Economy

Economy was Originally Posted on February 12, 2012 by lavarock

I like saving money, or rather not spending as much as everybody else. I have a few ideas that people can use to save a few cents. A few cents adds up.

Des Moines. If the s’s are silent, why write them. We all know they are are. It’s a waste of ink and time typing them.

Daylight Savings Time. I keep harping on this. Save time and effort changing the clocks. Set them 1/2 hour in between and remember if you are a 1/2 hour early or late. If you can’t remember that, you have no business remembering whether to set them ahead or behind each time change.

Water (shaving, showering, etc). If the water is too hot, turn the hot water down rather than the cold water up. You will save a few drops of water and some electricity to heat the water.

Are you keeping money in a savings account at a bank? Sign up for a credit union. If the bank charges minimums, fire them in favor of a credit union. Almost ANYONE can qualify for a credit union account. Bankrate.com shows what banks are paying and where to put money if you want to bank on line.

Putting money in INGDIRECT will get a good rate of return AND let you send checks and pay bills fro free.

Sharebuilder lets you periodically buy stocks by dollar cost averaging. They are part of ING.

I am making 7% on my money by making micro loans at Prosper.Com. While not for everyone, my initial funding of $200 gave 4 people an opportunity to fund their projects. I could have put a 2 dollars into a hundred higher risk loans and perhaps come out (afer a couple people default) with 10% or 20% profit, but I’m a bit too conservative for that. I am done with major speculations.

I am a member of a warehouse club (COSTCO). I buy things in bulk and save lots of money. Depending upon which account is chosen, the yearly cost is $50 or $100. I chose the more expensive plan and got an AMEX card through them. I get more than the $100 back every year, I save TONS on gasoline costs and products and get an extra year of warrantee on my electronics and stuff. If I didn’t need large quantities of items, I’d work with my neighbors to buy things and split them. Where else can you get a hotdog and all-you-can=drink soda for $1.50 Other warehouse clubs may offer similar deals. Some (not COSTCO) have a daily visitor rate at 10% above listed price. Visit a warehouse club with someone else and see for yourself. My COSTCO offer gasoline at perhaps 50 cents a gallon cheaper than the next closest station.

Buy generics. Try not to buy the name brand items because generics can be cheaper. Oftentimes a name brand with a coupon is still more expensive. If you can double coupons, then fine, but usually generics and store brands are less cost and just as good. I think anyone buying name brand aspirin or antihistamines is nuts.

Animals. I feed raw food and can save money over “premium” dry kibble, which is bad for pets. Still, if you can’t do that yourself, at least give your dogs lots of meaty bones. They help clean teeth and may save you yearly cleanings at the Vet at tremendous cost. They put dogs to sleep to clean teeth and that is not a good thing.

Pet medicine. My dogs have an account at the Walmart Pharmacy for medicine. It is a lot cheaper than the Vet! Did you know that Walmart, Target and others will fill pet prescriptions? You may pay $4 for something that would cost $70 at a Vet! In once case, a medicine for dogs cost tons more than the same medicine for goats. Since goats are few and far between, the company makes more if they can charge every dog owner a ton of money.

You may be able to get meds for pets cheaper online. Places like CanadaVet will ship to the U.S.

Search for it. As mentioned above, use a site like Froogle.Com (Google Products) to search for pet meds or other items you want to buy. You may find the same item with shipping cheaper than one without shipping. I looked up an irrigation pump and found 2 new ones. One company wanted $1000 while the other wanted $850. I did not yet check shipping prices, but still, worth looking for bargains.

Don’t pay retail. Go to coupon sites like retailmenot.com and see if you can find a discount code or link that saves you money.

Clark!. Listen to ClarkHoward on HLN or visit ClarkHoward.Com and start reading. Buy his books (at discount or in the library). Hey HE is the one who tells you that you should not pay full price for his books and cd’s. His publisher in not amused

In Hot Water. When I travel for any length of time, I shut off power to the water heater. You can lower gas water heaters down to a vacation setting. Check with your home supply store or utility as to the best way to do this. I have heard that you *might* have problems if you have an electric water heater and high gases in your water. Your water would have a smell. There you would run water for a while before starting to heat the water again. Thus the reason to check with the utility or knowledgeable person.

Deals. If you find a great deal, share it (that is, AFTER you take advantage of it). Once I saw a great deal on airfare, told everyone about it and they took the last seats available before I could book them.

If you don’t save a few cents or more from the above, there is no helping you