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Do IT this week: Layering
Be cool when it comes to laundry, thermostat and you'll save cold, hard cash
Published on Monday, Oct 27, 2008
Food is expensive, gasoline remains high and winter's big heating bills are coming.
Since loans are tough to get and retirement funds have shrunk as the stock market dropped, how about some old-fashioned penny-pinching tips?
Of course, one person's ''don't need that'' is another's ''can't live without'' (we didn't suggest cutting out the $4 latte).
If some of the tips strike you as ''well, duh,'' good for you. But just because you know that it pays to turn off lights, does everyone in your home? Show them this.
Keep a thrifty home
1. Dry your clothes outside on a clothesline and use the dryer only to ''fluff'' the stiff ones.
2. Wash laundry in cold water and you'll save roughly 36 cents a load.
3. Lower your thermostat at night and stay warm with flannel sheets and down comforters. For each degree you lower it, you'll reduce heating costs 3 percent to 5 percent.
4. Lower the temperature on the water heater; 120 degrees is hot enough.
5. Unplug electronics that aren't being used.
6. Switch your old electric meter for a time-of-use meter. It gives you a better rate for running appliances/heat/AC after 9 p.m. and on weekends.
7. Replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescents; over its lifetime, a single CFL provides around $30 in savings.
8. Turn off lights when you're not in a room; 5 percent to 10 percent of your monthly energy bill goes toward lighting.
9. Turn the dishwasher off when it gets to the drying cycle and open the door to add heat to the room. It also puts moist air into your home during winter when heating systems can dry the air.
10. If you have ceiling fans, reverse their rotation to push warm air down.
Paying (and cutting) bills
11. Pay biweekly instead of monthly on your mortgage. You'll make an extra payment annually and save thousands on interest over the life of the loan.
12. Check with your phone, cable or insurance companies at least once a year to see whether you're getting the best rate. Ask about discounts and specials.
13. Go to a site such as http://www.letstalk.com to find the best plans for your phone habits.
14. Drop long-distance service and get a prepaid card. You will have to dial a 1-800 number, punch in your PIN, then dial the number you want. The savings might be worth it.
15. Drop your landline and use your cell phone.
16. Look at your insurance policies — home and auto — and consider raising the deductible for a lower premium. Raising homeowners' deductible to $500 can cut a premium by up to 15 percent, reports the Insurance Information Institute, a trade group.
Your ride and routine
17. Learn from the pros. UPS maps out its trips in advance to avoid left turns, which cuts down on engine idling.
Eat healthfully, pay less
18. Subscribe to a CSA (community supported agriculture). Pay the farmer money in the winter, and in spring and summer get a weekly box of fresh, local produce. For one in your area, check http://www.localharvest.org/csa.
19. Plan a week's worth of meals to cut out spontaneous grocery trips and impulse buys.
20. Stop paying for bottled water. Get a refillable container and use tap water.
21. If you have a freezer, buy meat when it has been marked down. Label with description and date frozen. You'll want to use most meat within three to four months, but a whole uncooked chicken can last a year without affecting quality. For a chart and freezing guidelines go to http://www.fsis.usda.gov and click on ''Fact sheets,'' then ''Freezing and food safety.''
22. Eliminate waste. Make a weekly inventory of your refrigerator and pantry to see what needs to be used immediately and what can wait. Fresh fruit in danger of spoiling becomes fruit salad. Grapes can be cooked in their own juice and added to just about everything. Drooping vegetables become soup, with leftover meat added, when available. Stale breads become french toast.
23. Learn to cut up a chicken; buying a whole chicken is cheaper than buying parts.
24. Purchase potatoes, oranges and the like in bags. They're typically cheaper than when purchased individually.
25. Don't buy nongrocery items such as toothpaste and shampoos at grocery stores; they are generally cheaper at mass-market retailers and warehouse stores.
26. Look at an item's cost per unit (it's on the sticker on the shelf). Shop with a calculator.
27. Make your own bread crumbs (the heels are good for this) and salad dressings.
Look good, pay less
28. Shop consignment stores and Goodwill for clothes for yardwork or growing children.
29. Get haircuts or dye jobs at salon schools.
Go online for savings
30. Sign up for online polls; you can earn gift cards.
31. Drink soda? Sign up at http://mycokerewards.com and earn points for gift certificates and music download. Buy the Cokes on sale, of course.
32. Need toys, clothes or musical instruments? Try http://www.freecycle.org, newspaper classifieds or http://www.craigslist.com.
33. Buy flea/tick and heartworm medicines online.
34. Need WiFi? Find out which eateries offer free access and dine (or drink) accordingly.
35. Get info on freebies — like ''a friend you can eat'' T-shirt, a promotion for Swedish fish candy — at http://www.slickdeals.net. Click on forums and then freebies.
Be a smarter shopper
36. Bought something only to see it on sale the next week? Many stores will let you bring the item back for the discount. Worried you might not see the sale? Try http://www.priceprotectr.com. Find the item you bought on the store's Web page, paste its ''url'' into the box at the priceprotectr site and enter your e-mail address. If the price drops within the store's policy guarantees, you'll be notified by e-mail.
37. Shop seasonally for sales. Sure, swimsuits are cheaper in September, but did you know cookware usually goes on sale in May (just in time for weddings and graduations)?
38. Belong to AAA? Check to see what discounts it has available. For instance, you can save $3 on movie tickets. Go tohttp://www.aaa.com for details.
39. See if your employer gets discount tickets for local theaters, amusement parks and the like.
40. Don't be tempted. Go to www.dmachoice.org to have all catalogs stopped.
Ideas to use over and over
41. Use washable cloths instead of paper towels.
42. Make your own household cleaners. With baking soda or white vinegar you can clean many things. For a no-streak glass cleaner: mix 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 quart warm water. Apply with a sponge or pour into spray bottle and spray on. Wipe dry with crumpled newspaper, buff to a shine. Use crumpled newspaper instead of paper towels for lint-free results.
Use credit cards wisely
43. Get a credit card with rebates you can use. Discover Card gives 5 percent cash back on various charges — restaurants, groceries, movie rentals — that rotate throughout the year.
44. Earn reward points with your debit or credit card? Remember to use them before they expire. If you don't have enough points for something big, get gift cards. They make great presents, or use them yourself. Order soon to get them in time for the holidays.
Travel more, spend less
45. Use Hotwire or other online sites to book hotel rooms. Don't be afraid to negotiate with hotels for a lower rate.
Stay fit, fatten savings
46. Try a virtual gym like http://www.demandfitness.com where streaming video lets you work out. Cost is 99 cents a day or $15 a month; free trials available.
Food is expensive, gasoline remains high and winter's big heating bills are coming.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 10:39 AM, 10/27/2008
Thank you for all the great tips. I would like to add:
Chicken, from my experience of buying whole chickens anymore, there is alot of waste & I have saved more by purchasing separate pieces.
"Some" Grocery stores honor other Grocery competitor coupons. You have to ask your store.
I open up the blinds on "cold" sunny days to let the warm sun in/ On warm sunny days, I keep most of the blinds closed to keep the cool in.
I use old white socks for cleaning a nasty item that you want to throw away afterward.
Buy one get one free when you dine out.
I save my small yogurt containers to give drinks/snacks to the little ones on the go in the car/ or I use them & poke holes in the to plant seeds to plant in the garden.
Thanks again, it is always nice to get helpful tips!!
Posted 11:56 AM, 10/27/2008
Let's all take a hint from our employers and corporations in general who are moving jobs overseas, purchasing goods overseas for sale in the U.S., and doing everything possible for the bottom line to look good in the short term in order for executives and management to be rewarded with thousands in bonus monies. And to hades with the big picture and the future of America.
Band together with your neighbors to buy certain foodstuffs in bulk. And don't buy from Wal-Mart or similar stores... buy as they do. Directly from distributors in foreign countries. We have the internet nowadays - go look it up!
Don't purchase a new vehicle. Go for a used one and save thousands! Don't feel bad about reducing demand for new vehicles and putting your neighbor out of a job. You can bet your bottom dollar that the automakers have already put hundreds or thousands of their American employees on the streets while transitioning their jobs to India or wherever. Why reward them for lowering America's standard of living?
DO you REALLY need a new computer? Maybe all you need is a new hard drive, a replacement fan on the CPU, or a replacement monitor. IBM, HP, and Dell have all cut American jobs by the thousands, to maximize executives' short-term bonus payouts and keep the stock price up. Why be their patsy? Better to mimic their cost-cutting and minimize YOUR expenses. They must know what they're doing, right?
Whenever considering a purchase, stop to think "Do I really NEED this gizmo?" Is buying that new video game going to improve your life in any way, or will it just lead to carpel tunnel surgery by the time you're 40 and cause you to leave your job which depends on your hands and wrists?
Posted 03:30 PM, 10/28/2008
Great article.
It's always fun to save money and to make a game of it.
Ben makes a good point, I used to work in the auto industry and buying a good used car is a great way to save money. Cars that are one year old and have warranty left have already lost a lot on depreciation. GM cars especially, where the quality is now very high but the perceived quality is much lower than the foreign competitors keeping resale values low.
With regards to #28 and the fact that halloween is coming up, I've found that shopping at army surplus stores a great way to find quality costumes for cheap.
For WiFi, if you register your starbucks card online, you can get free refills and free wifi.
For Christmas shopping, it's a good idea to use slickdeals like you've mentioned above, other sites like the one I work for, Wishabi.com, allow you to create a list of items you want and have our community of deal hunters find the deals and then notify you when deals for these items come up, it's a great way to save money without having to hunt around for deals yourself.
Hope this helps!
