Honey, I am in the “in case I ever need it” boat. Got a new job, and while I was promised 4 days a week, I got ONE. Therefore I have: [ul]
Cleaned my apartment with the express purpose of finding change. In the process I found a piggy bank I hadn’t cracked open since I lived with my parents three years ago. Total gain: $18
During same cleaning binge, I found some Canadian money, which I put aside for when I REALLY need cash. I am going to the bank tomorrow to change it. Total gain: roughly $20 Canadian.
*I went through my CDs and pulled the ones I honestly never listen to. There was Beauty and the Beast soundtrack from God knows when, the Austin Power’s Soundtrack, and some other mistaken purchases. Unfortunately, they claimed most of them were scratched. Feh. Total Gain: $7
*Bottle return. Total Gain: $1.25
*Clothing Consignment. I am going through my clothes in the next week, cleaning and ironing them. I am then going to go to the high end consignment shops and attempt to sell. What they won’t take, I’ll go to the next high, and so on. I have a shit load of clothes, so this should be some adventure. If I want to get real industrious about it, I’d go to the low end consingment stores, buy anything with a good label that is un-stained, sew on any buttons, iron it or whatever, and then sell back to the high end stores. Total Gain: Unknown. [/ul]
Those are the How to Make Money ways I’ve devised. I save money by shopping at the Vietnamese grocer, and eating a lot of Asian food, which luckily, I enjoy. Oh, and after a while you learn which bills you DO need to pay (electric…) and which are just a good idea (Columbia House).
Oh, there’s money to be saved. In a word, don’t spend any money you don’t have to. Think every time you spend money whether there’s a cheaper way.
Coupons are one of the biggest rip-offs around, unless you can find one for something that you were going to buy anyway, and it’s a store brand. Most of the coupons I see are for name brands, and peeing money away on those makes no sense to me.
Transport? Walk. or get a bike for those long distances.
Want to read? Get a book from the library. Want to see a movie? Borrow a tape fromt the library. TV? No cable. Wait a minute, scratch that, you don’t need a TV. (Eh, it’s all sh*t anyway.) Coffee, tea? Are you kidding? You can’t afford that. Who do you think you are, Bill Gates? Drink water. Don’t smoke. Or drink. <sigh> OK, but only the cheapest brands of tea/coffee/gorillapiss.
As for eats, you’re on the right track: don’t go to restaurants unless you don’t have to pay.
At home, load up on the cheap carbohydrates: Rice, pasta (is the store brand macaroni & cheese as cheap as what you make yourself?), potatoes.
And stop feeling sorry for yourself. Just because the average American is better off than you are
I meant to say: And stop feeling sorry for yourself. The average American is better off than you are, but most of the world’s population would kill to be in your shoes.
Try “mystery shopping”. There are lots of sites on the internet.
Look for the ones that want you to “shop” restaurants.
It’s lots of fun and they pay you to EAT!!
We were doing a restaurant where you HAD to order a steak.
How sad is that?
Also the companies usually pay me for
2 meals. HEY! That’s a thought!! Order two meals and take the other one home with you!!
Every company is different, but generally they want to know what is right or wrong with a particular establishment.
You usually have to pay for the meal upfront but are reimbursed promptly.
Some companies will send you free coupons to use.
Once you get that first check back, just save it to use for the next one.
Let’s see… sell plasma: check, change jar: check, mac and cheese (yes, it IS cheaper than what you can make yourself. And that’s scary, in a way), check.
The Burger King on campus had a perpetual “99 cent whopper” sale. Drink water with it, and that’s a darn cheap meal. Or, if you feel sneaky, order water and fill the water glass with soda.
Beans, rice, and potatoes are your friends. So’s pasta. You’d be surprized how good the cheapest spagetti sauce tastes when you dump enough oregano and garlic powder in it.
The once every three months or so I did splurge on a restaurant, I’d do something like the Olive Garden, and fill up on the breadsticks and salad, then take the entree home for dinner the next day.
Bars are expensive. If you must drink, just buy a bottle and invite friends over.
Above all, DO NOT start using a credit card. You’re already spending more than you’re earning…do you see that changing in the near future? No? Then don’t get more in debt, and you’d never get back.
I am currently in a dental research study, looking into new
toothbrushes, toothpastes, mouthwashes, flosses, etc.
The various dental hygene companies hire this research
outfit to test the products they will soon market, and
the testees recieve a $40-$60 honorarium for their time and effort.
I’ve also turned off every single electrical apliance, except one, and then observed the outside meter to see how much Kilowatt-hours the appliance used up.
I use the used oil from my car and mix it in with the gas
for my 2-stroke lawnmower (its worked for the past 10 years), and also put the oil in the fuel tank for my heater.
Hey,I was at the store yesterday, and they were selling 26 packages of Top Ramen for $2.86. I, of course, took quick advantage of that. Ramen keeps forever, and when things get tight, I can live on Top Ramen for at least two weeks. Although, As stated above, this isn’t really the most nutrious way to live, but it’s a small price to pay for my electricity bill. Also, Forgo all name brand items. You can get a huge bag or store brand cereal for a dollar less then name brand stuff, and you get a lot more. It’s a nice deal.
Just a few suggestions I’ve come up with:
[list]
[li]Most people only use one side of the toilet paper. You can cut your usage in half if you just flip it over after one use.[/li][li]Be wary of “fad” products you really don’t need, like soap or shampoo.[/li][li]You can save bokoo bucks on meals once you realize that Flintstone’s vitamins provide all your daily nutritional requirements.[/li][li]Water doesn’t just fall from the sky. Stop drinking so much![/li][li]Clipping coupons good, robbing convenience store for items on coupon better.[/li][li]Waiting outside backstage door with a brick for a roadie who’s your size is a great way to see concerts for free.[/li][li]A great way to get sex for free is to invite prostitutes up to a hotel room and, when you’re done, tell them you forgot your wallet at home. What can they do?[/li][li]Siphoning gas off your neighbor’s vehicle saves a ton of money. Note: do not try attempt this at night on a trailor home.[/li][li]Sell your soul to the devil. He tries to collect, only to find out you’re dead. Joke’s on you Beezulboy![/li]set up arrangement with the Chicago Reader to get paid by the word for these posts.
Take toilet paper from public restrooms. Use instead of tampons.
Sometimes public restrooms have soap too.
Sometimes the free local paper that gets distributed to every house will have a sample of something. Twice it was cereal. I picked up about 100 of them that week.
All you can salad bars are great. I can eat a lot.
Double couples, supermarket cards, and Coin Star machines make food shopping much cheaper.
Thrift stores are worth it. I’ve gotten clothes from the local Salvation Army that people actually admire. Particularly a coloful jacket with letters of the alphabet on it, and my lavendar suede workshoes.
Thin your blood! Get High! Get paid for it! (3 months on/off testing for about £2000)
A friend of mine was talking about getting his little toe cut off and sewn back on again. £1000 for a nights work! and you can trust those medical students, surely?
A number of my old methods have been mentioned, but a few have not. You can always “borrow” paper towels, toilet paper and light bulbs from the college. You can always rationalize it by telling yourself that most of your tuition money went to buying a new set of wheels for the running back’s TransAm and this is just a way of getting a percentage of your fees back.
One of the best ways of staying fed during an election year is to sign on with a newspaper (even the campus one). As long as you have press I.D. people running for office will give you free food at lunchons, cacuses, conventions and dinners (It doesn’t matter how small the newspaper is as long as it exists). You have to sit through a goodly number of boring speeches, but you are fed(remember to fill your pockets at these things also). (by the way-wedding receptions and funerals also feed guests-I never took advantage of this, but I knew students who claimed they did)
No one has mentioned this yet, I think. I knew I was broke when I did it. We used to call it the poor-man’s tomato soup.
Go to a cafe, lunchroom or whatever, get a glass of hot water–Free. Then get a couple handfuls of crackers–Free. Then get a number of packets of ketchup (or sit at a table or counter where a squeeze bottle of ketchup is available)–Free. Combine them all together and you have tomato soup. Season to taste with free salt and pepper.
I doubt that its illegal, urban1. We returned several duplicate wedding gifts without receipts. It’s no problem for the stores, apparently. They can just sell the item.
Without knowing you, I already know we have this in common!
I don’t know if this will qualify, but I save all my aluminum cans, and when I cook I line my oven pans with foil, ball it up, and then recycle that along with the cans. It saves on dish detergent and I get a little money back.
Ever been less than satisfied with something you bought? Most times, there is a toll-free number you can call and tell them of your dissatisfaction. It’s good for coupons off on the product you are complaining about. In my case it was Edge shaving cream. It stopped coming out of the container, so I called 'em. Result: coupons, and now I have shave cream for a year! What you have to remember is that as a consumer, you are providing a service to them and a coupon or coupons is a bargain compared to what a serious consumer satisfaction survey/study would cost.
I hope this helps. If nothing else, you at least know that you are in good company, right?
But, your duplicate gifts were purchased in a store. Probably the same one you took them back to. fMIL receives her gifts as rewards at work. They probably were bought wholesale by her employer.
All I have to say is that free is good. Go into any place that has a deli, and get all the packages of crakers, condiments, and whatever else you can. I do this all the time and it works out great. (It also helps that crakers are one of my favorite foods.)
As mentioned, keep a change jar, and get change wherever you can! Pick up pennies on the ground, search the coin returns of pay-phones and vending machines. I must get over $30.00 a month by putting all the change I have in my pockets into my big, empty Absolute Vodka jar every night.
Let’s see, what else, what else…Oh yeah, use the free-stuff webring! Many sites send you free candy, t-shirts, stickers (no useful value, but fun!), etc… Usually all that’s involved in filling out a form (granted, you will now be the victim of MUCH spamming, but give an old e-mail address you don’t use, or one you use for spam anyways.)
The comments about the college study and testing group tings are great, also. I do this and get free pizza and soda about once-twice a month.
Well, that’s it for now, but read the thread, and be on your way to near-mediorcre living status!
Don’t do anything to conserve toliet paper. Steal it! You go to University. There are plenty of bathrooms. You undoubtably have a backpack. Viola! Also steal the paper towels from there as well.
Like to go the the movies but can’t afford it. Check out the web site of your local theatre chain. (Loews/Hoyts/Regal/United Artists/who ever) They frequently have a ‘mystery shopper’ program. You go to the movies and buy concessions and they totally pay for them. Plus you get to destroy peoples lives by writing bad reports on them. Sweeeeeeeet!
Also, Forgo all name brand items. You can get a huge bag or store brand cereal for a dollar less then name brand stuff, and you get a lot more. It’s a nice deal.