Tuesday, December 02, 2008

10 Ways to Save Money...


Because I cannot sleep. Lately, I'm having the hardest time sleeping at night. Which affects my energy level in the morning.
So here are Ten tips for saving money:
1. Ramen Noodles (more cup of noodles). The Japanese eat them regularly and we have grown to love them despite their negative reputations amongst college student eaters.
2. Coupons at grocery stores. They don't double coupons any more but every bit counts.
3. Recycling bottles. Ten cents for 2 liter bottles of soda, 5 cents for small bottles. It adds up.
4. Paying your bills on time. It might sound like a no-brainer but those late fees kill you.
5. Asking your doctor for samples. Insulin can cost me over $45. But my doctor gives me samples when I ask. It helps out loads.
6. Going generic on just about everything so that you can go name-brand on things you can't live without. It's like pasta sauce. To us, pasta sauce is tasty no matter the brand so we don't mind buying the store brand.
7. Using internet and cellphones for long-distance calls. We call our family in Chile using MSN video chat, which is saving us loads in calling card expenses as is calling my family in the states using our cell-phone plan.
8. Drink water and eat out less. When Dennis got kidneys stones, I quickly realized that the best way to avoid future medical expenses related to his knack for kidney stones, is to drink less soda and eat less junk food.
9. Do your own pedicures. It hurts, oh it hurts, to sacrifice this joy. But in the end, that's money best spent elsewhere.
10. Don't succumb to the pressure of Christmas shopping-buying-going into debt!! This is the hardest! I really feel the pressure to get Dennis something nice this year but I know that we can't afford it. I am positive that many of those people who camped out on Black Friday to spend more than they had using credit cards to buy what "seems" like a good deal on a laptop or a plasma TV, are going to regret it later.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You had some great tips on your list! Mine is posted, too!

Unknown said...

i'm a big believer in generic stuff, too. most of the time, there's not much of a taste difference!

instead of doing my own pedicure, i've just been going without...my toes aren't nearly as cute as they used to be but i save money AND use my time for other stuff...like watching mindless TV. :)

Anonymous said...

Great list! It is good to start tosave money in January for next years Christmas, a little each month, then you can buy gifts!

Unknown said...

Good list! I am on both sides of the fence about Christmas, though. I am trying to make money by selling something I made, but with all the people spending less and less, it's hard. On the other hand, I'm making a lot of the gifts I am giving this year - they are cheaper and more meaningful this way.

Feel free to visit my list if you like.