Things I Do To Save Money

Earlier this month, I published a post on things that I probably would not do to save money. Today, I thought I would publish a follow-up post on what I would do to save money.

Most of the things on my list are not crazy, and some will probably just be considered “boring,” not ridiculous enough or what you would do on a normal basis anyways, but oh well. Little things all add up.

What I have done or would do: 

I have signed up for a credit card to get free flights to Vegas. This is actually my second time doing this.

I wear pajamas from years ago. Some like to make fun of me (such as my sister and W) because they think I am cheap, but it’s really just because I like my comfy pajamas. I get to save money too so that is good for me.

If I have to be somewhere at 7 but I get out of work at 5 or 5:30, I will just stay late at work because I hate wasting gas to drive home just to drive right back. I get paid salary also, so it’s not like I get something special for staying late.

When W and I first moved out and into our first place, we lived in a fairly scary area. The rent was only $350 and it was for a whole house with a backyard and everything. We lived there for around a year until our neighbor tried to kill us (I’m not exaggerating, he actually did kill the person who moved in right after us). We were actually almost tempted not to move because our rent was so cheap However, we are really glad that we did move and it’s sad that the story had to end the way that it did.

I bring my lunch to work every single day except when W visits me on Thursdays. Some say it’s boring but I’m fine with my daily sandwiches, salads or whatever else I am having.

I would cut my cable bill and pay for other alternatives to save $30 a month.

I will call up the companies that we use (such as phone, internet, and so on), and ask for a discount. Whether it’s $5 or $20, I am always ecstatic.

I eat leftovers. For some reason, a small amount of people find this disgusting. I just don’t get why I would throw away extra food.

I will buy generic brands. I actually know of a lot of people who would never do this. If it tastes the same, then why not?

I would ride my bike to work if I could.

I drink water 99% of the time at restaurants. It does help that soda gives me migraines, so I really can’t have too much soda anyways. I honestly like water, which is great because it is usually FREE.

If I need cash and don’t want to pay an ATM fee but can’t make it to my bank, I will buy a pack of gum or something else super cheap and get cash back there. The savings is only like $2 or $3, but if I can get something for my money as well, then why not?

I buy things that we need online so that I don’t venture into Target’s Home section. Amazon Prime and Subscribe and Save are pretty much an addiction of mine.

We rent a room in our home for extra cash. We are lucky that my sister is great to have here and we really do enjoy living with her. However, many people say that they would never do this.

We have slept in the airport. I think it was when we were going to Hawaii, and we arrived at LAX around midnight. Our flight to Hawaii was supposed to leave at around 5 a.m. and we were just going to sleep in the airport and wait, because this was LAX and by time we got to a hotel and came back and waited in the security line, we would probably be late for our flights anyways. However, once we landed, we found out that our flight was pushed to 8 or 9 (I can’t remember the exact time), so we just waited at the airport and slept on the ground. Paying $200 for 3 hours of sleep at a hotel just does not seem worth it to me.

I took classes at community college one summer. I should have taken more than just 12 credits at a community college, but I am still happy that I went. I don’t get where more people don’t start at community college!

 

Weird things that other people do:

P.S. I found a couple of hilarious articles the other day about other weird things that people do to save money. These were not on my first post but I had to include them here because they are too interesting not to share. I definitely do not think that I would do any of these below.

1. Take flowers from a cemetery for wedding centerpieces. This is just not right at all.
2. Eat straight out of a pot or pan for every single meal so that you don’t have to wash plates or bowls.
3. Using newspaper as toilet paper… This doesn’t sound too pleasant to me.
4. Unplug clocks while sleeping. This seems like too much work.
5. Take things from lost and found bins. Nope.
6. Poop in the shower. I actually read this one online and I still don’t know why people would do this…
7. Eat leftover plates from strangers at restaurants…

What have you done to save money?