Save It: Part 3
We’re back with our third installment of cash conscious ideas, so lets-save-some-moolah-people! For our first post about all the ways we keep our wallets in check, check out Save It: Part 1. And for a slew of other money saving suggestions, see our more recent post Save It: Part 2. Who would’ve thought after 21 tips we’d be back with more… but desperate times call for even more penny pinching, so we’re here to spill the beans (and hopefully save some too).
Cheapola Tip #1- Point Taken. In tight times like these, it’s nice to use our extra credit card “points” strategically. So instead of cashing them in for something that’s not entirely necessary (like a Bose stereo or a hotel reservation), we like to put them towards something we ordinarily would have spent our hard earned money on anyway (like a gift card to Home Depot to cover a year’s worth of air filters for our HVAC or even a grocery store gift card for food and other monthly expenses). There’s nothing like an indulgence in good times, but it’s super fun to think that Visa is paying for garbage bags and other household staples so we can bank a bit more dough these days.
Cheapola Tip #2- Waste Not, Pay Not. We realized that thanks to composting and recycling, our garbage bin only fills up every two weeks instead of having to be dragged to the curb every 7 days. Thankfully there are trash services that offer bi-monthly pick-ups (for less!) which work perfectly for our reduced trash load, so we’re planning to switch over and save some green.
Cheapola Tip #3- Second Chance. Purely on a whim, I decided to take a big bag of old clothes destined for Goodwill to a local consignment shop- just to see what would happen. The verdict? I’m a consignment convert. I walked in with a bulging bag of clothes and walked out with $44 in my pocket (and still had a few things in the bag for Goodwill!). They certainly won’t take everything (color and season along with size and the trends come into play) but for two pair of jeans, some red flats that never fit right, and an old dress that I’ll never wear again, I made close to $50. Not bad for offering up closet castoffs and twenty minutes of my time.
Cheapola Tip #4- Seize The Birthday. Much like tip number one, resisting the urge to ask for off the wall “would be nice” gifts and instead requesting something you would actually spend money on might feel a tad less exciting but your wallet will thank you. And it doesn’t always have to be something boring like razors and toilet paper. I had been eying some candle sconces from ZGallerie for a while, so adding them to my birthday list ensured that I’d get them without having to enter my credit card number. Happy birthday to me!
Cheapola Tip #5- Go The Long Haul. We actually went all of March without “major food shopping” at all. Not once! Other than stopping in two times pick up some eggs, milk and produce (which came in under $25 each time), we didn’t do any grocery shopping for the entire 31 days of March! And no we didn’t stock up on $300 worth of food on February 28th or go on vacation for three weeks of the month. We just set one goal: no food shopping until we eat everything that we already have. Like most people we had random cans of beans, forgotten boxes of brown rice, and tons of frozen salmon that we avoided since frozen pizza is easier (so off to the store we went to buy more instead of eating what we had). By vowing to finish the rest of our oatmeal and veggie burgers, we thought we’d save a bit, but we had no idea we’d save hundreds of dollars that we usually spend on food for the month. Bonus: now our cabinets are cleared out and we know what we never really ate (so we can avoid it and save even more loot).
Cheapola Tip #6- Work The Land. Thanks to a super simple compost bin and an inexpensive rain barrel, Mother Nature’s doing the work for us and we’re getting free organic soil and water- just in time for planting season. And thanks to a fruit and vegetable garden that we’re in the process of establishing, we’re looking forward to gaining even more good stuff without spending much green.
Cheapola Tip #7- Order In. John’s a big runner, and he’s had knee problems in the past, so shoes with adequate support are imperative. That means he can’t exactly wear his Asics into the ground (since they’re only good for about 6 months and then they start compromising his knee-health). But all that shoe-replacing can get expensive. Of course he would never blindly order a running shoe online (he likes to try them on and trot around in them) but he knows that there are online retailers who sell the very same shoes he could buy at a big chain nearby for $20-$30 cheaper (with free shipping). So he has taken to trying shoes on in the store and memorizing the name and model number so he can find the exact same sneakers online for a lot less. He even researches coupon codes for additional savings. Gotta love shoes that go the distance and come right to your door.
Cheapola Tip #8- Take The Subway. Now that every single Subway footlong is $5, we can easily have lunch or dinner on the go for $2.50 a person. By splitting a sub (they’re happy to put different toppings on each half) we feel better than noshing on artery clogging Big Macs, and it’s a lot easier to save cash (and avoid a side of fries). Although we still prefer to eat at home, for those long afternoons of running errands on the weekends, Subway is often a much needed pick-me-up along the way.
Cheapola Tip #9- Refinance, Baby. We already did a post about this (and how it’s saving us some serious bank) but it’s worth mentioning in this round-up of ideas for anyone looking to own their home for a bit less in the long-term. It’s a great time to drop your interest rate substantially.
Now it’s your turn! Tell us all of you penny pinching tips and tricks. Share and share alike!
For more great money saving strategies check out this post over at My Sweet Savannah.
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Comments
Hey East End,
We’re actually not in the city of Richmond (we’re in Bon Air, in Chesterifeld County just outside the city lines). Oh yeah, and the “no spending money on food” phenomenon here in the states is called being a Freegan (they actually like to live completely off food they find tossed out on the streets and pick up furniture on the curb (something we’re totally down with, the first thing… not so much). To each his own grocery bill I guess!
xoxo,
Sherry
Thanks, everyone, for the great tips…and Youngsters, thanks for getting the cheapskate party started w/ your post.
I’m a reformed shop-a-holic, and I’m really enjoying life as a cheapskate! When I married my hubster, I was so wasteful, I bought my shampoo at Neiman Marcus and thought nothing of dropping piles of cash on stupid stuff. Yikes. It makes me feel a little sick to my stomach just thinking about all the $$ I wasted….
Anyway, my darling hubster loves to save money. I’ve learned alot. I call the story of our marriage, “From Kiehl’s to Suave in 10 Short Years.” :-) [I don't really use Suave, but it sounds better than Pantene, and it gets the point across :-) ]
Another tip I like…buy a LARGE container good quality dish soap (I love the smell of Palmolive) and cut it in half (or even more) with water…you get twice as much for the money. (You could do this w/ shampoo too.)
I love to buy the Olay cleansing cloths for my face, and I buy them in bulk then cut them in half…my friends do that w/ dryer sheets too.
Also, instead of buying the stuff to put in my dishwasher to keep water spots at bay…I’ve learned to use white vinegar instead to do the same job. I use white vinegar alot as a “green” cleaning agent around the house. I was worried at first our house would smell like a tossed salad, but it doesn’t.
Thanks for all the great tips!
Happy Easter everybody!
As part of a 31 day blogging challenge by problogger.net, I built on your fabulous list. Would love for you to check it out!
http://newlifeasnewwife.blogspot.com/2009/04/5-more-way-to-save-it.html
sherry,
what companies do bi-monthly trash pick up? In Mechanicsville, I pay about $50 a quarter. It’s pretty cheap but we still we don’t take the bin to the curb every week because it’s not full. thanks!
Hey Lindsey,
Very good question indeed! We have yet to make some calls to determine which ones offer the service here in Chesterfield, but we do know that Duck’s doesn’t (we checked them out a few weeks ago). But we’re sure in this economy we’ll be able to hunt someone down who’s happy to get our business! Stay tuned…
xoxo,
Sherry
Sherry-
WOW – how do I EVEN begin to comment on this post. Well, let me start by saying that I just started couponing and Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University. As a previous retail store manager, I LOVE TO SHOP, but now I “admire and not acquire” and determine if it is a need vs. want. We also no longer have cell phones, cable or TV at all. Our entertainment is from the library or outside (moving from CO to SC has helped that a lot due to all the free outdoor things to do). Plus I could spend all day long in my Craft Room scrapbooking and there is ALWAYS yardwork to do.
We live in Manhattan and I am always putting stuff on Craigslist when we no longer need it… not everything sells but I would say about 75% of my items do, given enough time… even the ugly, 15-lb., recycled glass leaf platter that relatives spent $20+ to send as a bridal shower gift! I wish we had the option of a consignment store/franchise here. Hmm, maybe that’s an opportunity…
I’ve also signed up for word of mouth marketing organizations such as http://www.bzzagent.com, Psst from General Mills and First Taste from Kraft (Google to find their Web sites). Every so often they send me coupons and/or new products to try and give feedback on, which is fun.
And I’m a huge fan of reusable grocery bags (http://www.rumebags.com) and CFL bulbs, especially the new ones that enclose the coil in a frosted glass globe so they look more aesthetically pleasing. Thanks for all of your tips and ideas!
Hey everyone,
I saw the article about money saving tips and think they are all great. I love the fact that lots of people are sharing their ideas like this, it means we can try and save money. I think with all the financial worries going around at the moment, we all need to be more aware of our spending. I thought I would share my new tip with you, I have now recently become a bit of a fan of electronic greetings cards. I have spent ages on the internet and have found a really cool free eCard greetings site. I think this is such a great idea as a money saving technique! I dread to link how money I have spent over the years on papers cards, and postage! I like this particular site because it always seems to have new designs to choose from, so I have never become bored. They also have a great application called ‘Face It’ where you can upload your own photos to add that extra personal touch, which is a great idea. I hope this piece of information helps, let me know!
Consignment shops are great! You never know, your stuff may be another person’s treasure find! It’s always great to help out and give some stuff to charity too.
Hi Sherry and John-
Love your website! You have so many great tips and ideas! Talking about trash pick-up, I don’t know if you are willing to bring your trash to the “dump”, but it would save lots of money! I think drop off is between $5 and $10 per visit, no matter how much you have. It is located off of Genito Road.
Looking forward to more great tips!
Some awesome ideas on this site, thanks for sharing everyone, I too have been known to send the odd batch of online greeting cards every once in a while. I also agree with what lisa said about grocery bags, I have invested a lovely ‘shopper’ so I don’t need plastic bags from the store now, a great greener way to shop and live.
Just thought of something else: “They” say that your TV eats a lot of electricity when it’s turned off, so we bought a power strip and fixed it so the DVR is plugged into the wall (so we don’t miss “Burn Notice!”) but the TV, DVD and VCR plug into the power strip that we (are trying to remember to) turn off when we’re not watching the TV.
What with our electric heat pump heat, and the crazy summer/no, winter!/summer/winter! weather we’ve been having I don’t expect to be able to really see a difference on our electric bill for this and the stuff I mentoned above, but it seems pretty accepted that this will make a pretty significant difference!