Money Saving Tips and why they don't work for me (kinda long but worth reading)

When shopping, go solo. Kids tend to toss high-priced, sugary cereals into the cart when you're not looking or pressure you to buy items that you weren't planning on buying.
OK Seriously...I normally have to take my kids shopping with me, and they don't EVER put anything into my cart that I don't know about, lol.  Come on now!!!  :)  The only problem I have at the grocery store is trying to keep my preschooler from running away when she gets bored and wants to "play games with mommy and big sister" 


Keep your tires properly inflated. You’ll prolong their life as well as save money on gas.
Ok This one I agree with...I have one tire that keeps going flat on me, I guess what I need is to invest money in new tires...

Save money by using direct deposit. and automatically withdraw a portion of your paycheck into a savings account.
Yep i agree with this one too.  I use direct deposit on a pre paid checking account/debit card...b/c I hate to have my money in a bank...its too easy to overdraw my account, w/ this particular account I can't overdraw...and i don't get charged for it if a payment doesn't go through.   I simply have to tell them to send the payment through again. 

Cut out the beef. Decreasing meat consumption or eliminating it altogether can create big savings over the course of a year.
Really??? That's rediculous.  Beef is one of the most delicious meals ever, and my family really needs beef for the iron and TASTE!!! We will NOT be going VEGAN anytime soon thank you very much.  We try to get bargains, by buying in bulk or buying when it's on sale...we even go to Sam's sometimes to get it "wholesale"  but no beef? That's just dumb...lol IMHO :)

Buy second hand. Shop at yard sales, consignment stores, eBay and Craigslist to cut costs.
I do this alot.  I don't mind getting things at yard sales, EBay and Craigslist.  I even look on FreeCycle or Trade-sale, whatever yahoo group is in my area in order to get used clothes.  There is a shop called Once Upon A Child that sells gently used clothes, and generally they are in great shape, have been washed once or twice, so you know if they are going to shrink or not, and we spend a lot less money that way on shoes, clothes, etc.  My kids don't mind, and I don't mind.  I hate buying new stuff...even if I do go to the store, I go straight to the clearance racks!  Lol!!! 

Ask your doctor for free samples of the drugs prescribed for you.
This is generally a good idea because even though my insurance covers most of the cost of prescription meds, if it's not generic, sometimes it has the highest co pay ever...for example...I am taking Celebrex for arthritis and back pain, and it really helps...but no generic yet.  I don't know how much it would cost b/c my Doctor's PA gives me samples.  So, I don't have to mess w/ it.  Otherwise most of our other meds have generics.  The other ones we have, generally don't cost more than $20 a month. 

Use your insurance company's mail-order prescription program. Chances are you will save money and time, in addition to avoiding the tempting candy bars by the Walgreen's checkout.
This is why I go through the drive through...and I don't even go in.  I am horrible about buying silly stuff b/c it's on clearance or b/c I think I could really use it...

Sign up for every free customer rewards program you can.
Yep, you betcha!  I have so many little keychain cards...Petco, PetSmart, CVS rewards, Office Max max perks...I hate carrying big cards around w/ me, and I almost always have my keys with me, so I just put the little discount cards on a seperate keychain and use it until the card gets demagnatized and I have to get another one!

Read more. Reading is one of the cheapest – and most beneficial – hobbies around. Most towns have a library available to the public – just go there and check out some books that interest you.
Or Get a Kindle!  You can download books from Amazon.com, and don't have to have the extra space for tons of books that you buy at garage sales or get from online book services, lol.  I don't like to go to the library because I end up finding way too many books, and then I can't read them all by the time they're due, or I forget to put them back.  I get books cheap, and then sell them at garage sales or give them to friends who are interested in reading them.  I don't want to say start a "book club" but it might be a cool idea to switch books around that people are interested in.  You never know.  I very rarely read a book more than 2 times, and after that it just sits on my book shelf forever...or in a pile somewhere...sigh...so yea...

Cut your own hair.
You've got to be kidding me!!!  I have done this and screwed it up and been very unhappy, and then I had to go get my hair cut by a professional, so I wouldn't be depressed about how horrible it looked!!! Now I do believe in trimming your own bangs if you have them, or your kids bangs...If you have a low maintenence hair style, it's not a big deal, but if you have layers, or assymetrical hair cuts?  Yea, just bite the bullet and go to SuperCuts...It's better to trust your hair/mane to a professional...plus it's nice to sit and relax while someone washes your hair and massages your scalp and then cuts and blow dries it, plus you can learn new hair styling tips.  You dont' have to go to a super expensive salon to get a nice hair cut.  Also you can check out the Hair Style Schools in the area because students will give hair cuts for discounted prices and sometimes you can get a "coupon" for hair coloring, styling or whatever for a fraction of the cost of a higher cost salon.  You're helping yourself and the student prepare for their career. 

Go through your cell phone bill, look for services you don’t use, and ditch them.
Now a days, my cell phone bill is all incorporated and there is no way I can cut any services, b/c they are all in one package.  It's silly how much it costs to have a family plan, w/ unlimited text and data usage, but who wants to get the $500 cel phone bill b/c my daughter forgot that she can only use 1500kb of data?  It's worth it to pay a little more.  We are however thinking of dropping the house phone number...all we get is creditor and telemarketer calls anyway anymore. 



Repair worn clothes. Instead of throwing out some damaged clothing, repair it instead.
This makes sense to me, but dont' keep everything either just because you Might remember to fix it in a week or two weeks after you've thrown it back in the "fix it basket" one more time b/c you forgot it had a hole in it. 


Brown bag your lunch. Instead of going out to eat at work, take your own lunch.
While I generally go home for lunch instead of bringing my lunch w/ me, I also don't live very far from work.  I want to leave work at lunch, not stay here...it's bad enough that I have to sit here and deal w/ my boss's weird scarcasm w/out having to sit here and eat lunch and listen to him ... he stays here for lunch or goes and grabs something quick b/c he lives an hour away, so of course he doesn't drive home for lunch, but then again he can AFFORD to go out to lunch, lol.  He sells buildings, and gets a huge salary...I get paid hourly wage... :)

Get a crock pot. A crock pot is perhaps the best deal on earth for reducing cooking costs in a busy family
Yep I have a friend who is always posting crock pot recipes on Facebook...it's worth it.  She posted something called Crock Pot Pizza the other day.  While that doesn't sound the most appetizing, i'm sure it tastes better than it sounds.  I'm all about casseroles too...stuff lasts forever...hehe...

Borrow books, CDs, videos, from the local library.
yea yea, we've gone over this already.  I also have Napster which is a monthly cost for me, but I can download and put the music on my Sony Walkman (Mp3 player) and listen to it until I'm tired of it, instead of buying a CD and getting tired of it and using it for a frisbee later...

Exercise at home rather than joining a gym.
Oh Sure....b/c i have plenty of room in my home to excercise...NOT!   The point of belonging to a gym is so you can use their new equipment and sit in their pool, or hot tub, and remembering to go, if you go with a friend you can have an accountability partner.  If you take advantage of the monthly specials, or sometimes gyms will offter free trial periods...take advantage of that!  or go for a daily walk...it's not so bad...esp if you have pets/dogs that need to be walked  anyway.  Something I've been needing to do is take the kids to the park and let them play while I take a walk around the park w/ the dog...that way the kids get worn out and you've been able to excercise!  Voila!

Make coffee at home rather than buying from a store, or at least cut down the number of times per week you purchase coffee.
Coffee from the store convenience store is so much better!!!  i dont' have time to mess w/ coffee in the morning.  I generally get a 32 oz coke that lasts me all morning long.  Most of that is ice anyway! 
There is also a coffee maker at work...that I can take advantage of, or I also rent a Water Cooler thing...whatever it's called...that I can get hot or cold water out of.  I rent the machine for about $5 a month, and if I don't use the whole bottle, it doesn't cost any extra, if I do, I pay for the "bottle/ 5 gallon" of water that they bring to replace the used one. It's a good thing to have...esp if you want to bring instant oatmeal or hot chocolate up to work in the morning...
Buy clothes for next year at the end-of-season sales– try garage sales and thrift stores.
Didn't I go over this already? 

Find a simple hairstyle that doesn’t cost too much to take care of on a daily/weekly basis.
This was gone over too, lol. 

Take advantage of free entertainment in your community – parks, museums, exhibits, etc. Go to free park concerts and other community activities.
Amarillo has SO many wonderful outside activities, and the zoo is SO extensive (note the scarcasm)  Actually there are quite a few things available, you just have to know where to look...

Use a grocery list. Always do your grocery shopping with a list of items you need - and don't buy anything that's not on the list. You can save hundreds of dollars a year by avoiding impulse food purchases.
Planning meals before you go to the store can help you with this.  Something else I thought of, keep your pantry stocked with basics...Google pantry basics...keep stuff on hand...it will help  you plan meals better...don't forget the brown gravy mix! :)


Avoid shopping at convenience stores. You pay for the convenience -- the prices are usually higher than grocery stores.
Yes, I think that's true.  Why pay $5 for a gallon of milk at 7-11 or Toot n Totem, or circle K when you can get it for $4.50 at the store?  Hopefully it's not that much ... it's been below $3 per gallon for the most part lately...

Rent a video instead of going to the movies. If you really want to go to the movies, go to the less expensive afternoon “matinee.”
Netflix....Hulu, Youtube...


Invite friends over instead of going out. Almost every activity at home is less expensive than going out. Invite some friends over and have a cookout or a potluck meal, then play some cards and have a few drinks.
This one I definitely agree with.  We would like to do this, if we had any friends...hehe just kidding.


Don’t spend big money entertaining your children. Most children, especially young ones, can be entertained very cheaply.
Yep send em outside to play w/ a stick...sit them in front of the TV...just kidding...they really can be entertained cheaper than they try to make you think.  Kids today get bored way too easily.  Do they have any idea of the childhood we had w/out playstation, or Nintendo, or handheld games...?  It's called imagination!!!
Call your credit card company and ask for a rate reduction.
Hahahahahahahahahaahahaha!!! With a credit score of 509?  Not likely!!! HAHAHA

Make your own giftsinstead of buying stuff from the store. You can make food mixes, candles, bread, cookies, soap, and all kinds of other things at home quite easily and inexpensively.
Make  your own gifts...aww how quaint.  No one wants me to make soap...or candles for them.  My sister did that for Christmas one year and it was neat, but I still haven't used the food mix or burned the candle she made...but it was a nice gesture.  I think this works better for people who are crafty and like to do that sort of thing.  Find those type of people and pay them instead of doing it yourself, and you'll still probably wind up saving money! lol

Install a programmable thermostat. These devices regulate the temperature in your house automatically according to the schedule that you set. When you’re not home, it allows the heating or cooling to turn off for several hours, saving energy.. A programmable thermostat can easily cut your energy bill by 10 to 20%.
I want to be cool in the summertime and warm in the winter...I think a programmable thermostat is great if you own your home, if not, and your landlord doesn't give a flip...well sorry, you're screwed aren't you!

Cancel the cable or satellite channels you don’t watch. Many people with cable services often are paying for a premium package but rarely watch those extra channels. Get rid of the excess channels and put that cash back in your pocket.
Um yea, if you have Direct Tv or Dish...you can't just cancel the channels you don't watch...I'd like to know which company you can use where you can just pick and choose the channels you want.  I think what they're talking about are the Starz, HBO and Showtime stuff though.  Oh, and you're not putting the cash back in your pocket..it's never leaving to begin with...lol...

Pack your lunch. If you spend $5 on lunch 5 days a week, you’ll save $25 a week by packing your lunch.
Again...I would rather just go home for lunch instead of packing it and taking it to lunch.  This is ok if you live fairly close to work,  if not, you're using more money to commute or drive to buy lunch...it's a situational thing...


Give up the soda. A twelve pack of pop costs around $3. If you go through one twelve pack a week, by giving it up, you will save $150 a year.
yea I don't know where you're living that a 12 pack of pop (pop?) is $3, here it's almost $5 for a 12 pack so you can save money by buying a 24 pack from Walmart for $5!!!  Or buy 2 liters...that's cheaper...or hey, drink more water!  buy the Country Time Lemonade if you MUST have sugar, or something flavoring your water.  Lemons and limes aren't too expensive either...slice one up and put it in your water to flavor it up. 

Don’t buy magazines. You can get them from your local library. If you save $3 a week by not buying, that’s another $150 a year.
This is a good idea.  Or sometimes at the Doctors offices, they will have outdated magazines, and if you ask them they will let you take it home with you...or copy a recipe or something if you see something you like.  But ask..don't just take it..that's just rude. 

Get Active. Walking will improve your health, which will impact your medical budget. Even if it saves you only two doctor’s appointments this year, that’s an extra $50 if you have a $25 copay.
Speaking of Doctors, you can go to a clinic that costs much less as well, instead of going in to see your doctor.  Most of the time Nurses or physician's assistants can diagnose stuff and give you what you need w/out the high cost of a regular doctor visit. 

Speaking of health, stop smoking. If you smoke a pack a day at $5.00 a pack, you save $150. over the course of a month and $1825. over the course of a year. And that doesn’t even include the amount you’ll save by being healthier
Yea I'm not a big smoker. That stuff is expensive though.  I am married to someone who dips...and that is even more expensive every couple of days.  Even the "specials" that the convenience stores run, aren't that "special" 

Get Secret Deals. Several department stores (such as Saks Fifth Avenue) now offer unadvertised, online-only sales to their email subscribers or Twitter followers. Sign up and you’ll find out about special friends and family promotions.
I can't stand Twitter/tweeting..whatever...Facebook however...I can do that, lol.

Cash Out. Some shops, especially independent ones will offer you at least 10% off when you pay with cash. Ask an owner or manager before paying.
Haven't had any experience w/ this yet. 

Make the switch to CFL bulbs. You can save up to $30 a month by using CFLs instead of regular light bulbs.
Sure you can, but they cost more than regular light bulbs too!!

Have a meatless meal once a week. If a package of meat costs $3, cutting out meat from one meal a week will save $150 a year.

Sell your books on half.com. It’s really easy to list your books by the ISBN number. It only takes a few minutes and you can make an about $10 per month with little effort.