Today, I’d like to offer some more frugal tips, random ideas to help you save some bucks.
The Entertainment Book retails for $35, but is often available for half price. It’s a book full of coupons, regionally focused, targeting restaurants, entertainment and travel. You can easily save ten time the purchase cost by using this book on your next vacation.
Get a grip on your (grocery) shopping habits. There are a few aspects to this. The usual “make a list and stick to it” is a great start, as is “don’t shop when you’re hungry.” To these I’ll add, if you have a number of supermarkets nearby, plan your trips on the way to or from someplace else, this will help you save time and gas. My closest ones are close to each other, but nearly 5 miles away, so a round trip visit from my house is 10 miles and about 20 minutes. Stopping as I pass on the way home saves me both time and money. Tie this strategy to stocking up on the non-perishable sale items are there’s a lot of savings to be had.
Avoid the soda machine. I’d like to suggest you avoid soda altogether, but short of that, are you putting $1.25-$1.50 into the machine for every soda? Buy it in 12 packs (brand names, not even store brand) and you’ll pay about 30 cents a can. Do the math, just one soda per day and you just found $250/yr to save or use to pay off some debt.
More than just a tiny change to find a few dollars a roommate can make a huge difference in your budget. You may have a spare bedroom in your house or apartment, and whether it’s to help you pay the rent or mortgage, a roommate can be the difference between just getting by and really getting ahead. Of course this isn’t for everyone, and you’ll want to screen the roommate even more than you would a tenant as this will be a guest in your home. They will not only pay half your rent or a nice chunk of the mortgage, but also half the utilities, if that’s the deal you offer.
Many financial contracts have a three day “right of recision.” Sort of a three day cooling off period, in case you change your mind. How about you pick a level, maybe $100 or less, depending on your income, and decide that when you want to buy something, you’ll write it down, and wait three full days to see if you still really want it. You’d be surprised at how even after a couple days, the urge to buy often fades enough that you start to temper your impulses.
Five ideas today to help you save.
Joe