50 Nifty Thrifty Frugal Tips
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50 Nifty Thrifty Frugal Tips For Better Living
This lens is not about scrimping and doing without the aspects of living that make for a great quality of life. It's about living smarter and using your money in a more efficient manner so that you can have a more enjoyable and abundant life. Plus you may find that after a while you will enjoy finding your own methods of using your money more efficiently, what some people call being thrifty of frugal.
What economists have been telling us for years now is that most people are living beyond their means and we need to get back to budgeting our money and living according to our income. This is what this lens is all about, living within your means, but not necessarily giving up the little luxuries that add zest to life.
I am writing this lens on the best way to be financially frugal not as someone who has been so smart and financially intelligent that he can tell you just what to do to repeat my success. No, I am writing this from a position of someone who has fallen into just about every financial pothole and business scam available.
But I am now on the road to financial security by being thrifty and frugal and I can tell you how to avoid the money burdens I stumbled into, and sometimes ran into with great gusto, and these will put you on the road to financial security too
.
I never had a great financial legacy to fall back on. My father worked at Ford Motor Company in various positions on the assembly line and later as a tug driver pulling auto parts through the factory until he retired and died a few years later. He never went past third grade in school. My mother worked as a nurse's aide and later as a clerk in a hospital until she retired. She never went past the 11th grade. Both received a pension and social security until their deaths. But they saved little money and lived basically retirement check to retirement check.
I was the first in my family of five, myself, three sisters and one brother, to graduate from high school. However, all my sisters eventually earned a GED and one of them - my middle sister - went on to graduate from nursing school with bachelor's degree in nursing and later with a master's as a nurse practitioner.
My middle sister was the first to graduate from college. I was the second. However, though each of my parents never had as much formal education put together as I have had, they were both smarter than I am. They both stayed at a job long enough to get retirement pay.
I have never worked any place long enough to get a retirement pay, nor have I put money aside for retirement, except for the last few years. In fact, until I got married at the ripe old age of 35 was I even concerned about money. All I wanted was enough to have a roof over my head and a car to drive and food on the table, along with an occasional meal at McDonald's.
After marriage, money concern was a different matter. The more I tried to earn additional money, the more problems I encountered that required more money. The secret was to be frugal with what I had. In other words, live within your means.
I like what John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, had to say about money and frugality. "Earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can."
In addition, as Wesley received raises throughout his life he did not spend more, he donated the additional money to the poor and lived on the just the amount he needed to get by. This is a far cry from most of us who, as our income increases so does our standard of living.
I only mention this as an extreme example of frugal living. We need not live the live of an ascetic in order to be frugal. In fact, you may find it fun and rewarding to be frugal once you read my Fifty Nifty Thrifty Frugal Tips that I have learned throughout a life of numerous financial mistakes.
What economists have been telling us for years now is that most people are living beyond their means and we need to get back to budgeting our money and living according to our income. This is what this lens is all about, living within your means, but not necessarily giving up the little luxuries that add zest to life.
I am writing this lens on the best way to be financially frugal not as someone who has been so smart and financially intelligent that he can tell you just what to do to repeat my success. No, I am writing this from a position of someone who has fallen into just about every financial pothole and business scam available.
But I am now on the road to financial security by being thrifty and frugal and I can tell you how to avoid the money burdens I stumbled into, and sometimes ran into with great gusto, and these will put you on the road to financial security too
.
I never had a great financial legacy to fall back on. My father worked at Ford Motor Company in various positions on the assembly line and later as a tug driver pulling auto parts through the factory until he retired and died a few years later. He never went past third grade in school. My mother worked as a nurse's aide and later as a clerk in a hospital until she retired. She never went past the 11th grade. Both received a pension and social security until their deaths. But they saved little money and lived basically retirement check to retirement check.
I was the first in my family of five, myself, three sisters and one brother, to graduate from high school. However, all my sisters eventually earned a GED and one of them - my middle sister - went on to graduate from nursing school with bachelor's degree in nursing and later with a master's as a nurse practitioner.
My middle sister was the first to graduate from college. I was the second. However, though each of my parents never had as much formal education put together as I have had, they were both smarter than I am. They both stayed at a job long enough to get retirement pay.
I have never worked any place long enough to get a retirement pay, nor have I put money aside for retirement, except for the last few years. In fact, until I got married at the ripe old age of 35 was I even concerned about money. All I wanted was enough to have a roof over my head and a car to drive and food on the table, along with an occasional meal at McDonald's.
After marriage, money concern was a different matter. The more I tried to earn additional money, the more problems I encountered that required more money. The secret was to be frugal with what I had. In other words, live within your means.
I like what John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, had to say about money and frugality. "Earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can."
In addition, as Wesley received raises throughout his life he did not spend more, he donated the additional money to the poor and lived on the just the amount he needed to get by. This is a far cry from most of us who, as our income increases so does our standard of living.
I only mention this as an extreme example of frugal living. We need not live the live of an ascetic in order to be frugal. In fact, you may find it fun and rewarding to be frugal once you read my Fifty Nifty Thrifty Frugal Tips that I have learned throughout a life of numerous financial mistakes.
Get Rid Of Credit Cards For A Better Life
Financial Peace books will help you get peace of mind
Tip No. 1This is probably the most important financial tip I can give you: Get Rid Of Your Credit Cards!
I can see some of you saying, "Is he crazy? I need my credit card. I need it for renting a motel, for gas, for food," and on and on. I understand. I have been there. Many of you max out your credit cards, then pay down on them enough to be able to charge $300 or $400 and then you run them back up again. This is madness. You will never pay off the card and you will always be owing the amount you charged plus interest, which can be very high.
First, let's wean you off the credit card. Stop using it. If you need to purchase something use cash. It hurts to see the cash leave your hand. Credit cards are invisible. You don't see the money. If you don't have the cash then don't try to buy whatever it is you want. If you need something and your regular pay doesn't cover it, then raise some money by having a yard sale. Look around your house and clean out the items you don't need. If you haven't used something in a year, you probably don't need it.
If the item you want to sell is valuable, sell it on Ebay or Craigslist. If the item is too heavy to send by mail because it would be cost prohibitive, then when selling on Ebay check the box that says it is pickup up only. I once had a set of tire chains for a big rig to sell. For what it would cost to send them to the bidding winner through the mail they could buy a new set. So I checked off that it was local pick up only. I had a number of people bidding on them and the trucker who won picked them up a few days later as he drove through town.
Okay, you've had your yard sale. Don't waste the money by foolishly spending it - use some or all of it to pay down your credit card balance. If you still need more money because your regular paycheck is not enough then look at your finances and see what is taking up so much. if you have to get a second job delivering pizzas at night or working part time at a fast food outlet. You may find you like it.
I one had an acquaintance when I was in the army. After his regular job in the military, he went to work at a local pizza parlor. He didn't do it because he needed the money, but he liked working around others and he enjoyed working with the public. The extra money was just a bonus.
Take the extra money you earn and pay down on the credit card until it is paid off. At this point it will be tempting to run up charges on the card again since it is paid off, but do not do this. Right now, as part of the weaning process, the card is only to be used for emergencies.
The next step after you pay off the card is to use the money from that extra job to save up an emergency fund that will cover what the credit card used to cover, say $1,000 dollars. Keep that money set aside in your checking account. It is to be used only during emergencies.
By now you should have gone a long time without using your credit card. Cut it up and send it back to the institution you got it from. Tell them to cancel your card. You have taken the first step toward living within you means. If you are not paying off a high credit card balance you will find you will have more money to spend on other finances.
Tip No 2.
This is the next most important tip I can give you and this probably should have been first except that credit cards are such a prevalent scourge on society that I had to put it in the top spot. Get Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace" book. It will change the way you think about money.
Tip No 3.
Start a budget. This goes hand in hand with cutting up your credit cards. You need to know where every dollar of your money goes. If your bank does not have a debit card program, switch banks to one that does. A debit card acts like a credit card but uses the money you have in your checking account. As a result, even in situation where you need a credit card, such as a hotel, you can use your debit card, assuming you have money in the account.
The nice aspect of a budget is that you can see right away where most of you money is going. A lot of people find out they have too much car for their pocketbook. Do you need two cars or could you get by with one? If you are putting out an inordinate amount of money in one or two areas of your budget, such as mortgage and cars, try to reduce the amounts.
The same with your cars. Sell them and get something cheaper to operate. Then pay off the cheaper cars and run them until they won't run any more. With proper regular maintenance of cars such as oil changes and tunes ups, it's possible to get 200,000 miles out of a car.
My wife and I decided to try to get by on one car. We have been doing is successfully for several years now. If I need the car I take her to work or I catch the bus. Where I live there is a good bus transportation system. The really great aspect to the buses is that they have bike racks on the front so you can ride your bike to the nearest bus stop, catch the bus to your destination and then ride your bike the short distance to where you are going.
A good budget consists of noting where every dollar goes: food, mortgage, car payments, utilities, insurance, clothes, cable, phone, medical and any other expense you can think of. Initially, it's a good idea to pay for everything by check or debit card for the first full 30 days so you can see where your money is going. Some banks even have a free program to help you do just that.
Once you see where the bulk of your money goes you can then develop a plan of attack. If you were debt free think of how much money you could put away in investments that would earn you money by making your money work for you.
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Debt-Free Means Real Freedom
Remember, the borrower is slave to the lender
Tip No.4
Get yourself debt free. Get rid of the notion that you always have to carry debt. You don't. You can save up your money and pay cash for a car. if you were debt free you could pay cash for a lot of things and get them at a cheaper rate.
Tip No. 5
If you buy coffee every morning at Starbucks, stop it. Make your own coffee. Get a coffee maker with a automatic brew setting and prepare the coffee maker the night before to start brewing when your alarm goes off.By the time you're ready to head out the door, you can pour yourself a hot cup of coffee in an insulated thermos and avoid waiting in lines for coffee, plus you'll save a ton of money.
Tip No. 6
Repair, reuse, re-purpose or do without. This is the new philosophy for a generation that is slowly realizing that buying on credit is the wrong path to take to get ahead financially. Repair items that break if you can and keep using it; or find a different use for that item
Tip No. 7
Spend less than you earn each week. This is a simple financial philosophy that your parents or grandparent used to live by until the advent of easy credit.
Tip No. 8
Eat at home more often. It's too easy to grab some dinner out after work or for lunch, even breakfast rather than make it yourself. But with a little planning you can eat well at home with little fuss.
Tip No. 9
Lose weight. If you are overweight, getting healthy can help you save a lot of money on doctor bills, medication and lost work to mention a few. A simple recipe to help you jump start the weight loss process is to reduce or cut out for just a week, bread, crackers, cookies, cake, and pasta. Eat more vegetables - omit corn and potatoes - baked fish, baked chicken, and very little lean red mean. Make vegetables the main portion of your meal and the meat a side dish. Eat all the vegetables and fruit you want. For dessert try sugar free pudding or gelatin with a sugar free topping, or sugar-free popsicles. You can do this for just a week and see if you notice a drop in weight. Try walking for about 20 minutes a day.
Tip No. 10
Stop smoking. With what we know about the harmful effects of smoking tobacco, do I really need to tell you why you need to quit? If leading a healthier life is not enough of a trigger, then think of all the money you would save if you did.
Get yourself debt free. Get rid of the notion that you always have to carry debt. You don't. You can save up your money and pay cash for a car. if you were debt free you could pay cash for a lot of things and get them at a cheaper rate.
Tip No. 5
If you buy coffee every morning at Starbucks, stop it. Make your own coffee. Get a coffee maker with a automatic brew setting and prepare the coffee maker the night before to start brewing when your alarm goes off.By the time you're ready to head out the door, you can pour yourself a hot cup of coffee in an insulated thermos and avoid waiting in lines for coffee, plus you'll save a ton of money.
Tip No. 6
Repair, reuse, re-purpose or do without. This is the new philosophy for a generation that is slowly realizing that buying on credit is the wrong path to take to get ahead financially. Repair items that break if you can and keep using it; or find a different use for that item
Tip No. 7
Spend less than you earn each week. This is a simple financial philosophy that your parents or grandparent used to live by until the advent of easy credit.
Tip No. 8
Eat at home more often. It's too easy to grab some dinner out after work or for lunch, even breakfast rather than make it yourself. But with a little planning you can eat well at home with little fuss.
Tip No. 9
Lose weight. If you are overweight, getting healthy can help you save a lot of money on doctor bills, medication and lost work to mention a few. A simple recipe to help you jump start the weight loss process is to reduce or cut out for just a week, bread, crackers, cookies, cake, and pasta. Eat more vegetables - omit corn and potatoes - baked fish, baked chicken, and very little lean red mean. Make vegetables the main portion of your meal and the meat a side dish. Eat all the vegetables and fruit you want. For dessert try sugar free pudding or gelatin with a sugar free topping, or sugar-free popsicles. You can do this for just a week and see if you notice a drop in weight. Try walking for about 20 minutes a day.
Tip No. 10
Stop smoking. With what we know about the harmful effects of smoking tobacco, do I really need to tell you why you need to quit? If leading a healthier life is not enough of a trigger, then think of all the money you would save if you did.
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More frugal tips to help you live a higher quality of life
Tip No. 11
Take your lunch to work. With just a little planning you could easily take your lunch to work and cut your lunch costs by half or even a third. If you got the lunch special, and how many do that? - at a cost of $6, that's $30 a week, $120 a month.
Tip No. 12
Go to the library rather than buy expensive new titles. Or if you just have to own a book, buy it at thrift shops, which are even cheaper than used bookstores.
Tip No. 13
Regular auto maintenance avoids costly repairs. Your car will last a long time and be more dependable - avoid lost work time - if you have it maintained at regularly scheduled intervals. Think how great it would be to pay off you car, which is humming along like a sewing machine because you took good care of it - and run it until you saved up enough to buy another one and paid cash for it.
Tip No. 14
Set aside three to six months expenses. This is especially important. If you lose your job it may take you that long to get another one to replace the lost income.
Tip No. 15
Shop at thrift stores and yard sales. I can't tell you the wonderful bargains I have found at yard sales and thrift shops. The only drawback is if you go looking for something specific you may not find it.
Tip No. 16
Buy in bulk. If you have the storage room buying in large quantities can save you a lot of money.
Tip No. 17
Pay cash for your items. Remember, cash is always king. You can get nearly anything at a reduced price if you have cash.
Tip No. 18
Earn extra money from a second job or hobby. In order to pay down your debts get a second job. It's easier to get a job with a temporary staffing agency if you have a specialized skill. But it you don't, try working fast food or pizza deliveries. Put all your money toward paying down debt.
Tip No. 19
Invest your money. When I was working as a business editor at a newspaper some of my colleagues in the print department came to me and asked what to do with a large sum of money they came into. I said they should invest it. Go to a financial manager. "But we could lose it all in the stock market," one of them said. I told them that technically that was true, but only if you invested everything in one stock. However, you financial counselor will more than likely invest the money in a mutual fund, which is many stocks together. That way if one stock drops, the others will either remain the same or increase. But a financial counselor can give even more options for people who want very little risk.
Tip No. 20
Don't drive unless you absolutely have to. Walk, ride your bike or take a bus on occasion.This will save you a lot of money in gas and auto maintenance.
Tip No. 21
Set aside money for a vacation. Target where you want to go and set aside funds to pay for it. When you get the money built up you can afford to take a vacation. Stay within the limits of your budget.
Tip No. 22
Combine your finances.
Tip No. 23
Set aside a car fund. If possible set aside a car fund to replace your car when the time comes. Your car will eventually not be worth repairing and you will need to replace your car. Too many people are used to just keeping a car payment all the time. It never used to be that way. People paid off their cars and drove them for a long time without a car payment.
Tip No. 24
Learn a new skill. A new skill can be used to help you get a better job, a good part-time job, or start a hobby that can bring in some extra income.
Tip No. 25
When eating out use coupons. In the area I live in there are monthly coupon books delivered to area businesses. There are reduced prices on various services from cars to restaurants. We like breakfast best and use a coupon that is buy one get one free. This can save you a lot of money over time. Use the coupons for other services also.
Tip No. 26
When buying toys for small children check out thrift shops and rummage sales. You can get a much-wanted toy for a fraction of the price and with a little elbow grease you can make it look like new.
Tip No. 27
Want to save money on gas? Buy gas on Wednesday. That's when prices generally are the lowest and increase in price on Fridays. Don't fill up. Put in about half a tank or so. Your car will be lighter and not use as much gas. Also, clean out anything that not necessary to lighten the load. When possible, avoid using your air conditioner. Air conditioning uses a lot of gas. But only avoid using the air condition when driving around town. When on the interstate keep windows rolled up and use the A/C. Keeping the car aerodynamic is more gas saving that not using the A/C.
Tip No. 28
Another way to save gas is to check the air in your tires once a week. Keep a good air gauge in your car and go by the air pressure for tires for your car. The air pressures can be found on the inside door frame on the driver's side or in your car's maintenance guide book.
Tip No. 29
Save money at the grocery store. This tip is takes a little work but will pay off in the end. Plan your meals. Find healthy recipes for a week's worth of meals and only buy what you need on the list. Also, buy generic or use coupons. The Sunday section of newspapers usually have a couple of hundred dollars worth of coupons many of which you will find useful. But the biggest money saver is to make a list of what you need before hand. If you are trying to keep your food bill low, then set a limit as to how much you will spend. You will find that a list and a limit will make you very creative.
Tip No. 30
Cancel subscriptions.
Take your lunch to work. With just a little planning you could easily take your lunch to work and cut your lunch costs by half or even a third. If you got the lunch special, and how many do that? - at a cost of $6, that's $30 a week, $120 a month.
Tip No. 12
Go to the library rather than buy expensive new titles. Or if you just have to own a book, buy it at thrift shops, which are even cheaper than used bookstores.
Tip No. 13
Regular auto maintenance avoids costly repairs. Your car will last a long time and be more dependable - avoid lost work time - if you have it maintained at regularly scheduled intervals. Think how great it would be to pay off you car, which is humming along like a sewing machine because you took good care of it - and run it until you saved up enough to buy another one and paid cash for it.
Tip No. 14
Set aside three to six months expenses. This is especially important. If you lose your job it may take you that long to get another one to replace the lost income.
Tip No. 15
Shop at thrift stores and yard sales. I can't tell you the wonderful bargains I have found at yard sales and thrift shops. The only drawback is if you go looking for something specific you may not find it.
Tip No. 16
Buy in bulk. If you have the storage room buying in large quantities can save you a lot of money.
Tip No. 17
Pay cash for your items. Remember, cash is always king. You can get nearly anything at a reduced price if you have cash.
Tip No. 18
Earn extra money from a second job or hobby. In order to pay down your debts get a second job. It's easier to get a job with a temporary staffing agency if you have a specialized skill. But it you don't, try working fast food or pizza deliveries. Put all your money toward paying down debt.
Tip No. 19
Invest your money. When I was working as a business editor at a newspaper some of my colleagues in the print department came to me and asked what to do with a large sum of money they came into. I said they should invest it. Go to a financial manager. "But we could lose it all in the stock market," one of them said. I told them that technically that was true, but only if you invested everything in one stock. However, you financial counselor will more than likely invest the money in a mutual fund, which is many stocks together. That way if one stock drops, the others will either remain the same or increase. But a financial counselor can give even more options for people who want very little risk.
Tip No. 20
Don't drive unless you absolutely have to. Walk, ride your bike or take a bus on occasion.This will save you a lot of money in gas and auto maintenance.
Tip No. 21
Set aside money for a vacation. Target where you want to go and set aside funds to pay for it. When you get the money built up you can afford to take a vacation. Stay within the limits of your budget.
Tip No. 22
Combine your finances.
Tip No. 23
Set aside a car fund. If possible set aside a car fund to replace your car when the time comes. Your car will eventually not be worth repairing and you will need to replace your car. Too many people are used to just keeping a car payment all the time. It never used to be that way. People paid off their cars and drove them for a long time without a car payment.
Tip No. 24
Learn a new skill. A new skill can be used to help you get a better job, a good part-time job, or start a hobby that can bring in some extra income.
Tip No. 25
When eating out use coupons. In the area I live in there are monthly coupon books delivered to area businesses. There are reduced prices on various services from cars to restaurants. We like breakfast best and use a coupon that is buy one get one free. This can save you a lot of money over time. Use the coupons for other services also.
Tip No. 26
When buying toys for small children check out thrift shops and rummage sales. You can get a much-wanted toy for a fraction of the price and with a little elbow grease you can make it look like new.
Tip No. 27
Want to save money on gas? Buy gas on Wednesday. That's when prices generally are the lowest and increase in price on Fridays. Don't fill up. Put in about half a tank or so. Your car will be lighter and not use as much gas. Also, clean out anything that not necessary to lighten the load. When possible, avoid using your air conditioner. Air conditioning uses a lot of gas. But only avoid using the air condition when driving around town. When on the interstate keep windows rolled up and use the A/C. Keeping the car aerodynamic is more gas saving that not using the A/C.
Tip No. 28
Another way to save gas is to check the air in your tires once a week. Keep a good air gauge in your car and go by the air pressure for tires for your car. The air pressures can be found on the inside door frame on the driver's side or in your car's maintenance guide book.
Tip No. 29
Save money at the grocery store. This tip is takes a little work but will pay off in the end. Plan your meals. Find healthy recipes for a week's worth of meals and only buy what you need on the list. Also, buy generic or use coupons. The Sunday section of newspapers usually have a couple of hundred dollars worth of coupons many of which you will find useful. But the biggest money saver is to make a list of what you need before hand. If you are trying to keep your food bill low, then set a limit as to how much you will spend. You will find that a list and a limit will make you very creative.
Tip No. 30
Cancel subscriptions.
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Don't Give Up Yet. More Money Tips Ahead.
Doing repairs and gifts yourself can save you a bundle
Tip No. 31
Make your own gifts. I once made some gumball machines from plans I found in a wood working magazine. They were a different design from regular gumball machines. Very easy to make and I made 6 of them and gave them as presents.They didn't take long and were valued by the people I gave them to. I know this because 15 years later I still see them displayed among their decorations.
Tip No. 32
Do your own repairs. When our dryer quit drying I went online and discovered that the most common reason a drying quits drying is that the dryer hose is crimped or not seated properly. I found the problem and it was a simple repair, with no parts involved. I have done the same many other times once I found out how to do it.
Tip No. 33
Eliminate your cell phone, or eliminate your home phone, but you don't need both. Eliminate the more expensive one.
Tip No. 34
Eliminate most prepackage foods. They are expensive and ineffective if you are trying to cut your expenses.
Tip No. 35
Avoid shopping for shopping's sake. Only shop when your are looking for something specific.
Make your own gifts. I once made some gumball machines from plans I found in a wood working magazine. They were a different design from regular gumball machines. Very easy to make and I made 6 of them and gave them as presents.They didn't take long and were valued by the people I gave them to. I know this because 15 years later I still see them displayed among their decorations.
Tip No. 32
Do your own repairs. When our dryer quit drying I went online and discovered that the most common reason a drying quits drying is that the dryer hose is crimped or not seated properly. I found the problem and it was a simple repair, with no parts involved. I have done the same many other times once I found out how to do it.
Tip No. 33
Eliminate your cell phone, or eliminate your home phone, but you don't need both. Eliminate the more expensive one.
Tip No. 34
Eliminate most prepackage foods. They are expensive and ineffective if you are trying to cut your expenses.
Tip No. 35
Avoid shopping for shopping's sake. Only shop when your are looking for something specific.
Other Great Sites On Frugal Financial Advice
I wish I could say I have the best lens on the web for frugal financial advice, but, alas, there are others who have done a great job of pointing the reader in the direction of frugal financial learning. One of the first steps anyone should take in frugal financial matters is to learn; learn by reading books on finance, by reading lenses from people who have something of value to pass on. The below lenses have this valuable information from which we all could learn.
- Live below your means.
- Five quick tips to help you live within your financial means.
- Best books for handling you money
- Some of the best books for teaching you how to handle your money wisely.
- Single mom meets financial goals
- How a single mother bought a home and raised two children on a fixed income in a tight economy, and how you can meet your financial goals with less money.
- See what Grandma Moses has to say about successs
- Long before she become an art sensation, Grandma Moses lived a life built of making a success out of challenges. It is setting your sights on a goal to accomplish, then setting about the hard work of getting the job done. Knowing how to use ingenuity to do a job better, while buckling down and applying elbow grease when necessary are also a part of the recipe.
- How to save money
- I particularly like this lens as I think it appeals to everyone out there. So long as you think you can't save money, you're hindered from doing so. However if you decide that (1) you're going to save money, and (2) you can succeed at it, you'll be in a better frame of mind for actually doing it. Have the confidence that no matter how hopeless your situation seems, you're able to set aside some money every month for your savings account.
Final Frugal Tips Will Really Save You Money
Lower thermostats, change bulbs, wash in cold water
Tip No. 36
Frugal gift giving. Don't wait until the Christmas holidays to look for gifts to give. Buy gifts when you see extreme sales such as after Christmas sales when shop owners are trying to get rid of their inventory by giving deep discounts Also, "Christmas in July" sales are good places to sometimes pick up a bargain. Hold onto them until just the right time - birthdays, graduations, Christmas, or other holidays. Always check around and compare prices.
Tip No. 37
Try renting rather than buying a home. Sometimes it is less expensive to rent rather than buy. When you rent you do not have the cost of upkeep, which can be considerable.
Tip No. 38
Save power by lowering the thermostat, replacing older light bulbs with high efficiency bulbs, and washing clothes in cold water.
Tip No. 39
Combine errands to save gas and mileage on your car.
Tip No. 40
Unplug electrical devices at night or when away for a long period. If you have a lot of devices that glow in the dark turn off the power. If you have a wall switch that cuts off power at the socket use it. If not, plug your electrical devices into a mult-unit power cord with an off switch.
Tip No. 41
When you need a cleaning fluid go to a business like Home Depot and buy your cleaning supplies in concentrated containers. Follow the directions for mixing the concentrated cleaner. Buy a sprayer to put it and use it over and over. This will save you a lot of money over time.
Tip No. 42
Eat less. Do you really need to eat like you did when you were a teenager? Some people don't realize that as they get older then need less food. You will adjust to not eating all day long. Eat smaller meals and take your time eating it. It takes your body about 20 minutes to realize you have eating and that you are full. Drink a glass of water just before a meal. This will help keep you full and eat less. You can still eat three meals a day with snacks in between, just make them smaller. In most cases eat what is considered a serving size. You will be amazed at what is considered a serving.
Tip No. 43
Periodically compare your insurances such as life, auto, and home with other offers. If you notice every year your insurance increases even if you don't use it. I'm almost afraid to use for fear they will really increase it or even drop me unexpectedly. My insurances go up every year despite not making any claims. We are paying for those who do make claims and a lot of them. Switch if you find a better offer.
Tip No. 44
Cancel all those fancy extras you have on your phone service such as call waiting, caller Id, voice mail and three-way calling. Just get the basic service.
Tip No. 45
If you own a condo and have condo association insurance, examine the policy carefully to see if your current personal insurance covers many of the same items. You don't want to double insure.
Tip No. 46
Talk to your insurance agent and find out if there are actions you can take to lower your homeowner's insurance such as installing more secure locks or smoke alarms and a fire extinguisher.
Tip No. 47
Fix all leaky faucets. One drip every few seconds can add up to a lot of water usage over time.
Tip No. 48
When purchasing major appliances make sure that they have the Energy Star sticker. This sticker tells the buyer that the appliance meets or exceeds U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency standards.
Tip No. 49
Raise money by holding monthly yard sales. You can start by selling your own items and then throughout the month you can gather items to sell from estate sales or other yard sales. You can get a real deal on the items by going back to a yard sale later and offering a low price for everything left. The items can be made more attractive for sale by cleaning them up, repairing and painting some items. By the end of the month you should have enough for an attractive yard sale. Some items you could sell on Ebay or Craigslist.
Tip No. 50
You may want to try cutting your own hair, at least for a male. For women you can still reduce that $100 haircut by coloring or highlighting your own hair for just the cost of a home coloring kit.
Frugal gift giving. Don't wait until the Christmas holidays to look for gifts to give. Buy gifts when you see extreme sales such as after Christmas sales when shop owners are trying to get rid of their inventory by giving deep discounts Also, "Christmas in July" sales are good places to sometimes pick up a bargain. Hold onto them until just the right time - birthdays, graduations, Christmas, or other holidays. Always check around and compare prices.
Tip No. 37
Try renting rather than buying a home. Sometimes it is less expensive to rent rather than buy. When you rent you do not have the cost of upkeep, which can be considerable.
Tip No. 38
Save power by lowering the thermostat, replacing older light bulbs with high efficiency bulbs, and washing clothes in cold water.
Tip No. 39
Combine errands to save gas and mileage on your car.
Tip No. 40
Unplug electrical devices at night or when away for a long period. If you have a lot of devices that glow in the dark turn off the power. If you have a wall switch that cuts off power at the socket use it. If not, plug your electrical devices into a mult-unit power cord with an off switch.
Tip No. 41
When you need a cleaning fluid go to a business like Home Depot and buy your cleaning supplies in concentrated containers. Follow the directions for mixing the concentrated cleaner. Buy a sprayer to put it and use it over and over. This will save you a lot of money over time.
Tip No. 42
Eat less. Do you really need to eat like you did when you were a teenager? Some people don't realize that as they get older then need less food. You will adjust to not eating all day long. Eat smaller meals and take your time eating it. It takes your body about 20 minutes to realize you have eating and that you are full. Drink a glass of water just before a meal. This will help keep you full and eat less. You can still eat three meals a day with snacks in between, just make them smaller. In most cases eat what is considered a serving size. You will be amazed at what is considered a serving.
Tip No. 43
Periodically compare your insurances such as life, auto, and home with other offers. If you notice every year your insurance increases even if you don't use it. I'm almost afraid to use for fear they will really increase it or even drop me unexpectedly. My insurances go up every year despite not making any claims. We are paying for those who do make claims and a lot of them. Switch if you find a better offer.
Tip No. 44
Cancel all those fancy extras you have on your phone service such as call waiting, caller Id, voice mail and three-way calling. Just get the basic service.
Tip No. 45
If you own a condo and have condo association insurance, examine the policy carefully to see if your current personal insurance covers many of the same items. You don't want to double insure.
Tip No. 46
Talk to your insurance agent and find out if there are actions you can take to lower your homeowner's insurance such as installing more secure locks or smoke alarms and a fire extinguisher.
Tip No. 47
Fix all leaky faucets. One drip every few seconds can add up to a lot of water usage over time.
Tip No. 48
When purchasing major appliances make sure that they have the Energy Star sticker. This sticker tells the buyer that the appliance meets or exceeds U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency standards.
Tip No. 49
Raise money by holding monthly yard sales. You can start by selling your own items and then throughout the month you can gather items to sell from estate sales or other yard sales. You can get a real deal on the items by going back to a yard sale later and offering a low price for everything left. The items can be made more attractive for sale by cleaning them up, repairing and painting some items. By the end of the month you should have enough for an attractive yard sale. Some items you could sell on Ebay or Craigslist.
Tip No. 50
You may want to try cutting your own hair, at least for a male. For women you can still reduce that $100 haircut by coloring or highlighting your own hair for just the cost of a home coloring kit.
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