1. Quit smoking! If you're like me, it's not the amount of money you spend on just cigarettes that bothers you, it's the money you spend at the store on treats and unnecessary items WHILE you're buying high priced cigarettes!
2. Try not to pay for necessities. If that means jacking the toilet paper from the night club while you're out with your friends, then 'high five'! There are things that we believe are necessities such as paper towels, meat, milk, bread, cosmetics, etc. that are easy to go without when you're trying to save money.
3. Give animals an extra week or so to live! Soy milk and Tofu "meat" products are usually cheaper than the products that we're used to. A carton of cow milk will run you around $3.00 or more where as soy milk is around $1.99 and is usually on sale. You can get a block of tofu with seasoning for around $5.00 which is a lot cheaper than cooking pork chops for the fam!
4. Brew your own coffee. This has been a MAJOR one for me. A bag of ready brew Starbucks is around $7.00 which sounds a bit pricey all at once, however 7 days a week at around $5.00 per morning is almost $40.00 a week! If you can't muster brewing your own coffee, at least bring your own travel mug. Most coffee shops offer a 10% discount to those who BYOMug!
5. Don't skip out on healthy food for your pets. They are more expensive than the No Name's but Vet bills are A LOT higher.
6. Don't buy too much music. You get tired of songs faster than you think. Unless it's a rare track, YouTube it until you never want to hear it anymore! Want to put your favorite 'now' song onto your MP3 player? Copy and paste the link of the video into this site, download it and transfer! http://www.youtube-mp3.org/
7. Cheat. People who complain about a product will usually get a complimentary replacement. What happens if you contact a company to complain about a product you want, yet never purchased? FREE STUFF! Don't abuse this though, your address, name and phone number can only be used ONCE, and many companies have many sub-companies so don't call the same one twice! Remember, you will need barcodes, prices, size of product (ml, gal, oz), expiry date and the production number in a black stamp somewhere on the product.
8. Get insurance for everyone. You, pets, other family members. You may rarely get sick but when that cavity pops up on a week that you have $17 to spend, your dog raids the trash and can't throw up, you'll be thankful!
9. Ignore the 'couponing' hype. You will see lots of coupons for things you've always wanted to try, a new candle from glade, $2 off a box of 50 Bic pens, etc. Chances are you don't need these things, but you'll feel obligated to buy because you have a coupon.
10. Have to get someone a present? Re-gift a gift you've received or make your own! It can be as simple as re-wrapping a sweater you never liked that your friend always envied, or taking your moms favorite photo, heading to the dollar store, choosing a nice frame, scrap book paper, sticker decorations, and for less than $10 you can have an awesome gift!
I am digging number 7! God we were pro at that...I am thinking another go about is due :P We've both moved and have new last names to use :P
ReplyDeleteJust thought I would add -
ReplyDelete1. You can also download whole albums/movies/series etc by downloading utorrent and visiting http://torrentz.eu.
2. When grocery shopping broke....bulk barn is your friend :)
3. Buying cheap gifts....Stores like "christmas discounters" has a fair amount of cheap products for sale....also, using good ole' ebay can usually provide you with the product you want for a fraction of the price. Checking local listings like kijiji/used pei works sometimes too :)
And if you are doing your shopping online, www.well.ca is a great store to buy your health products that you can't buy in PEI. Free shipping in Canada too :)
Thought I would share this link too
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mysavings.com/free-product-samples-section/
Thanks guys! Great advice and comments!
ReplyDeleteIn order, some comments I have. :)
ReplyDelete1. Yes, quit smoking!
2. Make rags from old t-shirts. Make your own cleaners (or use vinegar). Cloth diapers and making your own baby food are great money savers if you have kids. Go w/o cosmetics, or make your own - ppl aren't as ugly as they think they are! I've found that lip balm is enough most days. Learn to make your own breads, cheeses, and yogurt from scratch - healthier, tastier, and cheaper. Raise a garden and grow zucchini! Zucchini takes on the flavor of anything you put with it - the possibilities are endless, and it grows like a weed! Learn to can and can the extras from the garden - you'll be set for months. No yard? Try growing indoors. Herbs are super easy indoors, and expensive to buy at the store. Raise your own meat and eggs if you eat either. You cam make sure they were humanely treated that way, and they are healthier. If you do it right, they are cheaper, too. Have to have a yard for that one unfortunately. Try making your own "shampoo" and "conditioner". Did you know shampoo can be as simple as baking soda and water? Conditioner as simple as vinegar and water! Don't believe me? Look up "go poo free" on Google. It has INCREDIBLE benefits for your hair, too. Can't stand the smell of vinegar? Add a bit of vanilla extract, a pinch of nutmeg, and a pinch of cinnamon to it. Make your own hand creams and soaps.
3. Other than raising your own goats or cows for milk, I don't have anything on this one. I can't stand soy, and I can't get over the texture of tofu. :(
4. Brewing your own coffee is great for saving money. You can probably even buy bulk beans and grind your own for even fresher. I've heard that a french press is THE way to go. Doesn't use electricity either, as an added bonus. :)
5. If you want truly healthy food for your pets, you'd have to make your own. That said, we usually feed our dogs Science Diet. Making your own dog/cat/other pet food is great, but it's time consuming.
6. Buying music is fine, in certain conditions. Buy from the independent artist and help support them (rather than the music industry). Buy the songs you heard 1000x and STILL love. Buy music from the artists who you love most of their music. Otherwise, YouTube all the way! Buy by the individual song, and NOT the album... unless you like enough songs from the album that it's cheaper that way.
7. You don't HAVE to complain about a product to get free stuff and coupons. Call in and ask if they have any coupons they can send. They often will. Call and let them know how much you love their product. This will also often get you coupons and/or free products. You don't have to lie this way, either.
8. Insurance is a must, unfortunately.
9. DON'T ignore couponing! Here's the trick - only clip or print off coupons on things you'd buy anyway. I just printed off coupons for batteries. I had to buy some for my remote control anyway, but now I get them for free (not kidding)!
10. Homemade gifts are an awesome way to go, too. Learn to sew, crochet, knit and make things that way. If you raise a woolly animal, you can even make your own yarn for it. I like to gift food - fresh bread, cookies, cakes, pies, vanilla extract, etc make great gifts! Try making candles or soaps. SOOOO easy and thrifty.
Check out sites that are about thrift. There are some excellent ones out there! Other tips I've picked up: re-purpose things. If you don't like something, change it instead of discarding it and buying another. Paint works great for furniture. Or try making a slip cover for an ugly couch. Try freezer cooking to save money on food. Cook up big batches of dinners, and freeze them in single serving containers or plastic baggies. Then, if you don't feel like cooking, you don't have to run out the eat someplace.
If you have a question about anything thrift related, pls ask me. I may know the answer. :)