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Thread: The Money Saver Thread

  1. #1
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    Default The Money Saver Thread

    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!
    Guitars:
    Fender 2006 MIM Fender Stratocaster HSS in 3TS
    Ibanez RG 570 with a bridge Invader
    ESP M II Deluxe with a Tune-o-Matic bridge
    Eleanor, the magical, mystical Road Worn wonder Tele
    Blackstar HT Club 40

  2. #2
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    +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.

    "No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi

    Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.

  3. #3
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    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.
    "I happen to have perfect situational awareness, Lana. Which cannot be taught, by the way. Like a poet's ... mind for ... to make the perfect words." - Sterling Archer

  4. #4
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    Buy beer ON SALE. Saves in the long run.
    Guitars/Bass - MIM Fender Classic 50s Strat, MIM Fender Standard Strat, Squier Classic Vibe 50s Tele, Gibson Les Paul Studio, Epi '56 Gold Top Les Paul, Martin DSR acoustic, Sigma Martin Auditorium electric/acoustic, Squier Jazz Bass.

    Amps/Cabinets/Modelers - Model 2558 50 watt Marshall Silver Anniversary Jubilee combo w/ Celestion Vintage 30s, 4x12 Marshall cabinet w/25 watt Greenback Celestions, Fender Blues Junior w/ a couple of Billm mods, Line 6 POD 2.0, Roland Micro Cube

    Pedals/Effects - Cry Baby Classic Wah, Boss TU-2, Boss NS-2, Boss RC-2 Loop Station, Ross Compressor, MXR Micro Amp, Danelectro FAB Echo, Danelectro FAB Chorus, Danelectro Chicken Salad, Marshall Guv'nor Plus, Marshall Echohead, Duhvoodooman's Zonkin' Yellow Screamer, Digitech Digiverb, Digitech Bad Monkey, Dunlop Fuzz Face, Homemade Loop Bypass pedal, Duhvoodooman's Sonic Tonic (Maxon SD-9 clone +), Voodoo Labs Superfuzz

  5. #5
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    + 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.

  6. #6
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    Leave the car at home, and take the bicycle.
    The Law of Gravity is nonsense. No such law exists. If I think I float, and you think I float, then it happens.
    Master Guitar Academy - I also teach via SKYPE.

  7. #7
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    I buy used gear on Craig's List.

  8. #8
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    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!
    Last edited by bigG; August 3rd, 2010 at 05:19 PM. Reason: add
    bigG


    Guitars:

    Gibson Les Paul Studio Faded Cherry Mahogany, Peavey HP Signature EXP, Epi Sheraton II, Fender Standard Fat Strat, original 1982 Made in the USA Fender Bullet (w original HSC)/ 2005 Martin HD-7 Roger McGuinn Signature Edition (#102 of 250), Martin M-36 (0000), Martin OM-21, Martin 000-15M, Hohner EL-SP Plus Parlor acoustic

    Amps: Swart Space Tone 6V6se, Swart Night Light Power Attenuator/compressor/stereo line-out, Peavey Windsor Studio, Vox AD50VT, Fender Super Champ XD, Vox DA15, Marshall MG10KK, '83 Peavey Bandit 65

    Pedals: Cry Baby 535q wah, Bad Monkey OD, Boss DS-1, Sabine FuzzStortion, HardWire RV-7 Reverb


    www.swartamps.com
    www.ericjosephelectricguitars.com

    Carpe diem, brother, cause you don't know how many diems you have left to carpe.

  9. #9
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    Here's a real money saver, drop your internet service.
    _____

    GUITARS - Carvin DC127M - Carvin Bolt kit
    AMPS - Bogner Alchemist 112 - Blackheart Handsome Devil half stack
    FXs - Roger Linn Adrenalinn III - Boss GT-10
    _____

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by kiteman
    Here's a real money saver, drop your internet service.
    Shame on you.

    "No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi

    Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.

  11. #11
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    Drink plain tap water instead of buying over-priced, environment-unfriendly bottled liquids.
    The Law of Gravity is nonsense. No such law exists. If I think I float, and you think I float, then it happens.
    Master Guitar Academy - I also teach via SKYPE.

  12. #12
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    Use one sheet instead of three...

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert
    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.
    Patrick

  14. #14
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    Eschew pants.
    Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
    Amphen: Jet City JCA22H and JCA12S cab, Carvin X-60 combo, Acoustic B20
    Effecten: "Thesis 96" Overdrive/Boost (aka DVM OD2), Hardwire DL-8 Digital Delay/Looper, DigiTech Polara Reverb, DigiTech EX-7 Expression Factory and CF-7 Chorus Factory, Danelectro CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz
    "I wish Imagine Dragons would be stuck in an Arcade Fire for an entire Vampire Weekend."--Brian Posehn

  15. #15
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    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.
    Quote Originally Posted by Spudman
    Does anyone read the original post?
    Guitars: Gibson LP Studio, MIA Fender Precision, Carvin C350
    Amps: Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 + Avatar B212 / Genzler 12-3, Acoustic B20
    Pedals: Pod HD500X, Diamond Compressor, Tech 21 VT Bass, Sonic Research Turbo Tuner

  16. #16
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    Put all your change in a jar, every day. You won't miss it, but it adds up more quickly than you'd think.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by 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.
    Very true. I prefer a can so that I can't see how full it is. Less temptation that way.


    Quote Originally Posted by Eric
    And, most importantly, cut out the dye jobs and pedicures.
    Ahem, covering the gray is like buying groceries. It's essential.

    Quote Originally Posted by M29
    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.

    "No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi

    Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by 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.

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

  19. #19
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    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.
    Ah, nothing relieves the discomfort of GAS pains like the sound of the UPS truck rumbling down your street. It's like the musician's Beano.

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