I wanted to repost this comment my friend, Jenn, made on my myspace. It's funny, because I was just paying my end of the month bills last night and thought of something I did that I could post on here.... which Jenn also mentions - when balancing my checkbook, I round up. I started this when an ex's grandmother's furnace went kablooey. She was able to pay for a brand new one (that's about two grand!) with all the little change she accumulated in her checking account by doing this. Awesome. Anyhoo, without further ado, I now repost Jenn's comment!
I hope you don't mind that I comment here instead of on Google.. I don't have a Google account and already have more user names and passwords than I have toes and fingers...Your blog is full of good information!! You are welcome to use any of this info on future frugal bunny blogs, if you would like...
For those who aren't ready to open all those accounts, there is also the change-saving method.. pay with paper money, do NOT give a cashier coins from your pocket or the bottom of your purse. EVERY DAY, take ALL the pocket change that has collected and dump it into a box or a jar that you won't be tempted to open (glue it shut if you have to). As often as you can, toss in some paper money too.. all the single dollars, or a ten/twenty once in a while.. this cash adds up SO fast, in a few short months you might have $300 (I have done this a few times in my life)
Hell you can even do that method by putting the money in the jar instead of making that daily Starbucks run, or that pack of cigarettes (helps you quit too lol), magazines or anything like that .. items that only cost a couple bucks, so we don't mind buying, when really we can buy a can of coffee and make our own for a fraction of the cost, or read the magazine online, etc. Small purchases are typically a HUGE portion of spent money; usually it results in thoughts like, "Where did all my money go?"
Also, if you are one to balance your checkbook, always round up.. if you spend $23.39 at the grocery store, note it in your bank register as $24.00 or even $25.00. These few pennies also add up fast and provide a cushion to your account.. no more worries about bouncing a check.
The cash method is especially great for saving if you are in a position where you earn tips. bank round up better when you have direct deposit.
Also, if there are special purchases that you want to make, simple pleasures or even daily necessities, try to hit a sale with a friend and split the cost on BOGO's or bulk items.. For instance, where I work, we're doing a Buy Three, Get Two Free sale.. well this will save a person about $20, but means they have to spend about $30. For customers who KNOW they would be buying the item next month at full price, it benefits them to buy it all now.. no reason friends can't go in on this sale together and each spend $10 or $20 for twice the amount of product.
A lot of people don't realise how much money goes into the simple packaging that something comes in.. for instance, individually portioned or wrapped foods for the single person are astronomically more expensive than a family pack of the same item. This is what freezers are for lol
ok those are just a few off the top suggestions that can certainly be written more effectively, just thought I'd throw in my few cents on the matter. It's funny.. or sad.. how many people don't realise how much they spend on crap they really don't need.. I have a friend who buys every DVD she sees on sale. The infamous ol' "oh It was only five bucks!!!" Three months later I ask, so how was that movie (knowing it was terrible), and hearing the response "oh, we haven't watched that yet".. This friend has over 300 DVDs.. most of them have not been watched, but they were all on sale for cheap.. to me, that's at least $2,500.00 collectively that were wasted on stuff that now clutters the home, and required spending more money on shelving to put them on, etc.. Personally, I will only buy a DVD if it is a movie I KNOW I will watch several times over, and let my friends borrow, so it gets used enough to make the cost worth it.
sorry to write a whole blog in your blog comments =(
Jenn, don't be sorry! THANK YOU for your contribution! I heart my friends! :D
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