Thrifty Thursday: Save Pounds and Pennies
We've all heard the saying, "Penny wise, pound foolish." Sometimes we're meticulous about small expenses, but pass up the chance to save on major outlays. Today I have ideas to save both pennies and pounds.
First, save some major bucks on car insurance, if your car is paid off, by dropping the comprehensive/collision insurance. Some advisers say to drop coverage when your car hits eight years old. Some say to do it when your comp and collision bill reaches 10% or more of the value of the car. Don't drop coverage if you have a bad driving record or no cash reserves.
Second, if you've been using services for lawn maintenance, house cleaning or car washing, consider doing it yourself. You may not only save money but also lose some of those less desirable pounds! If you can't bring yourself to drop the services, cut down on frequency.
Now for some penny-saving techniques. Almost everyone I know practices some small, quirky economies. For example, I can't leave a hotel room without picking up the free toiletries. They are great for camping trips and for tucking in a gym bag. My second, somewhat silly, economy is that I tear my dryer sheets in two and use only half. Actually, softeners reduce absorbency, so your towels will absorb better with half the softener.
Do you practice economies that range from smart to slightly silly? Please share!
Thrifty Thursday on About.com:
Comments
I love chai tea lattes but don’t want to spend the calories or the $ to get them at a coffee shop regularly. So I make my own cheaper, lower-sugar version. I buy chai tea bags and chai tea concentrate–it’s the exact same stuff they use at the coffee shops. I brew a cup of the tea, then add just a splash of the concentrate for sweetness and flavor. Sometimes I add a splash of my own milk too.
Catherine, that’s a great idea. I’m going to go brew some right now!
Susan, one of my recent penny-pinching quirks has been to buy Gatorade concentrate for my son’s baseball games and practice. One container will last more than the whole playing season, and it was only slightly more expensive than one six-pack of Gatorade single-serve bottles.
I have to credit Dave Ramsey for this one. We use an old fashioned cash envelope system. One envelope each for Food, Clothing, Gasoline, & Entertainment. On payday each envelope is filled with the budgeted amount of cash. Nothing is purchased on credit card, and when the envelope is empty, the spending in that category is finished until next payday. Talk about discipline! This cured our restaurant habit.