Best Money Saving Tips

[kenandlaura06]

We use our Discover Card for every possible purchase that we can (gas, groceries, etc.) We pay it off every month, so I have never paid any credit card interest in my life, and we get a 2% cashback bonus, so because we are using it for everything, that adds up fast -- its a great deal!

 

That is great!

[SailBolt]

A local radio personality here in Atlanta (Neal Boortz) extols this method.

Whenever you have one dollar bills, you CANNOT spend them. You put them away somewhere and let them build up.

This is great two ways.

Obviously you are saving all your dollar bills.

However it also makes you stop and think about every purchase.

For example, if you only have a $5 bill and that candy bar costs $.95, if you are using the dollar bill system, you have to put your change away, so that candy bar actually costs five bucks, (not to mention the calories).

It will make you stopand think as to whether or not you want to pay that much for a candy bar.

I did this one year and saved over $1700.00 which is enough to take my wife and I on a nice cruise in a balcony cabin!!!

[kenandlaura06]

A local radio personality here in Atlanta (Neal Boortz) extols this method.

Whenever you have one dollar bills, you CANNOT spend them. You put them away somewhere and let them build up.

This is great two ways.

Obviously you are saving all your dollar bills.

However it also makes you stop and think about every purchase.

For example, if you only have a $5 bill and that candy bar costs $.95, if you are using the dollar bill system, you have to put your change away, so that candy bar actually costs five bucks, (not to mention the calories).

It will make you stopand think as to whether or not you want to pay that much for a candy bar.

I did this one year and saved over $1700.00 which is enough to take my wife and I on a nice cruise in a balcony cabin!!!

 

Great idea!

[kenandlaura06]

We recently cleaned out our bookshelves and put books for sale online at half.com and we have made $100+ in only two weeks! Very easy way to kill two birds with one stone...cleaning and making money.

[Gabsabunch42]

We recently cleaned out our bookshelves and put books for sale online at half.com and we have made $100+ in only two weeks! Very easy way to kill two birds with one stone...cleaning and making money.

We did this a few years back, sold tons of old books and toys and clothes. Made a nice chunk of change. And of course we do garage sales now and then to clear out stuff and make some cash.

[kenandlaura06]

We did this a few years back, sold tons of old books and toys and clothes. Made a nice chunk of change. And of course we do garage sales now and then to clear out stuff and make some cash.

 

I would love to do a garage sale, but the complex we live in doesn't allow it :(

[divadiverfl]

What website--Our TA will do it but he sure won't call you and tell you. He does deal with a lot of people. Can't go on Princess and can't call princess if you are with a TA

We book on board while we cruise with RCCL.

 

For starters as Platinum members we receive a discount on our balcony stateroom AND onboard credit for the next cruise.

 

Then we keep track of the rates on the net and inform our TA about 'price-drop' in rates. The Already discounted stateroom gets further discounted.

 

On our next cruise ie. We are using balcony for the price of inside.

Can't beat that. And all the savings go to the fun stuff on the cruise itself.

Everybody in our party happy & Cruiseline happy.

 

We now even let hotels compete for our pre & post-cruise stay. See the link under the image 'bon voyage'.

 

Enjoy

[kenandlaura06]

What website--Our TA will do it but he sure won't call you and tell you. He does deal with a lot of people. Can't go on Princess and can't call princess if you are with a TA

 

That sounds suspicious. You should monitor the price online just to be safe.

[marion10]

I would love to do a garage sale, but the complex we live in doesn't allow it :(

 

Can you share with a friend and do it at their house? I've used half.com- we've made some nice money selling books and it's helped is get rid of some too-if they dodn't sell after a few weeks, we know they're not worth anything and it's easier to get rid of them.

[Dog Mommie]

tirakotchi...great tip...it's now on my favorites list!

 

Gotta agree about that Carnival dollars thingie and the travelers checks.:confused:

I thought the idea was to GROW your money, not just Stow it!:eek:

[danyelle]

Put my savings in an ING Saving Account. Has the rates of some CD's at 3.15% but you have better access to it.

 

i recently changed over to emigrant-direct. their rates are consistently higher than ing and they're just as userfriendly.

[kenandlaura06]

i recently changed over to emigrant-direct. their rates are consistently higher than ing and they're just as userfriendly.

 

Thanks!

[cruisingrobinsons]

Carnival does have gift certificates-- they are called funship dollars. If you go to Carnivals web page- click on gifts then scroll down to gift certificates.

 

I buy 1 $50.00 funship dollar each month. I sail in February. The back of the certificate states they must be mailed in-- I never mailed them and have taken them on my cruise-- and hand them to the pursers desk to add to my shipboard crediti.

 

I also buy photo coupons, soda coupons and drink coupons= which will be givin to me at the first night for dinner.

 

Anyone know if Princess has such stuff?

 

I am new to cruising- what are the photo coupons, soda coupons and drink coupons you mention here. We did not buy all the pictures from our

last cruise because that added up fast. Thanks.

[dcfashionista]

Use a budget and stick to it.

 

Direct Deposit every pay day to a savings account.

 

use coupons when I can.

 

I bring my lunch to work and will only treat myself on payday.

 

I also bring drinks and snacks to work.

 

I exchange my mypoints for starbuck's gift cards for my latte fixes.

[gtalum]

Would it not be better to have this money in some kind of interest-earning account?

 

I was thinking the same thing. Instead of Funship Dollars, take the money and put it in an account at ING Direct currently earning 3.3% (and FDIC insured). Pay the cruise bill with a credit card and use the money in the ING account to pay off the credit card. You won't make a TON of money, but an average of $500 sitting in ING for a year will get you about $16, or a free bucket of beers. :D

[ktpc2005]

I love ING. I opened account a few months ago and it does much better than any bank account I had. The interest rate has gone up 3 times in the past months.

[kenandlaura06]

Use a budget and stick to it.

 

Direct Deposit every pay day to a savings account.

 

use coupons when I can.

 

I bring my lunch to work and will only treat myself on payday.

 

I also bring drinks and snacks to work.

 

I exchange my mypoints for starbuck's gift cards for my latte fixes.

 

I love mypoints!

[hooked-on cruising]

Hello, this is Fernanda Ho, checking in from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and otherwise known as hooked-on cruising.

 

The best way for me to save: I have opened a bank account earmarked for cruising (and other expenses as may be necessary), instructed my bank to automatically deduct $100.00 each week from my normal account - what the banks call a standing order - and credit this specific account. I am thrilled to report that my savings are growing and I do not even feel it! I don't need to do anything, but simply watch my savings grow and I can plan my cruise vacation with ease and excitement, knowing that the funds will be more than sufficient for a great time, and that I do not need to touch any other accounts, when the time comes to pay for it!:) Hey, try it, you might like it!

 

My hubby and I are booked on the Freedom of the Seas 7-day cruise on next December! Can't wait!

 

best regards,

Fernanda

[kenandlaura06]

Hello, this is Fernanda Ho, checking in from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and otherwise known as hooked-on cruising.

 

The best way for me to save: I have opened a bank account earmarked for cruising (and other expenses as may be necessary), instructed my bank to automatically deduct $100.00 each week from my normal account - what the banks call a standing order - and credit this specific account. I am thrilled to report that my savings are growing and I do not even feel it! I don't need to do anything, but simply watch my savings grow and I can plan my cruise vacation with ease and excitement, knowing that the funds will be more than sufficient for a great time, and that I do not need to touch any other accounts, when the time comes to pay for it!:) Hey, try it, you might like it!

 

My hubby and I are booked on the Freedom of the Seas 7-day cruise on next December! Can't wait!

 

best regards,

Fernanda

 

My favorite trick!

[diving_blue_bonnet]

We got an NCL credit card thru MBNA in April 2004. We accrue 3 points for every $100 we spend and each point is worth $1 when we are ready to use them towards the purchase of a cruise or an upgrade. We buy EVERYTHING with this card and pay it off each month. This allows our money to stay in our checking account until we need to pay the credit card bill. That money gains interest while it is sitting in our account. By August 2005, we had enough points to book a cruise in a category BA (balcony mini suite). Not too shabby....

 

We also do a change jar, which will be spending money on the cruise.

 

I clip coupons from the news paper at work (so I don't have to buy one).

 

I don't buy name brand clothes, shoes or accessories. I also buy my work jeans from Goodwill since I'm just tooling around in them on my farm.

 

We keep the A/C on 80 degrees and turn the ceiling fans up. Our last electric bill was $400. We used to keep it on 75 degrees. I just got our electric bill today for this month and it is $269. It was worth every penny.

 

We also have our bank put back $50 per paycheck into our "vacation account." It sure builds up fast. I might bump it up to $75 if I get a raise.

 

DH does all of our car maintenance stuff like oil change, tune ups, etc.

 

And one last thing....We make our own wine. It is pretty darn good!! :D

[kenandlaura06]

Great tips bluebonnet!!!

[a1moty]

We use our Discover Card for every possible purchase that we can (gas, groceries, etc.) We pay it off every month, so I have never paid any credit card interest in my life, and we get a 2% cashback bonus, so because we are using it for everything, that adds up fast -- its a great deal!

 

I also handle day to day bills with my Discover card. And I also pay it off every month. Not only does it make life so simple to just write one check at the end of the month, but I also use the CASH BACK BONUS money (which they double)

for partial payment on my cruise. Is this a great country or what?:)

[Mekamax]

Avoid monthly bills such as - no cable or satalitte TV - not home enough to watch it anyway. AND LOVE CSI - don't need cable.

 

Local phone number at home - just for internet.

 

Use phone cards for long distance

 

No DSL - have at work - dial up at home

 

Do not eat out. Buy good food to cook at home and have a candle lit steak dinner at home - much cheaper

 

:) And of course everything mentioned above too. Resale shops are great for name brand clothes too.

 

:) Debbie

[jjdc]

I am selling old books on Half.com, hoping to make some money and clean off my shelves.

 

I just wanted to thank you for this tip. I even followed through and posted quite a few books on that website. I've already sold several, even some that were from my undergrad days in the early 1980's!! As you mention, it's not just a way to make a little extra money but it will help in decluttering my bookshelves (and storage areas). Thanks again!

[MissLioness]

Avoid monthly bills such as - no cable or satalitte TV - not home enough to watch it anyway. AND LOVE CSI - don't need cable.

 

Local phone number at home - just for internet.

 

Use phone cards for long distance

 

No DSL - have at work - dial up at home

 

Do not eat out. Buy good food to cook at home and have a candle lit steak dinner at home - much cheaper

 

And of course everything mentioned above too. Resale shops are great for name brand clothes too.

 

Debbie

while we're at it, shop at the reduced racks at at the grocery store, sure, the eggplant is brown, but it's cheap!.. and the reduced meat, just cut off the smelly green portions.

 

Get rid of the TV--get a library card and read a book. If you want to watch TV, go to your neighbor's house! It will save electricity!

 

Use the computer at the library - that way you don't need to lay out bucks to keep yours current with the latest anti-virus software, and you don't need to spend a single penny on internet service providers.

 

Get a cheap cell phone and get rid of the land line at home. Since we can go to the library, we don't need to worry about a line for the intenet. Most cheap cell plans include nationwide minutes, so you don't need to buy a separate card for long distance calls. Make all your calls at night and on the weekend, when most cell companies don't charge you. (checkyour plans first!)

 

While were at it, how bout calling the power comany and having them turn off the electric.. use candles and grill your food outdoors if you have an electric stove.

 

..there's saving money, and there's living comfortably. Sorry to get a bit sarcastic, I couldn't help myself. This is not intended to insult--just to be funny. :confused: