Welcome to the fourth part of 25 ways I save money.
16. Use coupons.
I believe in using coupons but only for the things that you REALLY use all the time. I get a lot of coupons but I usually throw them out because they are brands of things that I do not use or else they are items I would not event think of using in any case. There are however items that I get coupons for that I use all the time. I love Biore nose strips and I get coupons for them all the time so those coupons are useful to me. I just got some coupons for Viactin multivitamins…but since I use Centrum those coupons are going in the trash.
17. Buy generic.
There are some instances where I will only use the brand name item e.g. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter (because it makes my skin feel GREAT) but I have learned to use the generic brands of most items. Great Value evaporated milk tastes just as good as Carnation milk and contains the same vitamins so I go with the cheaper version. I save few cents on every can of milk and still get the same nutrition.
18. Keep extra money in high yield savings instead of checking.
I am tired of telling you folks to email me to get an invite to the ING savings account so you can get the bonus $25.00 for signing up. ING rocks! I keep all my money except for the rent money in my high yield savings accounts online to gain some interest and make my banking easier to track. I pay my bills online and this has freed up so much time for me that I cannot imagine how I used to do it before.
Get a $25 bonus by opening a new ING account with $250.
19. Use the library.
I love to read and get free books from the library. I may have to wait a little bit longer when a new book comes out but it is better to wait a couple of weeks than to just pay money for the book when I may not like it. If I really do love a book then I will buy it AFTER I read it for free from the library. Reading also keeps me occupied and cuts down the time I would spend watching television or surfing the internet, which saves on electricity.
20. Wash dishes by hand.
I wash my dishes by hand all the time and only use the dishwasher to store the dishes so they can air dry. I do not see the point of running the dishwasher especially since I do not like my dishes to accumulate. I don’t know how much I save but I am sure it is a good amount because I am not using all the water it takes to run the machine and I am also not using any electricity to get my dishes clean.
You know ever since I discovered th e internet, books and libraries have become for me an antiquity. They don’t have any of the cool books in the library anyway..
Gasp! Of course the library has good books. I just found a great new Jeffery Deaver that I am reading now. Oh Juan.
Good advice on the high yield savings accounts. It’s amazing how many people don’t shop around for a good savings account rate. I currently have my savings/emergency fund in HSBC Direct, and have been loving the interest it pays me!
Tim
TheMoneyKings.com
I have read on numerous other websites that the dishwasher (especially newer ones) are not only more energy efficient, but use a lot less water than doing dishes by hand. I think the last time I saw this was an article on Yahoo about ways to save money. Their advice completely differs from yours saying that you should always use the dishwasher and let it do its job by not rinsing the dishes before hand.
Jared,
I was not saying the only way is to wash dishes by hand. I say that is how I save money because I do have an older dishwasher that I know is not energy efficient.
Also since I use very few dishes it makes sense for me to wash the cup and spoon and plate by hand every day instead of waiting for my dishes to pile up over 3-4 days before I can get enough to run a dishwasher full.
This works for me…but I realize everyone is different. That is why it is called ways I save money…and not ways everyone else can save money.
thanks for your observation.
I don’t know where you live, but Safeway has an online program that gives you even more discount/coupons that they are offering at the stores. Just bring in the coupon, but you have to register as a member online.
Also, my credit union has a Bill Payer Program (no fee).
You might want to check if your bank has that program. If not, you might want to check with various credit union banks. Also, a lot of them do not charge basic fees like banks. With the Bill Payer Program, you can schedule your bills to be mailed (mail or electronically) to your creditors (a $amount on a speciific date) by the credit union and you do not have to worry about forgetting to pay your bills. This will be done on an automatic basis. If you want to change the amount and date, you can also do that online.