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 What is your best money-saving tip? (Page 1)
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| Author | Topic: What is your best money-saving tip? |
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mochaice Housemate |
posted 03-20-2002 01:00 PM
  
I've found that if I use less laundry detergent (like 1/3 cup vs. a full cup) my clothes are cleaner and there is no soap residue. I found that tip on a cheapskate website..I was skeptical at first (because they use like 2 tbl spoonfuls lol) but it actually works -- now i buy less Tide! What's your best money-saving tip? IP: Logged |
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bali Housemate |
posted 03-20-2002 01:11 PM
Buy spices, teas, rice, noodles in bulk and store in jars. IP: Logged |
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Leopard Kitten Subletter |
posted 03-20-2002 01:24 PM
When I'm eating out I almost always order an appetizer instead of an entree. They are usually big enough for a meal and way cheaper. IP: Logged |
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Lysippe Housemate |
posted 03-20-2002 01:47 PM
Pay attention to the "Latte" factor. This is a tip for saving money. Many people they have no money to save. Except those people still buy their latte and bagel in the morning, junk from the candy machine at night, and pay for delivery at night. By making your own coffee, buying snacks in bulk and cooking or atleast going to pick up the food, you save money. $5 a day is a lot of money when it is earning interest. I just read Smart Women Finish Rich, can you tell?? IP: Logged |
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bali Housemate |
posted 03-20-2002 01:58 PM
Oh I totally second the coffee and lunch thing. I figured I was spending $15 a week on some coffee - so I switched to 2 cups of brewed coffee here at work for 60 cents a day. I bring breakfast, lunch and snack everyday - takes a little planning but that is $15 a week if I bought breakfast, $50 for lunch all week and at least $10 for snack. Granted I have to buy the food, but I am a coupon queen! Now I have $60 more/month to invest in my Roth IRA, so that I can retire in style in 40 years  And I can treat myself to dinner occationally.
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briddy Housemate |
posted 03-20-2002 02:14 PM
I have to third the coffee/bagel/muffin thing. Sometime last year I realized I was spending about $25 a week on a morning coffee and muffin or pastry and bagel. That's about $1300 a year! I quit the habit, and my wallet is thanking me--and so is my ass! IP: Logged |
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red Housemate |
posted 03-20-2002 02:44 PM
Getting up early on Saturday Morning to buy all my veggies at the Market - it's way cheaper than buying fruit andveg at the supermarkeet...plus its a fun thing to do, the veggies are better qualitiy and usually last the entire week, and theres a much bigger selection of the "strange and cooky" veggies....so I'm now also cooking more than just pasta with eggplant, zucchini, onion and garlic! IP: Logged |
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MissMel Housemate |
posted 03-20-2002 04:03 PM
Buying store brand stuff at the grocery store really makes a difference, I even prefer some of the store brand things to the more expensive versions. IP: Logged |
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Jess Housemate |
posted 03-20-2002 04:39 PM
Change Jar. I never pay with exact change. I keep all my loose change in a jar on top of the fridge, and take it to the bank when it's full and put it in savings. (My bank doesn't need rolled coins, so this saves a step for me.) It's not a HUGE savings, but it's easy and I don't really notice the missing change. IP: Logged |
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LoriO Housemate |
posted 03-20-2002 04:49 PM
I used to round up the amount of every check recorded in my check register. I did this for years. The extra cushion in my account bought many a christmas gift, and one time paid my rent when I was between jobs. IP: Logged |
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TrendyMatt Housemate |
posted 03-20-2002 05:50 PM
I must second MissMel's thing on the store brands. I almost exclusively buy my groceries at the Save-A-Lot in town, a chain grocery story that sells mostly generic brands. The food is just as good, and I was the biggest skeptic about that having been raised on Coca-Cola, Kraft Mac and Cheese, Oscar Mayer lunch meats, etc. I spend about $75 max. per month on groceries just from shopping there, and my cabinets are always VERY full. IP: Logged |
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Sophie Housemate |
posted 03-20-2002 06:31 PM
Make a mental note of what time your local supermarket reduces the meat that's about to go out of date, and shop then to fill your freezer. I can't remember the last time we cooked a meal made from full-priced ingredients. IP: Logged |
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blondie Housemate |
posted 03-21-2002 02:34 AM
quote: I do this also, however whenever I turn the page, I subtract $25.00. Every 6 months I take all the extra money and dump in my IRA. I also write my check at the grocery store for the amount before coupons, so that my savings gets saved (rather than thinking "I just didn't spend as much, so now I can go buy a book or whatever")! My pappy used to say whenever he would see a sign that said " 40% off", "I know how to save a 100%, don't buy it!" IP: Logged |
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ragazzina Housemate |
posted 03-21-2002 05:23 AM
don't spend it. Have no life. Study for exams. pay tax unnecessarily so you get it back a year later. (I'm about to pay off my credit card through tax rebate) IP: Logged |
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acsst30 Housemate |
posted 03-21-2002 06:11 AM
drink water go to the matinee instead of the later movie. use the library 'borrow' office supplies from work. eat less.....you loss weight as a bonus this will probably sound like your parents, but turn off the lights when you leave the room...this includes the TV/Computer. it was amazing how much my electric bill went down. i guess mom does know best! buy the kid's meal if you eat out.....you're eating less as well....refer to bonus as previously mentioned! walk whenever you can instead of driving, it's healthy too! IP: Logged |
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Brookiebaby Housemate |
posted 03-21-2002 06:50 AM
I only use my debit card as a "credit card". It keeps me from spending more than I have without having to carry tons of cash. It also avoids the withdrawal fee that most banks charge! I also take the bus and subway and walk (I live in New York) instead of taking a cab. On nice nights I almost *always* walk. The base cab fee is $2.00 for just getting in there and you can travel ANYWHERE in the five boroughs by subway or bus for only $1.50. IP: Logged |
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meredithva Housemate |
posted 03-21-2002 07:26 AM
My office has an ice cube maker, and a water faucet for near-boiling water, so for lunch every day I make my own iced tea. I also always bring my own lunch. I dehydrate fruit, and make beef jerky for snacks. I plan all my meals for the week, so I will only buy what I need at the grocery store. I go to bars and clubs that have drink specials, or offer to be the DD when going to swankier places. I only shop for clothes with coupons, and also shop at places like Marshalls and Ross. I think the best way to save money always comes down to planning ahead. It's too tempting to buy things when you go shopping with no idea of what you want. IP: Logged |
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crowjoy Housemate |
posted 03-21-2002 09:45 AM
The best way I've found to save money is to keep Mander away from the debit cards, hahahah. Just kidding, mostly... our biggest expense is eating out. We love to eat out, fancy places, greasy spoons, it doesn't matter. So, if we make the effort to have great food around and we try to present it and plate it with flair we don't feel deprived and enjoy staying home. I've been cutting out eating lunch out too and if I could get her to do the same we'd save literally hundreds of dollars. The motivation to do all that, for us, is to pick some big ticket item we'd love to have like a vacation or our new bike. We figure out how much money we'd have to save every day/week/month to buy it in the time we want. That's the best motivation we've come up with so far. (And when she isn't looking I sock some away into savings.) I also do the "mystery deposit" thing by rounding up in my checkbook and I have savings taken directly out of my paycheck so I never miss it. IP: Logged |
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emmalou Housemate |
posted 03-21-2002 07:47 PM
quote:
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meredithva Housemate |
posted 03-22-2002 06:03 AM
quote: Teehee! I'm not a cheapskate, but there are so many trips I'd like to take, and I'd like to buy a house someday, so saving money is one of my main goals. IP: Logged |
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Joffler Housemate |
posted 03-22-2002 06:31 AM
Wal-Mart IP: Logged |
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Maggie Housemate |
posted 03-22-2002 07:11 AM
quote:
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BionicGirl Housemate |
posted 03-22-2002 07:20 AM
Pay attention to your spending habits and see where you are most excessive and frivolous. Then try to be extra aware of those habits, and try to curb them. Cutting out the daily latte, smoothie, happy hour, ice cream cone or whatever it is for you is a great idea. It's amazing how much those things can whiddle down your pocketbook. For us, our problem is eating out. It takes real effort to plan ahead, but there are a lot of great tricks for meal-making on a budget and a time-crunch. It's not always as fun as eating out, but it can save you lots each week. Yee-fan posted an article recently about how to save money grocery shopping. It had some good tips in it. IP: Logged |
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acsst30 Housemate |
posted 03-22-2002 07:42 AM
try to resist the urge to buy magazines when waiting at the checkout line at the grocery store. i don't know how many times i've grabbed a cosmo, people, real simple, in style...etc. IP: Logged |
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yam Housemate |
posted 03-22-2002 08:51 AM
well, MOST of the time it's cheaper. I almost just subscribed to Jane when I realized that it would be cheaper for me to buy it on the newstand than to pay their price for canadian subscribers. It's really weird, considering how cheap it is for people in the US to subscribe. The difference in postage isn't THAT much. IP: Logged |
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swede Housemate |
posted 03-22-2002 08:56 AM
crowjoy, I absolutely second your idea about making cool meals together. My bf and I like to go out for a nice dinner once a week, so to afford that -- even during the lean times -- we cook every single meal we eat otherwise. We're both adventurous cooks, so we shake up the old favorites (spaghetti with his homemade sauce, my meatloaf and scalloped potatoes) by trying a new unusual fish we see in the grocer's seafood counter, or I do homemade spanakopitas, or he'll fix a cool marinated vegetable salad ... And we always, always make enough to have leftovers for lunch. Even with buying unusual ingredients to keep ourselves from getting bored, we save many bucks by cooking. And we bond with each other and his 3-year-old daughter -- get home, change into comfy clothes, pour drinks, listen to music, cook, chow down -- it's a 3-hour ritual we love. (And, since we're both newspaper reporters, we now write a cooking column in our newspaper and actually get paid EXTRA to save money!) IP: Logged |
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mochaice Housemate |
posted 03-25-2002 12:48 PM
I also buy the appetizers instead of the meal, basically because they put too much food on a dinner meal! I often leave w/ a 1/2 full to-go box from the appetizer. To save cash, if you just want to go out, I usually go during lunch specials. To make sure we don't over eat, I ask them to box 1/2 and serve 1/2. Then the waiter brings the to-go box before we leave. We always eat at pappadeaux's ...there is NO place better! IP: Logged |
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telekinetic pyro Housemate |
posted 03-26-2002 01:08 PM
Be friends with your parents. They will buy you meals for the pleasure of your company! I'm really not that big of a mooch but I do try to work in a meal whenever we get together. I also buy in bulk and generic of nearly everything IP: Logged |
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maya Housemate |
posted 03-26-2002 05:37 PM
Grind your coffee on the espresso setting in the grocery store.The finer the coffee is ground the stronger it is when you brew it. You use less beans and the coffee lasts longer. Pretty cool! IP: Logged |
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zippycar Housemate |
posted 03-26-2002 06:09 PM
I completely agree with loriO and Blondie on the check book thing, I've put the excess in the old IRA for two or three years now, and brown bagging your lunch, breakfast etc. is so worth the effort! And my mother was right, it never hurts to ask. The counter guy at the dollar store told me that they re-stock before opening on Saturday morning, plenty of products that I generally bought at Wal-Mart are available for a dollar. Can't beat a deal like that  I try not to be a complete tighwad, but I want to buy a house next year and I also want to go to London next year.
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lduds Housemate |
posted 03-27-2002 12:46 AM
Superfresh has double coupon day everyday up to $1 and I love it! IP: Logged |
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smash7 Subletter |
posted 04-12-2002 10:20 PM
I have absolutely no bank loyalty -- I shopped around after my last bank screwed me and found one that has no user fees and decent interest. I separate my money between four different accounts, and after the interest comes in, I move the interests from three of the accounts into my long-term savings. It added up to about a hundred dollars this year...not bad Also, since debiting is free, I just transfer a set amount of money into a spending account and once that's gone that's it. I'd love to have the willpower to actually save my change, but with 1$ and 2$ coins (yay Canada) it's a bit tricky
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breana Housemate |
posted 04-14-2002 02:54 PM
You guys have some fabulous tips! I am a broke victim of the roommate-took-off-and-stuck-me-for-everything scenario, so I have been hoarding my pennies. I was wondering if anyone knew of any super cheap recipes? So that I can still impress someone with my cooking prowess (is there such a thing?) but not break my already fragile bank? Number 1, I am sick of eating rice with hot sauce every day for lunch. Number 2, I am very social, and I hate that I can't ever have anyone over for dinner. Honestly and truly, I should just let people treat me for a while, and they have, it's just, I hate rice with hot sauce!!! Here is something I just learned: Salvation Armies, Volunteers of America, and Habitat for Humanity thrift stores get new stuff on Mondays, and if you get there before the grabby old people and the antique/vintage clothing dealers, you can make out big time! Did everyone else know this? Also, I stopped paying the fee for gas line protection that the gas company says you have to pay in order to get someone out to fix a gas leak. According to the fire department, it is illegal for them to allow a leak to persist. So if you have a leak, and call the fire department, the gas company pays for it. Ha HA gas company! But I still pay the line protection on the phone....hmmmm.... IP: Logged |
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GracieLaRue Housemate |
posted 04-14-2002 09:48 PM
My advice? Save money on groceries by taking a nice little serving job, sucking up to the head chef and have him/her box up everything you want on the sly.... (struggling young artists everywhere nod in agreement) IP: Logged |
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swede Housemate |
posted 04-15-2002 01:25 PM
Hmmm ... Just off the top of my head, Breana, a whole roast chicken is pretty cheap and makes a nice company meal. (I discovered this last year when I was very, very poor and dating a gourmet cook who would NOT have been impressed had I served him rice and hot sauce!!!) A nice plump whole chicken is $3-$4 at the grocery store, and it'll easily serve 6 people. You don't even have to stuff it with anything (although it's nice with stuffing inside, or stuff with cut-up lemons for great flavor.) One of my favorite things to do is plop it in a baking dish, legs tied together (to keep it all plumped up and not dry out), skin rubbed with some olive oil or butter and herbs or garlic if you got 'em, and cut up potatoes in eighths lengthwise and throw them in the same pan. Roast til it's done (I'm thinking 170 on a meat thermometer, somebody correct me here), drizzling a couple tablespoons of water over the chicken about twice during the cooking. That's it! The potatoes will get all crusty and with a SUBLIME flavor from the chicken juices. This is my favorite way to fix potatoes. Add a salad (coleslaw's very cheap to make, with just cabbage, mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper) and some beer (serve it in glasses if it's cheap I've made up lots more cheapo tasty recipes out of necessity, but that's a good one that's still cheap even if you have NOTHING in your pantry to start with. IP: Logged |
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bali Housemate |
posted 04-15-2002 01:33 PM
Chicken thighs are super cheap. I have been pan browning them and than adding onion, tomatoes, oregano and rice. Than cook down with a few cups of chicken/veggie broth until the rice is done. Will feed you for days. And be nice for company, with more chicken and tomatoes. My roommate just bailed on my on friday. Came home and everything was gone - along with the toilet paper, all the frozen food and the saran wrap. She moved home. And she won't give me back her key. AHHH. IP: Logged |
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telekinetic pyro Housemate |
posted 04-15-2002 02:59 PM
My dad came up with the best recipe. Some pasta (doesn't matter what kind or how much) a slice of american cheese (or any other kind you like. Also as much as you want) a can of cream of chicken soup (or mushroom or onion or celery, whatever floats your boat) Cook the pasta like normal, drain, pour the can of soup over it, throw on a slice of cheese and let melt, stir and serve. Quick, easy, cheap and super tasty!! IP: Logged |
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breana Housemate |
posted 04-16-2002 10:39 AM
quote: I also have an extra key floating around in the bad roommate zone. I feel like everytime I hear the house settling it could be her, using her key to break in and steal my stuff!! IP: Logged |
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giamaria Housemate |
posted 04-16-2002 11:17 AM
See if you can get the locks changed!!! I am sure your landlord would want to for thier safety too. This is small thing, but to avoid ATM charges ($1-1.75 in Chicago) I pay with my debit card at the grocery store or drug store and get cash back. You avoid the charges...even if you buy .50 candy, you're still saying a little something AND getting something for your money. Not much, but it gives me a little satisfaction in this expensive world. Oh, and from this point forward, long distance calls on my cell phone only b/c the rates are better. IP: Logged |
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LJBrad7 Housemate |
posted 04-23-2002 08:40 AM
quote: I am a magazine junkie so I go to Barnes and Noble. You can stay there and read what you want without buying anything. They have a huge selection and most have big comfy chairs to read in-all for free. I also read a lot of books there too. (My latest is "Rich Dad, Poor Dad"-it's a great book on leaning how to not be strapped for cash!) Also, lots of people talked about having dinner parties on a low budget. Why not try a pot luck type dinner (ask each guest to bring a designated dish). I'm guessing, like me, most of your friends are poor too so this costs everyone the same as it would to eat on their own, but everyone gets a party out of it. [This message has been edited by LJBrad7 (edited 04-23-2002).] [This message has been edited by LJBrad7 (edited 04-23-2002).] IP: Logged |
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