Does anyone have good money saving ideas?

Question

I have some ideas, like buying in bulk, brown bagging it to work, driving a moped (90mpg is way better than 22mpg), collectors plates (one time registration fee if it is over 20 years old), just liability for insurance since i bought the moped for $350. Any other tips and tricks are great. I am in my last year of college and need to save up for a down payment on a house so I dont have to waste money on rent anymore :)

have the orange savings account 4.25%, have an orange cd from a while ago back when 4.4% was cool.
use citicard dividend card. 5% cashback on groceries, drugstores, and gas AND 1% cashback on all other purchases
(and pay it off montly)
i think people need to use credit wisely
buy now, take 40 days to pay while ur cash is earning 4.25% in INGdirect.

Answer 1

I have found the best way of saving. I was able to put away approximately $8000 in 18 months. Look for www.sharebuilder.com. Its an investment site. You can purchase stock for $4.00, no matter how much stock you buy. Do some research. I chose companies based on the products i use in my daily life. I found it be fun to save and also enjoyed shopping for new stocks. The dividends usually pay better than any savings account, so give it a try. It worked for me.

Answer 2

First of all, congratulations for setting such an impressive goal as so early an age. I commend you for your foresight and convictions! I recommend a book I recently read by an author named David Bach called "The automatic millionaire: Homeowner". In it he details some strategies for getting out of renting and into a house. He's been featured on Oprah I heard, (I randomly came across his book shopping at Costco) and gives some pretty solid advice.

As for personal advice, I agree with many of the people above. I actually avoid buying in bulk because of spoilage. Don't get me wrong, non-perishable things are great to buy in bulk, but when it comes to food I always look for the weekly fliers for the local supermarkets that come in the mail. My motto is: "If it's not on sale this week, it will be in the next few." My wife and I spend about $200-300 on groceries a month and we limit ourselves to $200 eating out. As for clothes, we shop for name brands at discount stores such as Marshall's, TJ Max, Ross and several others.

The more I think about it, the smartest thing my wife and I ever did, was to sit down, write down how much we took home after taxes and then created a budget. We made sure we had enough to live on and everything else went into a savings account. Based on our budget that we currently have (not counting future child costs) we will pay off a house we just bought last November in about 17 years or less. The real heart of it all is to make that plan and STICK TO IT!

Good luck! I really hope you succeed!

Answer 3

I haven't spent change in years. I have a place for every coin and when it's full I wrap and put the cash on my mortage. I am going to pay that off this year 18 months ahead of time. If you smoke, STOP, smoking is a big money waste. Eat out less often. Shop sales. Try thrift shops for clothing and household items. In addition to brown bagging I take my own soda to work. At 40 cents a can or so, beats $1.25 from a vending machine.If your paying your own utility bills, so all you can to conserve. You'll think off others. Good luck to you, your off to a good start.

Answer 4

you can def utilize coupons and bonus buys when shopping for food.
I buy all my hygenic products at Walmart and that saves a ton (altho you can't have any moral issues with walmart to shop there)
the moped is a great idea - be careful. check into ridesharing for those rainy days.....
don't be using credit cards - pay cash for everything.
bank whatever free cash you have in some kind of savings -
if you have money already and don't anticpiate needing it for say - a few years - look at buying some bonds...ask your bank.
re-use and re-cycle everything
garage sale hunt whenever you need something
handle all your trips in the car at one time instead of going back and forth
eliminate all the little things you REALLY don't need like netflix
or that $3/month for yahoo radio unlimited....the little stuff adds up
good luck - sounds like you're on the right path (except for the collector plates - i don't get that)

Answer 5

Don't buy in bulk if it will spoil before you can finish it.
Cut out the soda and all the other unnecessary stuff you don't need. Don't go out as often. Rent the movie instead of going to the theater. Stop drinking alcohol and smoking and you'll save tons of money (assuming you drink and/or smoke).

If you absolutely don't need it - don't buy it. If you can't pay cash for it, don't buy it. Don't use credit cards unless you can pay balance in full when it comes due.

Hope you get your house.

I thought you had to have more than one car to quallify for collector's plates - you learn something new every day.

Answer 6

What your doing is terrific. All I can add is 1/4 of a dryer sheet works as well as a whole sheet. Avoid eating out. Crock pots are great to cook cheap meat until tender, just throw in a pack of onion soup mix and a couple cups of water. Fans work until AC just HAS to be turned on. Buy a cheap house in a good neighborhood. Fix it up as you can afford it. Once that is paid off then the fun begins.

Answer 7

My brother has more taxes taken out of his check voluntarily and gets a lump some back at the end of the year. Good if you aren't a "saver" but you don't earn interest so it is better to try to be a diligent saver. Using coupons and only buying items on sale or in bulk works. Eat out less, pedal to work, do laundry in cold water.... Good luck!

Answer 8

put 5- 10 percent of each pay check into a saving account with interest. When this ads up, move it to a CD (greater interest). Read 'The Richest Man in Babylon'

Answer 9

You can also try emptying any spare change you have in a jar everytime you break a bill, and sving it for a week, slowly turning it into dollars. You can also try shopping at places like Good Will for clothes, instead of mall. Also getting the bigger packs of thing for better prices at places like Walmart. Another big tip, coupons, coupons, coupons. (Some stores give a discount if you are a college student, look into that.)

Answer 10

Have one credit card only, pay it off every end of the month. Do not fall for "buy now pay later" if you cannot afford it, dont buy it. It's been our motto for a long time and we are better off than other many other people in our family and circle of friends who made decisions in buying through plastic money.