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That’s what NBC wants to know. “NBC’s ‘Today’ show is looking for all penny pinchers.” If you’re prepared to demonstrate your thriftiness on video tape, you might earn an appearance on the Today show. Check out the MSNBC announcement for all the info.
Don’t worry, this is not going to be another piece of advice telling you to just make your latte at home and you’ll have enough to retire on. I hate that advice because a) I don’t drink coffee (and before you ask, I don’t have another ongoing, regular “small thing” buying habit) and b) if I did, I’d already make it at home because I’m relatively cheap. That advice might be good for those just starting to think about spending less, but I’d guess that anyone who is reading a website on frugality has already considered the blatantly obvious.
That rant aside, I’m reading a great book right now called “How to survive without a salary” by Charles Long (I’m not planning on being salary-free anytime soon but I figure it would be good to spend as though I have less income). The author points out (and supports the idea) that it’s easier and more efficient to save money than to make more. I prefer to do both, of course, but saving is a good way to start. In my case, saving money on ordinary things means I can put more into my investments.
Whew, I’m long-winded today!
Here’s the actual challenge: figure out a way to save $30 in thirty days (I’m going to start now but monitor August, for simplicity). Ideally this will not be limited to 30 days; that will just be the trial run. If you are a person who has daily lattes, well, good for you! If you’re like me, however, it will take some thinking, especially if you’re already being frugal (that’ll teach you!).
My intial thoughts: it’s going to be especially difficult in August because I think we’re going to sign up for a $50/month health club membership (which we will use), so I’ll actually need to figure out how to save $80 from our current spending. Here are my ideas…
Hmm… I’ll have to be creative to cut the rest. So how about you? Will you accept my challenge? Post your thoughts in the comments section.
I stumbled across the SPIN-X centrifugal spindryer via a link from MetaEfficient. Have any of you ever used this (or anything like it)? More broadly, how do you do your laundry? So far I’ve done it all pretty much the typical washer-and-dryer way, and I’m wondering if line drying and other “alternative” methods are worth the time they take. What do you think?
It seems like everyone I know is car shopping right now. Some of us are doing it fairly passively and some are doing it very actively (e.g. my friends whose van “went to be with Jesus” this weekend… although given the behavior of said van, doubt has been expressed regarding its actual afterlife destination).
Regardless, when you get to the point where you’re ready to go look at a vehicle, there are some things you can do to both get a better deal and get a good vehicle.
Harvey over at Bad Example wants to tell you how to buy a used car without getting screwed. The list is comprehensive and definitely going in my long term bookmarks.
Did you know that it’s possible to buy stamps below their face value? I just found out about this via SavingAdvice.com and their excellent forum. Jeffrey explains that stamp dealers often do bulk purchases (from estate sales and the like), but some of the individual stamps in the lot are not interesting to collectors. Some of these stamps are unused, and therefore fair game to use for mailing (regardless of their age), but the stamp dealers don’t want to spend the time getting rid of these one at a time. So what do they do with them? Some of the dealers sell these stamps in quantity at a discount. For instance, at the time of this writing, Henry Gitner Philatelists, Inc. is selling $100 of stamps for $89.50 + $3.50 for shipping. I’m also seeing some good deals on eBay in the Stamps category.
It is worth noting that many of these stamps may be older stamps with a smaller face value than currently issued stamps. From a legal perspective, this is irrelevant, as any unused stamps can be used. Practically speaking, though, it can be a hassle to find the right combinations to make the total postage you need (if you’re putting more postage on than is required, you’re definitely not saving money by buying discounted stamps). If this sounds like a pain to you, take another look on eBay. I found several sellers providing current stamps, and still at a discount. For instance, eBay user serg4play not only auctions lots of 500 $0.37 stamps, but he also mentioned that he can be contacted directly and will sell you the same thing for $160 (that’s $25 off the face value for 500 stamps).
Is it worth it? Just like any other savings method, you’re only saving money if you would ordinarily buy the product at full price. If you are never going to use 500 stamps, don’t buy 500 stamps. A business might find that number appealing, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea for your household. You can try for smaller lots, or just file this idea away in your brain to recommend to those who need stamps in bulk (they’ll appreciate it, and that’s always fun).
Action step: take a minute and think about whether or not this is a strategy that would work for you. If it is, take five minute and look around to see what’s available. Order if you find a good deal, or schedule a time to do so later.