50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
- September 2, 2008 by Fox | Comments: 59
Looking for ways to save money this year? Want to boost your savings in a tough economy with little effort or pain? Good. I’ve got 50 (fifty) ways to painlessly stash some extra cash without losing a limb or getting a second job.
Some of these tips will score you instant dough, while other money saving suggestions require year round strategies to amass the moolah. Not every tip will be applicable to your situation, so pick and choose which money saving tips and strategies are optimal to boost your savings by $1,000 bucks.
Here are 50 ways to save an extra $1,000 a year:
- Dine in. Eating out costs big bucks. Fatten your wallet by eating home cooked meals and you may just slim your waistline while you’re at it. Try these Cheap, Easy, and Healthy, Family Dinners for $5 to kick start your savings.
- Brown Bag It. Stop spending mega moolah muddling your midday meal munching on take out lunches. Bringing a brown bag lunch to school or work every day will save your thousands this year. Try these Five Frugal Lunches for some ideas.
- Latte Factor. Like a daily latte or coffee? These seemingly small drips of dollars can really add up! Forget the daily coffee break and make your own hot beverages to save lots of loot.
- Raise Deductibles. Get out your policy and raise the deductibles on your car and home insurance. You’re not likely to claim the small stuff so choose a $5000 over a $500 deductible to cut your insurance costs by about 40 percent.
- Buy a Cheaper Car. Pimping in a flashy vehicle? A smaller or less expensive model can save you big bucks and still get you from point A to point B in style.
- Lose the Extra Car. Get creative and optimize the usage of a single family car to save huge money on insurance, gas, and car payments. You may be surprised how much money can be saved by reducing the number of cars parked in your driveway.
- Ditch the Car. Buy a Bike. Ride the Bus. Carpool. I did this years ago and lived to tell the tale. I guesstimate I’ve saved at least 5K a year by riding my bike to school and work. I tend to carpool or ride the bus on rainy days. Since I’ve been car-free for 12 years, that’s 60K saved! Ka-ching!
- Expunge Extended Warranties. Don’t buy extended warranties on inexpensive products like cameras and kitchen appliances. The only time a warranty makes sense is if a repair will devastate your budget.
- Avoid Unnecessary Insurance. Skip mortgage and accidental death insurance as it only covers you in specific cases. Get life insurance to cover you no matter the cause of death.
- Avoid Whole Life Insurance. Whole life policies are expensive for the policy owner and lucrative for the policy seller. Term policies, which cover you for a set period, are FAR less expensive. Here’s How to Buy Life Insurance Without Getting Screwed.
- Don’t Insure Your Kids. I love kids, but insurance for children makes no financial sense. Buy life insurance to replace the income of the family breadwinner(s), those you are dependent on. Not your dependents. Here’s why your kids don’t need life insurance.
- Get a High Interest Savings Account. Switch your savings account to a high interest account, like those offered through ING Direct. You can make 3-4 percent MORE on your savings a year, rather than the pittance most checking accounts offer.
- Pay off Your Credit Card. Stop paying the bare minimum on your credit cards. Paying just the minimum (usually 2-3 percent) only prolongs the agony and increases the amount of interest paid to the bank. Save yourself over 20 percent in interest charges by fully paying off your credit card debt. Depending on your debt, you may add thousands to your wallet.
- Get a Better Credit Card. Not all credit cards are created equal. Choose a credit card with no annual fee, understand your credit card’s benefits and risks, know how your issuer calculates interest charges, and learn how to benefit from introductory rates. Reading the small print will help you to make the most of your credit card and keep fees and charges to a minimum, saving bundles of bucks every year. Try these Four Steps to Choosing a Credit Card for help.
- Watch Investment Fees. There are costs to investing your hard earned dollars. Learning how to minimize these costs can save you thousands in management expense ratio fees (MERs), trailer fees, and broker fees. Always read your investment fund prospectus to better understand how these hideous fees can eat up your fund portfolio returns year after year. If you’re investing in high fee mutual funds, consider a portfolio in index funds or exchange traded funds (ETFs) to better increase your returns and minimize your costs.
- Look at Laundry Costs. Washing clothes is a repetitive task which can cost big bucks over the span of a year. When I stop to calculate the cost of laundry detergent, the power usage of clothing dryers, and the water consumption of washing machines I shudder at the total cost of cleaning filth. Learn How to Save Money on Laundry to minimize the expensive impact of filth.
- Banish Bank Account Fees. Minimum balances, withdrawal fees, checking fees, paying bills fees, fees, and more fees. Why are you paying so much for banking? I dare you to add up all those tiny little dings you don’t want to look at and see how much you pay for banking. Compare your banking fees to other bank accounts and switch banks. I’ve been using a no fee checking account with President’s Choice Financial for years, and love it. Find a no fee checking account in your state, province, or country and live bank fee free already.
- Axe ATM Fees. Getting dinged $1 here and there for withdrawing your cash can add up! Planning your cash withdrawals ahead of time can save you lots of dollar dings over the span of a year. Axe your ATM fees by sticking to your bank’s machine, only withdrawing cash a few times a month, and check your bank plan to see if there is a better fee structure for your banking needs.
- Eat Less Meat. Where’s the beef? To save thousands in groceries try eating less meat in your family meals. You don’t have to go vegetarian, just try some meatless dishes a few times a week. Switching from animal protein to bean protein is a wonderfully frugal way to add some dollars to you bank account. Try soaking dried beans to become the ultimate money saving bean counter.
- Pay Down Student Debt. New graduate? Finished your degree decades ago? Paying off your student loan is a sure fire way to reduce interest payments, saving you thousands. Try these 5 Tips for Paying Off Student Loans.
- Manage Extra Mortgage Payments. For most of us, the mortgage represents our biggest debt. If you can manage, try making an extra payment to help end the loan sooner. Use the Loan Amortization Calculator to see the impact of how much loan interest can be reduced by paying down your mortgage sooner.
- Cut the Cable. Television is expensive. Especially if you have special packages, customer loyalty bundles, and fee hungry features. Cancel the unneeded extras to save, or just cut the cable completely to maximize savings. Television may seem like a nominal monthly bill, but try adding up this expense over 12 months.
- Cancel the Cell Phone. Roaming fees, text messages, minute overages. Cell phones can cost you big bucks over a year. Reevaluate your cell phone plan to save, or cancel your cell package to maximize savings. Should you cancel your cell phone?
- Rent Less Apartment. Downsizing your rented apartment could save you money over time. Try renting a unit on a lower floor without a view, move to a building with fewer perks, or rent a basement suite. Renting a smaller place can also save you on energy costs.
- Get a Roommate. Got a multiple room apartment or house? Rent out a room to a student or a young professional to jump start some savings. Sharing space saves on energy costs too.
- Reconsider the Landline. If you have a cell phone, do you still need your landline? Many cell phone users work on the road or away from the home. Perhaps it’s time to ditch the landline to save on utility costs.
- Maintain Your Car. Routine maintenance can save you a bundle by preventing major automobile repair costs. Follow your car’s user manual to keep up-to-date with oil changes, new air filters, and regular tune ups.
- Save Money on Gas. Gassed by the high prices at the pump? Try these 10 Ways to Save Money on Gas to cut your fuel consumption.
- Buy a More Fuel Efficient Car. Perhaps it’s time to trade in the gas guzzling clunker for a more fuel efficient automobile. Try the Should You Buy a More Gas Efficient Car Calculator to determine the break even point of a new car based on gas consumption.
- Pass on Pets. I love my dog. But our fine furry friends can cost us a small fortune in food and veterinarian bills. If you need the extra stash of cash, it may be best to pass on pets. Learn about Annual Pet Costs before bringing fluffy home.
- Use Condoms. When it’s time for sexy time, consider condoms. Health costs and babies are expensive. Preventing sexually transmitted infections is key to keeping yourself healthy, wealthy, and wise.
- Negotiate Your Mortgage. Never settle for the bank or mortgage lender’s first offer. Always ask mortgage brokers for the best fees, terms and mortgage rate. Save thousands in interest costs. Try the Loan Amortization Calculator to see your savings.
- Negotiate Your Salary. Getting a job offer is fun and thrilling. But settling for your first offer may be a mistake. Companies exist by keeping their costs down, hence paying employees as little as possible. When you get an offer, try negotiating for a little bit more. Try these 10 Tips for Salary Negotiation.
- Plan a Staycation. Stay at home for your next family vacation and save on lodging, dining out, and traveling costs. Staycations involve visiting local attractions like museums, parks, festivals, and play grounds. Get to know your area and neighbors better by vacationing near home.
- Switch to Exchange Traded Funds. When investing in your retirement, consider switching your mutual funds to Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). ETFs have lower management fees than mutual funds. The less money you spend in management fees the more you keep in your portfolio. Try the Portfolio MER Calculator to calculate your total investment costs. You many just be surprised how much these fees eat into your returns!
- Grow a Garden. Cut some cash from your grocery bill by growing your own food. Planting some common veggies can help save a bundle. Want some hard numbers? Follow J.D. Roth at Get Rich Slowly in his series: How Much Does a Garden Really Save? Don’t have space for soil? Here are 12 Vegetables You Can Grow in a Pot.
- Switch to Cloth Diapers. The number of diapers a baby and toddler uses until potty trained is staggering. Calculate the cash spent on your baby’s poopy disposable diapers and you may just s$it yourself. Consider switching to cloth diapers to save some bucks. The biggest money savings can be found if you plan to have multiple children or can buy used cloth diapers. Trent at The Simple Dollar discusses his cloth diapering thoughts.
- Buy Used. Need some furniture, books, or car? Why not buy used to save! Buying used goods not only saves on taxes, but saves you from spending top dollar on retail. Most of my furniture and nearly all of my books were bought used. It’s astounding the quality available if you’re willing to wait and buy used. Try these tips for shopping second hand.
- Quit the Gym. Go for a Walk. What’s up with fitness club initiation fees, contracts, locker fees, and monthly rates? Joining a gym can be an expensive relationship, especially if your membership or contract is hard to break or goes on for years. Know your rights before joining a gym, be aware of the pitfalls, and do the math. Before paying a gym, consider these 10 Free Ways to Get into Fitness to save a bundle.
- Love the Library. I love reading books. I love not paying for books even more. Save yourself on Amazon bills by going to your local library and signing out your books for free. Besides, the library offers more than just free books! Get access to videos, CDs, and audio books. Be sure to watch out for due dates and fines.
- Get a New Job. Changing careers or finding a new job can pay dividends in the size of your paycheck. Boost your earnings to save more bucks.
- Make a Shopping List. Curb impulse grocery spending by downloading the Printable Grocery Shopping List. A shopping list can help you stay on the frugal track and avoid expensively packaged foods, save time at the store, and helps you remember what healthy foods to buy. Easy.
- Switch Home Heating. Is heating your home burning a hole in your wallet? If you heat with oil, perhaps it’s time to switch to electric? Your state or province may offer rebates and incentives for switching to more energy efficient forms of heating.
- Sell Your Stuff. Are endless racks of CDs, videos, books, sports equipment, and stuff cluttering up your space? Consider selling some of your stuff to raise some funds and clear some space. Try selling through garage sales, local swap meets, and online through craigslist, Kijiji, and eBay.
- Stop Buying Crap. Do you really need the latest gizmo or gadget? Resist the marketing muckity muck when advertisers launch crap, unveil crap, and convince you to upgrade crap. Crap is expensive. Learn to Just Say “No” to Crap before your wallet gets whacked by needless crap.
- Leave the Liquor. Spirits can be fun. But lots of liquor can leave your pocketbook dry. Try drinking less alcohol to help boost your savings.
- Shop Out of Season. Save some serious dollars by buying goods out of season. Buy winter boots in the spring, get wrapping paper after Christmas, and buy a bike in the fall. Buying goods out of season means finding end of season sales, reductions, and clear outs.
- Shop In Season. Buying broccoli in January is crazy expensive. Buying fruits and vegetables in season keeps grocery costs down. Try shopping at local farmer’s markets and freezing perishables for the winter. Besides, food just takes better when it’s in season (source).
- Use Your Benefits. Does your employer’s compensation package include medical, dental, chiropractor, massage, and other physical therapies? Since you’re probably paying a fee for this health care you’d be silly to squander the benefit. Be sure to visit the dentist and fix all your ailments by using your benefits. A healthy smile is priceless.
- Claim Your Tax Credits. When doing your yearly taxes, don’t forget to claim your health expenses, child credits, and education amounts. Missing an exemption could cost you thousands. Collect all your receipts during the year so you’re not scrambling to prove your costs come tax season. I store my receipts in simple envelopes to help tame the clutter and confusion throughout the year.
- Your Turn! What are your ways to save big bucks every year? Share your thoughts!
Saving an extra $1000 a year is not impossible. It just takes some strategies, creativity, and patience to amass the moolah over time.
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Your Two Cents:
Other suggestions, although some of them may not save $1000/year:
- Cut down on internet cost by switching to a slower tier or sign up for an introductory offer at a competing ISP. The “basic” broadband at $15-20/month is suffice for most.
- Buy a reliable car and keep it for 10+ years instead of leasing. Better yet, buy a used car.
- Use regular gas, not premium, unless your car really needs it. That trims the gas expense by about 10%.
- Take advantage of any and all benefits offered by your employer, such as employee discounts, 401k/RRSP match, health benefits, etc.
- Avoid bank fees by switching to a no-fee bank account (or negotiate with your bank). Many banks charge extra for Interac transaction and ATM withdrawal, and withdrawing cash from ATM other than your own banks cost extra. Often the bank charges a per-account monthly fee for a handful of “free” transactions. And never, ever, let your account go into overdraft.
- Quit smoking. Cigarettes are expensive on their own, not to mention the indirect health-related costs.
- Eat more rice. Rice is generally cheaper per meal than potato, pasta and bread, unless you grow/make your own.
51) Simplify your beauty regimen and/or use food products to keep your skin clean and clear (strawberries are a great astringent).
52) Pet costs can be tempered by keeping Fido and Fluffy healthy, which means proper care, exercise, and food. Make your own pet food, learn to do your own grooming, and above all, shop around for a vet.
53) Rediscover the holy trinity of cleaning agents: baking soda, vinegar, and Borax. In one combination or another, there is almost NOTHING these won’t clean.
54) Wish lists: if you want something and it’s over your “fun” budget, put it on a wish list to save up for. Often, you’ll find that by the time you have the cash for it, you probably don’t want it any more. And if you still do, well, now you can afford it.
Move. Moving 2 months ago to a cheaper town has saved us over $1500 a month in expenses! Great list, BTW…
From a quick and dirty count, it appears that at least 7 of these 50 tips involve foods and drinks. It’s amazing what getting a handle on your grocery/dining out budget can do for your finances.
Kind Regards,
Use gasbuddy.com to find the cheapest gas prices in your area.
Switch newspaper subscription to Sunday only for the coupons.
wow! What a list!
Today we sold our 2006 minivan.. we are now a one car family!!
Here is something I need to do: quit drinking soda and only drink water.
The latte factor was a big one for me. I managed to spend over $2300 a year on Starbucks. It really adds up quickly.
Love you list and stumbled it.
LOVE THE TWONIE (did I spell that right?)
Not to often you see that!
Got this idea from Frugal Trenches No Spend Days, I just started and it’s a great way to make your cash stretch further.
If your interested in vegen than check out her blog, she lives in London an insanely expensive city yet manages to eat on less than £20 a week. Quite an accomplishment
I would add learn to invest your money. It’s not very difficult and you can save big. The usual charge for managing your portfolio is anywhere from 1% to 2%. Have a $50K portfolio? You can save $500.
Tap water!
Drink tap water not bottled water. Get yourself a nice BPA-free water bottle and fill up wherever you can. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where tap water is drinkable, drink up! it’s good for you, it’s cheap, and it’s environmentally savvy too — why would you truck in water from another province or country?
Hey! I love the tips, but I have a couple more:
-Unless you were born with super oily hair, don’t wash your hair everyday. It is actually healthier for your hair, and reduces water (from the time spent in the shower), electricity (from blow drying and/or styling), and extends the life of your hair care products (using shampoo/conditioner half as quickly)
-I have discovered Freecycle.org recently. Go there and find the freecycle group in your community. There you can get items that you may need and not spend a dime. I recently got mulch and a cute set of butterfly wings for a costume, and it didn’t cost me anything. Don’t forget to give too.
- If you have the internet (a good connection), then forget about renting movies. You can watch a lot of tv, movies, and stuff for free on hulu.com or on many of the major network sites.
-I like this site called eyeslipsface.com for getting makeup. Most products are $1 a piece and are surprisingly good. Bye bye $18 MAC lipstick.
-Get crafty. If you can learn how to do simple things like basic sewing (the basics aren’t that hard) or how to get a little handy with glue, nails, and cutting wood, then you can save a LOT of money. I made a dog house for my dog using a free pattern on the internet, some scrap materials at a local hardware store and some mistint paint – spent about $10 on the supplies and have a great looking dog house (and the pride of having built it myself). Also, I will never ever buy another curtain. I have made all of the curtains in my house – I’ve gotten discounted or scrap fabric to make them. And when I wanted a really large peice of artwork to hang on a wall in my living room, instead of buying a $300 framed print that I wanted, I used a coupon and bought an extra large canvas for about $25, a little bit of paint, and used just basic lines of different colors to make “abstract art”. I figure that if they can do it on Trading Spaces, why can’t I?!
I also think that if you aren’t as picky about certain things you can save a lot of money. The more flexible you are and willing to give in on things, the happier (and savvier) you’ll be. Sometimes if you get your heart set on a $200 trendy “it” bag that everyone else has, you’ll miss out on that cute little flea market find for $10 that everyone will ask you about. I always think its funny because the things that I get the most compliments on tend to be the things I’ve spent the least on. Like I bought this little cropped jacket off of a clearance rack at Walmart for $1 (yes, $1 for a jacket, brand new) – I get the most compliments on it…..and I love telling them that I got it for a dollar at Walmart!
Make your own baby food. It’s easy, and you will know exactly what’s in it.
Air dry instead of using a dryer.
51) Only buy the fresh produce you need. Some basic meal planning will minimize the amount of fresh produce that rots in the bottom drawer of your fridge. The fridge does not require a weekly sacrifice of celery and cauliflower.
52) Learn to make preserves: buying fresh fruit in season and bottling/freezing it yourself can be a big moneysaver. Just make sure you use the preserves you make… no point making 14 jars of strawberry jam if you will only eat one in a year! (Makes good Christmas presents!)
53) Learn to sew your own clothes. IF done right, the fit will be better, quality better and selection/design possibilities unlimited. And… if you get good at it, it can be a money making sideline.
54) Avoid library late fees by keeping track of the due dates on your borrowed materials and getting them back on time.
55) Switch to compact florescent light bulbs as your existing incandescents burn out.
56) Use less laundry soap. You can get your clothing clean with half the recommended amounts.
57) IF you drink wine, consider making your own
58) Eliminate energy drinks and soda pop from your family’s diet
Great list – I love lists like this. One alternative I wanted to mention on #23 “Cancel the Cell Phone” – switch to a prepaid plan for emergencies only. For years I used Tracfone, which cost me about $100/year. I kept it for emergency use only, and never even came close to using up my minutes. Recently I switched to T-Mobile, and it looks like after the first year it will be even cheaper.
Great list! Thanks!
Here’s a link to a list that Trent of the Simple Dollar wrote on this topic:
http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/24/trimming-the-fat-forty-ways-to-reduce-your-monthly-required-spending/
Really great list! I loved the link to the annual cost of various pets (I’ve been wanting exactly this info for a while).
I save all of the little amounts that I earn online (selling on half.com or ebay, surveys, etc) in a separate account. I’m saving for a down payment on a house. My account is currently at $4k.
Fantastic list!
I think you have hit on some really good ideas. The point of getting rid of the car is a very valid one especially as the price of gas is high. Its not an option that most people would consider but it is probably one of the biggest things that you can do to save money. While its probably not suitable for everyone given that you need to be close to good transport links – it is something that should be considered by those who can.
Love your list . One that I did this year was selling all of my CD’s. I just downloaded them to my computers and sold them on eBay and half.com. I made enough to pay all, and I do mean all of my expenses for almost 3 months. I figured they are going to be worth about as much as 8 tracks were, why not get ahead of the game.
Great post!
Awesome, comprehensive list.
By the way (not related to this post, but in response to your comment on my site) — you should definitely give the Las Vegas Marathon a try! But don’t be fooled. October can be extremely cold… I once shortened a camping trip in the desert off of LV Boulevard (where part of the marathon takes place) in October, ironically, the morning of that race, because of being chilled to the bone. And, actually, it is currently snowing in LV… and school is canceled tomorrow!! So, definitely not as cold as Canada or other areas of the states (I went to grad school in North Dakota), but definitely not warm in the winter, hehe. So pack appropriately : ). And happy running!
Excellent post! I will add:
51) Sell your stuff, if you are paying for storage, this can save a lot of montly expenses.
52) Use coupons; my wife and I go to the supermarket and save up to 25$ per month; thats nearly 400 $ per year. On top of that you can use that money to pamper yourself.
Roll your own change! While the counting machines are delightfully fast and easy to use, the percentage they charge adds up faster than you may think! Most banks will give you coin wrappers for free, too.
1.get a Pc Mastercard with pay pass.
every dollar gets you 10 points.
every 20000 points gets you 20 dollars in free groceries.
works out for me to be 20 dollars free every 2 months,savings of $120 per year- this amount can help you ditch your monthly plan cell for a pre-paid one.
2. get a citi petro-points mastercard with paypass.
(Paypass is highlighted for the level of convenience it offers)
1 dollar on gas gets you 10 points plus 2 cent discount.
15000 points gets you a “5 cent fuel savings card”.
so by using citi petro and saving card , you save 7 cents on every litre.
we have two cars, buying 200 litres every month.
we save 200*7 cents=$14. $14 can cover your life insurance premium.
lots of good tips!
good to know that I am pretty frugal. me and my partner got pretty much all of our furniture for free, but we live in the free city (Victoria, BC), people advertise and leave things out on lawns. As much as it can be hard to make a dollar, we are living in these nations of excess stuff.
XS Cargo by the way, a good place to buy cheap things.
Also found out that if you do not make a lot of money, sometimes sucking it up and working more hours makes a big difference. Post-University is difficult when you are used to loans, and working little (of course many others work a lot). Working more has been my penance. It also rejuvenates all that discipline I lost hanging out in coffee shops poised with my big books (and no more hanging out in those money traps!)
Also I find that staying in touch with community is really really key. Everyone is so talented out there, and the less you depend on society’s dictates of what is wealth, and help a neighbour/friend/family out, the more wealth that accumulates.
Riding bikes, walking, the great outdoors, paying off debts, the crucial steps towards financial liberation!
Oh, and cooking home meals, whole food meals (and let me tell you, working at a grocery store how much people spend buying bulk nuts and nutritional supplements/drinks/vitamins, when whole foods can keep them uber healthy. Buy items on the flyer! (eat grapefruit when its 10 for 4 dollars)! (Healing with Whole Foods, by Paul Pitchford, very good)
I love all these ideas -also, I’ve found that if you buy shampoo and conditioner for hair, they are really thick and strong. you can easily mix them with water -half and half. not only does it go farther, it’s less damaging for your hair.
Our family makes a game of saving money. My hubby and I each get a cash “allowance” every week and the contest is who has the most left over at the end of the week. The money is saved for bigger ticket items like some piece of music equipment he wants or towards a family trip.
Also, our family does “homemade or recycled” birthday and Christmas gifts. You have to acquire it used (garage sale, thrift store, auction) or make it yourself. Exceptions are made if something is found on a super-ultra-mega-clearance rack.
I just started cutting out my McDonald’s $1.39 large coffee per day. While McD’s is a lot cheaper than Starbucks, it still adds up over the weeks and months. Thanks for the tips!
Insuring kids: That article you link to no longer exists, unfortunately. And life insurance isn’t just about replacing income, in some cases. My daughter was born with vesico-urinary reflux (her pee went backwards up into her kidneys from time to time), on both sides and with an underdeveloped right kidney to boot. She had to undergo surgery at some point to correct the right side where the ureter went into the bladder. Understandably, as she wasn’t even two yet, I was freaked. And it occurred to me that if something happened to her on the operating table, I had no money for a burial.
I haven’t rushed out to buy her insurance, mind you, but I’m thinking about it. I’m also considering that her condition is a risk factor for end-stage renal disease later in life; I’m not sure whether having had the surgery lessens that risk. So I’m thinking I might be better off getting her whole life now while she’s four, thus making her more insurable later on–at the very least she’d be able to keep a policy that I start now, as long as the insurance company doesn’t go under.
An alternative, I know, is to sock as much money into savings for her as I can. It won’t be the be-all, end-all though, and I can’t sock much right now.
Eating less meat: Forget it. I don’t eat a ton of it as it is, but replacing it with rice and beans or any other plant food combination would be disastrous for my blood sugar levels. Now, rice is a bit easier on me than, say, wheat–especially brown rice. But it’s still not great for me. I’m not diabetic yet, but I’m on my way to it and the longer I delay it, the fewer bills I will incur. I’d like to at least put it off until I can get my own health insurance again, if I can’t avoid it entirely.
(By the way, telling a pre-diabetic “lose weight to reduce the risk” isn’t the whole story. We’re fat because we have insulin resistance. If we don’t lose weight in a way that compensates for the insulin resistance then it’s not going to do squat to keep us from developing the full-blown disease.)
People give out the worst dietary advice in the name of “health” or saving money. Maybe I’m a freak, but my canine teeth and acidic stomach peg me as a non-obligate carnivore, just like a dog, and while fruits and vegetables do contain compounds that are healthy for me, going without animal foods for long periods is not an optimum situation.
I’m reminded of a famous personal development blogger who is a vegan and who decided to go raw-food vegan for thirty days as an experiment. Despite the fact that he felt “high” at the end of it and his hands were cracked and bleeding, he decided it made him healthy. The bleeding hands, he claimed, were “detoxing.” For my part I decided that if no one had told him in thirty-plus years that it’s your liver that detoxes, not your hands by cracking open and weeping, there’s not much I can do for him. Poor guy, his body was starving for more fat.
Do a web search on Vilhjalmur Stefansson sometime… his discoveries about the Great White North were historic, but what he found about human dietary requirements was interesting too.
Someone who wants to save money in a way that’s not going to leave them screwed up later might consider cutting out processed junk, no matter how cheap it is. Pick a few dietary staples and stick with them most days of the week. I’ve got the old Sidetracked Home Executives book and they suggest setting up a menu plan where you have a certain type of dish each day of the week, with one day open for experimentation if you want. I.e., Monday night might be Leftover Night, while Wednesdays might be Casserole Nights. If you know ahead of time what you’re going to eat for the week then you can buy the supplies ahead of time when they’re on sale. This works whether you’re a vegetarian or a three-meals-a-day beef-eater. If anyone ever actually does the latter, I suppose it would still cost more than being a vegetarian (well, until you have to deal with medical bills–I’d love to see a comparison between, say, vegan and paleo eating rather than between vegan and Standard American), but as there are other ways to cut costs than starving yourself, I’m sure most people can compensate.
just cutting back on a few trips to the coffee shops or one or two brown bag lunches really does add up to significant savings. It does not take much effort or sacrifice once you can get past the first week withdrawals.
I found that having our IRA go ‘paperless’ saved us $25 each IRA a year, every year from now on.
Paying my Medicare supplement insurance as an automatic withdrawal from our checking account amounted to $50 a year saved.
Several bills are no paid automatically or on line which saves $5.28 per year for each bill that needs paid on a monthly basis. At this point I have 6 being paid that way each month for a yearly savings of over $30.
Automate little bits of savings this way and you begin to find that you are saving a couple hundred dollars a year, each and every year.
Re banking in B.C.: While PC and Ing Banks are free, Canadian Western Bank is also free and pays higher savings interest rates, and the downtown branch is easier to get to and offers service by real bank people. Online transfers savings/chequing and bill payments are immediate.
Absolutely love, love, love your site. Loved many of the posted comments as well. Thanks. Here are some ideas.
A. Track Your Money. We always get receipts and use a computer program (before we had a program, I used a simple spreadsheet with my own made-up spending categories). After the first month I was shocked by how much money we were spending on dining and utter CRAP. The hardest part I find is doing it every day. Just knowing that I have to enter an expenditure into the program (I’m pretty lazy), has helped me avoid many a purchase of garage sale fodder.
B. Planned Meals. Our weekly menus (we have about five that we rotate) have saved us a bundle. We don’t buy food impulsively. We’ve virtually stopped dining out (saves cash BIG TIME!). We’re less likely to let food go to waste in the fridge (since we buy only what we’re going to use). We’re also eating much healthier.
C. Grocery Shopping. We shop at two grocery stores. One where we earn points that are redeemable with more grocery purchases (Yay!). If we buy with “their” (NO FEE) credit card (which we pay off IMMEDIATELY, of course), we get even more points. At the second store we pay to be members (you know the one). We’ve done the math and our savings on things like dairy, meat, fruit and bread more than cover the membership fee.
D. Eat Less. I try to focus on nutrient rich foods (veggies, fruit, etc). I’ve saved money and lost weight.
E. Hair Clippers. I bought a good pair of hair clippers and never looked back. My spouse, who’s gotten quite adept with them now, gives me a quick trim every month or so. This has definately saved me $300 to $500 a year – works best if you’re not too concerned about your looks (at first) and already in a relationship
F. Bus Pass. My employer has a deal with the local transit company where I can get a yearly pass. I’ve done the math and figured out that, even considering the month during the summer when I take my holiday, it’s still cheaper than buying a pass every month and way cheaper than buying bus tickets.
G. Cable. I can do without cable, but it’s too much for my spouse to ‘cut the cord’ completely. We notice that we tend to watch tv less during the summer, so we have in previous years cut the cable just for a few months each year (she met me half way). Unfortunately the ‘connection fee’ can eat your savings if the cable company plays hardball in the fall. I’m going to try to negotiate a suspension of service this year so as to avoid the connection fee. I hope they go for it.
This is about the 10th time I’ve read this article. I keep coming back if I feel like I’ve been spending too much lately. Great article, thanks!
@Sarah So happy you’ve enjoyed this article enough to read it 10 times! Wow! (BTW: Since you like this article, my book could inspire you to save thousands and it costs only around $11.)
Staycation?! Really, it sounds terribly boring
Staycation — sound fabulous. I find travel to be an endurance test, exhausting and costly. Enjoying time off in your own area is what everyone did 50 years ago.
For a 4 cup coffee maker, just add one scoop of coffee into the recently used grounds, and run another carafe of water through.
This makes another pot of great coffee and saves on using another filter….plus you are using half the coffee.
A few more tips off the top of my head:
Don’t throw out extra coffee or tea you’ve made. Add sugar while hot (so it disolves) then refrigerate. You’ll have iced tea and iced coffee ready to go for later in the day. (Keeps about a week.)
Day old bread. Nothing wrong with it. Buy unsliced, spray with water and pop the whole loaf in the over at 375F for 8 minutes…just like fresh baked.
Only need glasses for reading? Buy dollar store and keep them in a glasses container or on a leash around your neck so you don’t lose them and they don’t break as easily. Had my eyes checked by my (very good) optometrist who told me there’s nothing wrong with wearing dollar store because I only wear them for magnification (reading).
Replace cable with a TV rooftop antenna – the small dish kind that’s easy to mount yourself on your roof costs about $150.00 at places like Radio Shack. We get about 6 local channels. We are waiting to see what will happen when Canada goes digital signal only next year but still saving money in the meantime.
Axe as many monthly expenses as possible. One time purchase vs monthly fee almost always the way to go.
Using an ink-jet printer? Don’t get fooled by a cheap printer where the ink cartridges will cost a fortune. Buy the kind where the three primary colors can be filled separately.
Refill printer ink cartridges. Never had any luck with refill-your-own packages, but I take mine to a kiosk in the mall called Island Ink Jet…There are others offering this service. About half the cost of new.
Also checked with them before I bought my last printer and decided what printer to buy based on refill costs, how much ink each type actually used per printed page,etc. Some cartridges can also be filled many more times than others. They know the answers and were happy to make recommendations. A Canon and Brother printer were their recommends to me but things may change from one make to another.
Mix and match bed sheets and pillow cases in clearance bins. Buy separates in clearance bins, and have fun creating a “matched” set for cheap. For instance a plaid top sheet with a solid bottom sheet and another solid color (all that match colors in the plaid) for pillow cases. Always make sure your thread count is high (minimum 250) for quality sheets.
Duvet covers cost a fortune. Make your own. Buy discount sheets, better if they don’t match so you have two reversable looks. Easy to sew. Very straight forward – sewing them together on three sides, and leaving a one or two foot wide opening on the bottom to stuff the duvet into it.
Don’t print your digital photos unless you have a real purpose for it. Show them on your computer screen to share them. I don’t understand people who buy a digital camera, then still print every photo and put them in old-fashioned albums that take up tons of space on the bookshelf where they then collect dust.
If you don’t print your photos, be sure to back them up to a cd or dvd regularly. I make a back up every time I download to the computer.(Use a dvd if possible because it holds way more photos than a cd) Keep backups in a safe dry place.
When given the option, buying e-books rather than printed version will often save you money. Also an e-book often includes free future updates for life (as with my frugal travel guides) available through my website at
Thanks for the exhaustive list of tips. If you applied all these tips, saving $1000 should be easy. You could probably save a lot more than $1000.
Savings is an habit and if these tips are practice in one’s life then they will be able to save more than $1000. Wonderful article.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned making your own bread. I have recently used the “no Knead” method that can be found all over the internet and was lucky enough to receive “Artisan Bread in 5 minutes” as an Xmas gift. I’m currently working my way through it. It seems that you cna produce fabulous bread whilst preparing dinner, pretty much. My only concern is that you have to crank up the oven temp, but I guess it’s just for a few minutes. I tend to turn my oven off 10 mins before the end of cooking routinely anyway. The ingrdients are certainly massively cheaper than store bought bread and I would recommend experimenting with these new style recipes if you havent already
Re #31: If you have a regular sex partner and health insurance that covers prescriptions, birth control is vastly cheaper than condoms…assuming you need them fairly often. ahem. You and your partner should both be tested for STDs anyway.
To save on ATM charges, when paying for your groceries with debit…. get cash back
To further save, I keep a “soup” drawer in my freezer. leftovers go in there….the veggie discards…. bones from a roast or chicken….. and having the king of “I hate veggies”….. anything I don’t want him to see I puree to thicken my soup…. ie…. just bought a whole chicken on sale….. $5. (watch Loblaws)…. two meals + I picked the bones and then made soup…. 3 meals = $5.00. Just takes a little more work, but the savings add up.
Cold water wash…. and hang to dry…. I have knocked my KW per day to 11. (OK, I do wimp out in the winter and use the dryer).
I put my looney and twoney change in a jar…. it’s amazing how fast that adds up, and then I deposit to savings. And, when I get a reimbursement from our benefits provider, I put that in savings. If I already paid for it, then I hope at the end of the month I won’t miss it and the savings account will love it.
I make my own bird seed cakes, but if I get caught short, go to the grocery store (I get these from Metro), the butcher grinds suet and binds it with birdseed. Those suet cakes you buy at the other stores (in the pretty square pack) are $3.00 each…. the Metro sells these for $1.60 – two balls and guess what, the squirrels don’t touch them.
Florists – when looking for bouquets or been the recipient of bouquets? most florists will buy back or give you a credit for all those vases/containers…. you just have to ask.
Wine…. if you’re not too snobby, go to a make it yourself establishment…. even choosing a nice grape keeps your cost to around $3/$4 per bottle.
that’s all I can think of right now, but I know there’s more!