Miscellaneous Savings

Thriftiness is a good thing for your wallet.  It is also a good thing for the environment since it is not wasteful.  Thrifty living can be comfortable and happy if you choose that course.  Being thrifty is a way down the road to your financial freedom.

If you can balance your cash flow and start saving, you have a better chance of having a balanced life and good relationships.  Stop fighting over money.  Stop worrying.  Start building your financial stability.

Here are 52+ thrifty ways to save money and build financial independence:

1. Buy no brand name products when there are alternatives
2. Don’t buy bottled water – it’s all marketing hype anyway
3. Take advantage of rebate offers – make sure you mail them right away
4. Buy good used clothes from consignment stores and charity shops (you are helping someone else when you buy at a charity store)
5. Drive cars for 7 to 10 years as long as they are safe
6. Drive gently to save gas – no quick starts or stops
7. Keep your car tires inflated up to pressure to save gas
8. Drive the speed limit or less to save gas – no speeding tickets too
9. Don’t own a car.  Use public transportation and rent a car when you must.
10. Use rags instead of paper towels
11. If you use paper towels rinse them and reuse them
12. Use plastic storage containers that can be washed instead of bags
13. Have no credit cards – use cash only
14. Eat in restaurants or take-out rarely - as a treat rather than routine
15. When you do eat in restaurants use coupons or early-bird specials
16. Don’t buy drinks in restaurants and bars – water with lemon is free
17. If you want the occasional cocktail, have it at home – no driving and much less expensive
18. Buy few or no prepared foods unless you get them in bulk a warehouse stores
19. Buy staple foods in bulk
20. Purchase food store brands or generics only when bulk is not available
21. Use frozen fruits and vegetables when fresh is expensive
22. Use your tea bags twice
23. Collect the little hotel toiletries when you travel
24. Shop for breads and pastries at bakery outlet stores
25. Freeze foods before they spoil and/or buy only what you need
26. Avoid convenience stores – don’t pay the markup
27. Make your own serving size packages for lunches from big packages
28. Cook extra food and package it for quick meals and lunches
29. Combine destinations to reduce driving or travel
30. Never shop for food when you are hungry
31. Leave the children at home when shopping for food – the expensive kid stuff is at their eye level in the store
32. Shop from a list
33. Use energy-saver light bulbs – cut costs and save the environment
34. Return your bottles for deposit refund – ours goes into a savings account for our granddaughter
35. Use no-annual-fee and rebate credit cards when you must use a credit card
36. Make casseroles and freeze the extras for quick meals later
37. Use frequent flier miles to travel
38. Create your own vacation instead of buying an expensive trip
39. Try a picnic in a state park instead of an expensive trip to a theme park
40. Enjoy the zoo and museums as a nice alternative
41. Play cards and games instead of spending on entertainment
42. Get your news online instead of buying a newspaper – or share a paper with a friend or neighbor
43. Wait a month or two for movies to show up in the discount theaters
44. Frequent yard sales when you need something
45. Buy rebuilt or remanufactured products with the same warrantee as new – My $3,000 Dell computer cost me just $800.
46. Don’t buy appliance warrantees – they are rarely worth the cost
47. Make homemade gifts instead of buying
48. Stop gift exchanges – give the gift of your time instead
49. Recycle and reuse
50. Don’t gamble
51. Avoid all finance charges – pay on time
52. Don’t buy something you don’t need – even if it’s a great sale price
53. Learn the difference between your needs and your wants – make sure the “wants” are really worth the cost of being in debt and short of money
54. Re-use that disposable razor.  Some men can get up to 4 weeks use.
55. Share a warehouse club membership with friends or family and split the annual fee which may be $45 or so.
56. Save those scraps of hand soap, mix them with water and refill your liquid soap dispenser with it
57. Avoid ATM fees at all cost
58. Smile because you are on your way to financial freedom

Pick one item from the list each week and add it to your list of tools for just balancing your bankbook or getting rich.  Most of these things are so small you won’t even notice that you have changed.  Keep track of your cash flow and that’s where you’ll notice the difference. 

If this seems like too much, see The Millionaire Mind E-book.