Best Money Saving Tips Contest

[#1]

Hello everybody and Happy Holidays!

I wanted to share this money saving habit I have with anyone who's willing to try it, contest or no contest.  I know it may be hard for some to let go, but everytime that I have a dollar bill in my wallet, I stuff it in a used tissue box.  I hide it away until the box is full and then (pretend I'm a waitress and) deposit it into my bank account.  Not only do I have plenty of money to catch up on bills, make home repairs, or treat myself and the ones I love to something special, I find myself making less impulse buys.  There is less money at hand, so I am more careful of purchasing only what I need.  This is fun to get the rest of the family into, too.  The kids (and husband) feel good about chipping a dollar in, and it's a big surprise to see how much you've collected once the box has no more space.  I took my family to Disney World this way and I didn't even miss those dollars.  I hope this helps.  Take care, everyone. 

[#2]

To start the Holidays everyone wants to send Christmas Cards to get the Christmas spirit up. One of the first ways to save money and have a great time is to make Christmas Cards yourself. Grab the family, a pack of construction paper and coloring utensils and have the family make the cards themselves. Everyone that recieves them would be delighted that each greeting is completely specialized for that one person. This cuts down on production costs, pictures, and a headache.

Another way to do cheaper Holiday greetings are to just send post cards this year. Because the money is tight people will understand that it is not a full out card.

Next up is the decorating. Of course everyone wants to spark up their holiday and be the brightest house on the block but that doesn't cost very much. Starting with the supplies. Just buy a single pack of a few strands of colored lights and you should be fine. Maybe a pack of 5-8 are great. Next comes the tree, easy ways to brighten up the tree and make it radiate are simple. First if you have a fake tree it is easy to detach the pieces of the tree and wrap a set of the colored lights or plain white lights around the stand of the tree. This makes the tree light up from the inside out and makes it illuminate a lot better. Now if you have a real tree, it makes it a little more difficult. It may take a little more time and pain (ouch) because you're wrapping the trunk with the tree poking you every step along the way. Next, with decorations, start a tradition and create your own ornaments. It wil get your family more involved in the process and it will create a sense of history if everyone makes one ornament a year. Have them make on about their favorite thing of the year or something that defines them. It is truly a great family tradition.

Next comes the decorations of the house. Typically it does not take much to create a beautiful decoration outside. If you have stairs with railings add one strip of lights on each side to make it light up. Line the windows with lights and any shrubbery or little trees in front. Those are the most accentuating decorations and they usually stand out the most. There is no point in decorating what people cannot see nor use on a daily basis. That means anything eyelevel such as the windows and trees should be decorated with a few lights, and the stairway should to lead people up the stairs and wow in amazment.

There it is, that is how to decorate and celebrate the holidays on a low budget. Just a pack of a few lights here, construction paper and color tools, and simple materials to make ornaments. That's a great way to involve the family, have fun, and still get everything done on a low budget yet still getting all the basics done.

[#3]

We use www.Freecycle.org to request items that might be out of our budget. This is a free site and participants from your local community post items they no longer need. Also, you can post a "wanted" request and your neighbors might say, "Oh hey, I have one of those you can have." It is anonymous, if you wish. But then you also get to meet nice people in your town when they come to collect your donations, or you go to collect theirs. Yesterday I drove 1/2 mile to collect 3 boxes of Legos- all new- all FREE, which I will wrap for my son's holiday gifts this year. Earlier this year we took a loft bed from a family down the street whose kids had outgrown it. 

We trade babysitting hours with other families, carpool to school, make our own lunches, bake our own bread (at $5.00 a loaf in this town, we couldn't afford to purchase enough each week!), use a lot of hand-me-down clothes, host a garage sale each summer, grow vegetables in our own garden, do our own yardwork/housekeeping, and hire friends to help paint our house. 

Thanks for reading this!! 

[#4]

As a disabled cancer survivor living on a fixed income, its getting harder and harder to survive in today's economy.  Below you can find some of the great money saving ideas that I use to get me through these hard times.

1) Discount grocery stores - Save-a-lot and Aldi are great stores to save 50% or more off of items that you would use everyday for cooking.  Many of the items they sell are made right here in America from good wholesome family companies.  Diane's Garden is one of my favorites!!

2) Dollar Store- I only use this store if I'im desperate. Mainly because many of the items are from China.  However, in a pinch, you can find deals on cleaning supplies. 

3) Thrift Stores- The new way to shop for good quality clothing! I love to hit thrift stores! In fact, I supply 90% of the stock for my web store from thrift stores! There are a great many of them out there. Don't stick to just the standard stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army, look for local stores that are run by churches, groups, and inviduals! You can find amazing bargains on clothing that is in nearly new condition!!!

4) Discount Merchants - Places like Ross, Tuesday Morning, Beall's Outlet, etc are great places to find super discounts on regular merchandise that is overstock from large retailers!!! You get the same great items, the same great quality, at 50% or more off.  I buy 80% of my Christmas gifts at these types of stores!!!!!

5) Need some greenery in your house? Shop at the large home-improvement stores and look for their 50% off racks!!! You can find great bargains on plants and trees that just need a little TLC. For example- I have 3 Lemon trees that were sold at the end of the season for $15.00 a tree. Normal price was $45.00 a tree.  I no longer have to purchase lemons, I grow my own!

6) Tired of paying the high cost of eggs in the grocery store? Live in a neighborhood where chickens are allowed? You can find young adult chickens for $4-8. Look at your local livestock store for bulletin board postings or look on craigslist under farm/garden to find people with hens for sale. Free range organic chicken eggs are getting costly but they are the best for you.  With a small area for your hens to graze, you can have your own free range eggs! All you need is a fenced area (backyards do well) with a shelter (you can build a shelter with leftover reduced sale boarding at your hardware store), and a laying box (I use large square plastic containers as shelter and laying box for $7.50).  You can purchase chicken feed at your livestock store to supplement what your hens eat on free range. I pay $10.00 for 50 lbs of feed which lasts my 5 hens 6 weeks! In those 6 weeks my hens produce around 17 dozen eggs! At $2.79 a dozen for free range organic eggs, that's $47.43 for eggs that only cost me $10.00 in feed!!!!! Thats a savings of $37.43. PLUS extra eggs can be sold to friends and neighbors for profit to cover the cost of your feed! Which means you get your eggs for free within the first 6 weeks after your initial start up cost!

7) Tired of the high cost of fruits and veggies? NEVER buy them at your grocery store! Buy your fresh fruits and veggies from your local vendor or farmer's market.  You will get the freshest veggies that way! Want to save even more? Start your own mini-garden or pot-garden! These are so quick and easy to set up! You can start from seed or buy seedlings from your local home-improvement store.  Very quickly you can have your own fresh fruits/veggies! Over the long term you can save at least 50% on your fruits and veggies!

8) Misc savings - want to save more? Find great online deals on items that are hard to find. Use the web to find coupons on items you use the most.  Save for college with Upromise.  Use the web to do all of your reservations, from cars, to trips, to hotels, to hauling, you can save by reserving online.

9) GASONLINE- yes gas prices have come down dramatically in the last few weeks. Unfortunately the oil cartels are going to meet this week to agree to vastly reduce oil production. That means that gas prices will most likely go up again.  So here's a few money saving ideas. Make sure your tires have the correct air pressure.  Low tires use more gas! Only fill your tank in the hours from 12pm to 10am.  Gasoline expands as it heats up. That means that if you fill your tank during the hot hours of the day or in the late evening hours before the gas cools off, you will be paying more for less gas!!!!! Make sure to do routine maintanance on your vehicle.  Studies have shown that cars that are running their best use less gasoline! CAR POOL, CAR POOL, CAR POOL!!!! Try to arrange shopping days with your friends and family and go together to save gas! Find a co-work to catch a ride with. Cars that are full of passengers still use less gas than 2 cars with only 1 rider in them!!!

10) and my last best money saving idea? BUY AMERICAN!!!! But wait you say... American items cost more! YES they may cost you a little more now, but in the long run..BUYING AMERICAN SAVES AMERICAN JOBS WHICH SAVES THE AMERICAN ECONOMY WHICH IN THE LONG RUN WILL COST YOU LESS AS AN AMERICAN TAX PAYER!!!!!!!!

[#5]

I just got married and we're both still in school so we have no income. We have been doing very well by choosing items at the store that are on sale opposed to buying the name brand items. I go look for coupons online (there are many sites with free coupons) before going to the store and I also shop around online and then either purchase it online or go to the store. I go to the store to avoid the shipping costs. We try to only buy things that we need and have a very tight budget for other things such as going out to eat and other items that we want. Happy Holidays!

[#6]

As a 25 year old who was forced to move back in with my mom after being laid off almost a year ago, I am very interested in saving money. I'm sure most of my tips have already been posted but maybe there will be a few gems that are new.

1. Turn off lights when you leave a room, even if you'll be gone for only a minute. My mother leaves lights on all the time and I go through the house behind her, turning off lights LOL.

2. Conserve water. Turn off the shower while washing your hair, lathering up, shaving, etc. It saves alot of water.

3. Shop at thrift stores, Goodwill stores, or stores like Big Lots. They have tons of great stuff and really cheap. Another great place is Ollie's. I'm not sure if it's available nationwide, but its basically like Big Lot, except even cheaper.

4. Buy in bulk when you can and preferably when something is on sale.

5. Clip coupons and register online for printable coupons. Match up coupons with items on sale.  Don't forget to visit brand name websites because sometimes they have free samples or coupons available.

6. Don't be afraid to use generic brands. 

7. Wash your laundry in cold water when possible.

8. Winterize your home by using weather stripping around exterior doors and windows. Also use draft dodgers under interior doors.

9. Go hardcore like I do and use candles when not doing something that requires alot of light. It saves electricity and it looks pretty.

10. Use FREECYCLE.com. You can get awesome things FREE. 

11. Make handmade gifts this Christmas. I'm giving out jars with soup ingredients and recipes, decorated with some ribbon and such.

12. Buy rechargeable batteries. You'll help the earth and save money. I reccomend a solar battery recharger. I got mine for 15 dollars and they may be cheaper now. It charges all standard size batteries just by using the sun. Can't get cheaper than that. Rechargeable batteries cost a bit but I feel they pay for themselves in the long run.

So I hope some of those tips are helpful. I would also like to add that when possible, buy American products. We need to start buying products made and assembled here in the U.S. rather than giving money to China, Taiwan, etc. I know that people in the U.S. love dollar stores, but most products there are made in China. I'd rather spend a bit more for American made products that will last longer, excluding cars LOL, and that I know don't contain harmful lead and chemicals like recent Chinese products. In the end, we help to keep Americans working when we buy American products.

Ok, thats enough from me LOL

[#7]

Top eight ways to save money through Upromise.  (There are more but I don't have time to list them all!)

8.  Start saving early. You do not have to have a child, grandchild, or be in college yourself to be a Upromise member.  I am out of college and have my Upromise account linked to my Sallie Mae loans to get them paid off. Even after all that is paid off I will continue to use Upromise to save for the future.

7. Be on good terms with the purchasing agent at your work.  Chances are they shop online at an office supply store that is a Upromise vendor.  Or they buy customers a thank-you  gift during the year.  Ask them if you can download the Upromise toolbar on their computer so that they can start saving money for you while saving the company money too. (See #2 and 1). They will look good to the big boss and be helping out a co-worker. 

6.  E-rewards. While you are watching TV, taking your lunch break, are don't know what to do, take an e-rewards survey.  You can earn money by taking a survey. Occassionally invitations are sent out to join e-rewards as a Upromise member.  Take a moment and sign up.  When you take a survey, whether you qualify for the entire survey or not, you are given something for your time.

5.  Talk to other Upromise members. They supply tips that can help you save extra $.

4.  Upromise coupons - No clipping, scanning, error messages. Just print your coupon list as a reminder, scan your grocery card, and you are good to go.

3. Invite friends and family.  They may want to help you save money which makes the saving even easier.

 2.  Online shopping - Whoohoo!!! 

The other day, I saved 13% ($45 and some change) towards my Upromise account in addition to the free shipping the vendor gave to all shoppers over a certain $ amount, and saved my employer 10% ($39) just because I was a Upromise shopper!  That on top of the vendor having the cheapest product!         

Start by searching for the best prices, taking note of Upromise vendors (see my #1 tip for help with this) and specials that they may run for Upromise shoppers (such as that additional 10% I saved).  Search online for coupons for the vendors you are considering.  Other thoughtful shoppers post valuable coupon codes on-line all the time. Some may not always work, but you can always give it a try. 

Shopping through Upromise may not always save you the most money so be sure to consider everything involved in the online shopping process.  The real idea behind saving money for college begins with saving money in general.  If shopping through Upromise costs you extra money, don't use it on that occassion.  Try it again next time.

1.  Download the toolbar! It is an easy way to always be "in-the-know" about who is a Upromise vendor.  The newest version puts the Upromise logo next to your search results if it is a Upromise vendor. 

P.S. Be sure to send a note of thanks to the vendor for being a Upromise vendor when you purchase something. It lets them know that working with Upromise really does get them buyers and that we appreciate them being a Upromise vendor, encouraging them to continue their relationship as a vendor.

Happy saving!

[#8]

I have one son in college, and one entering college next Fall, so we need to save LOTS!  We started our saving during "college-shopping" by checking out the colleges near our extended family members.  We talked to both sets of grandparents, who agreed to house one of our sons in exchange for help at home with lawn care, snow shoveling, and any other tasks becoming too difficult with age.  This will save my sons huge amounts on rent and keeps the grandparents from having to pay for assistance at home (saving them money, too).  We save on college clothes by shopping the thrift stores, and clearance racks at our local Mall.  The kids are done growing, so we buy for the off-season and can purchase name brands for under $10.  For food, instead of pricy TV dinners, or eating out, I buy plastic freezer containers.  I still cook like there are six of us at home, so I fill a container with the evening meal and put it in the freezer.  When Jonathan comes home for a holiday break, we load him up with frozen dinners that he can just pop in the microwave.  He doesn't have to pay to buy lunch or dinner, and he's not getting all the added salt, fat, and preservatives. Textbooks are a huge college expense, so we buy most of them from half.com where you can compare prices and get the best savings!  We also keep our eyes open for scholarships through fastweb.com, and of course we try to buy whatever we can find with a Upromise symbol on it so we get that Upromise money adding up in our account. 

[#9]

Saturday mornings at Kroger! The best prices on meat that is about to reach it's selling expiration date. Cook some now, and stock the freezer!

[#10]

Here's a money-saving tip to help you conserve energy and dollars too!

Ask your local energy company if they provide a Home Energy Audit service.  These energy professionals will make an appointment to come to your home and look for ways to help you save energy.  Many times they will wrap your hot water heater in insulation for free, and install weatherstripping around leaky doors.  They will teach you where to insulate water pipes, and sometimes give you new flourescent lightbulbs to replace your incandescent ones.  Their great ideas will save you money and save the planet's energy resources!