Making Money with Coupons

Cutting coupons is not just for your grandmother anymore!  Especially in this economy, you can't afford not to learn how to use coupons.  And with the many deals out there today, you can get them almost everywhere.  It's like companies can't seem to give them aways fast enough.  Corporations are dying because people don't have enough money to buy their product, so they are giving away coupons like candy.  And you need to avail yourself of the deals they offer.

Grocery stores also want your business, and they often give specials of double and even triple off the value of your coupons.  That means today you can not only use coupons to SAVE money, but you can also use coupons to MAKE money!

All it takes is a little time, a little know how, and a little planning.  But with the right tools, you can cut your weekly grocery bill down by half, and possibly even three-quarters!

So what do you do?  The following will help you with your coupon clipping.

1.  Get a Sunday Paper and cut the coupons

Most Newspaper companies are now advertising upwards of $200 to $300 dollars worth of coupons included in their weekly Sunday Papers.  These are a good start to your coupon arsenal.  Go through and cut all the coupons that are products you are used to buying.  Often they are good for several months, so don't feel pressure to buy that week.  Use them as needed and save as much as you can.

2. Do some dumpster diving!

If you don't get a Sunday newspaper, then get ready to do some "dumpster diving!"  Some people say, "I'd never dive into a dumpster!"  And I must agree with them.  I myself would never dive into a "dirty" dumpster.  But there are many paper recycling places all over America where people throw out their Sunday papers full of coupons.  And these are usually very clean.  So, what's wrong with jumping in them and grabbing some extra coupon booklets?  Nothing!  Especially if you have a grocery store offering double and even triple coupon pricing.  This is a good way to get as many coupons as you possible can.  And what's great about most stores is they have more than one cashier.  So if you are turned away for using "too many coupons" then just go out to your car and come back in and then check out with a different cashier!

3.  Find Coupon books for your community!

Most communities in America have what's called an "Entertainment Book" for that area.  In it are many coupons that are not only for groceries, but also for movies, dinners, amusement parks, and more.  These books usually cost money (around $25 dollars) but they will save you in the long run, as they usually run over 100 pages, and have a total value of thousands of dollars.  If you are used to going out and doing things, you will need this book, and in a years time, it will pay for itself 20 to 30 times over!

These books are often found in drug stores.  You can also look them up online.  Groupon.com is a great site.

4.  Print coupons online!

Most people don't realize that coupons are not just printed on paper by manufacturers, but they can also be printed on your computer from the manufacturer's site.  That's right, there are many companies that will allow you to go to their site and actually print a coupon.   However, they often have a one or two coupon limit, allowing each computer to print only one or two coupons.  This is why it's great to have multiple computers and multiple printers in your home or business.  This way you can print as many as you want!

For example, my wife and I love the Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice.  But it's always so expensive (usually over three dollars a bottle).  But the other day we found a coupon online for 2.00 off of two.  We then found the bottles on sale for $2.97 each.  So we ended up getting them for 1.97 a piece.  But because we had multiple computers, we were able to buy 8 bottles!  And we stocked up for special ocassions.

5.  Take advantage of Websites that teach you how to save using coupons!

Down South, we have an amazing website called Southernsavers.com.  On that site, you can take a tutorial on learning how to shop with coupons.  You then can click on the supermarket nearest you and see the weekly specials and then be directed to certain places to print coupons that will get you the best deal on those specials.  If done right, you can even get money back that will come off of other items you buy at the same store!  Potentially, you can gain a lot of money if you take the time and energy necessary to save!

There are many more sites out there, and you can take advantage of them at your leisure.  Or, you can do like many Moms today, and make it almost a full time job to save money as you stock up on items you'll need in the future.  With inflation and economic uncertainly on the rise, this is a much needed task.  And it never hurts to be "overstocked" rather than "understocked."

 6.  When Buying Online, make sure you get a discount!!!

More and more people are buying things online.  But they often don't realize that there are many sites out there devoted to saving them money.  These sites offer PROMO codes which at the checkout will save you chunks of change.  All you have to do is type in that company and that product in your search engine and see if there's a site out there with a valid PROMO CODE that will save you money.  Sometimes you can get up to 20% off an item, just for entering the code!

Also, there are numerous companies that if you go through them before you purchase something, they will give you between 1% and 3% back on what you buy.  A good example of this company is ebates.com.  Go through them before you buy something, and you might just save a bundle.

7.  Take advantage of extra awards

There are many companies now that have programs that will save you money, but you must enroll.  One example is Winn-Dixie, which gives you special discounts if you sign up with them.  They in turn give you a small card with a barcode on it, and when you check out you scan it at the register.  It will save you a lot.

Autozone, also has the barcode card.  At one time their promotion was that if you spent over 20 dollars five times in a row then you would receive a 20 dollar bill in return.

Office Depot has a deal that if you sign up for, you can get money back on each empty printer cartridge you take in. (Usually three dollars for each one).  You can also get cash back on certain qualifying items you buy.  They usually pay you quarterly, and send you a debit card for the full amount in the mail.  This is like cash in the mail, and often it's a VISA card, which you don't even have to spend in their store.  It can be used anywhere for anything!

One of the best promotions is Walgreens Bucks program.  They too have a small card with a barcode, and as you go into the store you scan the barcode.  A small printer then prints you out coupons.  And, if you bought certain products before that qualified for their "bucks" award, then you will receive a coupon with that many bucks.  It's just like CASH to spend on whatever you want in the whole store!  How could anyone not take advantage of such a deal!

Further, if you know what you are doing, you can use a coupon to get a discounted item, and then use your bucks and get that item without dipping into your wallet at all.  It's like getting the item free!

8.  Look for discounted items and use coupons on those.

This is a little more tricky, but almost all stores have a discount section where they sell old and discontinued items.  Sometimes, you might find an item that a coupon will work on, and it's possible to get the item cheaper than you expected with the coupon.  That will always put a smile on your face!  Paying less than you expected!

9.  Look for coupons on the actual items themselves

Every now and again, you'll pick up an item at the store that will have a coupon sticker on it.  Usually, it will tell you to peel the sticker and present it to the cashier for so much off.   Most people don't do it.  But you'd be a fool not too.  It's extra money in your pocket!

Once, my wife and I went into a store and saw some charcoal on sale.  There were two 10 lb bags wrapped together, and there was a sticker on it that said, "Save $10 dollars off your next purchase of this brand."  My wife and I looked at each other and devised a plan.  We then each took a bag to a separate cashier and paid for it, but we took the sticker off first, and then asked to cashier to scan it.  Sure enough, it gave us the discount.  We then took the stuff out to the truck and then came back and did the same thing over again, not once, nor twice, but three times!  We figured it out later that we got each bag of charcoal for something like two dollars a bag!  You just can't beat a deal like that!

10.  Use coupons on more than just food and groceries.

Most people think coupons are only for food items, drug store products, or typical merchandise.  But there are coupons for virtually everything.  You can even get coupons off of services and maintenance.

For example, I now never pay more than 20 dollars for an oil change.  It's because I've found coupons for a 14.95 oil change, and I've made it a point to always use that.  Before, I was paying over thirty dollars to get my oil changed, but now I've cut that in half!

There are also coupons on virtually everything.  When we go to the mechanic, we make sure to take a 10% off pamphlet we grabbed last time we were there.  When we go office depot we make sure to take our $10 off of $50 coupons, and that saves a lot. 

11.  It even pays to BUY coupons!

Believe it or not, there are people out there who actually SELL coupons.  That's right, they SELL THEM!!!

And, it actually pays to buy them.  One example is that of the Lowes Home Improvement Store.  My wife got online and bought us 10 coupons that say "10% off your next purchase at Lowes."

Armed with these, my wife and I remolded our house, making sure to take at least one coupon with us each time we went to the store.   And even though my wife paid a few dollars for each coupon, we saved four or five times that amount with our big purchases for ceiling fans, cabinets, carpet, etc.

So with all the coupons out there today, there is no excuse for anyone to not use at least one coupon everytime they go to the store.  Why buy retail when you can get at least something off?  Why give them all your money?  Wouldn't you like to save a little for yourself?   Well with coupons you can save a little or a lot!  It's all up to you.   So get started couponing, and then let us know what deals you got!  We'd love to hear some stories in the comments box below!

Ways to save big money on your electric Bill

The prices of everything are going up: food, clothing, gas, entertainment, etc.  And because of inflation, the price of your electric bill is most likely much higher than it was last year.  So what do you do?  Do you just turn off your power and use candles like they did in the old days?  No, there are many more ways to cut your electric bill, and to cut it drastically. In fact, if you know what you are doing, you can potentially cut your electric bill in half!   That's right, you read that correctly.  I said you could cut your electric bill in HALF!

Imagine how great that would be? 

If you pay $200 a month, wouldn't you like to save an extra $100 a month?  That's an extra $1200 a year!  And what if your bill is $500 a month and you got it down to $250?  That'd be a saving of $3000 a year! 

So how do you do it?  Well, you will have to invest some money to do so, but (and I do mean BUT) it is worth it, as what I am about to tell you will be an investment that will pay for itself in no time!

Below are some things you can do to cut your electric bill...

1.  Install timers on all the water heaters in your house.

If your house uses an electric water heater, then you are using a lot of electricty.  Did you know that unit runs all day long, turning on and off to heat itself?  But it doesn't need to.  Your average hot water heater is only used two to three times a day.  And it that means it only needs to heat up that many times per day.  So if you went down to the hardware store and bought an Electric Water Heater Timer and set it to turn the water heater on from 4 to 7 in the morning, and then from 5 to 10 at night, you'd have cut the use of the electric of that machine by way more than half.  That means that's that much less electric you have to pay at the end of the month!

Now let's look at this a little deeper.  If you have an average 50 gallon water heater, that tank will hold enough water for at least a four to five person family.  And did you know that once that heater is heated, if the electric to that heater were turned off and left unused, that tank will not cool down to room temperature by itself until six or seven days pass by.  It is that well insulated.  So why does it need to heat itself 10, 20, 30 times a day?  All it really needs is to heat up one time before each of the following occasions:  your morning shower before you go to work, your mid-day and evening meal, and your evening shower.

Now, a timer for your water heater costs about 50 dollars and is so simple to install, you can do it yourself (that is if you know what you are doing.  Always make sure to turn off the breaker before you do so!)

So for the 50 dollars that an electric water heater timer costs, you can cut a huge chunk out of your monthly electric bill.  In fact, the timer will probably pay for itself in just a few months.

2.  Split level mini AC/Heating units

Most people have a dinosaur heating and cooling unit which draws a lot of power.  This equals a lot of money to operate the unit that in turn must be paid at the end of the month.  But today there are many alternatives to using those old money-sucking units.  The best thing is a split level mini.  These are used all over Europe, Asia, and even South America.  And they cost you monthly about half the price of a regular heating and cooling home unit.

A split level mini is called a split level because it is one main outside unit, but has many different inside wall mounted units to be installed in each different room of the home.  This means each room gets it's own temperature zone.  And each inside unit can be digitally set to your own desired temperature.  So you can make one room hotter or colder than another, and you can set the unit to cool or heat at that temperature.  Thus, you don't have to make the entire house the same temperature using that old dinosaur. Rather you can save money by lowering the heat or cooling in rooms you don't use as often.
Also, the units are designed to use much less electricity, so not only do you save a ton of money, but you can even close a few doors in your house and turn a few units off and save even more!

What is the cost of the split level minis?  Not that bad.  They are around the cost of your typical HVAC unit.  So why use the old technology which costs more per month, when you can get the new technology and save money!  Further split level mini units are very easy to install!  I installed two in my house all by myself, and all I had to do was call an electrican to come do the wiring.  It was that easy!

3.  Learn how to use solar panels and utilize the power of the sun.

One of the biggest electrical drawers in your house is your freezer.  And wouldn't you know that if the power went out for several days, you would loose a lot of money if all your frozen goods thawed out.  So why not buy a few solar panels and hook your freezer up to those?  If it ran off of those entirely (with a battery charged back-up system), then wouldn't that save a ton of money on your power bill?

Solar technology, although still ineffecient in some ways, has come a long way.  I knew a man who built his own house with only a few solar panels.  He used them to charge his battery power tools (drills, saws, etc.) and let their backup batteries charge while he worked.  He built the entire inside of his house without any electric from the power company.  He only used solar energy!

If a guy can build a house with solar panels, why not use them after your house is built to help save money.  Sure they are little inefficient, but if you live in the South where it's always sunny, it doesn't hurt to use them to get as much energy as you can from the sun, and then using batteries, converters, regulators, etc. use that energy to supplement your total energy use.  Imagine how much you could save every month if you used that extra energy, even if you only used that electricity on small things like charging your cell phone, your power tools, your cooler, your garage door, your water heater, etc.  It would pay for itself in the long run, and buying the solar panels would be like getting them for free.  Plus, there are tax credits for those who buy and use solar energy.

4.  Make your house more energy efficient by getting better windows, or even tinting your windows.

Old houses are notorious for losing a lot of heat through the windows in winter and heating up too quickly in the summer.  It's all because of windows that are either single (rather than double) paned, or because the sun heats up what's inside as it shines through.  This in turn raises the heating and cooling costs, making your bill skyrocket.  But it doesn't have too.  There are many windows available today and at low cost which can replace your old windows.  There is also new tinting film which keeps heat from entering at all that can be installed on your existing windows.  And of course there are tax credits for people who take advantage of these methods to better insulate their homes.

So there are many ways to cut back on your electric use and to save money.  But it all depends on whether or not you are willing to try them out.  Some say, "Well, it will cost too much to do all that!"  But others, who have actually tried these methods, have found that it was worth the cost, as often these methods end up saving them so much, that they actually pay for themselves in a short time.

Know of any other ways to cut your electric bill?  Why not share them with us?

Mr. Frugal

Saving Money by "Freezing" your Credit Cards.

It used to be that America was a cash only society.  That is we paid for everything with money we had and not with money we didn't have.  But not anymore.  Today people put everything on credit, and often because they are lazy, or maybe just forgetful, they don't make their payments on time, and this leads to having to pay interest.  But do you realize that paying 5, 10, 15, even 20% interest really taxes your wallet?

Imagine if you owed 10,000 dollars on your credit card and you were paying 10% interest.  That means if you immediately paid back what you owed, you would be ending up paying $11,000 dollars instead of the initial $10,000.  But what if you couldn't pay it back quickly enough, and you were in debt for several years.  You end up paying thousands in interest before you even pay off the principal!  What a lot of wasted money!

So what do you do?  Do you cut up your credit cards and throw them away so you never get in debt? 

No, there are other alternatives.  And, I've heard of people doing rather ellaborate things to keep themselves from the tempation of using their cards on frivolity rather than on things they need.  I knew of one guy who would bury his credit cards several feet down in the back yard.  That way if he needed to use them, it would take him a while to get them.  And while he's digging, he would be wondering if he really needed what he wanted to buy as much as he thought he did.  This helped keeping him from "impulse" buying, which is usually what leads to debt in the first place.

Another family would practice "freezing" their credit cards.  By that, I don't mean they called the company and froze their accounts.  No, they froze their cards LITERALLY!  That is, they would put them in tupperware full of water and place them in the freezer.  That way both husband and wife would have to talk about using them for purchases, and they would have to wait for them to thaw out, before they could make those purchases!  What a novel idea, huh?  That sure kept them from buying things hastily.

But when it comes to credit cards they can be used not only to buy things, but also to MAKE money.  That's right, you can actually make money off of credit card companies.  Here's how to do it.

1.  Use your points for cash!

Most credit card companies offer rewards for using their card.  These rewards are usually in the form of miles or points.  The more points you get, the more rewards you can earn.  Most people use their points for products or services.  But did you know you can turn them into cold, hard cash?  That's right.  You can actually convert your points to one of three things: 

a.  gift cards worth a certain amount at certain stores

b.  a check for a certain amount mailed to you

c.  credit on your next bill statement

That means the more you use your card, the more you can potentially prosper.  But this is only if you pay it off each month and never incrue any interest.  So the next time you use your credit card, make sure you only use it for what you can pay off that month.  Don't ever get in debt.  For the more debt you have the more you'll end up paying in the long run.  But the sooner you pay off your card without getting in debt, the more money you'll get from it!

2.  Sign up bonuses

Most credit card companies are offering promotions to new clients who sign up for their services.  These can even go as high as offering a person 150 dollars cash just for signing up for the card.  That means you can potentially get a few hundred dollars just for signing with that company.  But usually that is contingent upon whether your spend a certain amount that first month.  So sit down, make a budget, and then instead of paying cash or check, put everything you spend on that card, and then pay it off in full the first month.  After a few months, cancel it, and do it all over with another company and another card.  You can come out ahead instead of behind!

3.  Settle for less.

If you are in debt over your head, then there is a way out.  Many credit card companies are now settling for less.  And if you are able to somehow come up with the money to pay off about 50 to 75% of your total card debt, oftentimes companies will negociate with you to forgive the rest of the debt (seeing as how through interest, you have already paid them double and even triple the initial loan). 

Be careful, however, as there are many companies out there that use this tactic as a scam and claim to want to help you with this, while the ask you to "pay" them for their help.  Instead of a third party, try to go through the credit card company directly, and tell them, "I pay the full amount, but I have 3/4 of it, and I want to get out from under this debt! Will you accept this and cancel the rest of what I owe you?"  Oftentimes, they will accept your offer and let you out of the rest of what you owe.  Especially if you casually mention that you are on the verge of bankrupcy and considering filing for it in the next week or two.   (Note:  Make sure you get it in writing if they agree to this, and usually it's good to have a lawyer to make sure you are not liable for anything else). 

When it comes to credit card companies, it's all who you talk to.  If the person you speak with doesn't want to met you in the middle and work with you, always ask to speak to a supervisor.

4.  Be nice when speaking to representatives about a missed payment.

If you miss a payment, you know that they will start charging interest.  But if you have a history of paying on time, often you can call the company and complain with the excuse that you did not receive your bill on time.  Usually they will give you a one time courtesy of giving you a pass for that month and allowing you to pay the amount due with out any fees.  But be warned.  Usually they only do that ONCE!  And oftentimes it all depends upon how the phone operator feels that day. 

So when it comes to credit cards, they can be either a blessing or a detriment.  It's all about how you use them.  You can use them to GET money, or you can use them to GET YOURSELF in trouble!  It all depends upon how dependable you are.  If you only spend what you have and never go over your set monthly income budget and you pay it off completely every month you use it, then you can prosper with the rewards programs.  If you screw up and miss a payment, you still can get a mulligan.  But if you don't use your card wisely and get in debt up over your head, then you need to do everything possible to get out, as interest rates will eat you up and get you working not for yourself, rather for the credit card companies.

Ways to Save Money while Eating Out!

Not everyone is a good cook.  And not everyone has the privilege of eating at home every meal.  So, they must eat out. 

The average America today spends probably close to 20 or even 30% of his income on eating out at restaurants, be they either fast food or fancy dining locations.  This means they spend a ton of cash on filling their bellies!  And where does it go?  Well, er, um, yeah....  Let's don't go there.  Cause that's not a pleasant thought.  Let's just say that if you spend a lot, then you don't really get a lot back.  Cause once you eat it, it's gone.  (Except of course when it goes to your belly and thighs, and boy does it go!  Most Americas are viewed as obese by the rest of the world.  That means they are actually paying to fatten themselves up!)

So if you do eat out, the question is: "Do you really have to pay that much for your meal?"  I mean, come on.  Think about it.  Do you really get your monies worth when you eat out? 

If you want to save a good 10 to even 20% of your monthly income, below are some great tips to help you save when you eat out.  They aren't only just plain common sense, but they may even make you healthier!  For the less you eat, the less you'll weigh, and who doesn't want to lose a few pounds, right?

Ways to save money on your eating out...

1.  Don't eat at expensive places, rather eat on the street!  

In places like New York, there are very fancy restaurants, as well as your typical fast food joints.  But there are also street vendors on almost every block.  And often, they have some very fresh and very good food.  And usually (not always) it is a lot cheaper than eating at a restaurant.  So why do you have to go and sit down for a meal all the time?  Especially when you have to pay a waitress a TIP afterwards on top of the price of the bill?  Why not take a walk and go get some vendor food, and after you enjoy it, walk it off on your way back to work.  It'll save money, and it will get you some exercise!

2.  Don't eat too far away from home!

Lots of people get in the mindset that they actually deserve to splurge on themselves and spend a lot of money on going out to eat at certain places.  This usually consists on them going across town to the fanciest places.  But often there is a place just as good just down the street.   And guess what?  It's a lot closer, and thus, a lot cheaper!  That's right.  You actually save money on gas or on taxi rides by not going half-way across town to go and eat, when you can eat right close to where you are.
Consider trying this.  For one month, count exactly how much you spend on food and on travel to the restuarant, deli, or grocery store.  Then for the following month, don't go more than five to ten miles away to eat for one solid month.  Then compare how much money you saved.  Was it a lot? 
People often don't take into account the cost of eating.  It's not just the cost of the food.  It's also the cost of travel.  And if you don't eat healthy, there may even be medical expenses years in the future!

3.  Don't order soft drinks, liquor, or expensive libaciones.

If you must go out to eat, why waste money on drinks?  Today most restaurants charge outrageous prices on their drinks.  It used to be you could get a soda for .99 cents and you even got free refills.  But not today.  Instead, they charge you three or four dollars, and some restaurants even charge you extra for each time they refill your glass!

So why not do what I do.  Rather than allow them to suck you into paying three times the cost for your drink, why not just order water with lemon?  Water is almost always free!  And usually so are lemons.  So ask them to give you a small place of cut lemons and if you don't like water with lemon, add a little sugar (which is usually already there in front of you on the table) for some free lemonade!  It saves money, and it's even healthier for you as well!

Also, why not eat Mexican food more often?  For usually they bring you out chips and salsa before the meal, and most of the time they don't charge you for it.  You can fill up on those, and not have to order that large burrito, which you and I both know you usually end up taking home in a doggie bag and leaving in the fridge, and eventually end up throwing out anyway.

Don't laugh on this next tip, please.  It's from a homeless man.  He said he used to go into restaurants and ask for a bowl of hot water.  He would then poor in some ketchup and make his own "Tomato Soup" and eat it.  The restaurants would usually get mad, so he'd buy something from their "dollar menu."  That might be a little extreme, and maybe a little silly, but hey, even a homeless guy knows how to save money!

4.  Don't go to buffets!

America is one of the only countries in the world to have as many "All-You-Can-Eat" Buffets as it does.  They are just every where!  And because people pay exhorborant prices for the A.Y.C.E. plates, they often feel like they HAVE to eat all they CAN!  So they go back again and again to the trough.  And what happens?  Usually they leave feeling bloated, gassy, and just down right ready for a nap.  You don't have to fill up just because a sign says you can.  You can learn to avoid those places and get meals for cheaper.  You can even eat better food for less and feel even more full if you know how to eat right!

5.  Don't order out! 

Often people in the cities order out.  That entails not only paying for the food, but also for fees to deliver the food.  But if you pick-up you can save money!  Futher, you can usually get online and order for even cheaper than calling on the phone, and often many restaurants offer discounts to those who are continual internet order customers, as it makes them have to spend less money on employees answering phones.  Plus, if the restaurant is just down the street, what's wrong with a little "excercise" to go get your dinner? 

6.  Learn to cook more yourself.

It's amazing how much money people are willing to waste on meals, especiallly when they can make the exact same meal at home for way below half the price they are charged at a restaurant.  So what's wrong with going to the grocery store, buying the same ingredients and cooking the food yourself?  In fact, it will save you a ton of money, as often you will find you've cooked more than enough for yourself, and what's left over makes a great meal for the following day.  Sure we all hated "left overs" when we were younger, but there is sure something to be said about getting two or even three meals for the price of one! 

7.  Eat less and eat cheaper, and then set aside the money you save to spurge a little!

Eating fast food all the time is not fun.  After a while you get sick of it.  But still, many people get hooked, and just eat it time and again, and often it's not anything special to them.  It's just their average meal.

So why not learn to eat at home more, balance your diet, and learn to save meny?  That way you can look forward to eating out, and with the money you save from eating cheaper at home, you can spend it on nice meals every so often that you really will enjoy.

I remember in my teenage years we had our own click of popular people.  There were about four or five of us, and we made a pact to eat out every weekend; each time at a different fancy restaurant until we had tried them all in town.  But our pact got a little pricey.  So we all learned how to stop eating out all the time and wasting money.  That helped us save for the weekend and boy did we look forward to it!  It was not only a great meal, but a good time of fellowship!  But had we not learned to save, we might not have learned to enjoy!

Summary

These a just a couple ideas to help you cut your food bill.  Sure we all like to go out and eat.  But isn't it more fun to go with friends?  Isn't it better to eat cheaper, healthier, and closer to home?  What's wrong with not paying for drinks, when lemon water is better?  What's wrong with saving and having a salad instead of a hamburger every so often?  You'd be surprised how much money you could save if you would only follow this few simple tips.

How about trying it and letting me know how much you saved?  Or how about trying it and letting me know how it went?  I'd love to hear about it!

Mr. Frugal

How to Save Money!!!

In our fast paced life of buy, buy, buy, and sell, sell, sell, we often lose tract of what the value of things really are.  Most people have moved completely away from a cash system and pay for everything on credit.  In such a system, it's easy to not  look at the price of things, or not even think about what you are spending.  Rather, it's only SWIPE, SWIPE, SWIPE!  It's not until a month or so later, when you get the bill, that your head starts spinning and you are overwhelmed with that sinking feeling of being drowned in debt!  "Where did all my money go?"  You ask yourself.   

Then the pressure really sets in, as you get the bills coming the first of the month, and you worry about having to work overtime to pay for them, while you have to cut back on eating out, on entertainment, on new shoes, on going out with your friends, etc.  Then with the rising price of gas, and the continual prce of inflation, it makes you WORRY even more, and there seems to be no end in site of the constant increase of most loved  candy bar, your Starbucks coffee, your favorite magazine, and more.  It's all just too overwhelming, and it makes you just want to scream at the top of your lungs:  "Why can't I just STOP spending soooooooo much?"

Well, the simple fact of the matter is that you can!  Even in our bad economy, there are ways to save money.  In fact, there are ways to save a LOT of money, and you can do it if you want to.  You just have to be willing to try!  That's why this blog was set up.  It's to inform you on how to save money, so you don't waste what you don't have on things you don't need to impress people you don't even like! 

Yep, FRUGALITY is not a four-letter word.  It's a way of life, and even though you used to make fun of your parents for cutting coupons and saving money by eating at home every night, you are starting to see that they just weren't as "money-grubbing" as you thought they were.  As a matter of fact, their life-style even helped save money to send you to college!  So there really is something to not being a spend-thrift.

This blog will give you idea after idea on how you can save money; MONEY that you can put in your pocket and save for a rainy day!  If you take advantage of this site, it will benefit you greatly.   So without further adieu, let's start blogging!