Ideas to Save $$$$$$$$

Does any one have any creative ways to save money?..or websites that have great discounts? Maybe we can help each other out by compiling a list of great deals!

[houseelf]

I'm all for this one. Money is definitely on my brain lately, especially with Christmas coming. I'm starting to feel like the grinch by believing that we just can't afford it.

I think that I'm going to have to try writing down every single outlay of money and start tracking it. It just goes unbelievably quick. <sigh>

Kelly

[Michele]

We use FatWallet.com a lot. We just bought a small (very small) luggage set with some wrapping paper for 6.50 including shipping.

Michele

[Cumberland]

i buy used books at thrift stores and sell them on amazon.com. also, alot of books that dh is not using anymore. i have made a couple hundred dollars that way.

I know the feeling!

I wonder about Christmas also. Not so much for me or dh, but for our children..especially our 4 year old. He is getting so excited for it. I am so thankful that he is easy to please. He would be happy with a bag of M&M's.

suannee- What a great idea about the thrift shop and books. Funny, dh and I bought all of our clothes for this year when we were home at a thrift store. It was in an upscale neighborhood, but I was getting 8 pairs of Eddie Bauer adn Gap shorts for 30 bucks! (ok, so they were second hand, but I could hardly tell for most of them). How pathetic is it when I get excited buying clothes at thrifty!

[DCJenn]

Oh Man- there is nothing better than buying rich people cast-offs. I worked across the street from a consignment shop in a very snooty part of Northern Virginia. It was great. I would find things like brand new never worn blouses from Talbots- for ten bucks.

My neighborhood is having a garage sale this weekend and after I dump allof our junk, I'm headign over to the other side of the street where all of the big houses are!

Jenn

[Auspicious]

My neighborhood is having a garage sale this weekend and after I dump allof our junk, I'm headign over to the other side of the street where all of the big houses are!

[houseelf]

Thanks for the great tip! We have hundreds of books laying around. I wonder if half-priced books would offer me anything for them?

kelly

[DCJenn]

I'm selling a ton of our books on Half.com right now. I've sold at least one a week for the last few weeks! It's not a ton of money but I'm more concerned with getting rid of them than making money.

and sorry for my typos- my head works faster than my hands and I hate waiting for SpellCheck. (ADHD???!!!)

Jenn

My wife and I love TJMax--do you have those where you live? You can get some crazy deals on name brand clothes, etc. They also have a lot of other "stuff", some Christmas gift worthy and some not. It is worth a look if you have one in your area.

I love TJMax

I have found some great deals there before also. My bedset came from there. They also have a bunch of great home stuff..picture frames, mirrors, and things like that. Target is another great store!

[Cumberland]

i also have a friend that used to go to thrift stores or garage sales, buy the nice name brand stuff for a buck or two, and then clean it, iron it, put it on a hanger, and sell it at the consignment store. I could totally do that with the quality thrift stores we have around here. I am getting to where I would rather be at the salvation army than at macys! ( i cant believe i just publicly admitted that 8O )

i know what you mean

suwanee- I found some great deals at the salvation army and thrifty. I was finding brand new shorts, shirts from Gap, Old Navy, American Eagle, Abercrombie....things I would pay $40 for I was getting 3 for 10 in thrifty. Yes..even thrifty has sales lol. I bought a brand new set of queen sheets for $3 (with pillowcase..and not even opened). A got a pair of Nine West shoes for $5. I don't think there is anything wrong with publically admitting that we go there. I told dh that it was my favorite store this summer. I even got some of my friends who are "well off" to come and shop with me! Anyway..have a good day and talk to you soon! 8)

I used to spend, spend, spend! Now, after being with my partner for over 2 yrs. I have finally learned to control my spending habits. She's such a budget nazi! It's been great having her teach me.... so, here's some of what we do:

(1) Coupons... and then shop where they double them. We save at least $40 a trip. We get the Sunday paper and clip them.

(2) Eat at home. We've pretty much eliminated eating out so frequently.

(3) Buy food on sale... I used to laugh at the people that clipped coupons and actually paid attention to what items were on sale! Now, I am one of them. I'll buy meat when it's on sale and then freeze it. I sound like my Mom.... when did that happen???

(4) Do you really NEED that new ____(insert item here)___? I ask myself this whenever I want something new. I ask it alot.

(5) Library... free books! How cool is that???

(6) Cell phone, cable, and any extras.... Do you really need them?

Those are just some of the things that come to mind... We've been doing great with money lately... even with our big move across country, buying a house, me taking over a $15,000 a year pay cut 8O , and saving to buy new furniture... we come out on top every month. (of course, it's just the 2 of us... and our pets... that helps a lot!!)

Carey

[DCJenn]

I have to agree with Carey's tips-

I cut the cable back to basic and we had that for over a year.

I pay cash for everything except gas and I pay my gas card off each month. If we don't have cash that it doesn't get purchased!

We buy the huge bags of pet food (with the exception of the $20 bag for 6 pounds of Diabetic Management Cat Food that I have to make a special trip to the vet for...who is the most spoiled yet ungrateful cat in the world? That would be the FB [Fat Bastard for thsoe of you who are new])

We shop the sale rack at Barnes and Noble and Borders- Christmas Presents abound!

We agreed with my brother and sister-in-law that Christmas Presents have to be either something we already own (the infamous re-gift) or it has to be home-made and it can't cost more than $20 to buy the 'ingredients'.

If you can control yourself- Costco and Sams are great places to buy bulk for cheap. But, of course, it's really easy to convince yourself that you really do need that 5 pound tub of peanut butter. (I buy eggos and snack foods there)

I always take home leftovers whenever we eat out. That's another meal or two, usually.

We've pretty much adopted the vegetarian lifestyle- it's significantly cheaper. We only eat meat when we're out at restaurants. Besides, they cook it better than I do.

We rarely if ever go out for just drinks- that's where the costs are! And if we go out to eat during the week, we drink iced tea or water.

I'll post any more if I can think of them!

Jenn