what are your top tricks for saving money?

[FeuerFrei]

Do not hang out in internet forums where people discuss their new purchases.

Nothing like seeing raves about some item to make you dissatisfied with your current setup.

 

[ChaoZ]

No heat. Wear warmer clothes and throw in more blankets.
No AC. Open the window or we're SOL if that doesn't work.

I'm in the bay area so it isn't that bad.

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
It was a full sized spare, and I averaged about 280-290 between fillups. And while my observations were very unscientific, I can now go about 310-325 between fillups.

Since I use a debit card, Ive notated the trip mileage at every fillup for several years. I also keep track of the amount paid, price per gal and obviously gallons purchased. Yes, I know there are so many variables in play, but Ill bet if I threw that spare tire, jack, etc back in the car, the mileage will go down. If I could get away with it, I would also take the back seat out to save even more weight. When gas was $4+ per gallon it made sense to try anything.

I hear you. A full sized spare and steel wheel can weight much MORE than 25 lbs, actually.

Still, you can't possibly be saving even as much a 1 mpg. The laws of physics apply.

Otoh, every little savings adds up, and shouldn't be sneezed at.

Finally, THANKS for not overreacting to the harsh tone of my first reply (I felt a bit bad about it in retrospect.) Not necessarily talking about you now, but one of my pet peeves in general is people sloppily bs'ing themselves and others about their actual gas mileage. It's incredibly widespread, in my experience.

 

[oznerol]

Basic guideline for saving money:

- Know exactly how much money is coming in on a monthly basis.
- Break up expenses into categories and give each category a budget (food, utilities, auto, entertainment, etc)
- Don't spend more a month than you make (unless extremely necessary) - the "I'll make up for it next month" mentality is bad
- Set savings goals. As a general rule, you don't want to just say "I want to save money." You should be saying, "I want to have $xxxx in savings by xx/xx/xx".

Since the OP wants more than basic savings tips - like tips to save more per category:

- Coupons are huge for food shopping. I'm not talking saving 3 or 4 bucks - I'm talking $100 a month (for a family). How? First off, it isn't as simple as cutting a coupon and using it. Shopping is all about timing.

*Use coupons on sale-priced items* - you got a $2 off 3 or more boxes of cereal coupon - don't just use it next time you go to the supermarket. Wait until that cereal goes on sale for 2 for $x.xx or buy one get one free, etc. Then use a coupon on top of that. Trust me - items go on sale more often than you think - and some supermarkets even offer double/triple manufacturer's coupons. Sign up for their savings card, too, if you haven't already. Sure, they'll track what you buy and how often, but whatever.

- On top of the coupons - when you buy, buy a lot. Shampoo is on sale this week and you have a coupon? Buy as many bottles as you can, even if you won't use them immediately. Use this logic for just about any product that doesn't go bad (and assuming you have the storage space for it) - canned goods, soap/shampoos, condiments.

- Know prices of things. That seems really simple, but most people don't. Often stores will have "sale" items at or near regular price. This also creeps into wholesale stores like Costco and such - people think that because they're buying 200 lbs of dog food it must be a great price. Sometimes it is - oftentimes it's not. Also, just an FYI - Costco and such take manufacturer's coupons - you would be surprised how many people don't realize it.

- Aside from food shopping, call your phone/internet/cable companies and "haggle". I don't really do this as I'm satisfied with my bills, but it's quite common for them to reduce your monthly payments merely by suggesting you want to move your business elsewhere.

- Use rewards credit/debit cards. This isn't a HUGE savings, but if you travel a lot, or buy a lot of groceries, it is essentially "free" money. As long as you pay your bills in full every month (and on time), you can generally get between 1-5% back. I know for me, after a year of using the same card for all gas & supermarket purchases, at the end of the year I will have enough rewards for essentially 1 free month of gas and food (Amex Blue Cash, but I've heard good things about Chase Freedom).

- This one is up to you, but you can cancel your home phone and rely solely on a cell phone. I used to be of this mentality, but 9/11 changed my mind. When something that massive happened, I had no cell phone service when I truly needed it. So I'll pay for one. If you don't feel the same way, it's a good way to save 15-40 a month (depending on your plan). For international calls, I highly recommend Skype.

- Save on heat/energy costs - cover up your door and window frames, turn off & unplug electronics when not in use, don't do laundry as often.

- If you're one of the people who tends to spend money simply because it is available - make it less available. Don't carry more than $20-40 in cash on you at a time, and set up recurring savings account deposit. "Pay" your savings account as you would any other bill - in full and on time every month.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: Perknose

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
It was a full sized spare, and I averaged about 280-290 between fillups. And while my observations were very unscientific, I can now go about 310-325 between fillups.

Since I use a debit card, Ive notated the trip mileage at every fillup for several years. I also keep track of the amount paid, price per gal and obviously gallons purchased. Yes, I know there are so many variables in play, but Ill bet if I threw that spare tire, jack, etc back in the car, the mileage will go down. If I could get away with it, I would also take the back seat out to save even more weight. When gas was $4+ per gallon it made sense to try anything.

I hear you. A full sized spare and steel wheel can weight much MORE than 25 lbs, actually.

Still, you can't possibly be saving even as much a 1 mpg. The laws of physics apply.

Otoh, every little savings adds up, and shouldn't be sneezed at.

Finally, THANKS for not overreacting to the harsh tone of my first reply (I felt a bit bad about it in retrospect.) Not necessarily talking about you now, but one of my pet peeves in general is people sloppily bs'ing themselves and others about their actual gas mileage. It's incredibly widespread, in my experience.

I know what you mean, I hate when people exaggerate a claim then I try it and wonder why I cant get the same result. To be fair, I also raised my average tire inflation from 32 to 35 and use fuel injector cleaner once a month. The engine is a supercharged 4 cyl and I only buy 89 octane. My last checkbook entry was "Gas (14.05@1.51) 317 /22.56"

Heres the spare btw..

 

[erub]

Originally posted by: ducci


- This one is up to you, but you can cancel your home phone and rely solely on a cell phone. I used to be of this mentality, but 9/11 changed my mind. When something that massive happened, I had no cell phone service when I truly needed it. So I'll pay for one. If you don't feel the same way, it's a good way to save 15-40 a month (depending on your plan). For international calls, I highly recommend Skype.

Cell phone networks are setup to automatically give 911 calls priority in times of high capacity. They will even drop other calls. Also, most people I'd be trying to reach rely solely on cell phones, so if an emergency and system is busy, send a text message. They can slide in the control channel, increasing the likelihood that you will be able to send it and the other person will be able to receive it, rather than waiting for a voice slot to open up on both sides. Landline networks can become just as overloaded, as well.