1) Pellet stove (saves about $3-4k in heating oil costs a year, a little less at today's oil prices, but still significant savings )
2) family plan cell phone, shared 3gb data, unlimited otherwise, 125/m for all 3, = ~42/m/line,. buy used phones with no contract. no house phone
3) bring lunch every day. saves about $10 a day
4) eat calories, don't drink them. saves a few bucks a day and is healthier. water only at work, at dinner, etc.
5) shower together with gf, saves hot water
6) shit at work, less water use at home, less TP expense, get paid to poop
7) grow my own food in the back yard
8) become regulars at a thai restaurant. We get double portions and are 15% VIP discount card holders
9) don't rent shit from red box/etc... wait for it on netflix. I have basic cable because I want amc/history/discovery. hbo came with it. Got showtime for $10, probably canceling it though because I never watch it.
10) go to the cheap movie theater for date night, $5
11) carry higher deductibles ($1k) on auto/home = cheaper rates monthly
12) put 5% in a 401k, reduces tax burden, company matches it 4%. =9% savings pre tax.
13) put 4% in a roth. totals 13% retirement savings.
14) opted for deductible health insurance plan, saves $20/m and has better coverage near limits (ie, non-deductible plan pays 1mil, deductible plan pays 10 mil lifetime limits)
15) drive to work the longer mileage way, but actually moving. saves gas, clutch, and road rage vs stop and go, still takes the same time anyway.
16) When I shop online, I start at
eBates (aff) and get money back on stuff i was going to buy anyway. I get about $10-20 a month in checks from them.
17) When I shop online, I search for coupon codes/etc first.
18) When I shop online for clothes, especially for work stuff, I pretty much only hit up the clearance section. Most of my dress shirts and dress pants were bought for under $10.
19) I buy Android devices instead of iDevices, saving about 80%
20) I don't buy a lot of food in boxes. I rarely go down aisles in stores, just stick to the borders. I legit spend about $50 a week in groceries, and it's almost all organic.
21) shop at the Asian market for things that are Asian. Things like Sirraca are like $6.99 at the grocery store, but it's 2 bucks at the market. rice is half the cost, etc.
22) Use work's healthcare reimbursement plan to pay for my gym membership
23) Fund the FSA to cover all anticipated medical costs for the year, pre tax.
24) watch the stock market and see what's going on in the business world on a day to day basis and move money appropriately.
25) roll old debt onto 0% credit cards promos. When they are near due, move it again. The 3% xfer fee is significantly less than a year of apy. Allows you to pay principal only. Use a cash back credit card for other daily purchases to earn 3% cash back, etc. I use a BJ's card (wholesale club) which saves me 10c a gallon on gas, 2% regular purchases, and 5% on in club purchases. It pays out in store credit, which is great for me, as I shop for groceries there a lot so it's worth it to me.
26) pay $100 extra on the mortgage, which is almost a double principal payment (lol). As #25 gets lower, this number will increase.
27) rent the basement to E
28) use
@reckedracing for tax services (saves me a LOT compared to when I did them myself)