Ways to save money

[Jessica_25]

Since becoming a starving student I have realized how far a few dollars can go. Great tips everyone! I will be using many of them!!

Coupons are my new hobby!!

[Woofy]

Thought I'll add in one thing we did that saved us a lot of money...

Hubby and I didn't have a TV for a good 7 years!

No TV, no cable, no commercials fanning and feeding imagined desires and wants... Oodles of money saved!

Confession though.. We did finally buy a TV last November... BUT we still don't have cable, and I still don't watch TV! We mainly use it for our Wii, PS2, and for watching movies. Even then, we only really use it on an average of twice a month.

The minus about this is that I have no clue what people are talking about when they talk about sitcoms and reality TV shows.

[Valiant]

Great post!
Don't worry about the sitcoms that people are talking about; you haven't missed anything important.

I've got 2 channels on my tv now; used to have 3, but the tv management power-struggles removed the best channel. Don't have cable or dish, and who cares? Bunch of garbage on tv... programs centered around violence, immorality, atrocities. I hardly ever watch any tv now, and I thought I'd miss it more, but it has freed me up for better things.
Time is money, time is life, and I'm living a better quality of life without tv.

Thought I'll add in one thing we did that saved us a lot of money...

Hubby and I didn't have a TV for a good 7 years!

No TV, no cable, no commercials fanning and feeding imagined desires and wants... Oodles of money saved!

Confession though.. We did finally buy a TV last November... BUT we still don't have cable, and I still don't watch TV! We mainly use it for our Wii, PS2, and for watching movies. Even then, we only really use it on an average of twice a month.

The minus about this is that I have no clue what people are talking about when they talk about sitcoms and reality TV shows.

[Nagib]

so say you want a new laptop, buy one then keep returning it every month. I always do this, been doing it over a year, saved me so much money. I get a new laptop every month and I don't have to pay anything since I just return them

[Justine]

so say you want a new laptop, buy one then keep returning it every month. I always do this, been doing it over a year, saved me so much money. I get a new laptop every month and I don't have to pay anything since I just return them

hmm, do you delete everything on it before you return it?

[trinity991]

all in good fun, but.....

"Raising a child can be an expensive undertaking, with the first year being the most expensive. In 2004, over $10,000 was needed to raise a child to age 1. Parents spent the least amount of money – close to $7,000 – when their children reached age 12. Expenses for both boys and girls then began to rise again as they entered their teenaged years."

so if you really plan on NOT having kids, investing in reliable birth control will certainly prevent you from spending an estimated $100,000 on that little human, BEFORE they are 18 years of age....LOL

Diapers and wipes can cost a ton. We were paying about $60 a month until I found SC and found out about stacking at LD. For at least the past 6 months I have paid nothing for dipes & wipes by stacking at LD. I even "bought" a huge box of dipes and 4 packs of wipes for my nephew for Christmas and I didn't pay anything for it. Breastfeeding is also free so I didn't have to pay for formula. My oldest was a preemie and we ended up not being able to breastfeed and I found out how much formula costs.

[redfox]

renewable prescriptions on medicine save big money for me" as i dont have a medical plan.

instead of getting one month at a time , i buy the full amount at one time.
saves on dispensing fees

[Valiant]

Talk with your pharmacist about the availability of a prescription drug plan in your province. In Manitoba there is Pharmacare for lower income earners who require regular prescription meds due to serious health issues.
Applicants register and pay a basic deductible per year on the costs of their eligible prescription meds, and after that the rest of the cost is covered by the Pharmacare program.
For example: If the deductible is $150.00 that year, the applicant would pay for the first $150.00 of eligible prescription meds, and after that the rest is covered by the program. The deductible changes every year, depending on income tax return info.

renewable prescriptions on medicine save big money for me" as i dont have a medical plan.

instead of getting one month at a time , i buy the full amount at one time.
saves on dispensing fees

[Bumper]

After paying off the car loan I saved the budgeted car payment in a high interest savings account (now tfsa) and now have enough for my next car when/if this one dies (it's 11 years old and still running great), so I now put 75% of the budgeted car payments towards the mortgage and 25% in my car savings fund, so I can reward myself with something a bit nicer when I do need one. In addition, I also save a bunch on insurance by driving an older car.

[matrix82]

bumper, that is a great idea

[AmberLab]

I really need to re-read this thread. I find I have gotten away from the REAL savings in the past year with the house reno forefront in our minds. We're taking a break from reno's this year to build the savings stash, so back to the savings grindstone for me.

[nadiabreckon]

A few things I can think of at the moment that we do:

-Laundry only in cold water and hang to dry when possible

-Heat, lights and appliances off when we're not using them

-We stick to our budget and use cash exclusively (that way when the money's gone, we don't spend money since band and credit cards stay at home)

-Coupons, sales, freebies and samples!!!!!!

-Bring baby's clothing to consignment stores when he outgrows them (great way to make a few bucks back from expensive children's clothes, since he probably only wears it once or twice anyway and then it doesn't fit anymore)

-DH and I both have cell phone contracts, but we cancelled all the extras (call display, texting, etc...) in order to have the lowest possible bills each month and don't use them needlessly (Favorite 5's plan with Telus is awesome!)

-Freeze food bought in bulk, make our own broth from bones and leftovers and freeze it (1 chicken carcass can make the equivalent of 3 1/2 containers of chicken broth)

-Look on freecycle for items needed for the house or yard

-Dollarama!!!!!!!!

-Having rewards cards for frequently shopped at stores and using those rewards

I'm sure we have other ways, but I can't think of them right now! I love this thread by the way, some great ideas from other members!!!!!

[POWERADE]

so say you want a new laptop, buy one then keep returning it every month. I always do this, been doing it over a year, saved me so much money. I get a new laptop every month and I don't have to pay anything since I just return them

Are you for real? What do you say is your return reason?

If you do this every month out of the year for 12 months, then the money is tied up anyway like you have purchased one, and it's money that hasn't been available to you for a year, so why not purchase one and stick to it?

[pamdaa]

Hi, I tear old clothing up to use as swiffer style pads and wash the floor with dish soap. T-shirts are the best! Also, I save $4- $6 per month by using fabric pads. I made my own for a few dollars each. (If there is sufficient interest I can post the pattern pattern...) cheers, Pamdaa

[muskokalivin]

I live in Bracebridge, however I still believe most would save that are in Canada. I keep my big deep freezer in the garage. My garage isn't attached to my home but doesn't bother me. The freezer sits on a concrete floor and very cool even in the summer time. I have noticed that through the winter months, it doesn't even run for probably most of the time......