get on a plane, any trip is not that much longer away even if you live farther. Finally, I'm not suggesting you renounce your citizenship. What I'm saying is that you can still love the U.S. (as I do) and live somewhere else. Sheesh! Lighten up.

The fact is that the cost of living is significantly lower in other parts of the world and you can save a ton of money by moving overseas. Of course this brings up the "what do I do for a living" question, so this idea works best for retirees. Some money saving countries to explore: Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.

As far as health care goes, you can easily save thousands having a major medical procedure done in a foreign country. Concerned that the care isn't as good as in the U.S.? It isn't. In many cases it's better.

8. Quit smoking -- Ok, I expected the smoking addicts to hate this one. They, of course, decry the fact that I'm trying to steal all the fun from their lives. But I didn't expect the outcry from another group: those who invest in companies who make cigarettes. Ha!

I think everyone will agree that smoking is bad for your health. And, as we know by now, having poor health is bad for your wallet (re-read item #10 in case you've forgotten this already.) In addition, you can save somewhere around $6,000 a year by quitting smoking (maybe less, maybe more.) Heck, by just not buying cigarettes it's easy to save a bundle.

For you smokers, find a cheaper, better way to enjoy life. And for those of you buying cigarette stocks, do something better (and easier) and go with index funds.

See? Now everyone is happy! ;-)

7. Buying used -- Let's list the things people hate about buying used: 1) it's not new; 2) someone else has used it; 3) did I mention it's not new?

Really, is owning something brand new really worth that much more? I think most of us have generally accepted that a good-condition used car is less expensive than a new car, but we haven't made the transition to other areas of products. But if we do, buying used can save a bundle. And yet, people don't really like this idea -- especially when it comes to buying used clothing.

6. Buy a house you can afford -- This one used to get a lot more heat than it does now. Then the subprime mortgage mess hit and detractors have been silent lately. Funny how good advice seems to always win out in the long run, huh?

Anyway, buying a house you can easily afford is a key part of my formula for buying a house. Avoid this suggestion and it can cost you big time as many people are unfortunately finding out now.

5. Cutting your cable -- It's a known fact that the U.S. Declaration of Independence states that all men are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness through watching endless re-runs of "dog police" and "the world's wackiest whatever" sorts of shows. Who cares that it's rotting your brain and costing you a fortune?

You can save thousands by cutting cable TV -- maybe even $1 million. And if you can't cut it completely, at least take steps to save as much as you can on cable costs.

4. Taking your lunch to work -- Who knew there were so many advantages of blowing $10 a day on lunch out? You get out of the office (which gets you exercise and allows your mind to freshen), you get to socialize with others (which can enhance your career), and you get to have fun!

I've got an idea, why don't you bring your lunch to work, saving a bundle of money, then get a group of people from the office to run at noon. Then you get exercise, socialization, a fresh mind, and fun. Or, if you simply want to walk with friends you could do that too. Not to mention, you wouldn't have to find a place to shower afterwards. And you can save a few thousand dollars a year. Not bad.

3. Limiting small spending -- Personal finance guru David Bach came up with the "latte factor," the idea that you could save a bundle of money if you limited the small, worthless purchases you make every day -- like $5 lattes for example. But no one likes this idea. It takes all the fun out of life and besides, we all need to focus on the big amounts we spend, that's where you can save the really big money.

Yes, while it's true that we all need to watch our big money expenditures, it's also true that before you have millions, you need thousands. And before you get to thousands, you need hundreds. And before you need hundreds, you need tens. And so on. Ok, enough with the philosophical junk, what I'm really trying to say is that pennies can add up to millions. Live with it for Pete's sake!

And finally, while it may be fun to pour $5 down your throat for 15 minutes a day, I prefer to have more fun checking my ever-growing net worth. ;-)

2. Not buying a pet -- If cable TV is the #2 right of every American, having a pet has to be #1. And shame on me for suggesting that pets actually cost money. What am I, some sort of neo-fascist?

Ok, I didn't help my cause out any when I claimed a pet costs $48,000. I was doing that to get your attention. I've since done a bunch of posts on what pets really do cost and it seems to me that $1,000 per year is a fair, rough cost for a pet. And just for the record, I'm not the only one suggesting pets are expensive -- Money Central says getting a pet can be a stupid money move.

That said, I'm also open minded enough to consider the alternatives -- that pets might actually SAVE you money, make you happy (who said money couldn't buy happiness?), help you become healthier, extend your life and even allow you to buy love. Ok, maybe the dog people are wearing me down.

Still, I'm still horrified by the possibility of having a problem dog that needs to wear diapers.

1. Moving to a lower cost-of-living city -- This one really puzzles me. Not only is it that people don't like this idea, but they REALLY don't like it. As in "you're the stupidest financial blogger ever" sort of don't like it. But what do I care? I still have my day job. ;-)

It must be the fact that, in general, people love where they live. They like the area of the country, their job, and the fact that they have family nearby.

However, if you move from a high cost-of-living city to a lower cost-of-living city, you can literally save MILLIONS over the course of your lifetime. And yes, that accounts for the fact that you'll probably make less money in the new city. But your living expenses will drop so much more that you'll be way better off financially. I know -- you don't want to hear that. I'll shut up now.

Let me end by saying that I'm not against spending money. I'm not about saving every single penny, eliminating any fun in life, just to accumulate more. But what I am saying is that there are a number of good savings ideas that will allow us to save money -- so we can invest a bit more and spend the rest on things we enjoy. And even with ideas we may hate, there are some really good ways to save money if we simply take time to consider them a bit.

Source : Free Money Finance

Downsizing Your Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Recession calls for a tightened budget, and friends are expensive

By Penelope Trunk • Bankrate.com

When I was a teenager, my mom threw me out of the house. Maybe 20 times. I would ride my bike to my grandma's house and my grandma would put her arm around me and say, "Relationships are dynamic." At the time, I could comprehend this advice only in the context of the most popular boy dumping the most popular girl so I could have my chance. But now that I have half my grandmother's years and a mother who I get along with, I understand the concept of ever-changing relationships.

Here's another thing that's true about relationships: Money affects them all. Sometimes it's obvious and sometimes it's insidious, but money's always there beside the kiss-kiss-hello. For example, you can bet that if I couldn't afford to live in my own house, my mom and I would still be screaming at each other.

For the unemployed, getting through this recession will require a new, tightened budget. And since money is involved in all relationships, budgets impact all relationships. But don't worry, relationships are dynamic, and they were bound to change anyway, so a recession reassessment just speeds things along.

Friends are expensive. Most friends do meals. And meals cost money. You could invite a friend to go running with you, but sooner or later you'll want to talk face to face. You could invite a friend to watch TV at your house, but that'd better be a pretty good friend or else it'll look like you 're making a pass. So before you budget for friends, any friend who you were thinking of dumping, now is the time.

Once you've dumped the obvious, other friends will fall in gray areas. These friends must be reprioritized. Whereas interesting and fun used to be at the top, economical and supportive are what you need during your days of unemployment. Here are some examples:

Higher-ups
The friend who was a rung on the ladder. This is the person who makes a lot more money than you but has taken an interest in you -- an interest, which you fantasize, will facilitate some large, very important existence for you and your family down the line. The great thing about this person is he treats you like an equal. This is a great thing until there's a recession. Then it's just a bill for a $90 bottle of wine split in two. The only way to justify adding a line in your budget for a $200 dinner is if you'll get a job from it.

Down-and-outs
The friend who was your poor friend. Now you are your poor friend. So you cannot pay for that friend any more. You have to break it to him early. Don't wait until you've been unemployed three months. The talk is inevitable. Besides, if he's a good friend, you can watch TV at your house. If he's not a good friend, thank goodness you're finding out early before you spend your precious severance pay on him.

Kindred spirits
The friend who complained about her low-paying job. This is what my friend, Beth, said every day of the Internet boom: "You make so much money! What a rip-off! Why did I go to school for so many years to become a psychologist? I'm in an economic ghetto." I bought Beth a new wardrobe when I sold my stock from my first company. Beth wore the pink sweater I bought her when she paid for dinner last week. She said, "I feel so lucky. I have tenure. I'll never be fired." She annoys me that she can buy a new car in a recession. But she moves to the top of my friend list, because she knows what it's like to want more money. She understands my desire for stability, even if she can 't imagine getting it without getting a graduate degree.

Shopaholics
The friend who loves to shop. She's gone. Done. She is poison during unemployment. Don't fall for her bargain hunting, either. You know you should not be buying anything. Anything you wore last year is fine for this year. After all, you are not Linda Evangelista trying to revive a dying fashion career. Remember, one step into the store and you will get that manic, comfort, things-are-my-friends feeling that won't end until you have too many bags to carry. What? You say you don't get that crazy, consumer high when you walk into Barneys? Then why go shopping in the first place?

Homebodies
The friend who never wants to go out. A keeper. This is the friend who will hang out with you while you job hunt. This is the friend who will be so happy on your sofa that she won't mind you whining about how you shouldn't have been the person who got laid off. People like this have a lot of food in their fridge. Eat it. It's free. And this person will think of that as a small price to not have to get up off the sofa to see you.

Kindly kin
The friend who is a family member. Family members know that relationships are dynamic. They understand that when you have a lot of money you can do a lot of fun things that are more fun without family. And when you have no money, family dinners are better than noodle Raman for one.

You need to save money, but you can't be a hermit. After all, if you don't talk to anyone all day, when you get to the job interview you will be too chatty -- like a crazy person just let out of confinement. The trick during unemployment is to keep your friends costs to a minimum, but dish out enough cash to ensure that you still have them. And remember that you always need a few, because like my mom and my grandma, if one tosses you out, you need one to take you in.

Source : Bankrate.com

Money Saving Habits for Recession

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:43:00 +0000

Here are a few money saving recession tips to develop which can save you a whole lot during the recession:

Make your own coffee.
During recession, coffee-makers are in the high demand. Think about it. A Starbucks coffee costs anywhere between $1.50 - $5, which means if you get a coffee on your way to work each morning, you spend anywhere between $7.50 to $25 a week or anywhere between $400-$1300 a year. Too much for a morning coffee? You decide.

Learn to turn off the light when you leave a room.
Electrical bill for an average family ranges anywhere between $30 to $300 a month, depending on where you live and how large your place is. So even a 20% reduction in your electrical usage, which is easily attainable, can save an average family anywhere between $70 to $700 a year.

Stop buying bottled water.
In many cities, bottled water is not necessarily cleaner than tap water. Especially if you use filter on your tap water, there is probably no reason to spend so much money each week on bottled water. Still research about the quality of your city's tap water, before taking any action.

Reuse your grocery bags.
Reusing your grocery bags for trash not only saves you money in the long term, but it’s also environmental. An average family spends anywhere between $2 -$5 on trash bags each week (as much $250 a year!).

Consider canceling some of your services.
Go through the list of services you have and think about which is necessary.

Stop using vending machines.
Using vending machines for snack can be very costly. If you really want to have that 10 a.m. or 4 p.m. snack, consider other alternatives such as taking snacks to work.

Buy used vehicles.
Buying a new car in recession probably does not make sense, unless you are financially secure. A new car depreciates immediately after your first drive.

Forget about brands.
If you are a loyal customer to a particular brand, this may be the time to reevaluate you loyalty. If it’s not based on quality or specific features you like in that brand, recession may be a good time to try other, cheaper alternatives.

Find frugal friends.
Friends often influence many of our decisions. Try to avoid hanging out too much with your lavish friends during recession.

Source : Recession Info Center

Cheaper Than Cheap: Tips for Ultra-Frugal Living

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:13:00 +0000

By Karen Datko

Some frugal-living tips -- turning two-ply toilet paper into one-ply -- seem over the top, but others, like reusing Ziploc bags, are accepted practice in lots of households. The Happy Rock provides six "cheaper than cheap" tips "that border on fanatical to the point of being humorous" and asks readers to vote on their usefulness.

"Rock" provides a thorough explanation of each über-frugal tip as part of an ongoing series of posts, complete with how-to links in case you need some help implementing them.

Treat every squeeze of shampoo and dish detergent as if it were your last. Rock realized that he uses less toothpaste, etc., in each application as the supply in the container gets low. He suggests refilling empty bottles with just enough "to keep the frugal skimping side of you in control." (We think this would be kind of hard to do with toothpaste.)

Separate the two-ply TP. Reader Double Eagle commented, "Honestly, I'm all for trying to cut out the spending excesses, but this borders on neurotic."

Hypermiling. (MSN Money has a good article about these gas-saving methods.) The funniest thing about Rock's post on hypermiling is that it was written when gas was $3 a gallon. Thanks for the memories.

Use canvas or used plastic bags at the grocery store. His store gives a 5-cent refund for each personal bag you use. The math looks good. Rock says, "If you buy five bags for a $5 investment, those bags are paid off after just 20 trips. If the bags last another five years, you could earn about $62.50 assuming you go to the store 50 times a year."

Reuse plastic sandwich and other food-storage bags. Our partner blogger Trent Hamm at The Simple Dollar has written about the merits of this. Rock says, "Depending on the amount of bags that you use, you can easily save $20 a year."

Use creative ways to save on gas. Check out the photo at this post. Also, Rock tells a funny story. Rather than driving his own car to his wife's surprise birthday party an hour and a half away, he stowed away in the trunk of her car. "Presto -- $20 in gas saved, cramped legs, but, boy, was my wife surprised!" Now, that's creative.

Source : MSN Money

Frugal Living Tip: Groceries

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:41:00 +0000

The Grocery Store - this is definitely one place where lots of money can be saved. In order to save money on groceries, you need to plan your shopping trip, use coupons, and meal plan. Below is a step-by-step guide to follow to make the most of your grocery shopping and save money!

Create a budget for your grocery shopping.

Whether it’s one hundred dollars of three hundred dollars, it’s important to not go over that amount. Be sure to bring a calculator to the store to keep track of your expenses. A good rule of thumb is just put the price on the tag in the calculator and watch that total then you’ll end up saving more at the end once you use your coupons and special discounts. Be sure to add everything into the calculator so there are no surprises at the checkout counter!

Before you get going into saving money tips at the grocery store, think about how often you like to shop. Do you like to shop each week, daily, twice a month, once a month? Determine this before going forward. If you like to shop once a week, take the total amount for groceries that you have budgeted for the month and divide that by the number of weeks in that month. That is how much you can spend at the store each week.

If you have two hundred dollars a month for groceries, and four weeks in the month, you have fifty dollars a week for groceries. Another tip: if you have fifty dollars to spend and only use forty-five dollars, take the extra five dollars and put that into savings. Don’t save it to buy more groceries or think that you can go get a burger and fries. Be frugal and save it!

The next step is to make an inventory of all the groceries you currently have.

Go through your pantry, freezer and refrigerator and list what you have in stock. If you can do this on the computer, it’ll be helpful to update regularly. Create three columns: Item, Amount, and Purchase.

Put a list of all the products you have in the “Item” column and how many of each item you have in the “Amount” column. The “Purchase” column is where you can place a check mark when you run out of the entire item or you get very close to being out and you need to pick it up the next time you go shopping. Keep this list near the pantry or cabinet where you have all your groceries. Make the same type of list for your refrigerator and freezer as well.

Another step is to clip coupons.

I recommend having the Sunday paper delivered to your house each week. In the long run, you will be saving a lot more than the subscription price is worth. Take the time to clip coupons and create a good system for you for sorting them. Be sure to also check to see if a store doubles coupons. You save even more when stores do that for you.

You can also print coupons on your computer. Sites like Coupons.com and CouponSurfer.com are always updated with the latest coupons that are available. Just be sure to check your store’s policy and see if they accept printed coupons.

Join your grocery store’s frequent shoppers club.

Most are free and you get bonus coupons and deals by having the card when you checkout. With the way stores can keep track of what you purchase each time you visit them, they will begin to send you coupons based on your past purchases and when you checkout, they will print you off extra coupons for you to use on your next trip.

Create a grocery list before leaving the house.

Now that you have a list of deals, clipped coupons, a frequent shopper’s club card and a list of what you need from the store, it’s time to sit down and put it all together. Look over everything on your list, go ahead and get coupons ready and make sure you know exactly what you are going for while at the store. Going to the store without a list is detrimental to the entire process of living frugally.

Now that you are at the store, take your time. Never shop on an empty stomach - this will prevent some impulse purchases.

Read the sale ad and the tags on the shelf carefully- then compare prices to save the most money.

A good rule of thumb is to have a calculator or extra paper to determine what your best deal is. Have the ad from the paper as well to check out any special deals that are going on. Some stores have listed in their ads if you buy ten of these certain products, you will get three dollars off at checkout. The important thing with this is to look at the list carefully. If you need the products listed and they are cheaper than their counterparts, then it is worth it to get all those items.

Another thing to consider deals with the frequent shoppers club card. All over the store there will be signs stating that with your card, this item is “Buy 10 for $10.” So each item is one dollar each. For that particular item, this may be a good buy. But if you take a look at the generic item right beside it that is regularly priced at eighty-nine cents each, that is the better deal to go with. Don’t always be fooled by the signs.

Furthermore, “Buy 10 for $10″ could be misleading. You might not have to purchase 10 to get the sale price. With your card, you might be able to save a certain amount on each, regardless of how many you purchase. This is why you must read carefully to fully understand the sale.

Ever been told it’s better to by the family size of an item?

Don’t be fooled here either. When you see that you can purchase a family size box of granola box where you get thirty-six granola bars for five dollars, you might think that’s a good deal.

But then you see that you can get one box of granola bars with ten bars in each box for one dollar each. If you do the math, you can either get thirty-six granola bars for five dollars or get fifty granola bars for five dollars.

While this might be the case here, in other places, it’s more beneficial to purchase the family size. For example, frozen French fries. For one, these can be frozen so even if you are single, these will last awhile. If you look at the smaller bag of fries, you might get fifteen ounces for $1.99, but you can purchase the family size of forty-five ounces for $2.99 so for one dollar more, you get thirty more ounces.

When buying groceries, in most cases, buying generic is the exact same as buying the name brand product.

Try it and see if you don’t notice a difference or lack thereof. Generic is usually approximately thirty percent cheaper than name brand if not cheaper.

Again, you do have to look at in-store specials and coupons before determining exactly which product to buy. You will probably begin spending longer in the grocery store than before, but if it’s worth it to save twenty percent, thirty percent or more, then it’s worth the extra time.

One other thing to consider is getting a membership to a wholesale club.

At these stores you can buy in larger quantities and save money on the things you purchase the most. You’ll save more than what you pay for the membership. It’s helpful to have a place to be able to store the extra you have on hand and possibly another freezer or refrigerator. You tend to save twenty to thirty percent when you buy in bulk and it is beneficial when you have a large family or only wish to go shopping for certain items a few times a year.

Another part of the grocery scenario is meal planning.

One reason people spend extra money eating out is they fail to plan ahead. Meal planning is key to saving money on your groceries. It eliminates the last-minute trips to the store. It eliminates the dash to the fast food drive-through. When you plan your grocery shopping list, plan your meals too,

A good tip is to pick one day a week and spend it cooking meals for the week. It’s very easy to make several casseroles and freeze them and on any given day, all you need to do is pull the casserole out in the morning and it’ll be thawed out by the time you come home for dinner, ready to pop into the oven and cook while you wind down. Think about using recipes for the crock-pot that cook all day while you’re gone (or even while you’re at home) and it’s ready for dinnertime.

Saving money on groceries can be easy, if you prepare. So let’s recap what you need to do:

1. Create a grocery budget
2. Create an inventory of what you have on hand
3. Clip coupons
4. Join your store’s customer shopping program
5. Carefully read the circular and the tags
6. When you can, buy the family size or in bulk
7. Buy generic
8. Plan your meals

If you’d like more information on how to meal plan, I have a low-cost, easy-to-read ebook that gives you a step-by-step formula for meal planning. Check out The Household Helper’s Guide to Meal Planning for Busy Moms.

Source : The HouseholdHelper.com

Frugal Way to Save Money on Lipstick

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:19:00 +0000

I’m a big fan of make up especially, lipsticks. It seems like I every time I go to the mall or regular retail stores, I feel like I am committing a crime if I don’t stop at a cosmetic counter/area. The temptation is overwhelming. Do you have the same problem as me? Nowadays, there are so many cute cosmetics with a different looks, colors and styles. All of them claim they are the best, they can make you look younger, and on and on. I love color a lot and I love to play with colors.

Even though I have tons of lipsticks, it seems that it’s never enough. I want to have a complete color collection that matches all of my outfits. Or maybe it’s just my addictions. Several times en I bought a new color which I thought was a new cool color for me, I got home and found out I already had one of a similar color. Then I ended up having so many lipsticks in similar color or slightly different. That’s really bad bad bad bad ( like my 2 years old niece said) ….and a waste of money too–quite the opposite of my frugal nature (I know that!! I try to forgive myself for this.)

As you all know that we can’t keep cosmetics for too long. Let say for 10 years. There’s a limit on how long we can keep cosmetics for our safety reasons. The best sign on when to throw your make up away is when the color changes or an odor develops. Get rid off them. Most of cosmetic use preservatives to fight bacteria. The reason of color changes or odor develops is because the preservatives may no longer be able to fight bacteria.

Here’s a few simple guideline for how long you can keep your make up in:

Mascara: 3 months ( for this one is a MUST)
Liquid eyeliner: 3-6 months (for this one is a MUST)
Oil Free Foundation: 1 year
Nail Color: 1 year
Concealer: 1-1.5 year
Lip gloss: 1.5-2 years
Powder: 2 years
Blush and Bronzer: 2 years
Eye shadow: 2 years
Eyeliner: 2 years
Lipstick: 2 years
Lip liner: 2 years

BUT…….In my opinion, basically, there’s no hard and fast rule on when to throw cosmetics out. I believe we can keep make up indefinitely as long as it looks and smells all right and the consistency doesn’t change. But there are some products that really sensitive and the rule it’s not working.

This season is about natural fresh looking color. Emphasize the assets that you already have Nude or natural lip color for lipstick is in now. I used to get really tempted to buy lipstick which is in season. But now since I have so many lipsticks I want to be more frugal and find creative ideas to use what I already have to create a new color to suit me.

So I came up with this idea…. If you have a lot of lipsticks in bold colors that are too bold to wear everyday, here’s the trick: buy a nude lipstick. First apply lip balm or moisturizer on your lips, then if you like to use lip liner, frame your lips thinly ( I don’t like to use this because if you are are not careful you can make your outer lips darker) then with a lipstick brush, fill the lips with bold lipstick color first. Make it even. Then apply the nude color on top of it, and you are done. Believe me you can have tons of new colors that you create by yourself. And you don’t need to buy a new lipstick that’s matchy matchy with your outfit. Simple but frugal.

Source : Zlittle Frugal Living

Five Frugal Travel Secrets

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:42:00 +0000

It’s great to get out and see the world while you’re young. Unfortunately, you will also never be so poor. Problem solved. Here are five frugal travel secrets to save you some yen, dinar, Euros—or whatever it is you’ll be spending.

Look past the net. Travel Web sites promising a great deal abound, but an old-fashioned travel agent may save you more, especially if you’re going to an out-of-the-way location. I recently scored U.S.-Croatia airfare from a travel agent for about $350 than the best Internet fare. Check package deals in Sunday papers, too. Find a travel agent through the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA).

Pack a meal a day. The cost of eating out adds up fast! Pinch some pennies by packing at least one of your daily meals, maybe two. Check out these easy picnic recipes for some inspiration.

Skip the hotel. Hotels are way overpriced, don’t you think? If you don’t mind some creative sleeping arrangements, (remember Gonzo hanging upside down in a closet in A Muppet Christmas Carol?) consider camping, hostels, or couch surfing. Sure, you could stay with friends, but you could also hook up with strangers willing to share a sofa at CouchSurfing.com.

Say “no thanks” to car rental insurance. Anytime you rent wheels, somebody will try to sell you insurance packages that can double your tab. Truth is— you may not need any of it. Most U.S. credit cards provide car rental damage insurance when you reserve the car with your card. Personal auto insurance usually provides damage and liability coverage for a rental, too. The one exception is if you don’t have your own auto insurance policy, you may want to take them up on liability insurance (but not damage, if reserving with a credit card). Find more ways to save on car rentals.

Go where your dollar goes furthest. These days, that’s not most of Europe. Heck, it’s not even Canada! This L.A. Times article offers some suggestions for countries where your dollar will go the distance, including Morocco, Cambodia, and Nicaragua. Need somewhere closer to home? Try Mexico, but avoid the most-visited areas like Cancun and Puerto Vallarta.

Source : MoneyUnder30.com

75 Money Saving Tips to Survive a Down Economy

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:10:00 +0000

I originally titled this post, “75 Tips to Survive a Recession,” but since there is still some dispute from economists on whether or not we are actually in recession, I just stuck with the phrase, “down economy.” Regardless of how economists refer to it, people are hurting, financially. $4.00 a gallon gasoline, rising food prices, declining home values, and a deflating dollar are combining to make it tough to stick to a budget.

Here are a few ways our family is coping:

1. Switch to cloth napkins. I’m not sure why it took a down economy for this one to dawn on me, but cloth napkins are a great alternative to paper napkins, which increase waste and add to our non-food budget.

2. Just say no to social events, or agree to meet after dinner. Peer pressure can wreak havoc on your financial plans. It’s never fun to turn down a chance to go out with friends, but there are ways to say yes without spending a fortune.

3. Scale back the cable. We’ve been living the last six months with only basic cable, and don’t miss any of the expanded cable channel offerings. Cable bill went down from $40 to $12 with this move alone.

4. Look for a value internet package. While I was scaling back on cable service I asked our cable provider for a cheaper rate on internet service. They told me about a little-advertised “value package” which costs half the normal monthly rate for reduced speed. Since I mostly surf the web and check email I barely notice, but I saved about $20 a month on our internet service.

5. Diversify your income. Look for ways to increase your income outside of your full time job. Do you have a hobby that you could make a small business? Could you spend some time working online surveys (many of these survey companies are scams, but the one I’ve linked is not. I’ve been a CashCrate member for over a year now)? Could you add some freelance work in the same line of work you do full time?

6. Hang up the land line telephone. If most of your calls are to other cell users in the same network, consider canceling the land line and using a cell phone exclusively.

7. Have a no-spend weekend. Sometimes it takes a break in the routine to get spending under control. Try to go an entire weekend without eating out, shopping, or ordering something online. It won’t solve all your spending problems, but it’s a start.

8. Carpool a few times a week. Take turns carpooling with a coworker, especially if they live close to you. Pick them up and take them home this week, and next week allow them to return the favor. You’ll both cut your driving time in half.

9. Check your vehicle’s tire pressure each time you fill up. Things like under-inflated tires and dirty air filters can reduce your gas mileage. Pick up an inexpensive tire gauge and check the pressure while filling up.

10. Change your driving habits to save on gas expenses. Cut out “jackrabbit” starts and heavy braking.

11. Do not buy new cars - Buy a used car, and drive it until the wheels fall off. My grandfather has driven two vehicles in 34 years! Sam Walton drove a twenty year-old pickup truck right up until the time he died. Don’t tell me it can’t be done. Remember, a new car is “used” the minute you drive it off the showroom floor.

12. Consolidate errands into one trip. If you have to get out try to consolidate all of your errands into one trip away from home, instead of driving back and forth several times from store to home.

13. Ride a bike for short commutes. I’m fortunate to live about 5 miles from my employer, so I occasionally commute by bike. If you happen to live close to stores, consider riding a bike for small errands. Take along a backpack, or put some panniers on your bike to carry things back home.

14. Unload the trunk, and remove unused cargo racks. Added weight in the trunk reduces gas mileage, as does the added wind drag from an unused cargo rack.

15. Wash your own car. Our town has one of those automated car washes and for $9.00 you can get “the works.” Essentially, it is a wash, wax and application of tire shine. I’m pretty sure I can do it for less. Better yet, employ the kids and let them earn a little extra money this summer.

16. Bank “found” money in a separate account. With any income above your normal earnings, bank the amount in a separate checking or savings account and use the money to pay down debt, build up savings, or offset increased expenses. Overtime, tax refunds (and stimulus checks), gifts and similar windfalls belong here.

17. Eat like a kid again. Eat off the same plates your kids eat off, which will force you to eat smaller portions. Your wallet and your waistline will thank you.

18. Drink tap water. I don’t have the inclination to run a cost comparison between an ounce of Coca Cola and an ounce of tap water, but I’m fairly confident tap water is infinitely cheaper.

19. Eat less meat. I’m about as far from vegetarian as you can get, but I recognize that my carnivorous habits cost me big at the grocery store. We’ve recently started having breakfast for dinner (eggs instead of meat), and substituting things like pinto beans (a great source of non-meat protein) in meals instead of meats.

20. Look for manager meat specials. When you do buy meat, check the manager’s specials area for meat that is about to pass the “sell by” date. The meat is still perfectly good, but freeze it immediately if you don’t plan on cooking within the next day or two.

21. Look for a used freezer to stock up on meat specials. Many times people relocating can’t take the extra chest freezer with them and advertise it on Craigslist or the local newspaper. If you can find a good used one stock it full of manager meat specials to reduce your food budget.

22. Don’t be afraid to buy generic. Forget brand loyalty when trying to save money. When we buy ketchup, we look for the lowest unit price, regardless of brand. Same with other foods and household supplies. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part generic items are just as good as name brands.

23. When in the store, look high and low for deals, literally. Marketers know that eye-level is the place most people tend to shop, so they put the items with the highest margins right in front of you. Better deals are usually found on lower shelves.

24. Cherry-pick coupon deals. Combine coupons with store sales to maximize savings. Our local Kroger store recently had mayonnaise 2/$4. We found a coupon for $0.50/1 that doubled to $1.00, so we picked up a mayo for $1.00. Don’t use a coupon to buy something you don’t need.

25. Supplement pet food with meat scraps. Quality dog food is expensive. To make ours last a little longer we occasionally skip the dog food and give our dog meat scraps. Avoid meats with sauces or spices as it can upset their stomach, and be sure to remove any bones. Plain beef, chicken and turkey make for a great treat for our dog.

26. Water down juices. When we open a new apple juice for our kids we pour up half in the old container and add about 1/4 - 1/2 container of water to each bottle. This makes each new bottle last a little longer, and dilutes the grams of sugar and calories per serving.

27. Shop at a farmers market for in-season produce. Few things taste as good as fresh fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, most of the produce you’ll find in a grocery store is grown elsewhere, particularly if it is out of season, locally. Figure out what’s in season and support local growers by visiting a farmers market.

28. Avoid using the oven during the summer. Ovens heat up a house faster than any other appliance, adding to the strain on air conditioner systems. Plan meals that don’t require baking, or bake in the late evening and microwave the next night.

29. When eating out, divide entrees in half and save the rest for a second meal. Ask for a to-go box as soon as your meal arrives and save half for tomorrow’s lunch. Restaurants are notorious for piling on portions, so this move will help you spread out the calories and cost of the meal.

30. Avoid pre-packaged foods. The little 100-calorie packs are convenient, but you can accomplish the same thing by buying a larger package of chips or cookies and then dividing into smaller portions using Ziploc bags. The unit cost savings are significant.

31. Grow your own vegetables. Unless you plan to dig up the entire yard to plant rows of food, you probably aren’t going to be able to grow enough to live off. However, a square foot garden can produce enough for some great summer salads without adding to your grocery bill.

32. Say no to fast food. Unless you hit the dollar menu exclusively, fast food can add up. Consider the cost of a combo meal for four people versus sandwiches, chips and drinks from home.

33. Properly insulate your home. Especially important in the summer and winter months, when the extreme temperatures outside can affect your temperature inside and cause utility bills to skyrocket.

34. Use a drying rack or line dry heavy clothing. Pick up a drying rack or install a clothesline to dry heavy garments and towels. When nearly dry, place items in dryer with a dryer sheet for just a few minutes to complete the drying cycle, remove wrinkles, and soften clothes.

35. Plant a tree next to your outside air conditioning unit. By shading your outside unit you may improve the operating efficiency of the overall system by 20%. Take care not to plant to close to the unit to maintain proper airflow.

36. Replace home air conditioner filter every month when in use. Manufacturers suggest changing your filter every 90 days, but I’ve found systems work better when changed once a month, especially in peak times like summer. Instead of picking up a top-of-the-line air filter, go for a medium grade filter and just buy more of them.

37. Switch to CFL lighting inside, and solar lighting outside. CFL bulbs use much less energy than incandescent bulbs, and give off less heat. Solar lights used to line pathways around your home run off a rechargeable battery that is charged up during the day by the sun, and lasts for several hours after dark.

38. Half the number of days your lawn is being watered. An established lawn doesn’t really need to be watered every day. In fact, daily watering can cause a shallow root system because grass roots don’t have to work hard to find water. Water once or twice a week, for a slightly longer duration and let Mother Nature help fill in the schedule with the occasional rain.

39. Use bathroom exhaust fan during showers and for 10 minutes after. Exhaust fans help carry moisture out of the bathroom from a hot shower. Don’t believe it? Run the exhaust fan during your next shower and notice how the mirrors don’t fog up.

40. Take a “Navy” shower. Get in, soap up, rinse off and get out. And put a low-flow showerhead on there while your at it.

41. Reuse bath towels. Sounds gross at first, but think about it - you are clean when you get out of the shower. Hang up towels after each use to thoroughly dry, and only add them to the dirty clothes pile after every three or four uses.

42. Don’t run water when shaving or brushing teeth. While shaving pull up the sink stopper and pool a little water in the sink for rinsing your razor.

43. Skip baths. Even though they are relaxing, baths require a lot of H20 and drive up your water bill. They also drain your home’s supply of hot water, forcing your hot water heater to replenish the supply, further adding to your utility costs.

44. Bathe your own pets. Skip the pet grooming salon, pickup some shampoo at a pet supply store and wash them yourself.

45. Skip the theater, subscribe to Netflix. Going to the movie theater is a great way to beat the heat, but it’s also expensive. Skip the theater, and sign up for an online DVD rental service. No late fees, and no gas used up traveling back and forth to the rental store.

46. Avoid stores. Stay out of stores unless you have a list (mental or otherwise) of specific things you need to buy. Shopping out of boredom leads to impulse buying and can quickly blow a budget.

47. Sunday paper only. Consider scaling back subscriptions such as newspapers to the bare minimum. If you are only going to get a paper once a week, opt for the Sunday paper, which usually includes coupons and weekly sales flyers from local grocery stores. Toss the other sales circulars - you may see something you want to buy!

48. Transfer existing debt using 0% balance transfer offers. If you have debt, make becoming debt free a top priority. Moving existing balances to 0% interest plans helps more of your payment go towards repaying the balance, and less towards interest. Beware of high upfront fees and go-to rates when considering your options.

49. Don’t renew the gym membership. Being healthy can save you money, but exorbitant fees and inflexible contracts make gyms a dangerous proposition. Take the money you would have spent at the gym and try to build one at home with used equipment.

50. Make your own Play-Doh. Kids can find many hours of enjoyment from a homemade play-doh recipe, and it’s a cheaper than buying it from the store.

51. Try a home haircut. Mine is pretty easy since I buzz it short all over. Guys, you will still need someone to help you with the neckline, unless you are good with mirrors.

52. Rediscover a local library. To replace the time previously spent watching television develop a reading habit, and support your local library while you are at it. Can’t find the book you are looking for? Don’t rush out and buy it. Many times libraries are networked and can request a copy of a book from another library.

53. Start your own “keep the change” program. Several banks are now running “keep the change” promotions where they round up your purchases and put the difference in a savings account. Problem is, these accounts don’t pay a great interest rate, and the program encourages increased spending. Create your own program by spending only cash and dumping the change in a coin jar. Make deposits into your own high-yielding savings account at the end of the month.

54. Put away the credit cards. Save cash for large purchases by creating a dedicated savings account specifically for the next item on your list. Make regular contributions to the savings account with each paycheck, and when the balance is high enough to pay for the item, pay for it with cash.

55. Ask creditors to lower your interest rate. Creditors are feeling the crunch, too, and they recognize it takes more money to find a new customer than to retain a current one. If you are a profitable customer (pay interest), call creditors and ask for a lower rate. Tell them about all the 0% transfer offers you’ve been shredding for your garden!

56. Divide credit card minimum payments in half and pay that amount twice a month. Interest is calculated based on the average daily balance of your account for the entire month. By making a payment every couple weeks you are reducing that average balance and therefore reducing the finance charges assessed, as opposed to waiting until the end of the month to make a single payment.

57. Don’t pay a dime for banking privileges. There are too many free checking options out there to pay one penny in fees for the right to write a check or use a debit card. Many banks and credit unions simply require direct deposit or a minimum number of debit card uses per month to qualify for fee-free accounts. If you can’t find one, try ING Direct.

58. Raise insurance deductibles. Assuming you have a proper emergency fund in place, raise deductibles on insurance policies. The difference in a $500 deductible and a $1,000 deductible on your car insurance policy can help reduce your monthly or semi-annual premiums.

59. Brown bag it. Can you believe how much a combo meal is at a fast food restaurant? And don’t get me started on dine-in restaurant tabs for lunch. You’re lucky to get out of there for less than $10-$12 including the tip. Multiply that times four or five times a week and we’re talking $200 added to your food budget each month.

60. Adjust your W-4 at work. The fastest way to give yourself a raise is to reduce the amount of taxes withheld from your paycheck. If you received a huge refund this year, increase the number of exemptions on your W-4 to reduce withholdings. Check the IRS website to calculate the number of exemptions required to break even.

61. Sign up for budget billing with utility company. This won’t necessarily save you money, but it certainly helps the budgeting process by smoothing out highs and lows in your utility bills. Most companies offer this “levelized billing” service after you have 12 months of history to compute an average.

62. Use shredded credit card invitations as mulch in the garden. What a great way to put junk mail to good use! Run the mail through a shredder and use the clippings to mulch around your garden.

63. Buy generic ink cartridges for your printer. Ever stopped to calculate the cost per gallon of printer ink? Me neither, but I hate when my printer runs out of ink because it seems impossible to spend less than $30 or $40 to replace the black and color cartridges. Check out a generic cartridge reseller. The quality of ink is comparable to manufacturer’s ink, and many offer a dollar or two off if you recycle the old cartridge.

64. Use a power strip to power down unused electronics. Electronics continue to use power even when they are turned off for LED displays, stop/start memory, etc. Reduce this “phantom power” drain by unplugging devices, or plugging them into a central power strip which can be powered down with the flip of a switch.

65. Figure out how to do things on your own, rather than paying an expert. This year I’ve managed to rescue a toy from the bottom of our guest bathroom toilet and unclog and empty an air conditioner drain line. With the help of the internet, or a good “how-to” book such as Save $20k With a Nail, you would be surprised how much you can do on your own and avoid expensive repair charges.

66. Find new uses for old things. Not long ago my car’s check engine oil light came on, and the dip stick revealed I was seriously low on oil. I found a new use for an old milk jug by cutting away the bottom half and using the remaining top as a funnel to reduce spillage. This saved me a trip to the auto supply store to buy a funnel.

67. Cross train at work to make yourself more valuable. Make yourself more layoff-proof by taking on a new challenge, and adding to your skill set.

68. Look into 3-month supplies of prescriptions via mail order. Many employers now offer as part of the health insurance plan a 3-month mail order prescription plan. I only have one daily prescription for asthma/allergies, and the cost of a 30-day supply from a local pharmacy is $25. For the same cost, I can get a 90-day supply via mail-order.

69. Sign up for medical flexible spending account (FSA) at work. Estimate carefully as unused portions of FSAs are not refundable. At a minimum, account for the amount of your family’s health care plan deductibles plus any over-the-counter medical supplies you must purchase during the year. As an added bonus, FSA contributions are pre-tax, which lowers your taxable income for the year.

70. Quit smoking. Besides being an incredibly unhealthy habit, smoking is expensive! Many pack-a-day smoker could easily trim $200 from their budget by kicking the habit. If you can’t find any other motivation to quit, use finances.

71. Shop for clothes on eBay. Add”NWT” to your search query and find many clothing items listed as “new with tag.” These items can be purchased for a fraction of their retail cost.

72. Buy wrinkle-free clothes to avoid dry cleaning bill. I have a golden rule about clothing purchases. I don’t buy anything that requires ironing. In some cases this means I pay a little more for “wrinkle-free” materials, but I save in the long run on the time and money spent ironing or dry cleaning.

73. Look for kids clothes at yard sales and thrift shops. Kids have a way of outgrowing most of their clothes before they “out use” them. For this reason, many times you can find excellent buys on clothing at thrift shops and yard sales.

74. Look for furniture on Craigslist or Freecycle. Many times people buy a new sofa or coffee table and don’t have a way to get rid of the old one. They will list it on Craigslist for a reduced price, or on Freecycle for free in exchange for picking it up and hauling it off. If you need a piece of furniture, but are short on cash, check out one of these sites before even thinking of going to a furniture store.

75. Give IOUs and homemade coupons rather than expensive gifts. In tough times there is nothing wrong with a homemade card and an IOU as a substitute for expensive presents. One Valentine’s Day my wife gave me a decorative jar with little scraps of paper where she hand-wrote “50 Reasons Why I Love You.” It was one of the best gifts I’ve ever received, and cost less than $5.00 to make.

Source : Frugal Dad

12 Ways to Find Cheaper Gas

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:45:00 +0000

By Liz Pulliam Weston

When gasoline was relatively cheap, few people bothered to seek out the best deals. Who wanted to run all over town or take a chance on a no-name station just to save a few bucks?

Now, with average prices hovering around $4 per gallon, the typical driver can easily save a couple of hundred bucks a year by seeking out cheaper gas.

The more you drive, the bigger your savings. Todd Larson of Shorewood, Minn., drives 800 to 1,000 miles a week covering a five-state territory for a rotisserie manufacturer. Given that gas prices can vary 25 cents or more a gallon in many areas, Larson can save $500 to $800 a year just by being a little savvier about where he buys.

"Even if you only save 4 or 5 cents, it adds up," Larson said.

Here are some easy places to look for savings:

Check the Internet

MapQuest and MSN Autos use data from the Oil Pricing Information Service (OPIS) to track gas prices across the country. MapQuest also lists stations with diesel and alternative fuels.

Sites such as GasBuddy.com and GasPriceWatch.com rely on volunteer "spotters" or the stations themselves to post prices from around the country. (If you have a smart phone with a data plan, GasBuddy has a mobile site, too.) Participation -- and coverage -- tends to wax and wane along with gas prices, but you may well be able to discover cheaper alternatives just a few blocks from your regular routes.

Although the lowest-priced station can change by the day, certain stations consistently charge less than their brethren, said Jason Toews, co-founder of GasBuddy.com. It can be profitable to you to know which ones.

A 25-cent difference means you pay $5 less for every fill-up of a 20-gallon tank, but sometimes the disparities are even greater. A recent check of major metropolitan areas on GasBuddy.com found the difference between the highest and lowest prices was 60 cents in New York, 44 cents in Chicago and 65 cents in Los Angeles.

Let the prices come to you

Got a cell phone? Of course you do. Several companies will send you a text message with the area's lowest gas prices if you message them your ZIP code.

If your phone supports sending a text message to an e-mail address, you can get prices on the go from gas@gasbuddy.com, sms@mobgas.com or gas@fuelgo.com. If not, try 411sync.com's service by sending the word "gas" and your ZIP code to 415-676-8397. The services are free, but your cell-phone company will charge you for text messages if they're not included in your plan.

For up-to-date delivery to your desktop, check out a small, downloadable program that grabs the gas-price data from MSN Autos.

If you have a compatible GPS system in your car -- Garmin's nuvi 680 or Streetpilot c580 -- MSNDirect offers local gas prices (as well as weather, traffic reports and movie times). That service is free for one year.

Visit the other side of the tracks

Generally, the nicer the neighborhood, the more you'll pay for gas. The station owner's overhead tends to be higher, thanks to more expensive land and steeper property taxes. Refineries also may charge more because of something called "demand inelasticity," which basically translates as "they charge more because they can."

"People are less price-sensitive than they are in less affluent neighborhoods," Toews said.

Get away from the freeway -- and the service bays

Buying gas from a station you spot from the interstate almost qualifies as an "impulse buy," Toews said. Drivers pay for the convenience of being able to zip in and fill up. Continue just a few blocks "inland" from the offramp and you may find a significant price drop.

There's an example of this near my own neighborhood, where three name-brand stations share a one-mile stretch of a road paralleling a freeway. The two stations on offramps consistently charge 15 or 16 cents more than the one in the middle.

Gas also tends to cost more at stations that provide repair services.

Use a wholesale club

The big warehouse stores -- Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's Wholesale Club -- typically offer some of the lowest gas prices in town. The downsides: You may find lines at the pumps, and the cost of membership (typically $40 to $45) will offset some of your savings if all you do is buy gas.

If you shop at one of these outfits anyway, or you're a heavy gas user -- you drive a lot or pilot an SUV, for example -- you may still find the savings worthwhile.

Look for 'loss leaders'

Discount retailers (Wal-Mart, Kmart) and grocery stores that have pumps often charge less than the competition to get people on their lots, knowing that they'll probably spend enough inside to more than make up the difference.

You may find lines at the pumps, similar to those at the warehouse stores, but at least you don't have to pay a membership fee.

Check for local price wars

These can break out anywhere, but may be more common in areas where independent stations are struggling to survive.

Also check stations around the wholesale clubs and discount retailers that offer gas; you may find you're paying only a couple cents more per gallon while avoiding the lines.

Consider a gas rebate card

You'll get the most generous cash-back offers initially if you're brand-loyal. The Marathon Platinum MasterCard, for example, offers a 10% rebate on Marathon purchases for the first 60 days, with a 5% rebate thereafter.

The Hess Visa Platinum Card extends its 10% rebate for 90 days for purchases made at Hess or Wilco stations, while the Speedway SuperAmerica Platinum MasterCard has an 8% rebate for the first 60 days; as with the Marathon card, the rebates drop by half after the initial period. Another option: The Shell MasterCard from Citi Cards, with its 5% rebate. All of the cards offer a 1% rebate on other purchases. For more, see "Are gas rebate credit cards a good deal?"

Or a general-purpose rebate card

If you want more flexibility to seek out the best deals, regardless of the station brand -- and get rebates on grocery and drugstore purchases, as well -- then consider a general-purpose cash-back card that rewards gas purchases.

These cards typically offer 5% cash back on gas, grocery store and pharmacy purchases, said CardRatings.com's Curtis Arnold, and 1% rebates on all other purchases. Some of the options include Citi Dividend Platinum Select, Chase Rewards Plus Card, Chase Perfect Card (with a 6% initial cashback rate for gas that drops to 3% after 90 days), Discover Platinum Card with Cashback Bonus Plus, and Blue Cash from American Express.

Some caveats: Many of these cards cap the rewards you can earn in a month or a year, which could limit the savings of big spenders. The Citi card limits your annual rebate to $300, for example, while the Chase Perfect card has a $15 monthly cap. Also, some -- like American Express' Blue or the Discover card -- have a tiered system, which means you won't earn the top rewards until your spending reaches certain levels (making them a less-than-optimal choice for light spenders).

Finally, many cards offer their highest rebates to stand-alone stations only, Arnold said. Gas purchases at wholesale clubs and discount retailers may not qualify.

That's because the card issuers tend to earn lower transaction fees at the discounters than at the stand-alone stations, and that makes them less willing to offer the biggest rebates. It's hard to know in advance when these restrictions might apply, Arnold said. Often, neither the card's phone reps nor the station's employees will know for sure. "You just have to make the charge," Arnold said, "and check your next statement to see what kind of rebate you got."

Keep cash handy

Some of the cheapest stations accept only cash or debit cards. (The stations save by not having to pay transaction fees to credit card companies. You may have to pick up the fee for using a debit card.)

Be careful about using an ATM or debit card at an unfamiliar station, however. Fraud experts consider gas stations one of the riskier places to use these cards, because employee turnover is high and it's pretty easy for a dishonest worker to steal customers' bank-account information. When in doubt, use cash.

Use legitimate coupons

Gas stations with carwashes may offer discount coupons; you can also check those coupon packets you get in the mail or the back of grocery-store receipts.

What you don't want to do is fall for one of those telemarketing scams that offers $200 or so in gas vouchers for a small handling fee, usually $4 to $5.

Once you've given up your bank account or credit card number, you'll find unauthorized charges cropping up like weeds. Regulators in states from Oregon to Maryland have warned consumers not to fall for these scams and to never give out financial information to solicitors, regardless of how great the deal seems.

Use less gas

If you're planning to buy a car soon, you can, of course, save on gas by driving a car that uses less of it. MSN Autos lists the most fuel-efficient vehicles in 12 categories, including trucks and SUVs, as well as the 12 greenest cars of 2008.

Or you could stop paying for gas altogether. More than five dozen cities have a car-sharing program, where you pay by the hour for a car parked in your neighborhood -- and they pay for gas, insurance and maintenance. If you need a car mostly for quick trips and not for commuting, see if your city has car sharing.

About the Author

Liz Pulliam Weston's new book, "Easy Money: How to Simplify Your Finances and Get What You Want Out of Life," is now available. Columns by Weston, the Web's most-read personal-finance writer and winner of the 2007 Clarion Award for online journalism, appear every Monday and Thursday, exclusively on MSN Money. She also answers reader questions on the Your Money message board.

Source : MSN Money

118 Ways to Save Money in College

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:05:00 +0000

So you have already looked for scholarships, grants, and loans and are still finding it hard to pay your way through college? It goes without saying that the typical college student is either broke or financially hanging in the balance most of the time. We’ve assembled a long list of both practical and creative ways you can save some green while you’re going to campus.

Managing the Money You Have

1. Get a free checking and savings account. The bank will nickel and dime you on dumb stuff like too many ATM withdrawals, too many checks written, or a funds transfer. Shop the town for banks catering to students. Make sure you can access online banking, pay bills and manage your account without attached fees.

2. Take the free checks that the bank offers in the maximum amount they allow - mine was initially going to give me 50, but for some reason I thought I needed more right away and paid $4.95 for another 50. If you need more, you simply go online and order more, but leftover checks are more typical than not, especially with online bill pay options becoming more commonplace. Extra checks become nothing more than wasted paper and wasted dollars.

3. Failure to keep track of your bank/checking account can easily cost you money via overdraft fees. Your debit card can easily get you into the red if you don’t know what’s in your checking account. Think your card will be declined if your account has insufficient funds? Think again.

If you go into the red in your checking account, your debit card will usually continue to work without even so much as a burp. Every time you make a debit card purchase while you have insufficient funds in your checking account you are also being slammed with a banking fee. (My banking faux pas cost me $250 in fees one weekend because I didn’t pay attention to the balance in my checking account and my debit card just kept on smokin’. On top of that, the bank charged me another separate fee to transfer funds from my savings account to my checking!) Unless you have an automatic overdraft protection that enables funds from your savings account to be transferred, you can be way more broke than you ever imagined in one, short weekend. Make sure you know what banking fees you’ll be spanked with if you make a mistake.

4. If you have to have a credit card, make sure you get one with the lowest interest rate possible; no annual fees and with only enough of a credit limit to get you by in an emergency. Don’t carry it with you, but instead keep it in a safe place known only to you.

5. Pay credit card bills on time. Companies charge late fees, sometimes as much as $50 per month. And do not go over your credit limit—that offers just one more way for your credit card company to get rich off your poor judgment.

6. Serious about saving money, huh? For one month save every receipt of everything you purchase, from a pack of gum, a tube of toothpaste to your computer. Log each expense in a notebook. When the month is up, tally up what you’ve spent and take a good look at just where most of it went. Food? Beer? Gas? Games? This sure fire technique will unabashedly expose the evils of your spending ways.

7. Save that spare change you’ve got jangling in your pocket or sloshing around in the bottom of your backpack or purse in a big jar or can somewhere out of the way.

Count and roll spare change yourself.
Stay away from those coin-counting machines you see at the grocery store. They will rip you off or at the very least charge you a fee.1

Alcohol

It’s an expense many college students will not forego. Each year, college students spend about $5.5 billion on alcohol, mostly beer.² So here’s how to save, and some creative alternatives for your favorite beverages.

8. Don't drink. But if you must...

9. Be cheap.

Buy the cheap stuff. Pabst Blue Ribbon and Old English 40 oz. bottles come to mind ;)
Buy in bulk. A cheap 5th of Vodka might cost about the same as a drink or two at a bar.
Drink where the specials are. Some college bars and dance clubs have pitcher specials, 1 dollar drink specials, no cover charge, or other specials for people going out early or going out on slower nights.
Pre-game if you do drink heavily.
Don't bring much money with you to limit how much you drink and spend.
Hit other people’s parties.

10. For those beer lovers who really dislike the cheap beer, join a beer brewers club or get a group of dorm mates to brew beer. In the last few years the hobby has grown exponentially and college students everywhere are brewing. Warning: brewing may not be “legal” in your dorm room….que sera, sera.

11. Hate beer? Brew cheap wine.

12. At a sit-down restaurant avoid ordering the alcoholic beverages. Most restaurants make a killing on beer, wine and fancy cocktails. The alcohol mark up can be anywhere between 75 and 400 percent! An option is to shop for BYOB restaurants.

Books

Every college student must buy books. You’ve probably heard horror stories of textbook “final bills.” Well, we have options that will save you money on your textbooks. Make sure to allow yourself time; don’t wait to run to the bookstore the day before your class begins.

13. Before you even think about putting out money for a textbook, don’t you think someone else on campus had to already have one? Borrow if it’s possible.

14. If you can’t borrow, buy used college textbooks. On sites like Amazon.com used hardcover books are often cheapest. Soft cover are more valued for convenience, so if you’re willing to haul a couple extra ounces, then hardcover is the cost-saving choice. ISBN.nu allows you to easily compare book prices from major online book stores. The campus bookstore will sell a supply of used books, but they are limited; so check the online sources as well.

15. If you are buying new, check for an “international” edition. The book will be almost exactly the same, except for maybe some Chinese characters on the front, AND it will be exponentially cheaper.

16. Have your own store of used textbooks?

Sell your used textbooks online and make some cash for yourself, at the same time you will help some other starving students save their money.
Or you can sell them back to the campus bookstore, but expect to take a big hit on the value if you sell them back to the book store. Some sneaky students wait in the campus bookstore with their old books in hand, trying to connect with new students that need their books, hoping to strike a better payout directly.

Food

Food is one of the top priorities in a college student’s life. Eating fast, eating healthy, it can all cost money if you don’t take time to consider the nitty-gritty of eating to save money.

17. Trying to eat on 12 cents? Two words: Ramen Noodles.

18. If you live on campus and pay for a partial or whole meal plan, then use it. Some programs don’t restrict you from taking food to go or eating as many meals as you wish. Peanut butter packets are your friend :)

19. Have a coffee fix? If you are one of millions of college students ducking into the corner coffeehouse every morning for your daily cuppa Joe, then you are wasting money.

Your daily latte, cappuccino, or mocha will run you between $2.50 and $3.50 depending on the size you need. Seven days of that routine costs you $17.50 per week, $70 per month and around $280.00 per semester! That’s over $500 a year you drank in morning caffeine. Make your own. By the time you graduate from a four-year degree, you’ve saved over $2000 in coffee beverages. That’s just one a day….Buy a decent coffee maker or even a small espresso/cappuccino machine for your dorm room or apartment. You’ll save hundreds of dollars.

20. Don’t tip just because someone poured you a cup of coffee. Keep your own change. Everyone wants a tip; “Poor college students work here…..” You’re poor, too. They have a job. Drop it in that change jar we mentioned under “Managing the Money You Have.”

21. Oatmeal is fast, filling, and affordable.

22. Skip the fast food forays and late night take-out. Make sure you keep healthy, affordable options in your room or apartment. Yogurt, cottage cheese, string cheese, bagels, peanut butter are all affordable, convenient and much more healthy than a late night burger and fries.

23. Collect coupons and follow the weekly sales at the grocery store. Avoid high-end markets like Whole Foods. These are nice, but most products cost much more. Once you’re out of school and have a good job you can shop the upscale markets.

24. Kick the bottled water habit; support your local tap water and drink for free. Get a some kind of filter if you want better tasting water.

25. Avoid a sit down restaurant with a large group. You’ll already be charged at least 15% gratuity, and if everyone decides to “split the bill,” you can really get screwed if you tried to eat cheap and didn’t splurge on alcohol. Know in advance what the tone of the party will be and what will be expected so you’re not surprised when the bill arrives.

26. Many people suggest sharing a larger meal at a restaurant, but make sure you’re eating someplace that doesn’t ding you with an extra charge for splitting.

27. Don’t have anything to eat, dining hall closed? Go to a take-out joint if you must, or some other low-cost eatery where self-serve is available and you are not obligated to tip.

28. If you’re on a date, prepare a simple, candlelit dinner and stay in; it’s not the food that counts, but the ambianc. Get your roommates to stay out for the night. Bonus ambiance tip: don't forget the Courvoisier.

29. Save your tip if the pizza guy gets lost, your order is messed up, or he is lacking in customer service and general niceness.3

30. Want free pizza? If you are studying computer sciences, hit Google up for free pizza.

Computers - Hardware and Software

Not many college students can survive these days without their own computer, but do you need to put out the big money for a souped up version, or can you make it on the stripped down model? Begin by shopping wisely following these money-saving tips:

31. If you’re buying a computer, save by shopping the student specials; discounts, rebates and back to school specials. Some regions/states even have a tax-free shopping week. Apple Computer offers student discounts to students and teachers, and consistently advertises important education incentives and rebates. I recently bought an Apple laptop because it was bundled with a free Nano iPod and a free photo printer, copier, scanner. These freebies were rebate items so I had to take the time to fill out online applications and attach copies of receipts and bar codes from the packaging, but my total savings was close to $400 for some very worthy items. Other computer companies offering student discounts:

Dell Computer offers student discounts directly through a participating college or university.
Hewlett Packard’s Academic Purchase Program is available to eligible students and teachers. You have to sign up. Word has it that you can save around 15% on the purchase of an HP computer.

32. Should you go for the inexpensive desktop or the snazzy little notebook model? Okay, all college students want a sharp-dressed little laptop they can take with them to class or the coffee shop. But if you know you can do without the laptop, you will possibly save hundreds of dollars shopping the desktop models. Bank the most savings if you opt for a model that gets the job done without a lot of extra (read “costly”) bells and whistles. If you MUST have a notebook, you may consider exploring the refurbished notebooks; a used laptop will cost significantly less than a model not driven off the lot yet, and in some cases you can get a darn attractive warranty and a good system to boot.

33. While you’re in college don’t take risks with your electronic equipment. Laptops and other trendy little electronics can be made off with quickly in a dorm environment. Unless you’ve bought some renter’s insurance, you will foot the bill to replace.5 Keep your room locked and valuables stowed.

34. Software is another high-dollar item. Using Linux software will keep you away from the higher-priced Windows alternatives. You can also buy discounted software through Apple’s Education Store. The company specializes in attracting college students and offers enticing student discounts and rewards. Microsoft discounts for students come in the shape of mass “licensing programs” through participating colleges and universities. Also shop online software clearinghouses for discounted products from all vendors. Many categorize by subject.

35. Freeware and shareware are a great way to get your hands on games, utilities, spyware removal, anti-virus and firewall programs:

Tucows features thousands of products free or for just a few bucks-- “rated and reviewed.”
Download.com offers free music, videos, games and utilities.

36. Decline extended warranties. Your computer should be under manufacturer’s warranty for the first year anyway. Companies dupe you into believing the plan is worthwhile. They become rich off your extra cash. Anything extra is likely just….extra.

37. Not only do we suggest you protect your physical property, but you’ll head off future repair bills if you protect your computer investment with anti-virus software and a firewall. Anti-virus and firewall protection will keep your computer in top working order and it will last much longer. When shopping for software avoid retail electronics departments. Instead seek out some good freeware and shareware products on the sites we mentioned in #35.

38. Your computer printer is a costly headache when the ink cartridges run dry. Aaaagh! Cartridges at an office supply store can cost you top dollar. Leave with a black cartridge and a color cartridge and you will likely have spent $40 or more.

Try shopping for printer cartridges online, compare prices and find free shipping.
You may be able to get your ink cartridge refilled economically from a local ink refilling store like CartridgeWorld.
If you are daring and a do-it-yourself type, ink refill kits can cost as little as $5 per cartridge.

39. Hacker ethic? Lifehacker shows you how to convert a laptop into a DVR recording fiend.

40. Have you ever tried to throw away an old computer? You cannot just put computer components in the trash, and that includes monitors and printers. Old inoperable computers must be recycled. Recycling typically costs you money. Facilities that recycle, and most municipalities do, must charge for their disposal services. Also consider asking if hard drives are “de-gaussed.” This means they are magnetically erased en masse. Besides municipalities and recycling businesses, some computer manufacturers such as Dell and Apple provide customers with their own recycling programs.

Entertainment- Music, Movies, Arts and Culture

You’d think you would have plenty to keep you busy what with studies and all. How to entertain oneself, on the cheap, is one of the major concerns for college students. Our best advice is to be creative.

41. Forget about the T.V. You can watch cable television through your computer. Make sure your desktop or laptop has a DVD/CD player and you can also watch your favorite movies. Your laptop has graphics equal to most HDTVs, so enjoy.

42. Nearly as essential as the T.V. is the stereo. Today’s computer speaker sets have clear high and midrange sounds with clean bass. You should be more than satisfied using your computer as the stereo. If you have your music library all set up in iTunes all you have left is to outfit yourself with a decent set of speakers and you still have saved money. Websites like Pandora create custom music channels based on a song or artist of your choice.

43. Trying to save money on going out to the movies? Hit the matinee showings. Look for free movies on campus; chances are you will find classics, independents, student films, noir and experimental.

44. Rent DVDs as a group. Pass the disk along before its due date. Everyone watches for a fraction of the cost to rent. Only share with responsible friends.

45. Subscribe to DVD rental service like NetFlix.

46. Have a stock of your own personal DVDs you don’t want anymore? Turn them in for credit at most of your brand name video stores.

47. Make your own movies. Talk about hours of entertainment. Stage your own music videos or film a short. Screen for friends, share a beer and laugh your a------s off.

48. Saving money on music opens a virtual Pandora’s box of methodology. If you decide to use a file sharing network program, make sure you do your research on the software program to make sure it doesn't contain any spyware or other inconvenient additions. You know, most of the mainstream pay-per-song sites cost just as much as if you went and bought a whole CD. You can still save money by just buying your favorite singles, and there are, however, many places that allow you (legally) to download music that is free- copyright-free, that is. Most of what you will get is the work of new and upcoming artists, but if you are the experimental type, you can find yourself a whole library of music. This is precisely how many future music stars are found:

Amazon free music downloads
CNET’s Download
MySpace

49. Buy used CDs at the local music shop. Turn in your old CDs for credit and you may never have to exchange real money!

50. Start a book club. Read for entertainment, then get a group together to discuss it and enjoy each other’s company. Any interest would work for group involvement: stamp collecting, scrap-booking, weight training, running, cooking, and chess. My favorite book is A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History. It rocks.

51. Study groups help keep you focused on the primary reason you’re in college- to get an education. The more time you spend being focused and involved, the less time you have to spend money on frivolous things.

52. Offer your services as a tutor. Anytime you have the opportunity to help others is less time you have worrying about what you don’t have or think you need. The sooner you find out that you can survive nicely on very little, the better off you will be; or should we say, the richer you’ll be.

53. Avoid spending money this weekend. Be creative in what you choose to do, even if it includes a picnic, a long walk, flying a kite, a pick up game of soccer or football, an impromptu poker game (not played for money), or reading a good book.

54. Volunteer in a soup kitchen or help build homes with Habitat for Humanity. Community service activities like this will not only help you fill free time wisely, but you’ll come away with a real appreciation for those who have no money.

55. Pick up a local newspaper and check upcoming events for freebies: concerts, arts and crafts fairs, theater, festivals, art galleries, and museums.

56. Opt instead one Saturday evening a month to stay in and do something alone and for yourself. Enjoy a bath and a good book. Like Kung Fu movies? Drag out the microwave popcorn and go to town. Those DVDs can’t cost much to rent and maybe someone else will chip in on it with you.

57. Play on the web! The web is a virtually limitless land which will allow you to deeply explore any topic of interest, and participate in communities discussing those topics. You can also play games like Zuma or visit true time waster sites like HotorNot.com. Searching around online auctions like eBay may help you find deals while also being entertained by the prospects of bidding and winning.

Off-Campus Apartment Living

Sometimes an off-campus apartment is a choice and in other instances it just is a necessity. Living in your own digs brings its own array of money matters. Here are a few tips to help you stay in budget living off-campus.

58. Get a studio appartment or split rent with roommates.

59. Rent a place that will have all appliances provided. Bringing in your own or having to buy is a hassle. Think you can live without the microwave? You will likely wish you had one.

60. Beg your parents - they will feel a connection to you by letting you use their stuff or by buying you new stuff. The more they buy the less you have to.

61. Don’t spend a lot on décor and accessories. There are plenty of resources for creative decorating that won’t put you in the poor house.

Wal-Mart is, of course, dirt cheap. FedEx furniture is cheaper. ;)
Futons and bean bag chairs are always popular affordable choices.

62. Pay utility bills before they are due. Avoid late fees.

63. Save money on bills by keeping the A/C or heat turned down or off if possible.

64. Turn off lights; use the oven sparingly and take shorter showers. Electricity costs money. If you find an apartment where utilities may run on natural gas (stove, hot water heater) it’s generally more cost-efficient.

65. Living on an upper floor will typically keep you warmer in the winter, but it’ll get hotter in the summer. If you go to school in a region where winters are longer then upper floors are smart, otherwise live low.

66. If winters are cold and heat bills are high you can insulate your windows with plastic.

Shopping

Things must be bought at some point, but where, when and how you go about it can make all the difference to your cash flow. Remember, extras, frills, bells and whistles are the little things that really add up.

67. If you have to shop, make sure you patronize places that offer student discounts.

68. Shop for stuff you really need during the tax-free week - available in many regions of the country.

69. Shop early or late for Christmas and the holidays. There is no more stressful time for someone close to broke than the holidays. In fact, some shopping mavens stress that there is no better time to pick up Christmas presents than the day after Christmas! Need a quick Christmas gift for a friend you have yet to see? Buy last minute on clearance sales. Also, buy for next year. Savvy shoppers have no problem making this option one of the most cost efficient shopping days of their year.

70. Create Christmas and holiday gifts with your own two hands. The discount craft stores sell everything you need to make candles, soap, even beaded jewelry. If you can get a couple of crafty friends together you can all very affordably chip in for the materials and learn together.

71. Ask for practical items for Christmas or your birthday. No, it’s not much fun, but getting things you need saves you from spending the cash.

72. Get a few friends together to pitch in for the price of an annual membership at a place like Sam’s Club or Costco.

73. Buy in bulk. You’ll save money per unit for a pack of twelve bars of soap versus singles.

74. Save time and transportation money by shopping online. Make sure you choose an e-tailer with free shipping.

75. Save money in decorating the dorm room by shopping at discount stores and maybe a yard sale or two. The Pottery Barn dorm room may be great, but it’s definitely not on the bargain table.

76. Don’t shop hungry, and that goes for any kind of shopping. If you’re in the grocery store, you’ll grab more and spend more; if you’re somewhere else you’ll probably spend more than you planned getting something to eat. Carry a snack in your purse or backpack.

77. Learn how to shop for clothes at the consignment shop. Today’s second-hand is nothing like your mother’s thrift store. In fact, these places are regularly trafficked by college students and others for the great finds in name brand, “gently used” clothes and accessories.

78. While we’re on the subject of saving on clothes shopping, remember to make sure your fine consignment garments are washable versus “dry clean only.”

Transportation

Most of us have come to expect that we simply need to move around. Think foot power and you will already have taken steps to align yourself with a saving frame of mind.

79. Try to get an appartment which is close to campus.

80. Don’t take the car to campus. You will spend money on parking and gas, at the very least. Having no car will keep you closer to campus as well.

81. Walk, bike, roller blade, skateboard your way around town.

82. Public transportation is cheap, too.

Travel

At some point it’s likely you will have to decide the best and least expensive route from point A to point B. It may be national or international, but you always have a cheaper choice.

83. Save money by doing the least amount of traveling necessary. Road trips are great fun, but you will put out money for gas, accommodations, food, drink andentertainment. When it’s all said and done, your long weekend will smack your wallet.

84. Name your own price for a flight or accommodations, if you must travel, by using services such as Priceline. Factors such as current events and gas prices may cause travel prices to fluctuate.

85. Check prices for Amtrak or Greyhound versus air travel. Both companies offer student discounts.

86. A student travel discount card will get you nice discounts on accommodations, food, and transportation if you are traveling nationally or internationally:

STA Travel
International Student Identity Card, ISIC

87. Carpool home for the holidays. When everyone splits the cost of gas, it’s pretty darn cheap.

88. Nearly all money experts say “Skip Spring Break!” Some students even choose to engage in community service during spring break.

The Cost of Keeping in Touch

Communicating with friends and family can run you into steep monthly costs if you are not willing to think outside the box.

88. Join your parents’ family cell phone plan. It is usually much cheaper than a standalone account.

89. Refer to cell phone comparison sites that offer side-by-side data of plans from company to company. Save time and save money on your next cell phone plan:

90. Avoid text messaging. You can easily text your way to hundreds of dollars in extra fees. Also, because text messaging is charged both to the sender as well as the receiver, ask your friends to refrain from texting you, too. Make a phone call when you are able (and during your free minutes) or send an email instead. Some cell phone plans come bundled with a maximum number of free text messages. Know how many you can send or receive without being charged extra.

91. Use a pay-as-you-go cell phone plan. This will only work if you use your cell phone on a minimal basis.

92. Communicate via email, instant messangers, create a blog, share photos on Flickr, or invite friends to visit your MySpace site.

93. Use an inexpensive or free internet phone calling service. Once upon a time the sound quality and incidence of dropped digital data packets was high, but VoIP calls have come a long way, baby. Some families, especially those spread far and wide, even international, subscribe to an online conference service. Here everyone in the group may participate in a group meeting, share photos, keep current with goings on, etc.7

Skype - eBay's VoIP service. Offers free incoming and outgoing calls in some areas.
Vonage - VoIP service provider
Google Talk - Google's voice enabled instant messaging service which allows you to leave voicemails
Trillian & Gaim - instant messaging services that interface with most major IM services
Facebook - Social networking site, very popular with the college generation
Family and friend conference calls

94. If you are traveling, especially out of the country, catch up with friends and family before you leave, and check into the various international calling cards available.

Personal

We’ve included toiletries, personal grooming and laundry in this category - the annoying, so-not-fun expenses that are perhaps some of the most spendy.

95. Ladies, how ‘bout forego the salon nails for the year. Instead make it a girl’s night in and do each other’s nails. Same thing for waxes and facials.

96. You don’t have to let your hair grow to your knees, but you don’t have to choose the toniest “hair design” spot in town either. Shop around for a salon that offers student discounts. Have a cosmetology school nearby? They will charge much less for cuts, highlights and color in exchange for the use of your head. Also, funkier little salon/barbershops offer great services, for a fraction of the cost; you just need to be a bit adventurous.

97. Share the cost for personal toiletries. This works well if you share a room, apartment or suite with others and can agree on products that suit both or all: soap, shampoo, blow dryer, curling iron, hair spray, conditioner, package of razors, shaving cream, lotions, toothpaste, mouth wash, etc. We don't recommend sharing your tooth brush though ;)

98. Whether you share or not, it’s always a cost-saver to avoid high-end grooming products. You don’t really need the most expensive shampoo or facial scrub to keep yourself looking good. High-end products can run you between $10 and $20 per product. Buy affordable and quality products at much lower prices.

99. Shop for your personal items at a discount retailer. Money strategists suggest buying the “store brand” as a cost-saving alternative, as well.

100. Doing laundry costs money. A machine load of laundry costs at least a $1, and in most places a good bit more than that. Don’t drop your laundry at a service, stay and wash it yourself. Spend the time studying or decide to use laundry time to catch up on your favorite magazine or book. Maximize your laundry savings in the following ways:

Bring your own detergent versus buying the single use from the machines.
Buy discounted detergent or on sale only.
Bring your own drink and/or snack versus buying from the vending machine.
Fill the machines to capacity.

101. If you are totally outraged with the cost to wash and dry at the nearest laundry joint or your residence laundry machines, then shop for cheaper at another nearby residential building. Most have laundry rooms. Keep your ear to the ground for the best cost per load deal in the area and only wash when it’s necessary.8 You can always hand wash a few items to get you through to wash day.

Exercise

If you are already involved with an athletic program, you will have plenty of opportunity to travel off campus and socialize with other students. Meals will typically be covered during team travel, too. If you are on an athletic scholarship you will already have plenty of time scheduled for practice and games or competition to worry about money.

102. Join a club or intramural sport. It will gain you instant friends and offer no-cost exercise and socialization.

103. Buy an exercise video game. A console and exercise game together cost under $200 and offer weeks or months of fun. Who knew you could lose weight playing video games? Playstation 2 offers a video game called Kinetic - The Personal Fitness Trainer. And as if that wasn't good enough, why not give Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix a try!

104. If you need music to help you have the motivation to exercise, iPods and similar devices can be bought for around $100. Many music fans also take advantage of low download costs or free downloadable music offers.

105. Ask someone to sponsor you for a marathon or other run. People do it all the time for charities. Turn paying for your education into a noble cause.

106. Enroll in an on-campus exercise class such as yoga, tai chi, kick-boxing or spinning. Exercise will keep you healthier and happier and will fill up time you might otherwise have spent spending money.

107. Feeling down and getting the urge to splurge? Instead go for a run, a bike ride, or a brisk walk. You’ll get some exercise-induced serotonin coursing through your brain and the feeling will cost you nothing.

108. Get a dog. While feeding them may seem expensive, they offer low cost company ready for a walk if you get lonely or might not exercise as much as you should. Dogs love exercise.

Make a Few Bucks

No one says you have to hold down a traditional part-time job, but there are tons of ways to make an extra buck or two while you’re in college.

110. We're not endorsing prostitution, but if you can give some of yourself by donating blood plasma, you can net an extra couple hundred dollars a month. But, be careful if you try combining this with alchohol. ;)

111. Volunteer for a medical study. Most do not require much time and you get paid!

112. Sell your expertise in a subject as a tutor, computer skills, music lessons.

113. Get a job in the food service industry. Chances are high that you can eat for free!

114. If you are a true subject matter expert why not create a website about your favorite topics? Many people make a few hundred to few thousand dollars a month from Google AdSense, by publishing relevant contextual ads on their websites.

115. Be your campus computer tech. Troubleshoot computer issues in exchange for a few bucks or a beer. Make yourself available in a pinch.

116. Solicit grad students for help with their dissertation research, proofreading, editing or document typing and formatting.

117. Don't forget to work extra and save up during the summer to make the school year more comfortable.

118. Offer a resume writing service. This can make you quite a bit of extra pocket money. But put it in savings.

Good luck! If you think “thrifty” we think you could possibly leave college with a little in your savings account to show for your hard work and efforts.

Source : College Scholarships.org

$21 Frugal Living Food Challenge – Can You Do it?

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:52:00 +0000

By Ruth Brown

Can you feed your family for just $21 for a whole week? It’s a lot easier than you might think! And it’s as close as your pantry! As saving money tips go, this one’s a real winner.

The $21 Challenge, which originated from a member posting on the popular Simple Savings website, has become somewhat of a phenomenon throughout Australia and New Zealand. The idea is, to make use of everything you have stashed in your pantry and your freezer – limiting your purchases to under $21.

Having just looked in my pantry and freezer and seeing the amount of rice and Continental / Maggi recipe bases not to mention the chicken breasts I’ve bought in bulk and squirreled away a couple of months ago – I reckon I could do it for at least a fortnight!

Even if you choose not to take up the exacting discipline of the $21 Challenge (really, it’s not that hard!) – you could make this month a “Pantry Buster”. That is, go through your pantry checking the use by/best before dates of all the products in the pantry and anything that is close to it’s “use by”, plan to use it this month.

I literally hang my head in shame at the amount of food that my partner and I have had to throw out because it past it’s use by date without us ever rummaging behind the sauce to find it. And I didn’t dare even try to calculate the amount of money that we were throwing away in the process.

So, are you ready to face reality? Do you have what it takes to take on your Pantry and win?

If you would like the details of the $21 Challenge and all the tips and encouragement you could ever need to go along with it, you can check it out at the Simple Savings website on http://www.simplesavings.com.au/freestuff/21-dollar-challenge-survival.pdf.

Source : Guide2.co.nz

Your New Year's Frugal Resolution to Save Money

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:28:00 +0000

By Budget Girl, Frugal Living Examiner

Happy New Year! Now is a great time to re-look at your finances.

One key thing to remember that everyone should have an emergency savings account that equals to about 3-6 months of your income. This needs to be established even before you start saving up for a down payment on a home or a new car. You need to protect yourself just in case you lose your job or any other emergencies that may come up. If you currently don’t have this much in liquid cash, make this year the year you start saving up.

Below is a list of common frugal resolutions. You don’t have to commit to them all of them. Just choose a couple from the list to focus on so that you will have a bigger saving account by the end of the year:

1. Stick to a consistent saving strategy without making unnecessary withdrawals. If you haven’t already, set up an automatic deposit from your checking account into your savings account. But don’t get overzealous and try to save more money than you can afford each month. You don’t want to feel like you need to dip into your savings account every month, so pick an amount you can stick to. Leave the money in your savings account and forget about it.

2. Switch to an online savings account with banks like HSBC or ING. Because their operations are mainly online, they avoid the overhead cost of brick-and-mortar banks (Wells Fargo) and pass on higher APY (interest) to you. Plus, it takes a few more days to withdraw money from an online saving versus just taking a trip to your ATM from your brick-and-mortar bank. Although I don’t recommend having your sole checking account as a online account, it makes a perfect account for holding your emergency savings

3. Reduce your amount of impulse purchases. Try to use cash when shopping to prevent you from spending more than you plan. Stick to a list. Allow 24 to think about whether you really need an impulse purchase. Don't free bad for giving back items at the check lanes. View my blog post on impulse spending for more details.

4. Explore thrift stores and consignments shops when you are in a shopping mood. You will surprised what treasures you will find and it won't cost you as much damage to your wallet.

5. Start a garden this year. Try to grow your own vegetables this year that will give you organic produce for virtually free. It is also quite rewarding.

6. Shift your paradigm towards budgeting. This year, start to look at budgeting as a financial opportunity instead of a punishment. Embrace the idea that your money does have limits (even the rich has limits on their money.) Instead of feeling depressed that you can't buy new clothes every month, get excited as you see your savings account balance grow over time!

Hears to a frugal and prosperous New Year!!!

Source : Examiner.com

The Best Way to Save Money On Eating Out (Plus Four Other Money-Saving Tips)

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:12:00 +0000

Like 90% of America these days (or at least it seems that way), we're cutting back on eating out. We never really ate out that much before the economy went into the toilet, but we're being a bit extra careful these days so we're watching the number of meals we eat out.

That said, we haven't totally eliminated eating out since it can often be a fun time for our family to get out and enjoy ourselves. In particular, we've hit on one very big money saving tip when it comes to eating out: Buffets.

Specifically, there's a Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet near our house where lunch is just $6.99. They not only have the traditional foods you'd expect in a Chinese restaurant, but they also have fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and so on so even our daughter who doesn't like Chinese food has something to enjoy. And for $6.99, we can eat enough to cover both lunch and dinner for the day. (Yes, I know I'm a cheap-o. But the food really is very good.)

By the way, this tip also works with those all-you-can-eat meal offers (I think Applebee's has some of those going now.)

Besides the buffet suggestion, here are four other money saving tips we use when eating out:

Eat breakfast/lunch versus dinner. Ever notice how dinner costs are waaaaay more expensive than for the same thing at lunch? For example, the Chinese restaurant above charges $11.99 for "dinner" and IT'S THE SAME THING (an all-you-can-eat buffet.) And breakfast food itself is fairly inexpensive, so if you eat out then, you're bound to save more than if you go out for a large dinner.

Use coupons. I eat at Logan's now and then and I ALWAYS have a coupon. My wife collects restaurant coupons, puts them in a folder, and when we decide to eat out, she goes to the file (we often take the file with us in the car when we go out on Saturdays). We save at least a few dollars every meal when we use a coupon.

By a deal. The restaurants are offering all sorts of good deals out there -- usually combination offers that save you a couple bucks on each person's order. They're doing all they can to attract customers, so go with the flow and order the combo that gets you a good amount of food for a little bit of money.

Skip drinks and desserts. Consider the following:

15 oz. drink at a restaurant = $1.25
2liter bottle of pop at a grocery store = $0.99
Dessert for one (maybe two) at a restaurant = $4.99
Half gallon of ice cream on sale (and one's always on sale) at a grocery store = $3.99

Moral of the story: drink water and stop by the grocery store on the way home to pick up dessert.

How about you? Do you have any other tips for saving when eating out?

Source : FreeMoneyFinance

The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:42:00 +0000

Confession time: I’m a cheapskate. Some would say frugal, which sounds much more positive, but in reality I can be a real cheapskate.

I am fairly frugal (though not always), but sometimes I take it too far: I have T-shirts with holes in them, I never buy new clothes, we’re shopping for a new couch because our current one has holes in it, and I ran my current pair of running shoes until the soles fell off.

However, I have gradually learned to be frugal in many ways that I would recommend to others. I don’t think you should have holes in your couch, and you should definitely replace your running shoes more often than I do, but there are many ways to cut back on spending and live a more frugal lifestyle.

Why live frugally? First, because it allows you to spend less than you earn, and use the difference to pay off debt, save or invest. Or all three. Second, because the less you spend, the less you need to earn. And that means you can choose to work less, or work more but retire early. Or take mini retirements. You have more options with a frugal lifestyle.

I know what I’m going to hear in the comments, because it’s been done repeatedly with my other frugal articles: I have no life. This is boring. I might as well live in a box. You have to enjoy life sometimes.

All of which you might believe, but I believe I do have a life. A great one. One where I spend time with my family, where I have conversations and read and get outside and do things that are fun and exercise and focus on what’s important and spend my free time the way I want. This is a good life. Read this article for more.

So, if you’d like some tips on frugal living, here are just a few, from a cheapskate. I should note that I do most, but not all, of these tips.

Go with one car. Many families have two or more cars. Besides your house, your car is probably your most expensive item. If you can do with one, you should. My wife and I both work, and we have six kids, and yet we have learned to manage with one car.
Go with a smaller house. Just because you can afford a larger house, doesn’t mean you should live in one. Live in as small a house as you can and still be comfortable. I don’t mean you should live in a one-room apartment with a family of four … you know what I mean. You can save thousands a year with a smaller house. Many times, if you get rid of a lot of clutter, you don’t need a large house.
Go with a smaller car. Again, you can save thousands by going with a smaller car. A car instead of an SUV, for example, is a big savings. Be comfortable, but don’t overdo it. You’ll save a lot on gas this way too.
Rent rather than own. This will probably spark a huge debate, as it always does. The thing is, just don’t assume that buying is the better investment. If you calculate the interest you pay on a mortgage, the cost of insurance and maintenance, buying is often much more costly than renting … and if you rent, save money, and then invest the difference, you can actually end up well ahead in the long run. Now, it’s not a given, so do a comparison, factoring in all expenses. Here’s a more in-depth article.
Look for used first. If you need something — I mean really need it, not just want it — see if someone you know has one that they don’t use or need anymore. Send out an email to family or friends, or just ask around. You might be surprised. I was about to buy a printer, and then found out my mom just bought a laser printer and didn’t need her old inkjet … saving me close to 100 smackeroos. If no one you know owns one, try freecycle.org or craigslist.org. Then look to buy used, at garage sales or thrift shops. You can find a bargain if you look around.
Eat out less. One of the biggest expenses in our daily lives is eating out — the average person spends well over $2,000 a year on eating out. Restaurants are expensive, including fast-food (not to mention the health hazards). It’s much cheaper to cook your own food. Our family creates a weekly menu, then we buy the groceries, and cook dinner (and lunch) each evening. Lately I’ve even been prepping it in the morning, so it’s a snap when we get home.
Eat out frugally. If you do eat out, check out these money-saving tips.
Brown bag it to work. Instead of eating out for lunch, bring your lunch. More here.
Adopt a minimalist wardrobe. This tip won’t be for everybody, but I try for a minimalist wardrobe. I generally wear jeans or casual pants, a T-shirt or Polo-type shirt, and sandals or shoes. Plain, solid colors are my favorite. Everything goes with everything else, and I don’t have too many clothes. This saves me the stress of picking out an outfit, and I don’t need as many clothes.
Stop online impulse buys. This was a problem for me before I canceled my credit card. I used to buy online a couple of times a week. Now I buy maybe once every couple of months, using PayPal or someone else’s credit card. I’m not saying you have to go to this extreme, but realize that online buying can be way too easy (you don’t even have to go to a store) and therefore, we make too many impulse buys. Buy online if you really need something and it’ll save you money, but beware the impulse buy. See 30-day list tip below.
Don’t shop. Don’t go to the mall or other shopping area or department store to look around and shop. Go to a store if you know what you need, and then get out. Many times people go shopping, with a vague idea of what they want, and get caught up buying much more. Or they go just for fun, as a form of entertainment. That ends up costing a lot. It can really add up. Instead, stay away from shopping areas and find other ways to have fun (more below).
Use a 30-day list. To curb impulse buys, create a 30-day list. When you want to buy something, other than a true necessity (medicine or food, for example), put it on this list, with the date you added it to the list. And make it a rule that you can’t buy anything for at least 30 days after you put it on the list. And stick to it. You’ll find that you buy a lot less with this system.
Cut out cable. I’ve talked about how I cut out cable before. It saves me money every month (in my area, about $60, or more than $700 a year), and also forces me to do things like read and have conversations and go outside. Win win.
Use the library. Instead of buying books, check them out. The library often also has a great selection of DVDs (depending on your area), saving you even more. Now who needs cable?
Find free entertainment. Find cheap ways to have fun. Entertainment often ends up costing a lot of money, if you go to the movies, buy concessions, or go out at night, go to the bar, etc. The average person spends about $1,800 a year on entertainment (not including eating out). Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t have fun … but there are cheaper ways to do it. Here are a few ideas. Here’s a frugal family’s fun and cheap weekend.
Frugal exercise. Exercise is important, but it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Here are some tips.
Stay healthy. Easier said than done, I know, but staying healthy can save you tons of money on doctor’s visits, hospital bills, and medicine over the long run. An ounce of prevention, and all that. Eat healthily, and exercise. Simple and effective.
Commute by bike. Even if you own a car, commuting by bike will save you gas, and get you in shape at the same time. I highly recommend it. Here are my tips.
Carpool or ride the bus. OK, you don’t want to bike it. So find a friend or neighbor who works near you, and arrange a carpool. Or take public transportation. Simple advice, but something a lot of people ignore.
Walk. Often we drive to the corner store, or to a school that’s less than a mile away. Leave a few minutes early, walk, burn some calories, and save gas.
Sell your clutter. This is not so much saving money as making it, but the frugal, simplifying cheapskate, like myself, will want to declutter and make a few bucks doing it. Hold a garage sale or sell it on eBay. It’s amazing what some people will buy. See the Simple Dollar’s post on this.
Frugal gifting. Gifts can cost a lot of money over the course of a year. Look for ways to do it cheaply. Make a gift, or give a consummable. My family enjoys getting and giving cookies, for example. Here are some ideas.
Quit smoking. Not the easiest way to save, I know. It’s hard. But I did it, and so have many, many others. Not only will you save on cigarettes (which are expensive over the long run), but also associated costs (I used to buy a soda or beer to go with my cigarettes) … and of course the huge, long-term medical costs. In less than 2 years of not smoking, I’ve saved well more than $3,000. Here are my tips for quitting.
Alcohol in moderation. If you drink one beer or a few beers a day, that adds up to big money each month. Some drink even more than that. It’s expensive. If you can cut your drinking to the occasional party, and once in awhile with friends (not all the time), you’ll save tons.
Sweets in moderation. Desserts and sweet snacks give us lots of calories with no nutrition. And we pay a premium price for that, in dollars and in our deteriorating health. Cut back on sweets (don’t eliminate them entirely of course) to save money and cut calories.
Drink water. Often we drink lots of calories through sodas, coffee, alcohol, juices, tea, etc. And that costs a lot too. Drink water, save money, save calories. Here are some tips for forming the water habit.
Batch your errands. Instead of running an errand or two every day, batch them into one errand day, and plan your most efficient route, to save gas and time. Also do as much bill-paying online as possible, to eliminate some errands.
Stay home. Becoming a homebody might not sound like a lot of fun, but it really can be. I love staying home with my family. We can do all kinds of fun things at home. Or I can spend a day alone, if the family is at school, and really enjoy it. It’s quiet and peaceful, I can read or watch a good movie or respond to comments on my blog or write. Staying home can save tons, in eating out expenses, shopping expenses, gas, and incidentals.
Stop using credit cards. Credit cards are not evil. And before you flame me, once again, I realize that they can be used to good purpose. If that’s how you use them, then that’s good, skip this tip. For others, credit cards make buying too easy, and end up making them buy too much.Not only that, but if you don’t pay your bill in full each month, they will cost you a lot in interest. The average American with at least 1 credit card has more than $8,500 in credit card debt. Don’t make that mistake. Here’s my story.
Cancel subscriptions. With the wealth of information and entertainment online, do you really need magazine subscriptions? With all the news online, do you really need a newspaper subscription? If you can get DVDs for free or cheap, do you really need a Netflix subscription? Don’t flame me if you think you do need any of these — I’m just asking you to consider whether they’re really essential — the answer might be yes. Also consider other subscriptions you might be paying for — I’m not saying you should cancel everything, but seriously consider whether they can be canceled without much loss of value. Read more.
Make your own. I won’t go into all the possibilities here, but many times we buy things when really, we could make them ourselves for much cheaper if we get a little creative. Now, this might take a little more time and effort, but it can be fun, especially if you make it a family project. We recently made our own (very simple) bookshelves with only a couple of pieces of lumber, instead of buying them. If you don’t know how to make something, search for it online. You’ll most likely find some instructions.
Do it yourself. Instead of hiring someone to do something, try doing it yourself. Sure, it takes some time and effort, but it’s satisfying, and of course cheaper. It’s also educational, if you don’t know how to do it — again, do an online search, read up on it, and give it a go. Frugality freaks are DIYers.
Stop paying interest. I mentioned the interest of credit cards, and auto loans, and mortgages. I consider them a waste of money. I’ve talked about how to live without credit before, and I recommend it for a frugal lifestyle. Consider any other accounts or loans where you pay interest, and see if you can eventually eliminate as much of these as possible.
Reduce convenience foods. Frozen foods, microwaveable stuff, junk food … anything that’s packaged and prepared for our convenience is not only more expensive than something you cook yourself, but also most likely less healthy. I’m not saying to eliminate these completely, but reduce consumption.
Travel frugally. I actually don’t travel (or haven’t for years), but if you do have to travel, some advance planning can save you money. Airfare is most expensive, usually, so look to buy your ticket in advance, and look for deals. Also consider train travel. Shop around for car rental rates, as they can vary greatly (or use public transportation). Look for cheaper accommodations, or stay with a friend or relative. Just a note: I do plan to travel, but not until I finally eliminate all of my debt.
Cut the cell phone. This will not be a popular suggestion either. If you don’t like it, move on to the next one. It’s not for everybody. But think about this: 20 years ago, most people didn’t have cell phones. And miraculously, they survived. A cell phone is not a necessity. It’s a convenience. When people needed to make a call, 20 years ago, they either waited until they got to a destination (wait to make a phone call?! omg!), or pulled over and used a pay phone or a phone in a business establishment.
Cut your own hair. Again, this one isn’t for everybody. Personally, I use electric clippers to shave my head. It’s easy, it’s cheap, it’s minimalist, it’s care-free. I don’t worry about my hair getting messed up, or having to fix it in the morning. However, I’m not saying you should shave your head. Many people cut their own hair, in many simple but nice hairstyles, long or short. Saves money, and time.
Maintain stuff. This is a no-brainer, but we don’t often think about it: if you take care of what you have, it will last longer. You’ll then spend less on buying new stuff. When you buy something worth maintaining, take a few minutes to read the maintenance manual, and create a maintenance checklist that you can attach to the item. For important things like your car’s oil changes or tune-ups, put them in your calendar.
Save energy. There are little things we can do to lower our power bill. I don’t use a dryer or hot water heater, although those are a little extreme. Try these tips.
Save gas. With the rising price of gas (and no end in sight), fuel has become a major monthly expense for many people. Small things can add up to big savings. Try these tips.
Only buy bargain clothing (when you need clothes). OK, so you’re a cheapskate like me who only buys clothes when the old clothes have too many arm or leg holes. But now you need new clothing. I mean really need it. So instead of buying new, look for thrift shops with good clothes. Or buy new, but only buy the stuff that’s 50% off. Look for the bargains, and you’ll save a ton.
Telecommute. Telecommuting doesn’t necessarily give you your dream job, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. But in addition to allowing you to work in your underwear (and who doesn’t have that dream?), telecommuting saves money on gas, on eating out (if you eat lunch at a restaurant), and on buying expensive work clothes (all you need to buy is underwear, right? And no, don’t buy used underwear).
Plan ahead. Sure, easy to say, hard to implement. But if you make it a habit to think ahead to things that are coming up in your life, you can save a lot of money. For example, if you think about where you’re going to get your meals when you go out to do errands, you can pack a lunch or dinner instead of eating out. If you pack a big container of iced water, you don’t need to buy expensive bottled water. If you know that a birthday is coming up, you can buy a gift on sale instead of spending more at the last minute.
Cook ahead. If you have one free day a week (or even a month), cook food in big batches and freeze in dinner-sized portions. I don’t do this all the time, but I have done it and it saves money (buying big can often save) as well as time. You have to plan it out a bit, coming up with a menu and shopping, cooking enough meals for a week or a month. But once you’re done, your meals each night (and for lunch if you like) are quick and easy. This saves you from eating out or eating convenience food when you’re hungry but too tired to cook.
Wash clothes less. Some people wear clothes and then wash them, but I’ve gotten into the habit of wearing my clothes more than once if they’re not really dirty. I use my nose as a test — I don’t want to wear clothes that smell, but most times the clothes are still perfectly clean. This saves on washing.
Sun-dry clothes. When my parents were young, everyone used a clothesline to dry clothes. Now dryers are ubiquitous, because they’re fast. But if you don’t wash a ton of clothes, it’s not that hard to take a few minutes to hang them up. You’ll save a lot in electricity, plus your clothes last longer.
Eat less meat. I’m not saying you have to become a vegetarian (although you could always give it a try), but once in awhile, eat meatless dishes. Pasta, vegetarian chili (see my recipe halfway down this article), vegetarian Indian or Thai dishes, falafels with hummus and pitas and tomatoes and lettuce … there are plenty of tasty dishes without meat. And as meat is expensive (well, the fresh kind is … Spam is cheap), you’ll save money on meatless dishes. Again, I’m assuming you cook with fresh meat, not canned.
Save on groceries. For my family of eight, groceries is a major expense. With some simple habits, we’ve been able to save a lot of money. See more here.
Frugal Christmas. Christmas is expensive, especially in America (if you live in an area that doesn’t celebrate Christmas with a huge amount of buying, or doesn’t celebrate it at all, skip this tip). People go on crazy shopping gorges. It’s insane. While it makes the retailers and manufacturers happy, it doesn’t make our bank accounts happy. Break out of the cycle and find cheaper ways to celebrate Christmas. Here are some great ways to do that, and here are some more.
Eat a cheap breakfast. Here are some great ones.

Source : ZenHabits

32 Reasons to be Frugal Besides Saving Money

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:32:00 +0000

By Jennifer Derrick

I’m frequently asked why I choose to be frugal. Is it all about saving money? My answer is always, “No, it’s not all about saving money, although that’s a nice side effect.” Saving money tends to be the driving reason behind why many people turn to a frugal lifestyle (and it was for me, in the beginning). But after being frugal for a while, most people find that there are additional reasons to stick with this lifestyle, beyond the monetary savings. So what are some of the other reasons people pursue a frugal lifestyle? If you’re thinking about going frugal, here are some of the additional reasons to consider.

1. It simplifies your record keeping. When you’re not overspending and incurring tons of bills, it’s less paperwork to keep up with, less bills to pay, and less time you have to spend tracking your money.

2. It simplifies your cleaning. When you’re not drowning in clutter, it’s much easier and faster to clean your house. You’re not always trying to clean around and between things you don’t even use.

3. It makes you healthier. Chances are that if you’re on a frugal plan you’ll eat healthier and exercise more as you stop eating out and do more for yourself.

4. It’s better for the environment. When you’re frugal, you generate less waste and consume fewer resources. The planet thanks you.

5. Frugality inspires an attitude of gratitude and contentment. Frugal living makes you appreciate what you have and helps you to realize that you are blessed to have it, even if it’s not the newest luxury what-not. This makes for a far more content life, rather than a life spent straining and whining for the latest thing.

6. You gain a better perspective on what “enough” really is. Frugal living teaches you that “enough” is not the newest luxury car, but a functional car (or no car at all, if you live in an area where that’s possible). “Enough” is not the latest gadget, but a loving family and food on the table. It helps you realize that you probably have “enough” and that there are a lot of people who don’t.

7. It might make you more generous. Once you realize that you have enough, and you’re grateful for that, you might find yourself more willing to help those who aren’t as fortunate, whether it’s through donations of money or time.

8. The thrill of the deal. Beyond the money you save, there is a thrill you get when you know you’ve gotten the best price on something or, better yet, scored something for free.

9. It equips you to survive. Truly frugal people do a lot for themselves. What they don’t know how to do, they learn. They learn to fix a car, repair a leaky roof, cook, garden, or sew. Many of these skills are forgotten or deemed unnecessary in today’s world, but should there ever come a time when you have to do for yourself (job loss, another depression, disease outbreak, etc.), frugal people are better prepared than most.

10. You learn a lot. If you’re doing a lot for yourself, chances are you’re learning those skills as you go along. Learning new skills keeps the brain active and gives you a feeling of accomplishment.

11. You’re teaching the next generation. If you model a frugal lifestyle for your kids, chances are they’ll go on to live a more frugal lifestyle and teach their kids the same. You can’t beat giving your kids a head start on good money management skills at a young age.

12. You become more creative. Making do with what you have and reducing spending requires you to more creative to get the most out of what you have. Can you reupholster that chair instead of buying new? Does that glass jar have some other use? Can the kids make craft projects out of that box?

13. You become more social. As you detach from “things,” you may find yourself moving more toward people. You may reduce your cell phone or email use and talk more in person. You have more time to go out because you’re not tied to TV. You get more involved in your community.

14. It reduces stress. Your “to do” list is likely to get smaller when you get off the consumer treadmill. You won’t “have to” go out to eat. You won’t “have to” take the kids to fifteen different activities if they’re having fun in the backyard. “You won’t “have to” work extra hours to earn enough to cover your wants. You won’t “have to” go out and buy new clothes every season. With less to do, you’ll find your stress level decreasing.

15. It puts you in control. When you do more for yourself, it puts you in control of the result. If you fix your own car, you know the mechanic isn’t charging you for stuff he didn’t do or wasn’t necessary. If you cook at home or garden, you know what’s in your food. If you handle your own finances, you know exactly where your money is and how much it’s earning.

16. You’re more comfortable. I don’t know how many times I see people here go out in the foulest weather because they “have to” go to the movies or the mall for something to do. I’d much rather stay in my climate controlled home with my frugal entertainment than sit in a cold movie theater (that I had to drive in the rain to get to) listening to the jerk behind me yak on his phone.

17. You can be lazy — to an extent. Frugality frees up time that would otherwise be spent driving, working, or shopping. With that extra time you can take an afternoon nap on Sunday, stay home and read the paper, or just stare out the window and daydream.

18. You have more options, flexibility and even freedom. When you’re not servicing the consumer debt machine and constantly worrying about making it to the next paycheck, you have many more options in life. You can choose to work more hours or not, or even change jobs, as your desire allows. If you’d like to live somewhere else or work somewhere else, you have the freedom to look into it without feeling trapped by “having to” stay at your current job. You can choose to have an additional child/pet (or not) and base that decision on more than money. You can choose to retire early or work through old age, if you want to. Frugality opens up your choices.

19. It saves all kinds of time. You spend less time in traffic. Less time cleaning. Less time standing in line and waiting. Less time dealing with unhelpful sales people. Less time shopping and running errands. Less time on the phone straightening out a financial problem. Less time paying bills. Less time dealing with the daily crap that clutters so much of our lives.

20. It satisfies a moral or religious edict. If your faith or morals dictate that you do more with less, frugality is the only way to go.

21. You want to make a political statement. If you want to rebel against consumerism and make a political statement about the evils of spending, frugality is one way (and the most authentic) to do it.

22. You believe in social justice. Some people become frugal out of a sense of social justice. In other words, they realize that they are taking more than their share of resources and that doing so depletes the availability of resources for others. They also realize that many goods are made with questionable practices and that to forgo some goods might help better those circumstances. They become frugal in an attempt to balance the scales.

23. You’re an animal rights activist. Many frugal people are also vegetarians. Eating less or no meat is a frugal choice that some people make because they don’t care for the ways farm animals are treated. Many frugal people also refuse to wear fur or leather because of animal rights’ issues, but it also saves money.

24. You want to lose weight. Frugality entails eating less/healthier foods and exercising more (walking to work, doing your own yard work, etc.). All are great ways to lose weight.

25. It beats therapy. Stress, depression, feeling out of control, and anxiety are all hallmarks of the consumer-driven lifestyle. Frugality reduces stress, increases your feelings of contentment and gratitude, reduces anxiety associated with money concerns and puts you in control of your life. Yes, you could see a shrink or take a pill to accomplish the same things, but it’s healthier and cheaper to eliminate the lifestyle that’s causing the problems.

26. Frugality honors your culture/heritage. Maybe you come from frugal parents and grandparents and were raised to be frugal yourself. Maybe your race or ethnic group honors frugality and being a spendthrift isolates you from those core beliefs. Some people go frugal to honor those who have gone before.

27. It’s fun and challenging. It’s fun to find great deals, to learn new things, to find new ways to save, to do for yourself, and to meet others who share the same goals. The more you work at it, the more fun it becomes.

28. It gets you away from the media machine. If you’re worried about the effect that constant advertising has on your brain or your kids’ brains, frugality is one way to separate yourself from that. Less exposure to advertising teaches you that most “needs” are manufactured by Madison Avenue. You start to think for yourself again.

29. It teaches the art of compromise. Frugal people learn that you can’t always have everything you want, but you can have some of what you want. The daily compromise between buying store brand ketchup and name brand, or between buying a new bedspread and mending the old one, all so you can have more money for something else, teaches us how to compromise to get more of what we really want.

30. It puts you in touch with nature. Being frugal puts you back in touch with what “natural” really means. You’ll probably spend more time outside, buy or grow organic food and fabrics, and become less dependent on artificial “stuff.”

31. It improves your sex life. When you’re not strung out about money, you can have a more fulfilling life in the bedroom. When you’re not cramming your life with artificial entertainment, you have more time to play in the bedroom.

32. You want to sleep better. Rather than lying awake at night worrying about their money crisis, frugal people sleep better knowing that, whatever else goes wrong in the world, they’re able to care for themselves.

You can see that there are many reasons why people choose to be frugal, other than saving money. Saving money is a nice byproduct of these actions, but it’s not always the entire reason why someone chooses frugality. Next time you meet a frugal person, ask them why they choose that lifestyle. You might be surprised by the answer.

Source : SavingAdvice.com

When Cheap is a Way of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Alexis) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:24:00 +0000

Whether it's cutting coupons, making sack lunches or sharing a car, some people are driven to cut spending. Meet the folks for whom frugality has become a sport.

By Melinda Fulmer

For most people, cheapskate is a dirty word. For Mary Hunt, it's an honor.

"I wear that badge proudly," said the author of "Live Your Life for Half the Price" and "Everyday Cheapskate's Greatest Tips." A reformed compulsive spender, Hunt stockpiles food bought at pennies on the dollar, roasts her own green coffee beans in a popcorn popper and shares a pickup truck with her husband to cut costs.

Hunt, 57, shares these penny-pinching tips with her readers on her Web site, providing a forum for other savers to boast of their dollar-stretching tactics. For some, frugality has become a sport rather than a means to an end, like paying off debt or building a nest egg.

No cost is too small to cut. One of the readers on Hunt's Web site suggests picking up bent nails at construction sites to reuse. Another admits to buying two-ply toilet paper to separate into two rolls. One woman even decided to ditch a subscription to her favorite magazine, waiting a year until her local library discarded the copies.

Frugality is her new extravagance

Indeed, doing without has become as satisfying to some people as splurging. Case in point: Debbie Zervas. The 44-year-old Knoxville, Tenn., collections supervisor has thrown over her old pastime of needlepoint because, she said, it's too expensive. "You can find needlework at garage sales for 50 cents, yet people have put 30 hours of their time into it."

Instead, Zervas has found a new hobby in "personal finance," cutting her spending and making do with less. "I decided that I needed to find a hobby that, instead of consuming resources, saved them," she said.

To pay off about $9,000 in loans and make it through a couple of stretches of unemployment, Zervas adopted some bare-bones tactics. She decorated her house from garage sales, went without trips to restaurants and movies, and began stockpiling canned goods that could be bought for pennies on the dollar. Years later, with her debt paid off and a promotion under her belt, Zervas is still living a frugal lifestyle.

On one of her last trips to the grocery store, she bought 40 cans of tuna, because they were bargain-priced at 33 cents apiece. "I look at it as an ingredient in a lot of recipes, and a staple," she said. Zervas has plenty of coupons to use. In addition to her regular job, she has a paper route that she uses for extra cash and to get extra copies of its Sunday coupon supplements.

To this day, Zervas' entertainment and clothes purchases are mostly done on the cheap. She makes dickies out of old silk shirts, tailors blouses marked down to $5 and re-dyes the same pair of black jeans four times.

Rather than pay for movies at the local Cineplex, she spends weekends or evenings at her local bookstore, curled up in one of their overstuffed chairs reading, but not buying. "I wait for it to come out in paperback," she said. Likewise, she said, when she does go out to eat these days, she mostly hits an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. She fills up, so she doesn't feel like eating dinner, and she doesn't buy a beverage. "I'm allergic to paying $2 for a soda," she said.

'It's like a drug'

Fellow cheapskate Deborah Chester, of Minden, La., feels the same way. The 47-year-old nurse has cut out most restaurant meals, except on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. And she and her husband pack their lunches.

Like Zervas, she has begun making her own household cleaners, and she even makes her own laundry soap, which costs two to three cents a load. To make it, she grates a bar of Fels-Naptha bar soap and melts it down on the stove with water, before adding laundry soda and borax. She keeps it in old plastic laundry jugs given to her by her relatives. "My clothes come out softer," she said. "And there's no strong smell, like you get with Gain."

After hunting deer and squirrels for meat each fall, harvesting her vegetable garden and using coupons, Chester manages to spend just $25 each week on groceries for her family of four. She shops her local bakery outlet and plans her meals and snacks around what's on sale. "Apples were $1.25 a pound this week, so that's what we're eating this week" for fruit, Chester said.

Her stockpile of food and toiletries bought for mere pennies is overflowing the cabinets in her laundry room. A second shelving unit in the dining room is overflowing with bottles of shampoo and other toiletries. "It's like a drug," she said. "I like to see how much I can get for how little, without sacrificing the quality of my life."

While her husband laughs and some people call her "the crazy coupon lady," Chester said she would "rather be addicted to saving money than to spending it." The frugal lifestyle has allowed her to pay off $12,000 in debt and shift her 30-year mortgage to a 15-year loan, which she hopes to pay off in seven years.

And, she said, she has built up a contingency fund that she could tap if she ever were to lose her job.

Plug the money leaks

These lifestyle choices might seem a little extreme to most people. Hunt admits that even she has her limits.

"I don't wash out plastic bags or reuse foil," she said. But, Hunt said, it doesn't require those kinds of sacrifices for most people to cut their budgets.

Consumers can cut their spending on groceries -- one of their largest expenses -- by matching coupons to sales and stockpiling when there's a good deal. Cutting down on small indulgences can help out too, like brewing your own coffee each morning and taking your lunch to work a couple of days a week. And, she said, you can avoid "throwing money away" by avoiding bank fees and credit card charges for late payments and annual fees. "So much money leaks out of our lives undetected," she said.

Hunt also suggests setting up a separate "freedom account" for vacations and gift-giving. When the money in the account is gone, it's time to start making gifts or stay home.

But most important, Hunt said, is figuring out what things in your life are most important to you and saving your money for these things. While she will go out of her way to use a coupon, she said she wouldn't cut out her trips to New England each year to see the fall foliage. She also insists on eating out with a group of friends each Friday night.

"That's the life I love. You've got to have something you're living for, things to enjoy." Chester also admits to enjoying cable and the occasional matinee. But, she said, she draws the line at the concessions stand: "That stuff is expensive."

Source : MSN Money