What are your tips for saving money?

Question

The best way you have found or just any little tips that saves a few dollars?

Answer 1

Put all your loose change in a pot at the end of each day.

After a while, get a bigger pot.

Answer 2

1. Don't own or operate a personal motor vehicle.
2. Use public transportation.
3. Get a bicycle for short trips.
4. Rarely or never use air conditioning or furnace heat in your home. In cold weather, wear lots of clothing. When sleeping, wear a sock cap. Put many warm blankets on your bed. If you must have heat, use a small space heater (of the newer type that cannot start a fire). In the summer, use a small fan, if you must.
5. Shop the the super discount grocery store, and only buy really inexpensive stuff.
6. Get all your clothing and shoes at thrift stores.
7. Do not eat in restaurants, except, it is okay to buy coffee at a restaurant, as long as they provide free refills (which Starbucks does not!) and let you put your own milk in your coffee.
8. If it is cold in your area in the winter, seal up windows with sheets of plastic to keep the heat in.
9. Just establish for yourself this rule: "Until I am financially secure I will not buy anything that is not actually NECESSARY.
10. Always remind yourself that saving $10 really is THE SAME as earning $10.
11. Shop and buy on eBay.com.
12. Don't smoke cigarettes or marijuana, don't use drugs, don't drink alcholic beverages.

Answer 3

Generally I follow the following ideas w/much success, they are in no order of importance:
1) Set up direct deposit, split at least into one online savings w/good int rate & one free checking acct.
2) Fully fund the Roth IRA (after tax benefits) each year and after doing so, select no-load index funds (at least one that tracks the S&P500, one w/Euro & Asia exposure, one small cap). Let compounding work for you.
3) Reduce debt to nill. How? Consolidate any credit cards into one with the lowest fixed rate, best benefits, no annual fees & has a good grace period. Once paid off in full, learn how to control emotional spending habits/impulse buys... this goes a long way especially during holidays season and feeling blue.
4) Carefully research (online & w/consumer reports) items you must have, i.e. ipods, D&G/Dior/Versace clothing, dvds, cosmetics and find bargains/buy then & try to find friends w/discounts/hook ups. Of course don't just use them for their hook up benefits, these people will become part of your networking which may help in the future w/your career and meeting new people and do the same for them. Also try not to buy first generation tech items (same for cars) wait for at least nine months to a year for updated versions.
5) Complete a higher education at the best school that will accept you, pays dividends in the future w/networking and it is the single BEST investment you will ever make in your life for yourself.
6) Contribute the minimum needed w/employer to get the match (pre-tax benefits).
7) Carry around $20-40 cash per day and see how long you can go w/o spending it. Likewise if you have change don't use it, save it up and deposit it once a month, you'll be amazed how fast you save this way.
8) Learn how to cook and have fun preparing meals you can take to go work, school, or anywhere else. Eating out is pretty unhealthy for most people if you learn how to cook it saves time and money.
9) Stay healthy. Meaning avoid as much as possible smoking, drinking and other hazardous activities. Staying healthy now will save you tons of monies in the long run.
10) Take the time to educate yourself w/finances & how money really works. Start slow, pace yourself and learn the importance of controlling your monies, not the other way around. Have fun w/it b/c knowing how money works is really empowering!

Answer 4

Don't spend so much. Save any dollar bills you have left at the end of the day and at the end of the week put it in the bank. Also use coupons, you get them every Sunday in the newspaper, and you can get free stuff if you go to double coupon stores like Ralphs.

Answer 5

The best way to save is to put your money in a savings plan that works for you...one option if you are young is a whole life policy. the way it works is that it is an insurance policy that has a cash value in case of your death, but the premiums that you pay into it earn interest and you can cash out when you want. so it offers you two services in one! There are lots of other options out there so talk to someone that knows what they are doing, but watch out for companies that charge an annual fee for their services...they tend to make money by charging you and they make money off of the products that you choose. I would recommend John Hancock, they handle our policies and we work with the same person on a one on one basis with products tailored to our needs! Good luck to you in your search and i hope that this helps!

Answer 6

If the company you work for has a 401K plan, ENROLL ASAP. If I don't see the money being put away, even better. Also, if you have direct deposit for your paychecks and can split the deposit. Put a % or a $ amount into a savings account out of every check to have for a rainy day or one of those emergencies.

Answer 7

Check out Walgreen's monthly rebate flyer (the easy saver catalog). It has all kinds of product which when combined with other coupons over the month will get you the product for free, or even make a couple of bucks for buying it!

Answer 8

Budget

Answer 9

on debt do us part they say to spend only 40% of your money in a month. and save the 60% for what you will need in the future.

Answer 10

The average smoker wastes about 20,000$ in his/her lifetime for cigerettes.. what I'd say is instead of killing yourself, take that 20K and buy a windmill.

Answer 11

I save money by not buying stupid stuff, and not buying food