The Money Saver Thread

[Katastrophe]

I thought it might be fun for us to post some ways that we use to save money. Every little bit helps, at least to be able to afford more gear!

I'll start with the first idea.

Mrs. Kat and I have started using the local public library extensively. It's free, and has dropped our expenditures for books to near zero.

The cool thing is that our library has a reservation system where we reserve books in advance, then pick them up at our leisure. If the library doesn't have the book, they search other libraries to find it, and they loan it out, free of charge.

We've used the same service for DVDs, and it works great!

[Spudman]

+1 on the library. The whole Spud family just came back from ours which is 4 blocks away.

Make and take your lunches to work.

Buying lunch out every day can really add up. Figure ($5 per day) just at Taco Bell x (5 days) = $25 per week or $100 per month. By making and taking your own lunch you can eat healthier and cut that cost in half. So now lunch is saving you ($50 per month) x (12 months) = $600 extra to spend per year. That's a new guitar or amph.

[R_of_G]

I too make extensive use of the library. When you have the appetite for reading that I do it's amazing how much money you can save by borrowing the books from a library rather than buying them.

Biggest piece of advice I can offer for saving money is this... if you smoke cigarettes, quit. The health benefits should be obvious, but no matter how many times you do the math on paper, nothing shows you how much money you spend on smokes better than not buying them anymore. My lungs and my wallet thank me all the time.

[Tone2TheBone]

Buy beer ON SALE. Saves in the long run. :beer: :beer: :beer: ;)

[tunghaichuan]

+ 1 billion on libraries.

I'm on the staff of a small public library, and I get books, CDs and DVDs and save my self a ton of money. In fact, I do not buy fiction. I generally read a fiction title once and never again. I do like to get non-fiction books ahead of time and look them over if I'm considering buying a copy. I still buy non fiction if I want to own a copy of it.

The library is also great for getting rare and/or out of print books.

[Robert]

Leave the car at home, and take the bicycle.

[Commodore 64]

I buy used gear on Craig's List.

[bigG]

Buy store brands! I buy all of Walgreen's offered store brands at a HUGE savings, and I drink caffiene-free diet cola from Publix in-house: sweetened w Splenda (no aspartame!) and only 79 cents for a 2-litre bottle! Coke and Pepsi are like $2.00/bottle!

Spud's recommendation to brown-bag it is a great one! Saves at least $25/week!

And those little curly screw-in fluorescent light bulbs that replace incandescent bulbs are pretty cheap now, cost virtually nothing when on, and last forever!

[kiteman]

Here's a real money saver, drop your internet service. :poke

[Spudman]

Here's a real money saver, drop your internet service. :poke

Shame on you. :spank

[Robert]

Drink plain tap water instead of buying over-priced, environment-unfriendly bottled liquids.

[M29]

Use one sheet instead of three...

[hubberjub]

Drink plain tap water instead of buying over-priced, environment-unfriendly bottled liquids.

Speaking of not buying bottled liquids, brew your own beer and wine.

[marnold]

Eschew pants.

[Eric]

Let's see here...


Don't get cable or satellite TV.
Have only the most basic cell phone plan and whatever phone you can get for free, provided you need a cell phone.
Don't eat out.
Buy used for as much stuff as possible. Craigslist is a great innovation that lets you get perfectly good stuff for pennies on the dollar.
Don't use air conditioning.
Get a programmable thermostat for heat in the winter and set it to keep your place cold during the day.
Don't buy a new car -- I've never had a car payment in my 15 years of driving. Helps save on insurance too, since I don't need full coverage.
Only have one car per family if at all possible. If you can swing it, have zero cars.
See how little space you can live with -- less space = less rent/lower mortgage payment and lower utility bills.


And, most importantly, cut out the dye jobs and pedicures.

[Heywood Jablomie]

Put all your change in a jar, every day. You won't miss it, but it adds up more quickly than you'd think.

[Spudman]

Put all your change in a jar, every day. You won't miss it, but it adds up more quickly than you'd think.

Very true. I prefer a can so that I can't see how full it is. Less temptation that way.




And, most importantly, cut out the dye jobs and pedicures.

Ahem, covering the gray is like buying groceries. It's essential.


Use one sheet instead of three...

Ah! From the Cheryl Crow school of economics...but eventually you'll still have to use the other two.

[riverrick]

Put all your change in a jar, every day. You won't miss it, but it adds up more quickly than you'd think.


I do this...in fact rolled my coins today....$140...not bad eh!!

[Bloozcat]

Join a wholesale club. Our first visit savings at our local BJ's paid for the yearly membership. After that, it's all savings for the rest of the year. And, you don't have to buy everything by the pallet, either. There's only two of us in our household and we find all kinds of things to buy there.

I don't know if this is true of grocery stores around the country, but Publix and Winn Dixie stores here send out flyers each week with many buy one, get one free items listed. We stock up on all kinds of things through this. If it's non-perishable or can be frozen, it works.

Learn how to fix things when they break rather than just buying a new replacement (or paying someone else to fix it). I know that a lot of the modern, cheap, electronics aren't worth fixing, but there are still many things around the house that when they break, only need a relatively easy and inexpensive repair. I have litterally saved thousands in repair costs by doing it myself.

Shop the web for deals. I can't even begin to list the things I've bought on the internet for far less than I can find them locally. I don't waste gas driving around looking, and in most cases I save the sales tax.

[Bloozcat]

Drink plain tap water instead of buying over-priced, environment-unfriendly bottled liquids.

An under the kitchen sink carbon filtration unit is great for this. Takes out any of the bad taste, even the chlorine from treated water. Then buy those stainless tote bottles to eliminate any toxic gas leaching as you get from plastic, and you're good to go.

[Katastrophe]

Eschew pants.


I would, and it would be comfortable in the 100 degree (F) heat, but I don't think my self esteem could handle all the pointing and laughing!

[Katastrophe]

So, where do you go for guitar consumables, like strings?

The local GAS station here is ridiculously high priced.

[poodlesrule]

Use a clothline to dry clothes.
I think I am the only freak on my street to do so, and I understand many/most HOAs prohibit it (along everything else!). I hate dryers almost as much as leaf blowers!

You should smell the laundry after a day in the sun... heavenly.

I started an collection of clothline pictures. on and off. Italy has the best ones, across narrow streets, with the workingman's jeans alongside the ladies unmentionables... delightful!

[Bloozcat]

So, where do you go for guitar consumables, like strings?

The local GAS station here is ridiculously high priced.

Musician's Friend or Music 123 always runs a Christmas special on 12 packs of D'Addario XL110's. It's a staple on my Christmas list every year...cheaper by the dozen.

[FrankenFretter]

So, where do you go for guitar consumables, like strings?

The local GAS station here is ridiculously high priced.

I've bought some strings recently from Webstrings (http://www.webstrings.com). They seem pretty decent, and they're pretty cheap ($2.99). Guitar Fetish also has strings, and Sumi says they're good. Those run $2.39 a set.

If you must have a name brand, buy in bulk. Good way to save money.

B stock items, factory blems and seconds are another good way to save. I also try to do as much shopping at the Grocery Outlet as possible. As mentioned a couple times already, the library is great. We "rent" quite a few movies from ours, which is only a block away.

Frankly I'm surprised Eric didn't start this thread a long time ago. :what

[sumitomo]

Drink plain tap water instead of buying over-priced, environment-unfriendly bottled liquids.
That could be deadly some places!Sumi:D

[sumitomo]

Yea a case of strings 25 bucks,now you CAN change your strings!Sumi:D

[sumitomo]

When you go out to eat,take a little toliet paper home with ya,stuff your pockets!,In Mexico and South America public toliets don't have TP you either buy in on your way in or bring it with you,if they insist on you paying to use THEIR toliet,I just drop my pants and start pissing at their feet,They ain't pullin no cons on this gringo,funny how you can hold of an attacker with a stream of piss.LOL!! Sumi:D

[kiteman]

So, where do you go for guitar consumables, like strings?

The local GAS station here is ridiculously high priced.

Yours too? Mine wants $20 for a set of Elixirs. Cheapest set-$8. I never went back and thanks god for MF online, I buy 'em by the 10 pack (for 3 guitars).

[Eric]

Frankly I'm surprised Eric didn't start this thread a long time ago. :what
It's good to know that my reputation precedes me. I suppose putting my love of frugality in my user profile doesn't hurt...

[pes_laul]

Being a broke teenager Im the master at this!
Whenever I go out with friends i always buy the cheapest meals and when we go to the movies I smuggle my own snacks in I bought from the gas station for five bucks.

and whenever I work I always put 40% of what I make in savings and keep the rest for spending money

[kiteman]

I buy my food at the dollar store and that's big savings even over store brands. I have to find out what's good and what's not.

Of course there's a few things I have to get at a grocery store.

[M29]

You are off to a good start young PezK

[bcdon]

Being a broke teenager Im the master at this!
Whenever I go out with friends i always buy the cheapest meals and when we go to the movies I smuggle my own snacks in I bought from the gas station for five bucks.

and whenever I work I always put 40% of what I make in savings and keep the rest for spending money

Good for you! It's nice to see young people acting like this. :) :thumbsup

[Spudman]

Whenever I go out with friends i always buy the cheapest meals and when we go to the movies I smuggle my own snacks in I bought from the gas station for five bucks.

Buy your snacks from the grocery store and you'll save even more. Gas stations have a much higher mark up generally.

[deeaa]

Hard as it is to accept, Internet & TV etc. are by far the largest expenditure one could live without. I easily spend something like 300-400 bucks a month just for those...we have four cell phones and six mobile data connections, ADSL+ and video-on-demand services etc, two PPC's, two laptops, two desktops, several online sites & domains...could do without most of them easy, if it came to that.

Including assorted PC hardware/upgrades and Xbox games and such adds up to a few hundred more. Which reminds me I'd need to buy another 1TB harddrive for the desktop...I could easily buy a very nice amp or guitar almost every month if I dropped all the computer etc. stuff and started reading instead. But instead a book or two I buy 2-3 Xbox/computer games a month.

Libraries...don't use no more. My time is so nonexistant these days, I simply have no time to read. Barely get to sleep 5-6 hours anyway although I'm supposed to be on holiday, can't spend any more time for reading. When I do, one book lasts me a month, and if I get one from library, I never have the time to finish it in due time & end up paying more for fines than a paperback copy would have cost, so I buy what I read most times.

Other than unnecessary technology, I could probably save another one or two hundred a month if I didn't use _any_ alcohol at all.

These are what my money goes to, besides mortgage&utility bills...other than that, I cycle to work, drive an old car as little as possible, never eat out or visit town really, or buy clothes etc. more than absolutely necessary. Often I don't eat real food at work to save a few bux, but buy those one-dollar 'coaster' pizzas to survive somehow (but that's good, keeps me thin.)

[pes_laul]

Buy your snacks from the grocery store and you'll save even more. Gas stations have a much higher mark up generally.
I usually try to go to a dollar store but when I go to the movies or something we usually never can find one :P

[marnold]

Hard as it is to accept, Internet & TV etc. are by far the largest expenditure one could live without. I easily spend something like 300-400 bucks a month just for those...we have four cell phones and six mobile data connections, ADSL+ and video-on-demand services etc, two PPC's, two laptops, two desktops, several online sites & domains...could do without most of them easy, if it came to that.
Which is my concern about getting a smartphone to replace my aging Palm TX. That would add another $30 to my wireless bill because I have to get a data plan. Doesn't sound like much until you stop to think that that will be ~$400 over the course of a year. If I was constantly traveling, that would be one thing. I only pay ~$28/month for my 1.5 megabit cable connection.

[R_of_G]

For those of us unwilling to part with cable tv entirely, consider giving up any premium channels (ie. HBO, Showtime, etc) in favor of getting the same shows via NetFlix. It's significantly cheaper. Yes, you have to wait for your favorite shows to be released on DVD, but you have to wait in between seasons when you watch on cable so it's a fair trade.

[Tig]

Use a clothline to dry clothes.
I think I am the only freak on my street to do so, and I understand many/most HOAs prohibit it (along everything else!).
You should smell the laundry after a day in the sun... heavenly.


We do this when the weather permits. Behind the fence in the back yard, the HOA nazi's never see it. However, we toss everything in the dryer for about 3-4 minutes to loosen the fabric up before folding or wearing.

[Tig]

Make and take your lunches to work.

Buying lunch out every day can really add up.

Same goes with dinner vs eating out. Mrs Tig is a great cook, and I can throw together something decent when she's tired from work. Taking the family out to eat runs between $25-$60, and home cooked is always under $10.

Left-overs are good to take to work. When we do go out to eat, there's always at least 1 or 2 servings that go home for later.

Also, Mrs. Tig works at a clinic where the pharmaceutical rep's bring in catered lunch 3+ days a week. The clinic will throw away most of the excess, but she grabs a few helpings and puts them in the fridge for home use later. Saves us a bundle and it's good eats!

[Bloozcat]

That's a really great start, Pez...

Rule of thumb: If you keep and invest 10% of all you earn, you'll be at the very least, comfortable later on in life, and with a good career, wealthy.

[deeaa]

Save nothing, only buy property and land...

Anyway, bottled water isn't always what it tries to be...studies show round here tap water is cleaner and better than any bottled water commercially available. Of course in some parts of the world it is different.

[FrankenFretter]

I have a bit of a conundrum in the money savings area: I could have my Internet and cable TV for free, and pay a significantly discounted price for my phone, save on gas by driving a shorter distance to work, and live closer to the major shopping centers, thereby saving more gas, if I just moved to Salem. As it is, we live in a small town about 20 miles from Salem, where we like the school my fiancee's daughter attends, and we rent a three bedroom house with a finished attic that is my music room for a very reasonable price. If we moved, we'd have to move the kid to a new school, and we'd have a hard time finding a house that isn't three feet away from neighbors on both sides. The utilities are also more expensive in Salem. I really like the small town feeling of community, and it feels safe to walk the streets at night here. I live right next door to the post office, and a block from the library. There's a beer and wine bar within easy stumbling distance, and a new Indian restaurant that has excellent food. Another obstacle is that my fiancee just does not want to move. Since she's the mom, that pretty much is the law. Unfortunately for me, I guess.

[Eric]

I have a bit of a conundrum in the money savings area: I could have my Internet and cable TV for free, and pay a significantly discounted price for my phone, save on gas by driving a shorter distance to work, and live closer to the major shopping centers, thereby saving more gas, if I just moved to Salem. As it is, we live in a small town about 20 miles from Salem, where we like the school my fiancee's daughter attends, and we rent a three bedroom house with a finished attic that is my music room for a very reasonable price. If we moved, we'd have to move the kid to a new school, and we'd have a hard time finding a house that isn't three feet away from neighbors on both sides. The utilities are also more expensive in Salem. I really like the small town feeling of community, and it feels safe to walk the streets at night here. I live right next door to the post office, and a block from the library. There's a beer and wine bar within easy stumbling distance, and a new Indian restaurant that has excellent food. Another obstacle is that my fiancee just does not want to move. Since she's the mom, that pretty much is the law. Unfortunately for me, I guess.
I feel you, but you also have to think that you could use no electricity, not have internet, own no cars and just walk everywhere, and not buy any new guitars. That's an option, but it's not a very appealing one. There will always be an opportunity cost for your decisions, monetary or otherwise, but if it's important enough to you, it's worth spending the money on it. It sounds like you're in a pretty good situation right now. Enviable, I'd say.

Seems like it might be worth it to pay the extra costs. There does come a point where it is worth it; we all just have to find where that point is for us.

[FrankenFretter]

I feel you, but you also have to think that you could use no electricity, not have internet, own no cars and just walk everywhere, and not buy any new guitars. That's an option, but it's not a very appealing one. There will always be an opportunity cost for your decisions, monetary or otherwise, but if it's important enough to you, it's worth spending the money on it. It sounds like you're in a pretty good situation right now. Enviable, I'd say.

Seems like it might be worth it to pay the extra costs. There does come a point where it is worth it; we all just have to find where that point is for us.

Good point. Thanks, Eric. There are plenty of things that mean more than money, and peace of mind and a happy family are right up at the top.

[Sluggs]

I snapped my debit card in half. Now it's nearly impossible for me to spend my money.:thumbsup

[sumitomo]

I snapped my debit card in half. Now it's nearly impossible for me to spend my money.:thumbsup

Just call and have them send you a new one.:thumbsup Sumi:D

[M29]

Sumi :rollover

[Bloozcat]

I feel you, but you also have to think that you could use no electricity, not have internet, own no cars and just walk everywhere, and not buy any new guitars. That's an option, but it's not a very appealing one. There will always be an opportunity cost for your decisions, monetary or otherwise, but if it's important enough to you, it's worth spending the money on it. It sounds like you're in a pretty good situation right now. Enviable, I'd say.

Seems like it might be worth it to pay the extra costs. There does come a point where it is worth it; we all just have to find where that point is for us.

That's good advice, Eric!

You have to prioritize your life. If all of your needs are met, and your financial plan is in place and funded, then what's left is what you use to create a lifestyle. Quality of life is up to each individual, but without it, what's the point of our efforts?

[Bloozcat]

I snapped my debit card in half. Now it's nearly impossible for me to spend my money.:thumbsup

I really like my credit card...

I have to spend money on food, gasoline, clothes, etc., anyway. So, I can pay cash or write a check and get...food, gasoline, clothes, etc.

<OR>

I can put it all on my credit card, write one check each month and....they give me free airline tickets (so I can go somewhere else and use my credit card to buy food, gasoline, clothes, etc....:dance

What a deal!

[perez]

hi, this is a great thread.
i'm only 15 years old, but i receive about 80 €/month to pay my food from my school (great deal :P), but almost every day i walk to my home (about 1 mile) to eat, and that way i save a lot.
i read that internet is futile and that we could live without it, but then how the hell could we read this damn thread???? :spank (just kidding)
if you are a student its always a good idea to get a part time job, or even a summer job just to get some extra bucks!!
here in Portugal we can only work when we are 16, so next year ill get some 5 pm to 12 am job, and i still get some time to go to the beach, and get some money to, guess what, BUY A NEW GUITAR, AMP OR EFFECT PEDAL :D
(this tips only work if you are still fed and dressed by your parents, like me)

[DeanEVO_Dude]

For those of us unwilling to part with cable tv entirely, consider giving up any premium channels (ie. HBO, Showtime, etc) in favor of getting the same shows via NetFlix. It's significantly cheaper. Yes, you have to wait for your favorite shows to be released on DVD, but you have to wait in between seasons when you watch on cable so it's a fair trade.

I gave up cable completely, infavor of Netflix... Got the 3 at a time plan, a few XBox 360s and a computer, can watch stuff on the electronics and get dvds. $18 per month sure beats the crap outta $100 per month!

[Pickngrin]

Thrift stores. You might be amazed at the variety of items that you find there.

[Tig]

Thrift stores. You might be amazed at the variety of items that you find there.

You gotta have an eye for this. My brain gels in thrift stores most of the time.

Mrs. Tig is a Master Chief of thrift stores and garage sales. She even manages to get new-in-box LED Christmas light strings for 2 or 3 bucks each. I could never list all the great buys she gets. Saves us all kinds of cash.
Wimmens can be amazing!

[Pickngrin]

You gotta have an eye for this. My brain gels in thrift stores most of the time.

Mrs. Tig is a Master Chief of thrift stores and garage sales. She even manages to get new-in-box LED Christmas light strings for 2 or 3 bucks each. I could never list all the great buys she gets. Saves us all kinds of cash.
Wimmens can be amazing!

Good point. I suppose that my thriftsight is pretty acute.

[Algonquin]

Wait and buy things you need further into the season. I wanted a new BBQ but decided to wait a while... now the store around here are clearing them out and the savings are substantial. Same goes after X-mas, the cards and wrapping paper are usually up to 75% off. Winter coats go onsale in February as the stores starts to fill the racks with their spring line-up. With a little planning, you can do well for yourself... the trick is to not just buy because it's onsale.

Happy shopping Fretters.

[kiteman]

Wait and buy things you need further into the season. I wanted a new BBQ but decided to wait a while... now the store around here are clearing them out and the savings are substantial. Same goes after X-mas, the cards and wrapping paper are usually up to 75% off. Winter coats go onsale in February as the stores starts to fill the racks with their spring line-up. With a little planning, you can do well for yourself... the trick is to not just buy because it's onsale.

Happy shopping Fretters.

Quite true. Wait for stuff out of season and save.

[Katastrophe]

What do y'all think about buying guitars after winter NAMM? It seems that there are good deals to be had on previous year's models after the new ones come out.

Incidentally, Kurt at Rondo is blowing out some of his AL guitars at significant savings.

[Spudman]

Thrift stores. You might be amazed at the variety of items that you find there.

The thrift stores in resort towns are amazing. You can actually label shop there. North Face, Polo, Patagonia, LL Bean etc are often easy to find and in great shape for cheap. I love thrift stores.

[deeaa]

Thrift stores, indeed! I love to visit them in any new town I visit. Sometimes also pawnshops. Great finds! I could buy all the kid's toys from those. But the local ones are quickly checked out and people often ask insane prices for utter cr*p too.

[Tig]

The thrift stores in resort towns are amazing. You can actually label shop there. North Face, Polo, Patagonia, LL Bean etc are often easy to find and in great shape for cheap. I love thrift stores.

You ain't kidding! Way back on a ski trip to Snowmass/Aspen, I bought an almost brand new Spyder 2-piece ski suit for about 2/3 off from what the Aspen shops were selling a similer one at. I still have the jacket for the rare cold days we get here.

Right now is a great time to check the clearance racks for baseball jerseys, etc.

[Mr Pants]

Leave the car at home, and take the bicycle.
+1 0n the cycle - sure beats running! ;-)

[Telefinken]

If You can do without your car, sell it and get a moped instead. http://ct5.pbase.com/o2/84/809884/1/127867305.9Vccs8ME.moped2.gif
Start cutting your hair yourself, instead of going to the hairdressers. Saves me, I don't know...maybe $150/year or so. :)

Great thread!

[Tig]

Start cutting your hair yourself, instead of going to the hairdressers. Saves me, I don't know...maybe $150/year or so. :)
Great thread!

I got a haircut so bad and uneven :mad a few days ago, I had to pull out the electric dog clippers, attach the longest guard, and buzz... my hair is now no longer than about .5 inch (1.3 centimeters). It turned out really well, but I think I'll buy some more guards to allow slightly longer hair up front.

By accident and because of my new chin goatee, I now look like an older Mark Tremonti, but without the sideburns and certainly without the guitar playing talent.
http://i427.photobucket.com/albums/pp358/frankieyca/markTremonti.jpg