Money Management Suggestions

[Bright_Star]

Get a jar & start tossing your spare change into it. You'd be surprised how much you can save by doing that.

[jedimaster91]

One possibly oddball tip- always eat SOMETHING right before you go to the grocery store, even if it's just a quick sandwich. Don't go grocery shopping if you're hungry!

An adendum to this tip, don't take a hungry spouse, either. I always end up spending more for groceries when Mr Jedi comes along.

If you have a yard, or even some patio space that gets good sun, you might try growing some of your own herbs and veggies. Choose items that you'll actually eat and ones that will do well in your location and conditions. For some herbs, all you really need is a nice sunny window sill.

A thousand times, THIS. As much as I tease my husband about his "hardcore gardening" (seriously, he's starting seeds indoors in February), it does save us a TON of money on fresh produce. And especially with many fruits and veggies forcasted to skyrocket in price, it's better to grow your own. And frankly, homegrown tastes better, too.

ETA: Also check out Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey. He's got some good ideas.

[Evil Queen]

Coupons.
Best found in the Sunday Paper but you can also use internet coupons printed off at home or work (I print at work). The best websites I've used are;
coupons.com
smartsource.com (which is the name of the coupon packet in the newspapers)
redplum.com (ditto)

A lot of the time, coupons for things will make the name-brand item cheaper than the store brand. For example; I really like the door brand containers of oreos. (WalMart's "Oreos" are really good) but sometimes I'll find a coupon in the newspaper for X off of Real Oreos. It'll sometimes be cheaper than the store brand ones so I'll go ahead and buy those. Write down the amount I'm saving with the Name Brand and, later in the day/week, transfer it to my savings account. It's like in my mind I already spent the money because I've already calculated for the higher priced item.

Try Bundling Your Services
I have Qwest DSL and a home phone line. This was the only way, at the time, to get internet. It's not expensive per product. Maybe $30 each. I discovered last year that I can get a $5 discount if I bundled my Verizon cell phone with my existing Qwest account. I figure, hey, the less bills I have to keep up with, the better. So every month that $5 gets dumped into my savings account as well.

Discount Cards Are Worth It.
Grocery store discount cards are generally worth it and they're free. At the bottom of your receipt, it has a dollar amount that you "saved" with the card. Transfer this amount to your savings account. Again, this is money that you've technically already spent so it's like free money.

Money Management Software
For years I used Quicken. It's easy to use and syncs up with my bank. Problem is, after a few years, I'd have to get an all new Quicken Version because mine became too old. Well, now Quicken has an online version. I use it all the time and it works great.

I've also heard good things about Mint.com and Gnucash (the latter of which is open source and free to download). However, I have a hard time using Gnucash even though I'm well versed in most open source software. It's in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

Travel
A lot of people have to travel a couple time for work. Most of us here travel for pleasure but this can help you too;
Hotels
Always call the hotel directly and talk about rates. Hey, if I'm nearly sold out for a certain date, I'll usually drop the rate for people who phone or walk in because I'm nice that way. Honestly, it's because I like seeing a red little zero on my calendar, meaning NO VACANCY. Hell, half the time I'll ask what your budget is and see if I can wrangle a rate that's at least close to it.
THIRD PARTY RESERVATION SITES, while nice, are always prepaid and if something happens and you have to cancel, are NON-REFUNDABLE. A lot of the time these are still decent (even though I personally bitch about them a lot) and will still net you a good discount on the hotel room. But nothing, NOTHING, beats the Employee Discount for rooms. If you can't do that, the Friends and Family Rate works too. It's usually 40-50% off anyways.
Gas
Some gas stations now have discount cards. Shell gas stations is a great example. You can "earn" .02 off a gallon with this little card. It's tied directly to your checking account so it's like having a debit card that can only be used at this location type. The discount doesn't show up at the pump but it is reflected in your checking account.
Tourism Cards
New Mexico (Yes, it's a state!) recently started a tourism campaign called "The Enchantment Card" which is also completely free to sign up for. It's supposed to net you a discount at various attractions, restaurants, gift stores, museums and apparel stores. My local Sonic's takes the card and usually nets me a 5% discount. Not much but it adds up after a while. Just swing by the tourism department on your states' website and see if one is listed for your state.

[Magpie]

A thousand times, THIS. As much as I tease my husband about his "hardcore gardening" (seriously, he's starting seeds indoors in February),

I didn't realise that your growing season was so long that that sort of thing was optional. That's called "gardening" here. Tomatoes, habaneros, bell peppers, etc won't grow unless you start them under growlights.

[taxguykarl]

Why?

Legitimate question. The legitimate answer is that stamps and paper checks (don't get me started on money orders) have a price. Many credit card issuers and utilities have free online payment vehicles. There's also check free

[Evil Queen]

Paper checks cost money? I always got mine for free. Most of my bills are local so I just drop them in drop boxes rather than mailing them.

Only my qwest bill bundle and auto insurance are automatically paid.

[Andara Bledin]

Replace ALL the lightbulbs in your home with CFLs. It can be a fair bit of cash outlay, but you'll save that much or more very quickly with electric savings, and you probably won't have to replace any of those bulbs for years.

Actually, do not do this for any bulb that points down. The rising heat from the bulb will kill the electronics in the base and it won't even last as long as a typical incandescent.

Grocery store discount cards are generally worth it and they're free.

This is mostly true. However, of the 5 or so different grocery options I have to choose from near my home, the two lowest-priced of them do not offer any kind of membership card. And the most expensive one does, and often the prices after the discount are still notably higher than most of the other local grocery stores' prices.

Definitely shop around. Even the most expensive store I mentioned has a few items that are lower-priced than anywhere else.

^-.-^

[Aethian]

Legitimate question. The legitimate answer is that stamps and paper checks (don't get me started on money orders) have a price. Many credit card issuers and utilities have free online payment vehicles. There's also check free

It's also my job that you put on the line with saying to go online. I get checks free from my credit union, sure they are nothing special but they are free. Yes stamps cost something but where else can you get something from Maine to California for 44 cents?

*sighs* Sorry for the off thread tangent...just getting more nervous of my job with more people thinking that it doesn't hurt anything to go all online. Yea...wont hurt anything when more then 40k people are without jobs.

[Seshat]

dont kee the water on when you do dishes (wash dish, turn water on to rinse, turn water off and put dish in drainer, start on next dish).

For many things, including dishwashing, you can just put a bit of water in the bottom of the sink or basin, and rinse everything in that. Replace the water if it gets dirty, but otherwise just use the same basin-puddle for all your stuff.

Actually, do not do this for any bulb that points down. The rising heat from the bulb will kill the electronics in the base and it won't even last as long as a typical incandescent.

That's not been my experience. Not saying you're wrong in the main, just that we've had downward-pointing CFLs for years with no problems.

It's also my job that you put on the line with saying to go online.

Or the rise in online shopping will protect your job. It's hard to say. We buy a LOT of things online these days.


(End of quote responses)

My own suggestions:

Use every part of a plant or meat that you buy, unless the part is actually inedible. Celery leaves, the tops of leeks, carrot peelings and so forth can be put into a little cotton bag and boiled to make a vegetable stock. Leftover lean meat can be added to a casserole or soup, or sliced into sandwiches.
Leftover meat bones, tendons, gristle, even fat, can be put into a cotton bag and boiled to make a meat stock - just let it cool and remove the congealed fat off the top.
(Note: the cotton bags for this should be undyed - you can probably find them as 'pudding bags' in the supermarket, or in specialist kitchenware shops.)

Carrot tops, potato eyes, and many other such parts can be planted. Other parts can be composted - as can the contents of stock bags after boiling.

Meatless meals can be amazingly tasty - especially with a good rich stock to use. A meatless paella or biryani is very, very cheap, and with a rich stock, very flavourful. Even something as simple as pasta with cheese and mixed frozen veg can be delicious.

Assess needs vs wants. Go through your house, and determine whether you actually have everything you need. If you don't, then fair enough, get the necessities.
Two pairs of everyday shoes, so you can swap them on a daily basis and let the 'off day' pair breathe and dry thoroughly, is fair enough. We deem it a need in our house. Glasses (vision type) are a need.

Once you have all the needs, then never buy something without knowing what you'll be replacing; or without consciously and deliberately breaking this rule.

For example, I am about to replace most of my winter clothes with ones which fit better. The old ones which are still in good condition will be donated to the local charity shop, the rest will either be cut up for cleaning rags or resewn into winter
jackets for our dog.

We've also recently broken the rule. We're adding winter jackets for our dog - we have decided she needs polar fleece ones, and she mostly has mid-season level jackets. (She's a very thin-furred dog with a naked belly, so her jackets are a need. She gets very shivery and cold without them.)

"Needs" vs "Wants", and the "discard one thing for every thing you buy" rule keeps us doing pretty well on the 'spontaneous purchases' front.

[Andara Bledin]

That's not been my experience. Not saying you're wrong in the main, just that we've had downward-pointing CFLs for years with no problems.

Actually, I was looking something up earlier today, and it appears that they've changed things with a lot of CFL bulbs, so my earlier advice appears to be outdated.

^-.-^

[jedimaster91]

I didn't realise that your growing season was so long that that sort of thing was optional. That's called "gardening" here. Tomatoes, habaneros, bell peppers, etc won't grow unless you start them under growlights.

Our last frost tends to be around late April or early May. First winter frost is usually late October. So a fairly decent growing season, but the plants produce better when started from seed indoors. Mr Jedi bought a planting guide book for our specific area so he knows when to plant indoors under growlights and when to transplant the seedlings outside. He also does a lot of research on different varieties to find the ones that will grow well in our area. I swear our tomatoes this year are going to have blossoms before we get them transplanted.

[taxguykarl]

It's also my job that you put on the line with saying to go online. I get checks free from my credit union, sure they are nothing special but they are free. Yes stamps cost something but where else can you get something from Maine to California for 44 cents?

Maybe so. OTOH, to paraphrase an certain Illinois senator: A quarter here...a buck there, pretty soon you're talking real money.

Bottom line: The small savings add up.

My 700th post!! WOW.

[Seshat]

True - as long as you're not penny wise and pound foolish. Look at long term use, and stuff like cost-per-use.

In furnishings, for instance, the penny wise/pound foolish way is to buy cheap plywood and plastic stuff.
The pound wise way is to ask 'is this a permanent piece of furniture, or a temporary one?' If temporary, then plywood or plastic should be fine. If permanent, then you want something more durable - and refurbishing something from the local charity shop or recycling centre can be cheap. (Even if it's temporary, consider doing the find-and-refurbish. You can then onsell it once you're done with it.)

Clothing is the same. For frequently-worn basics in a classic cut, spend enough to get good fabric and construction. But go ahead and cheap out for things you'll only wear a few times, or only this season.

[Andara Bledin]

Remember the Sam Vimes Boots Theory of Economic Injustice.

When I got new shoes, I paid $80 for a pair of shoes that I knew would last me for years. Other than looking old (they started white: I don't know what I was thinking), they're still in great condition after two years.

Nekojin bought a pair of shoes that was only $7. A month later, he had to replace them, and paid $20. Two months after that, at my insistence, he bought a pair of shoes for $100, and they're just now starting to show serious wear in the soles.

So, to paraphrase Seshat, don't confuse cheap with inexpensive.

^-.-^