Unusual ways to save money?

Could you guys please tell me some unusaul, and not so unusual, ways you save money? I am pretty good at saving money but sometimes feel as though I could be doing a bit better.

Public Comments

1. BUY 2PLY TOLET PAPER AND TEAR THE PLYS APART (I SAW IT ON TV)
2. Figure out what are your regular expenses. Try to make up a budget, tracking where your expenses are going. Then try to find ways to keep expenses under your budget. Anything you save, buy a CD with it.
3. take 2-3 dollars a day and stash it in a piggy bank if you dont see the large amount like a savings account then you may not be tempted to spend it take all your change and stick it in a piggy bank Wamu has a pretty cool account with their checking where every time you use your debit card they give you a couple pennies and on your anniversary date they will give you that money, at the begining of this month I got 43.52$ if you join a credit union they will give you higher interest rates on your savings, I also really like ING online banking
4. I have found that Hamburger Helper does just fine without the hamburger. Every time you get paid put a roll of quarters in the wall by removing a light switch. When you need it bad enough you will have it as well as enough to fix the wall. ;-}
5. Unplug all appliances when not in use.
6. Pennies... A penny saved is a penny earned. - Benjamin Franklin If you want to really save money, get a Business License and a Business Tax I.D. number, and use that Business Tax I.D. number to buy direct from the manufacturer (sales tax free) at the manufacturers' price (below wholesale).
7. as stupid as it sounds...keep all your money in your wallet! If you're looking at the money you spend and look in your wallet and realize that this is exactly how much money you have until the next time you get paid, you're more cautious as to not spend it. If it's in the bank account, you know you have it, no big deal. What I also do, since it's hard to break a $100 bill (most gas stations, fast food places, etc., won't take them), fold up that $100 bill and put it in a different place in your wallet (ex: behind your driver's license) so if you do happen to run low on money, that's your back-up! Good luck!
8. I saw this on Oprah once, about taking all the change out of your purse at the end of the day and putting it in a jar. Supposedly if you do that every day you'll save quite a bit. Personally, I never carry cash. I am a horrible spender so I have my paycheck automatically depositied into my savings account. When I need money for bills, i transfer just what I need into my checking and then pay my bills online. I never, ever carry cash (If I have $20, I'll spend $20, not $10 or $5). Everything stays in my savings account. I also bring my lunch to work using tupperware. Bring coffee to work in a thermos instead of buying starbucks, and my husband and I started shopping at Trader Joes which is so much cheaper than the usual gorcery stores. I grow my own herbs, make my own bread (I make 4 loaves at a time, freezing the extra) make vegetable stock from leftover veggies. Geez, I guess i really am worse than I thought lol! I could go on but anyway, I hope some of this helps!.
9. Well, I would not say my ways are unusual, but they do work- I had to cut down on spending to pay off credit card debt and still be able to function like a normal person (eating, buying clothes, putting gas in my car, going out once in a while.) I do not smoke but if you do, consider quitting not only for health reasons but also for $$. If you smoke a pack per week at $6 a pop you will save $312 in a year. Instead, put that money into a piggy bank and then cash it in for something nice for yourself. Cut down on stuff like takeout foods, Starbucks coffee etc- buy fresh produce in local stores and make your own food (that will also be healthier and you may drop pounds.) When buying gas, find where it's the cheapest before you fill up (but if you go way out, you loose the money, b/c you burn more gas in the process) I drive 16 miles to work and the gas is much cheaper by my work, so that is where I buy it. When shopping, go to outlet malls, use coupons and offers from certain stores. Also, don't get pulled into buying things just b/c its a great deal, they have a huge sale, markdowns etc- it's not a deal if you are not going to use the item. Good luck!
10. Every time you get a raise save 40% or 50% of the raise. Over time, you'll save A LOT of money, but each time you get a raise, you also get to spend a little more. Example: This year you get a raise of $10.00 a week after taxes and other deductions. Save $5.00 a week and spend the other $5.00 a week. Next year, say you get a $15.00 a week raise (net). Start saving $12.50 a week ($5.00 of last year's raise and $7.50 of this year's raise). Etc. Etc. Doing this you will always be forced to spend "below your means", a good way to build future wealth.
11. 1. Pretend you are suffering from a sudden onset of agoraphobia so cant go out to work for a few weeks - you save on transport, clothes & washing etc & no going out for meals or movies in the evening.... just stay home & count the money 2. Buy a pet dog & train it to return home then you can advertise it for sale knowing he'll keep coming back time after time. 3. Find a dodgy patch of pavement & trip over it a good lawyer should be able to make a claim on the local council 4. Take a dead cockroach with you when you next go for a meal just before you finish put it in the food & scream the place down....
12. 1. Put the maximum into retirement accounts, before you get paid. 2. When I go shopping, just before checkout, I go through everything and eliminate the luxuries. 3. A paypal debit/credit card currently pays 5.05% interest, and 1% cash back on credit card purchases.