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Nineteen Ways to Save Money in a Down Economy
By plrprousers | July 14, 2009
Economic downturns are never especially fun, but as Adam Smith noted centuries ago, these cycles of paucity and plenty are a fact of life. Although no one can say for sure when this latest slump will reverse, there are at least sure ways of stretching your cash in the meantime. Here are some penny-preserving ideas tailored to our 21st-century lives:
1. Plenty of people are in the habit of cutting out paper coupons, but even though many of us do part of our shopping on the Internet now, not as many of us seem to have learned to coupon-hunt on the Web. Sites such as CouponCabin.com, CouponMountain.com, and DealofDay.com list thousands of current offers at merchants across the Net.
2. Use price-comparison websites like Pricegrabber.com, Shopping.com, Google Product Search, and mySimon.com to find the best deals online.
3. When you’re at a store, send a text message to 46645 (Google’s number) and enter the letter “f” and then the name of the product you’re interested in. Google will reply with a text quoting its online prices. To compare prices at local stores, use ShopLocal.com.
4. If you don’t already belong to one, consider joining a warehouse club like Costco or Sam’s and buying things in bulk. This can be especially helpful if you have a sizable family.
5. Buy generic instead of brand-name products. A lot of the difference is usually in the marketing ballyhoo and not the product, anyway.
6. Withdraw your green from surcharge-free ATMs, which can be found on AllpointNetwork.com and MoneyPass.com.
7. Buy locally-grown food at farmer’s markets or stores that sell local produce. Prices there are often lower since the food doesn’t have to be transported far.
8. Shop at dollar stores. You should have an easy time finding them since they’ve been turning up all over the place recently.
9. Purchase discount prescription drugs from online pharmacies. You’ll often end up paying considerably less than half as much for the generic pills sold at these discount prescription drug stores than you would for the same brand-name medicines at brick-and-mortar pharmacies.
10. If your vehicle is seven or more years old and/or worth $2,500 or less, consider dropping comprehensive and collision from your insurance. Your deductible may be closing in on the value of your vehicle anyway, in which case a major collision would send your car to the junk dealer and you to the dealership.
11. Keep cell-phone costs under control. Kids today love to text message, so save yourself from unexpectedly high bills by paying the flat monthly fee for unlimited texting.
12. Use online classifieds to buy used items. Sites like CraigsList.org and Kijiji.com are superb resources for finding everything you need, from vintage furniture to baby gear. By buying from local sellers, you can save on shipping costs too.
13. Go to matinees. The matinee showing is often more reasonably-priced than peak-time showings.
14. Install Power Planners (see www.energycsi.com/energysmart) to lower the energy consumption of your electrical appliances.
15. For your next date, have a romantic picnic instead of going to an expensive restaurant. Pack a blanket and a cooler full of your favorite foods and you’ve got yourself a low-cost rendezvous. Spice it up a little with a bottle of wine.
16. Instead of spending money on software, look for (legal) free software from websites like Download.com and SourceForge.net. Depending on how you use a given type of software, the free alternatives will often be just as good as the paid versions.
17. If anybody in your house is a student, get the Student Price Card from SPCLive.com. It’s only $8.50 and it will get the holder 10% to 15% off in scores of participating stores.
18. Control your thermostat. Using a programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature will reduce energy usage when you’re sleeping and away. Prices range from $30 to $120, but you’ll cut your bill by 10% to 20%.
19. Consider leaving your health club. Less expensive options may include a gym at your work, in your building or community, or at a nearby parks and recreation center.
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