What some of your best money-saving tips?

What some of your best money-saving tips? I am out of credit card debt and now I want to see if people have ideas on how to cut expenses even more.

Nagel
http://finance.webaplex.com

Pack lunches to work/school

Set your thermostat 2 degrees lower in the winter and higher in the summer

Use coupons/flyers/rebates/buy bulk when grocery shopping

Shop off-season (buy autos before new models come out, buy grills in winter)

Buy luxury personal care items on eBay (teeth whiteners, makeup, skin care products, etc).

Use the library, instead of buying all your books.

Think twice (or three times) before buying hip new electronics -- is what you have just fine? -- can you put off the purchase?

Never pay invoice price (or more) for a new car -- with incentives, it's easy to negotiate below invoice.

Leave the credit cards at home....take out an amount of cash and MAKE IT last you the whole week..

With Farmers Insurance, we set up auto-debit and they knocked off a nice percentage by doing so.

Have a written budget every month. That way you can see where your money is going.

People think that my habit is the habit of someone that can't control his own spending habits. I do it because it is the ULTIMATE form of control IMHO. I have every penny that I will spend for the month itemized in a spreadsheet. The bottom line of the Excel spreadsheet cannot exceed what I will be paid and I usually know about 7 days before payday EXACTLY what I will be paid so I can bounce my bottom line off that.

EVERY single penny is itemized down to budgeting for my next oil change! My investments and savings accounts are laid out--EVERYTHING. On payday I stop at the bank (about 2 miles from where I work) and take out CASH in specific pre-determined pre-planned denominations which then go into envelopes labeled with the specific name of the specific entry into the spreadsheet. If I stop at McDonald's for a chicken wrap on the way home that that money MUST come out of the "Food" envelope which I use for restaurant dining, groceries, etc. I control what I spend as a whole and I control the rules for how the cash in each envelope is spent.

Some things need to be purchased online because I literally live in the middle of BFE, Missouri. I use my Cabelas Club Visa to make the online purchases which are immediately paid off on payday and have already been deducted from the spreadsheet and entered into an online automatic payment transaction through my bank's website. I don't pay a dime of interest because the CC gets paid off and I rack up Cabelas Bucks for future "toy purchases".

After implementing the spreadsheet tactic where literally EVERYTHING is itemized (including an envelope containnig a modest amount of cash labeled "Goof Off") I felt like I received a raise.

Man, idsman75, I'd save a bunch money just by not being able to do anything else during time it would take me to formulate that type of pinpoint balancing!

1. Use energy efficient appliances, shop at wholesale stores like Costco or Sam's Club, Carpool or take public transportation.
2. If you are going to be out of a room for 20 minutes or more turn off the lights.
3. I unplug all appliances and light fixtures I am not using and only plug them in when I am going to use them, including my printer and computer.
4. Wash clothes on Fridays after 7pm or on Saturdays and Sundays
5. Don't use your cell phone on holidays until holidays are included in your cell phone plan
6. Don't go over your cell phone minutes
7. When flying shop around for the best deal and try to leave on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. Also, take 1 or 2 stop flights to save money or call the airline to see what specials they are having.
8. Buy store brands instead of name brand foods, i.e. Kraft, Dole, etc. Store brands are just as good and cost much less.
9. Do regular scheduled maintenance on your car to make it last longer
10. Buy gas during the morning or when it is cool outside
11. Drive your car at the speed limit and don't slam on brakes
12. Buy bundled insurance products with the same company, it may save you money, i.e. auto, home, life insurance with the same insurance company
13. Buy in bulk
14. Buy items on sale
15. Buy used items or use hand-me downs from family or friends

4. Wash clothes on Fridays after 7pm or on Saturdays and Sundays

Is this like a cell phone plan? Unlimited electricity after 7pm and on weekends? Sign me up!


For free and usable items, sign up at www.freecycle.org (http://www.freecycle.org) and find your closest Freecycle affiliate(s). I get all sort of stuff for free, get rid of unwanted items, and save our landfill space all at the same time. Craigslist is good in this respect, also, if you look under items for sale, FREE.

Ha!Ha! Dingobiscuit. No, the electricity companies charge less when using appliances on the weekends or on Fridays after 7pm, check out your local utility website, I use Pepco and this information on their website.

Some cell phone plans have unlimited nights and weekends, some plans are free after 9pm. Thanks.

Where I live (in Texas), the rates are set. In some counties, however, deregulation did not have a grand affect. For example, Denton County has a co-op which provides their electricity and the rate is around 8 cents per kWh. I think they charge less after the first 1,000 kWhs used.