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.
- Take flowers from a cemetery for wedding centerpieces. This is just not right at all.
- Eat straight out of a pot or pan for every single meal so that you don't have to wash plates or bowls.
- Using newspaper as toilet paper… This doesn't sound too pleasant to me.
- Unplug clocks while sleeping. This seems like too much work.
- Take things from lost and found bins. Nope.
- Poop in the shower. I actually read this one online and I still don't know why people would do this…
- Eat leftover plates from strangers at restaurants…
What have you done to save money?
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That is absolutely crazy about your ex-neighbor, wow! We eat leftovers every other day b/c I simply refuse to cook dinner 7 days a week when I can cook a large meal to split up a few times a week. That saves me a lot of time and money, both of which I need.
Yup, he was insane!
As always great tips Michelle! I am with you in most if not all of these. I can’t get over your story about your previous house though. That was scary!
Yup, he was crazy. Seriously, no words.
No leftovers?!?! I grew up in a large family, so living alone & actually having leftovers is amazing! 🙂 My friends make fun of me, because I freeze meals, but, I love having those inexpensive meals ready when I’m sick, tired, or broke! I’ve done a lot of those things, including the pajama’s, but I had to finally buy some new ones this year. 🙁
I love leftovers! 🙂
I did the same thing when flying to Hawaii. My flight got into LAX at Midnight and the flight out didn’t leave until the following morning. Luckily I met a couple that came in on the same flight as me so we all took turns sleeping and guarding our stuff. Airport chairs are not comfy 🙁 I was a zombie by the time I got to Hawaii but I was too excited when I got there to show it! LOL!
Haha, surprisingly there were a lot of other people from our flight who did the same thing too!
I occasionally eat out of the pot/pan.
I also prefer to stay late at work if I’m going somewhere after. I walk to work so it’s not about saving gas or anything, it just is more efficient (and I’m also salaried).
I agree, it’s more efficient.
I do many of the same things you do to save money. The most interesting thing I’ve done to save (that I can recall now), was to take a $1 sandwich from a fast food restaurant into a Panera Bread so I could get Panera coffee but not have to pay for their high priced food! I only did that a couple times because I felt bad.
On top of many of the things listed in the comments, I also make, use, gift, and sell spa and cleaning products, along with salve, cloth menstrual pads, cloth rags, unsponges and unpaper towels. I’ve started knitting and embroidery, on top of sewing (by hand or with my very old treadle machine). I also redo furniture and restyle old clothing. I use my sewing scraps to fill dog pillows and generally recycle, reuse, or donate everything else. Plastic bags (for anything other than garbage) are a nono here. I make foldup cloth bags instead. I also make my own dry soup or sauce mixes (I loooove my taco seasoning) and I sell baking, too. We buy farm eggs and honey when available. I garden, we use a rain barrel and we compost. We do our own yard work, got rid of cable last summer, but kept Netflix. My library is small but has over 500 movies in house and I can order from all over the province. I shop the flyers and stock up when items are cheap. We buy in bulk and store our food properly. We use points cards and our credit cards also collect points. I darn our socks until I no longer can and then they get chopped up for compost (if woolen) or the scrap bin. Instead of using canned beans, I precook a slow cooker full and freeze in the proper amounts.
The big one, I suppose is this: my hair is over 30 inches long and as soon as I find a buyer I am shaving it off. It’s worth $2000- $4000 Canadian.