Dollars and Sense [Life]
We all love to save money. It just makes sense. I think I inherited my zest for scoring great deals from my mom. She was always clipping coupons, hitting up garage sales, and calling around for the best hotel deals. Like mother like daughter, I guess.
A few years back, I even went to the extent of attending a Savvy Shopper Seminar at the local library. I was definitely the youngest tightwad in attendance. Joe “the coupon guy” spoke, and I must say, he’s a savvy shopper’s hero. (Check him out at www.joethecouponguy.com.) The majority of us attendees were hurriedly scratching down notes and hanging onto Joe’s every word. I left the lecture armed (and dangerous) with my 132-page guide to saving money. The following tips are ways my husband and I have faithfully saved money throughout our marriage. Some ideas are better than others, but all are worth mentioning.
photo by amanky
Legally steal from Rite Aid. Wait is that an oxymoron? Each month, Rite Aid prints a rebate directory for the products sold in their stores. January’s directory offers 103 rebates totaling $462. It’s so easy to submit your receipts online. Simply enter your receipt info at Riteaid.com. When you’re ready to request your check, simply click to do so. Checks arrive in 2 to 3 weeks. Each week, Rite Aid’s brochure usually offers FREE products as well. (Sales + rebates =FREE) I have acquired quite a stash in the hallway closet of all my free products. Just yesterday I “purchased” free cold medicine and light bulbs.
Start a vacation fund. My husband and I started one soon after we got married. Putting $20 aside from each of our paychecks added up fast and soon started funding our trips to Orlando, Miami, and Myrtle Beach. Saving $20 bucks a week results in $960 a year. We also save our spare change for extra spending on vacations. By the end of the year, we have our vacation paid in full. And that’s a reason to celebrate.
Shop multiple hotel search engines when booking a trip. Last nigh, I booked a room at a Super 8 in Connecticut. Here’s the breakdown on 3 of the different rates I was quoted. I clearly found my winner.
- Entertainment.com = $86 Super8.com = $134 Hotels.com = $69
Buy your city’s Entertainment Book! I can’t tell you how much money this book has put back in my pocket over the years. Yesterday, I used a 50% off coupon for an oil change. The day before, I gave my dad a coupon for ½ off his dry cleaning order. It’s impossible not to make the $35 price tag worth it.
Invest in Debbie Meyer Green Bags. Tired of feeding your trash can all of your moldy fruit and vegetables? I was until I started using these bags. You’ll be amazed (insert oohs and ahhs here) at how much longer your produce will stay fresh, resulting in fewer trips to the grocery store! Green bags come in packs of 20 for $10, and you can reuse them 8-10 times.
Buy your greeting cards at the dollar store or on Wal-Mart’s discount rack. The thought is there; the price tag is cheap. Instead of spending $3.99 on a Hallmark card, spend 50 cents at Wal-Mart to wish Aunt Dolores a happy birthday. If you bought 4 cards a month at $4 bucks a card, you would spend $192 a year. But if you shop the dollar store’s 50-cent rack, you can get the same number of cards for just $24 a year.
Buy your next car from an auction. You won’t always know exactly what you’re getting, but typically you can tell if you’re buying a lemon or not. Between me, my husband, and my sister, we’ve bought 4 perfectly healthy cars from the auction. The price difference is usually pretty hefty as well. I bought my current car at Skipco Car auction (skipco.com) in Canal Fulton in 2003. It’s a ’99 Plymouth Neon. The price tag…$3200. While searching through the current local listings on Consumer Guides website, the same car with about 20K more miles on it wears a price tag of $4,500.
Buy gift certificates for local restaurants at Restaurant.com. This website uses a search feature to navigate through their 13,000 restaurant listings. A $25 gift certificate can be purchased for $10 and a $10 gift certificate for $4. A way to save even more…sign up for their email alerts. They will notify you of sales or discounts to get even cheaper gift certificates. A few months back, I bought a $25 gift certificate for $3!!
A few other quick tips to save money:
- Pack your lunch.
- Drink water instead of that pricey pop at restaurants.
- Use credit cards that offer cash back or gift cards as rewards. (My husband and I usually pay for our Christmas gifts to others with our accumulated year end rewards.)
- Get books and movies from the library for free.
- Fly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the cheapest flight options. Sundays and Fridays are the most expensive. My friend who worked at the airport also said that February and September were the cheapest months to fly.
- Pay your bills online to save stamps and trees.
- Raise your deductibles on your health, car, or home insurance even just $500 more to save a substantial amount.
What are some things that you do to save money?
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Where did you get your blog layout from? I’d like to get one like it for my blog.
The theme is vigilance http://thethemefoundry.com/vigilance/, but there's a decent amount of custom code that is in place too.
So, where can I get this Rite Aid product directory? Never seen one before. These are some GREAT tips!
I believe this is the online version of the product directory.
https://riteaid.rebateplus.com/rebatelistpage.asp...
This is also where you would go to claim your rebates online. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much!
You can also pick up a hard copy in the entranceway to any RiteAid store. Right now, RiteAid is playing the game of "Life" too. You can win prizes just for shopping. AND there's more.:) I"m not sure when exactly they do this, maybe just during the holidays, but RiteAid offers cash back just for making purchases…..spend $20 get $5 back. You get to the point with coupons, rebates, sales, and perks that you're seriously making money.:)
Glad you liked the ideas!!!:)
I believe this is the online version of the product directory.
https://riteaid.rebateplus.com/rebatelistpage.asp...
This is also where you would go to claim your rebates online. Hope that helps!
Ooo I LOVE saving $$!I’m a coupon cutter too! Great article Beka!!!
I ALWAYS pay cash for gas (its a couple cents cheaper and that adds up!)For the cheapest gas around try: http://www.gasbuddy.com
Buy in bulk! I swear once I get married my attic will be filled with 62 pkgs of kleenex, 70 rolls of tp, and detergent jugs big enough for a small army! (Poor daniel! Lol)
My sister recently signed up for a credit card that logs airline miles since she’s move to Colorado(from Chicago) plus the frequent flyer miles stack up if you use the same airlines!
I have kicked the going out for coffee/tea habit ($3 a coffee is a bit much) make it at home&grab a fancy creamer for your $3! If I do get a coffee out I grab it from a place with a frequency card!
I have signed up for every birthday coupon there is, from free red robin burgers($9) to a free mongolian bbq stirfry($12), sooo many places want to give you free stuff on your birthday! Google ‘free stuff on your birthday’
I also, plan on growing a few of my own vegetables this summer to off set the grocery bill! And I’m going to try my hand at canning too!
So glad you loved the article, Trae! I can go on and on about this topic.:) Thanks for all your great tips as well.
My husband and I both use Speedway Gas Stations reward cards for our gas. And the birthday coupons, we are proud members of birthday clubs as well at Baskin Robbins, Red Robin, Cold Stone Creamery, and Damons.:) The entertainment book even has coupon for a free movie on your birthday at the big theater!:)
Good luck withyour garden!! I wish I had a green thumb.;) We did that upside down hanging tomato plant this past summer. We had like 5 tomatoes.:)
If Christmas shopping ( or other large-amount shopping ) at one place, go to Giant Eagle and purchase gift cards for the store that you will be shopping at. Use your rewards credit card to pay for them. ( adds up your rewards points ). Use the gift cards at the store that you will be shopping at. And you will add up your fuel perks at Giant Eagle at the same time. Another idea– go to bigbigforums.com, and then look at the area called big big deals. People post links for free samples from all kinds of places, free for the asking.
It's great shopping with gift cards from Giant Eagle! So nice to know you're saving while you're buying. Thanks for the tips!:)
If you are a student make the most of student discounts. I'm not sure how common they are over there, but here with the right student id card i get half price train tickets, discounts at some fast food places, cheaper movie tickets ect.
Great tip, Joanna! I do know they offer deals here as well…..I've just been out of the loop too long to know.:) Thanks for the comment!