Best Money Saving Tips Contest

[#1]

Welcome Upromise Community members to the Best Money Saving Tips Contest.  Here's how it works.  Share how you save money during these particularly tough financial times now through 12/12/08 for a chance to win a gift card for the holidays.  The three top tips will each win a $100 Target gift card.  Click here for complete contest details.

So again, here's the deal.  You submit your tips to this message board and then your fellow Community members can vote their favorite ideas up by clicking on the credits button that displays along with every post.  The three tips with the most credits in the end will win the $100 gift card prizes.

So tell us, what are your best money saving tips?

Message Edited by Jeff on 11-26-2008 09:22 AM

[#2]

Hi All!  Happy Holidays!

Times are tough all around, so I'm looking for great ways to save money ALL the time!

There are several ways I'm cutting costs, while still having and doing the things we want:

-I do all of my online holiday shopping thru Upromise (of course), comparison shopping for the best deals and FREE SHIPPING!

-I use the online grocery coupons thru Upromise, AND I'm registered with couponmom.com and coupons.com for free coupons i can print from my own computer, (plus my grocery-store savings cards..MVP, etc)  I saved over $20 on my Thanksgiving dinner goodies!)

-I also go to my favorite products' websites, and sign up for their email lists..i get emails, BUT, they usually have coupons for the products I already use!  (verybestbaking.com is a GREAT one, for all nestle roducts..and Libby Pumpkin!)

-I purchase gift certificates thru sites like restaurant.com for at LEAST 50% off the face value..so we can still afford to go out to dinner once in awhile

(our local radio and tv stations also have something like this on their sites..a "half price outlet" for local restaurants, businesses, AND services...check out yours!)

-when I do have to go out, I plan my method of attack:  I hit stores/places in order of proximity, so i'm not driving all over creation wasting gas

-I'm also giving a lot of handmade gifts this year, to friends and coworkers. 

I love to bake..so I utilize my coupons and deals to purchase great ingredients, then make homemade cookies (my specialty!), and give them out in little baggies (bought in bulk, of course), with pretty ribbon.  

I also plan on sending boxes of goodness to my out of town friends this year.  It's amazing how many of us just don't have time to bake a bunch of traditional goodies anymore..and I enjoy doing it, so why not?

-oh, and the "dollar store"!  i purchased a LOT of goodies at our local dollar-tree..decorations for my son's first tree in his own room, stocking stuffers, and jigsaw puzzles that would have cost 3-5 times at much at regular retail stores for the exact same thing!

-for Holiday Parties...last year, we started hosting a Christmas Eve open-house for our friends and family in our town..and it's pot-luck.  I make a big pot of soup or stew, cookies (of course!), and have soda or punch..then everyone's invited and asked to bring their own goodie.  We had dips, more sweets, veggie trays, soda, beer, you name it!  everyone mixed and mingled, munched, and shared some (inexpensive) holiday cheer!   We're planning on doing it again this year.

So, that's what I'M doing to pinch those pennies!  And I'm looking forward to learning more great ways to save from you!

Have a wonderful holiday! 

chalehead

[#3]

1. Buy from a reputable establishment such as Costco, where they are known for their limited markups. (Full Disclosure: I work for them... )

2. Purchase EVERYTHING with your (you do have one... right?) American Express Card. Depending on the card you have, you may have cash rebates for up to 5% (Card programs vary...). In addition, they offer their Purchase Protection which protects against theft and accidental damage for 90 days... for free! They have their Extended Warranty program as well... this extends the Manufacurers Warranty... for free!

3.  Use retailmenot.com for all purchases! Even better, use their toolbars to check out your purchases BEFORE you buy! (http://retailmenot.ourtoolbar.com/). It's available for IE as well as Firefox!

3. Shop around for the best credit cards/mortgages/etc via Bankrate.com! You may be able to get a MUCH better rate than your current card if you are carrying a balance on anything. AMEX has terrible rates if you do carry a balance...

4.  Get rid of Banks that charge service fees! OMG... they will nickel and dime you to death! In fact, get one that offers interest (small as it is...) on your primary checking account! Check out WAMU/USAA/IngDirect for some examples...

5. Double check your registration on your current (and future...) cards with Upromise! I'll bet they changed!

6. Invite (re-invite...) you friends and family to Upromise!

Just a few...

:-)

-Jason

[#4]

My kids are still young enough to want actual toys from Santa.  We have had terrific luck finding several of the more expensive items for sale, gently used, on 'craigslist' in our local area!  Another bonus - no lengthy checkout lines and a cash-only transaction!

To save money on gift-giving, we are opting to give 'family gifts' such as a board game that the family can share, a restaurant certificate to their favorite dining spot, or certificates activities such as cross-country skiing or ice skating.  It is not always easy to find the perfect individual gift for each family member, but it is easy to give a family group experience that they will all enjoy!

However you and your loved ones choose to celebrate the season, I wish you all very happy holidays!

- Cathy

[#5]

I think the best money saving tip I can give is swtiching our spending from auto to manual.  Both my wife an I stop to make a decision on every potential cost that comes our way.  This doesn't mean we aren't spending, just we are far more conscious and have thus saved a ton.

The other tip is a little risky.  We waitited until we hadnt gone food shopping in a while (think a coupe weeks), then tried to come up with increasingly reative meals based on whatever we had left.  We were able to figure out cheaper meals and make things last longer. Also, duting our next shopping trip, we spent less, realizing we could survive on less.

[#6]

My best money saving tips are using manufacturers coupons. You can get these in the Sunday papers as well as online. I use redplum.com, smartsource.com and Proctorandgamble.com for printable coupons. In addition, I purchase coupons for the exact products I shop for on eBay. Use the Upromise link to get the 1% savings when you buy. In addition, I use my PayPal debit card to get 1% back on my purchases.

Only buy items on sale with a coupon. Try to shop in places that offer double or triple coupons. Check out Walgreens for fabulous deals. They will allow you to use their coupons and manufacturers coupons for the same item. At Walgreens buy items that offer register rewards and buy items that offer rebates in the Easy Saver catalog. Get your rebates loaded on a Walgreens card and they give you an extra 10% in rebates. That means on free items, if you use coupons and get the rebates on a Walgreens gift card you make money on the deal. 

[#7]

My favorite tip that I pass along to others is: put your spare change in a jar! It is amazing how quickly it can add up. When my kids were younger, we'd all contribute--everything from extra change to a penny found on the sidewalk. Once a year we'd go on an outing that was completely paid for-painlessly! We once purchased 3 tickets and food for the day at a traveling Renaissance Festival. My kids are grown and gone but they have continued the tradition--and I still do it too. I do add extra dollar bills when my wallet seems to have too many, but I still put in the change.

Swap stuff!!--trade or borrow clothes from a friend who is the same size. Same thing with books, CD's, movies, etc. Trade babysitting so you can each run errands kid-free.

Go free whenever possible- utiliize the library for books and movies; my local library even has free passes to local museums.

Think twice before you buy. The item will most likely still be there tomorrow. Sleep on it. This doesn't hold true for flea markets or garage sales, but even then be sure you bargain and try to get the item cheaper.

[#8]

1.  Live below your means

2.  Live on a budget;  And use your resources to save as much money as you can on it.  Buy what is on sale and use coupons like its free money! (because it is)

3.  Play the drug stores.   Stack your coupons with theirs, use their rebates and their cash back bonus.  Once you start you will be getting free stuff all the time.

4.  Use a credit card with cash back programs or the point system.  I usually earn by the end of the year $300 I use for gift cards for family's christmas gifts.  So that's less out of my pocket every year.

5.  Pay yourself first.  Save at least 30% out of each check.  10% Longterm savings, 10% shortterm savings, and 10% for retierment.

6.  Use upromise, online coupons, etc. that connect to your cards for additional savings and additional savings for your kids college funds.

I would love to have one of those $100 gift cards!!!!!  Please Please Please

[#9]

1. Soft drinks can be expensive. If your family goes through a lot of them, start buying 2 Liters instead of cans. You'll save a few cents every serving. For even more savings, try cutting back on the soft drinks or switching to cheaper store brands.

2. Try Freecycle, CraigsList,and PaperBackSwap to find used (but often good condition!) items for free or cheap. Always check your local library for books before buying them: many libraries will do inter-library loans or order boks if they don't have what you want.

3. Rent movies for free. If you have a Redbox in your area, check for free codes online. The Redbox Twitter account  lists a free code every Monday!

4. Shop coupons and sales. Many grocery stores now have their weekly sale ads online, so you don't even have to subscribe to the newspaper (one more cost saving!) to find out the best prices.

[#10]

1.)  I go to the "bargain bins" my local Stop & Shop has (the one with dinged cans and slightly crushed boxes of cereal).  I will then find a name brand item in the bin that I have a coupon(s) for and hopefully it is a coupon that can be doubled (.99 cents and under) and I walk away with some real steals.  I usually go during the week in the early morning when the overnight stock crew has "replenished" the bins.

2.) There are woods in my backyard so for Christmas we make our own homemade wreath for the front door.  It's great quality family time too, talking a walk in the woods, collecting pine branches and pine cones and actually making the wreath. 

3.)  Signup on company websites (P&G for example) they will send you their latest coupons, rebates, promotions and giveaways.  An added bonus is you will usually be able to find out first about new products entering the market.