Finance Gets Personal

Since I’m trying to get out of debt (and am a tad cheap), here are some ways I save money:

1. I hardly ever wash my car. Which is black. I’ve been seriously tempted to use the little windshield cleaning stations at QuikTrip on my entire car though.
2. The only lattes you’ll ever see me drinking are the ones I can get for free at McDonald’s before 2 p.m. on Mondays.
3. I do not buy napkins or Kleenex. Use a paper towel or toilet paper, dammit!
4. When I go to the movies, I buy non-special engagement discount tickets from AAA. I also sneak in Cokes and candy from the gas station.
5. I’ve used TurboTax in the past to prepare my taxes. Now, they have a TurboTax online system where you don’t have to pay until you print out or e-file your return. I simply input my info into TurboTax.com, then do it all on paper and send it in for free. I can verify that I am doing it correctly by making sure I get the same refund/balance due amount that TurboTax does. Since I owe money this year, there’s really no need to e-file. Side note: If your household income is under $50K or so, you can file your taxes online for free from a variety of sources.
6. When I attend baby showers, I look on the registry for diaper rash cream, medicine and baby first aid kits, which are things I can purchase tax-free through my health care flex account.
7. I don’t have caller ID, call waiting or any of that other fancy phone stuff. In fact, the only reason I even keep the landline is in case my stepson needs to use it for an emergency.
8. I enter contests at online-sweepstakes.com. I’m not a ’sweeper’ - I just enter contests for things I want or need. So far, I’ve won a gift set of cleaning supplies and a holiday gift set from Bath & Body Works.
9. Although I think most free sample offers are not worth the time to fill out the form, I do request samples on mysavings.com for things like tampons, shampoo/conditioner and other necessities.
10. I do not buy anything without checking Craigslist first. If I buy something new and buy it online, I go through the Upromise website for college savings and check Retailmenot.com for coupon codes.

Tags: Frugality