SAVE

TIPS

1) Only go shopping when you really need something. Avoid impulse buying, Don't waste money buying things you don't really need.

2) Wait until you have the money before buying. Avoid debt. Avoid using credit.

3) Sleep on it... give it a cooling period and you will find out if you really need or want what you intend to buy

4) Maintain what you have already (cars, tools, computer, clothes) they will last longer and will save you tons of money.

5) Be an environmentalist: renew, reuse, recycle

6) Keep things longer before discarding them

7) Learn to DYI. If there is something you can do with some extra effort give it a try.  Take a class, check You tube.

8) Anticipate needs and start your research before hand to get best deals

9) Research your purchases: find best value, quality durability. Read reviews and ratings. Use consumer reports. 

10) Buy things that have a multipurpose

11) Do a comparison shop. When in the store use apps like BuyVia, Shopkick, ShopSavvy and Shopular and scan bar codes or QR codes to compare prices, get discounts and score coupons. 

12) Learn to bargain... ask for discounts. You can ask for discount if paying cash, buying in bulk, buying a scratch and dent if there is a sale coming or a sale went off, buying something already opn sale you can ask for further discounts.

13) Buy used or refurbished. Decorate your home with free or gently used furniture. Try online craigslist, eBay, Facebook, freecycle.org. Try local thrift stores like Goodwill or Salvation Army, consignments shops, garage sales, swap meets, flea markets

14) Transition from using credit cards to paying cash only

15) Know the difference between wants and needs

16) Keep track of your expenses and start reducing them slowly one step at a time

How to Waste Money with Your Everyday Habits:

• Drive across town to save two or three cents on gas.

• Buy grocery name brands instead of cheaper store brands.

• Pay full retail price for clothes, furnishings, or other items instead of waiting for sales.

• Buy bottled water.

• Disregard ATM fees.

• Pay hefty overdraft fees because you don’t bother to keep track of your bank balance.

• Forget to change your furnace filter.

• Don’t bother to maintain your car or house.

• Be disorganized about taking care of bills on time, so you pay late fees.

• Pay for premium cable TV packages with channels you rarely watch.

• If you can’t afford something now, pull out the plastic. When you don’t pay a credit card bill in full at the end of the month, high interest rates can quickly double or triple the price of anything you buy.

• Gamble. Online gambling, slot machines, gaming tables, and lottery tickets are all good ways to get rid of extra cash.

• Speed. This is a three-for-one deal. You’ll use extra gas, pay $100 or more for a speeding ticket, and end up with higher car insurance premiums

QUOTES:

Just Ask!: With the quarantine, it's hard to do much shopping. Sure, I could order online, but you don't always know for sure what you're getting without seeing it. So I began a neighborhood swap group. Whenever one of us needs something, we put out a group text saying what we need. It could be a garden tool or kids clothes. Sometimes you can borrow it for nothing. Other times you'll buy what you need. This is working so well that we'll keep it up after the virus is cured. Zoe from Dollar Stretcher Tips

The Importance of Knowing When to Buy: I always mark the date I open large sundry items, such as cleaners, cotton balls, toothpaste, shampoo, etc. I started doing this out of curiosity because some things seemed to last forever even though I used them constantly, like buying bulk shampoo. By checking the date I first started using an item, I can better gauge how many I need to keep on hand or how many extra to buy when I come upon a sale.This has saved me money because I always seemed to buy extra items when they were on sale and ended up with a lot more items than space. Now if I come upon a sale and know that I have an extra item on hand (I keep a spreadsheet of my extra items in my planner in my purse), I know I can let that sale slide and wait for a sale closer to the time we should we running out of that item. Lisa from Dollar Stretcher Tips

No more overbuying: On your PC, phone, or however you keep notes, make a folder or list and call it something like "Shopping for the Year." Now start on day one of the month and track how much toilet paper your family uses in one month. Now time this amount by 12. This will help you determine how much you need for the year. Add a few extra rolls in case one is sick and needs more, or company comes over. You can do the same with paper towels, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, soap, shampoo, and most anything else that you buy regularly. Then you can stock up once a year (ideally during a big sale). This helps you better budget your money, plus you save trips to the store to get these things by not running out and having to go buy more. It is kind of like having the store in your home. Delma of Heflin, Alabama The Dollar Stretcher Tips

TECHNICAL COLLEGE SAVINGS:  at a technical college people can get a variety of services for much more cheaply than in the community. They can:

• visit our dental hygiene department and get their teeth cleaned and x-ray'd with student hygienists under the supervision of a dentist.

• get their cars or motorcycles worked on in our automotive or motorcycle departments.

• buy floral arrangements from student florists.

• buy baked goods (including loaves of bread) from student bakers.

• visit our restaurant run by student chefs.

All students are supervised by licensed or certified professionals. If there's a technical college near you, you may be able to get some great deals! Amy G from Dollar Stretcher Tips

More Quotes:

• I've started paying myself a $10 penalty every time we eat out. :) - WhatMommyDoes.com​

• We do No-Spend Weekends where we take what we normally would spend (an average of $50) and put it towards our travel savings. - FitnPoor.com

• All our "found" money goes in a piggy bank. We then set monthly purposes for side hustle money (mortgage, travel fund, etc.) - ShePicksUpPennies.com​

• Every time we do a load of wash we put $2 in a jar. (Insert "laundering money" punchline here.) Although technically earmarked for a replacement washing machine at some point, the cash recently went toward the purchase of a new fridge... You could also do it with other things, such as "put a dollar in the kitty every time you make a pot of coffee at home and pour some into your travel mug to take to work" or "put $20 in the jar every time you decide to eat leftovers instead of ordering that takeout or pizza." (Editor's note: Donna's daughter, Abby, currently has $560 saved up doing this $2 laundry trick already!) - Donna Freedman​

• I play around with compound interest calculators a lot, haha. It makes me super motivated to invest/save as must as possible. - TheFreedomFromMoney.com

• ​Digit of course! - Valerie Rind​

• We live off one income and have the other income directly deposited into our savings account. This way we don't even see my income. - ReluctantLandlord.net​

• I treat my savings like a monthly expense and then pay the account interest if I don't make the payment on time. It gives great accountability. - DebtRoundup.com​

• When I get a discount on a bill (insurance, internet, cell phone), I set up and automate savings transfers. - CoupleMoney.com​

• I don't store credit card information online and I keep my wallet downstairs. :) - WalletHacks.com

• ​"Money isn't going to last forever," says former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal. "You've got to save it, you've got to invest it and you've got to be smart." ..

• And one of my all-time favorite pieces of advice, "When you "save" money, be sure it actually goes in the bank account and doesn't just disappear into general spending." Amen, IPickUpPennies.net!

The "List": I have found that by keeping lists in my planner of things that I want to buy, I am less likely to buy something out of impulse. I have a list of things I want to buy for the home and a list of things I want to buy for myself and family members. This way I can plan them into my budget, and when birthdays or Christmas rolls around, I have plenty of ideas. This is especially helpful to stop impulsively buying toys for my kids. I have found that part of the reason for impulsive spending is that I want to buy something now, when I see it, before I forget about it later. By writing it down immediately, I'm not thinking about the item all the time, and I know that I can always buy it later. L. from Dollar Stretcher Financial Independence

Saving the Savings: I have found a successful way to make sure my monthly savings actually get saved. I know my budgeted amount for all of my utilities. When it comes time to pay my bills, if I come in under budget, I immediately transfer any difference between the actual utility bill and the budgeted utility payment into my savings account. For example my average monthly water bill is $100. If I have not used as much water that month, the actual bill might only be $92. After paying the bill online, I immediately transfer $8 into my savings. This way I actually keep the full amount saved, and because I never touch it, it stays in (or should I say gets to) my savings account. Also, it motivates me to cut back on my utilities. Last year I actually saved quite a bit with this system. Jasmine

Money-Saving Neighbors:  I try to get a neighbor (or neighbors) to go in with me on anything that I do. If I'm renting a power washer, I ask my neighbors to go in on the rental fee. If I'm getting my carpets cleaned professionally, I see if anyone else is interested and ask if we can get a multi-purchase discount. Most people are planning on doing the same things, so we all win! Robin from Dollar Stretcher Tips

The Big Benefit of No-Money Days: I have a dry erase calendar on my refrigerator. Using my own special codes, I mark off the days during which I spend NO MONEY. I draw a sun on the days when I totally pay off a bill. It might seem silly to some, but I find it motivating to see how many days in a row I can have a "no money" day (other than paying regular bills). Marsha from Dollar Stretcher Tips