Money Saving Tips

This was stolen from an eBay thread.

If property has depreciated dramatically, you could get a reduction on your property tax bill by visiting ptaxsavers.com.

Use the library!

You can check out books, magazines, CDs and DVDs all free as long as you return on time! It saves you money and your house will have less clutter than if you bought all that stuff!

If you use bar soap, take a bunch of the bars out of the packaging and put them in a wire basket or bowl in your bathroom. They smell great but the money saving part is that you are letting the bars dry out and harden in the air. After a week or so of curing, they will last twice as long and they won't get as goopy in the soap dish. They don't always lather as good as fresh soap, but you'll get over it.

When groceries or non perishables are on sale(coffee, TP,paper towels, trash bags, laundry soap), buy enough to last 6 weeks if you can. By the time you start to run out, they are very often on sale again.

Thanks for some great tips Cassie!

I know combining errand runs together and starting from the farthest
point first working my way home, really saves me not only on gas
but that ever precious thing called TIME.

Diane St James
http//www.dianestjames.com

Try store brands. Some will be just as good as the name brands.

Buy a freezer.

Get a filtered water pitcher and use refillable bottles instead of buying bottled water.

If you are not retired yet, figure out what your retirement income might be(if you're lucky enough to have ajob with a plan) Live on that amount for several years before retirement. This will let you know if you need to supplement your income.

Take a "tour" of the ends of the aisles at Target. Walk the entire store around the edges. This is where they put their clearance. You may not find anything at first but do it every so often. Lots of times they have markdowns from 75% to 90% off shoved in between the 15-30%ers.

I have found lots of stuff for very little money doing this. Everything from their "designer" pens for $.74, foodstuffs for 90% off (staples that don't go bad), t-shirts for $1.98, jeans and pants for $3.98, movies for $1.04, etc.

They also take further markdowns in certain departments on certain days and each store is different but if you go often enough you will get the pattern.

Also, if the red tag price ends in 4 its at the final markdown.

Buy Two-Ply Toilet Paper.

Peel it apart, and now you have twice as much for the same price.

Buy basic herbs and spices at the bargain store. Parsley is parsley. Salt is salt.

Turn off your water heater when you aren't using it.

Use cold-water appliances - dish washer, clothes washer, etc.

Drive slowly.

Use energy-saving bulbs.

Unplug anything you aren't using if possible.

Don't overcharge electronic devices.

Eat healthy (pays off in the long run).

Buy Borax to add to your laundry as a booster. Saves on detergent and works great on skid marks.


Vinegar and baking soda are great kitchen cleaners.

Make your own window cleaner-1/4Cup clear ammonia, 1Cup iso alcohol, 1/2 tsp dish liquid, water to make 2 quarts.

If you are waiting for the hot water to get to your kitchen sink, fill up your coffee maker or water your plants with the water that's still cold instead of letting it go down the sink.

Take the time and clip coupons. It takes 10 minutes, and it can save you a butt-load off your bill.

Shop the Dollar Stores; the ones where everything is one dollar. Our local Dollar Tree has frozen Green Giant Vegetables, Mrs. Smith's Apple pie slices, Cheese and many canned items such as Heinz ketchup.

If you buy junk food, they are the best (but of course to save money, you SHOULDN'T be buying junk food.)

Combine trips when out shopping and plan your trips to avoid back tracking - saves gasoline.

Cut back on cable premium channels and rent movies through Net Flix instead.

For those that can, carpool or ride a bike.

Water Saving tips:

If you don't have a water-efficient toilet, put some rocks in a ziploc back and put it in the tank to lower water usage.

Use low-flow showerheads and water-saving devices in your sinks.

Don't leave the water on during your entire shower. Turn water on, get wet. Turn water off, and wash face, body and hair. Turn water on, and rinse.

First find where you're spending the most amount of unnecessary money.

Is it food? For us, it is.

The days we don't have a dinner planned we end up spending and average of $15.00 purchasing dinner for our family of four. This is due mostly to bad advance menu planning.

When we plan out a 7 day menu in advance, we can eat for $3.00 $4.00 that dinner. That $12.00 + a night, a savings equal $360.00 per month.

Real savings.

Too busy to cook with two 9-5 workers? Buy that $3.00 whole chicken, place it in a slow cooker before work, and it'll be done at 6 pm. Microwave a few whole potatos and a can of veggies, and you're ready.

We can do boneless beef roasts or pork loins(either are 1.5 pounds @ $1.99/lb on sale) in the slow cooker the same way.

Or toss a frozen boneless non-China salmon fillets at 2.99/lb into an covered electric skillet for 20 minutes, and quickly pressure-cook a couple cups of inexpensive rice on your stovetop

A programmable timer bread machine can have a two-pound loaf of fresh white bread ready when supper is due for about 20 cents.

When you eat in a restaurant, do NOT order iced tea,
coffee, or coke. A glass of iced tea in most restaurants
(in my town) costs $2.00 - add tax and tip, and you are out $2.50. Take the wife and kids, and you just blew $10 or $15 bucks for nothing.

Cancel your subscriptions to printed Newspapers and Magazines. You are paying for Internet, right? It's all here.

Speaking of cokes and coffee - forget Starbucks - you can make the same cup at home for 1/10 the price. Latte and Blatte and all that stuff, learn to do without (the sugar in that stuff is going to give you diabetes, acne, and rotten teeth anyway.

Premium Cable or Satellite TV? Why? You can buy or rent DVD's to get that movie fix, and again, you have the Internet to watch the Weather Channel, ESPN, Food Network, etc.

Movie Theater? Again, rent the DVD and buy some Jolly Time Pop Corn and stay Home. Last time I went to a movie, it was $9.00 per ticket and $3.75 for a small popcorn. Forget it!

Gasoline? Calculate those trips... bunch up the grocery store, the Post Office, the Mall, Home Depot, wherever it is that you are going and do them all on the same day, same trip.

Fast Food? If you want to live, skip it entirely. But if you gotta do it, then: skip the Combo Meal. You are wasting money. And drink water.

Speaking of water: Bottled Water. Talk about selling Ice to Eskimos! Unless your City Water is swill (Phoenix, AZ for example) then have a glass on the city. You are also protecting the environment and all that by not wasting plastic bottles.

More on Restaurants: Desserts, Appetizers, Salads. Don't do it! This is where the total tab skyrockets.
Enjoy the entree, then go home and eat some ice cream.

Automobiles - it's the Tires, stupid! Invest in a good air compressor and keep those babies filled. And forget that label that is on the inside of the door - that is a recommended average. Look ON THE TIRE itself for Max PSI,
fill the tire to about 85% or 90% of that number. The ride will be a little bumpier in town, but the mileage will be better.

Gasoline... Jeff Gordon (Nascar) says that unless you driving a pre-1980's car, or a high-performance vehicle,
PREMIUM GAS is a WASTE of MONEY. Go with the 87 octane cheap stuff.

COSTCO - buy Gas there. If you don't have COSTCO, go to Sam's Club. The Gas savings will pay for the membership.

Candy, cakes, sweetie-treaties, Oreo Cookies, etc.
This stuff is killing you both physically and financially.
Give it up entirely, or minimize it.

Printer Ink - the retail price of printer ink is more than Dom Perignon Champagne (true story). Turn the color off (click control panel > printers > settings. Go to one of those Cartridge World places that sells it for a discount.

Refrigerator - older models (early 90's and before) run all the time. Get a new one, it will pay for itself.

Air Conditioner Filters - CHANGE THEM when they are dirty! Your AC Unit will last longer, your utility bill will go down.

Clothes Dryer Filters - clean after every use. The Dryer lasts longer, the electric bill goes down.

Politicians and Incumbents and Elections - these idiots are Taxing the Blood out of your Veins. Dump them all. Vote for Libertarians or Republicans. HARASS, EMAIL, CALL, and VISIT your elected officials and ask them what they are doing to lower Taxes, get the price of gasoline down, etc.

Take a vacation at HOME this summer. It's not mandatory to
travel on a vacation.
Save the gas and enjoy your home that most people
work on all year for appearances to impress their neighbors but then rarely enjoy the improvements fully themselves.
Use the money saved on vacationing and gas on PAYING DOWN
DEBT. The interest alone is killing most people.

Most cities, even down to small towns, have a "farmers market" where gardeners can sell their vegetables to the public.

Not only will you save money cutting out the middleman and avoiding those expensive transportation costs, you'll get food of higher quality and taste.

And if you have room for a small garden, you can make a good profit planting extra to sell at farmer's markets. (our town only charges $5.00 to set up and sell there).

Grow a garden. Even if you just grow a few potted tomato plants, you can have fresh veggies for pennies. Seriously- Tomatos at walmart cost 2.89 a lb right now. A good tomato plant will live indoors all year round in a pot, and will give about 40 lbs of delicious tomatoes over its lifetime.

Grow your own herbs. Its EASY. You just need a windowsill.

Consider keeping a few hens for eggs.

We are very blessed and only have to purchase staples such as coffee, sugar, flour, oil etc. I am a member of a local organic food co-op and for a nominal membership fee and the donation of excess produce and eggs, I can buy fair trade coffee, tea, chocolates etc at prices that rival that of grocery store costs. I get oil, flour, sugar etc in bulk.

Get a food dehydrator. When your garden (or the grocer) has a bumper crop, dehydrate!

Learn to can. Its EASY. I can our own meats, veggies, fruits and even whole meals in quart jars. I make my own jams, jellies, syrups.

There is no reason you can't cut your food budget drastically, while still living high on the hog.

Also- even though I am a carnivore at heart, I try to have meatless meals twice a week. Substitute dry beans, tofu, or soy for the protien.

Find a few friends and go in with them to purchase a butchered beef. I sell my butcher steers on quarters- four families can each buy a quarter for a FRACTION of what it costs in the grocery store, and enjoy grass fed gourmet beef. (I have Scottish Highlanders- renowned for their lean tender beef). If you can, find a local butcher that custom butchers, and let them know what you are looking for- they will typically hook you up with a local farmer who sells direct to the customers

Dry clothes out side in the shade.

Make your own noodles , bread, cakes and so on. Got to make a vinegar cake if you like chocolate[no eggs, milk or butter].

We never eat out, I want to know what I am eating. Our food that can/freeze we know whats in it.
We never buy store brands, like walmart sugar it is not sugar cane. Walmart flour is not all wheat flour.

We DON'T buy nothing in plastic jars.

Compare what you buy with the name brand and store brand and you will see more JUNK in the store brands.

Spices the same, read and do a taste test.
Sometimes paying a little more will save you money.

We do our food shopping once a month. And we always have at least 6-12 months on hand.


Why buy endust and so on. A damp cloth will do the same thing.

A gallon of bleach will go a long long way if you use it for clean ups in the kitchen.

Once a month or so, WASH your dryer lint screen with a brush, a drop of dishwashing liquid, and warm water. Rinse really well and let air dry. I thought we needed a new dryer as it was taking ours 1 1/2 hours to dry half a washer load. I washed the filter and just like that, the dryer dried a full load of jeans and denim shirts in an hour! Dryer sheets and fabric softener residue clogs the filter.

If you haven't already check out sites of Living On A Dime and The Dollar Stretcher.

Call your credit card company and ask them to lower your interest rate. If you pay on time and are a valued customer they will.

Refinance your high rate or ARM mortgage.

Bundle your car and homeowners insurance. Every year shop around for new plans. I saved 1200 a year switching insurance company's. Also don't file a claim unless it's absolutely necessary.

Cancel all the options on your home phone. Call waiting, ID, etc.

Find the best cell phone plan for your needs. I examined my bill and noticed 90% of my calls went to 5 people. I found a plan that allowed unlimited calling to five people. Cut my cell bill in half.

Check your credit report for errors. The higher your credit score the better your interest rates will be.

In the winter turn your heat down to 67 degrees and wear a sweater.