Ways To Save Money

My team has been working on a page on our Next Steps site to provide practical ways that people can save money on common items that people purchase.

We want your ideas!

For example, what are some ways you have saved money on:

  • Groceries
  • Internet
  • Cable TV
  • Cell phone service
  • Car insurance
  • Purchasing a new appliance
  • Purchasing a new home
  • Buying plane tickets
  • Hotel
  • Dining out

Share your ideas and check out the "Budget Boosters" section of our Next Steps site to see if there are any ways YOU can save money right away!

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6 Comments

  1. Debbie on May 7, 2009 at 4:36 am

    Hi, I attended FCE @ Eagle Pointe Church. I have always watched my grocery budget — buying generic/store brand where I could, shopping markdowns, etc., but not coupon shopping because it seemed too complex.

    At first couponmom.com overwhelmed me too — so many places to save.

    I tried one new store that I don’t normally shop at: Publix and found that when I combined both their store coupons with manu. coupons, I could save 40+% every time. So I’ve added Publix to my shopping.

    Though I could shop at 6-10 stores and save alot, I’ve narrowed it down to 2 that I use most often: Kroger (where I was accustomed to shopping) & Publix.

    I shop with coupons about once every 3 weeks at these two stores, because I work fulltime. In between, I shop like I used to — markdowns, generics/store brands — and suppliment the bigger trips. This has become very doable for me. We’ve been saving about 45% on groceries; getting more with less; my family is pleasantly surprised with “name brands”. A Win-win.



  2. Chris on May 7, 2009 at 7:26 am

    I bundle internet and cable. I keep going to them to ask what promotions are out there and if they are favorable ask to be put on them. That generally saves 8-10 a month.

    Cell phone companies are notorious for having group deals either through an employer, chamber, church, civic group, club, profession. Ask about these. We save 25% through an employee discount.

    Appliances are a bit harder. The base models are either loss leaders or low margin already. You probably won’t get far with them. But you can upgrade a bit and begin negotiating and probably get somewhere. We also open box and scratch and dent. And negotiate on those too.

    Look for homes that appear to be vacant. Look for anxious to sell owners. Also, in my area, the County recorder has loan documents available for public view. You can determine who may have wiggle room by the amount financed and the age of the document.

    I priceline hotels or if priceline doesn’t have a hotel in the area, I call the local number and negotiate. Also use AAA if nothing else helps.

    Coupons and enroll in their email programs for dining out. I get frequent buy one, get one from many of the chain places each month.



  3. James on May 7, 2009 at 7:41 am

    Recently purchased a dishwasher and had two large appliance stores competing by lowering there prices to get my business. It took 3 hours on a Saturday morning but we saved 60 dollars off the dishwasher.

    Also, when you are purchasing appliances/furniture they always seem to perk up and drop a few dollars off the price when you say, “We are going to buy today. However I am not sure it is from here.”



  4. April on May 7, 2009 at 7:55 am

    Most people have at one point or another shopped at Wal-Mart. Not only do they accept coupons, they will also honor other stores lower prices as long as you bring the ad with you and it is the exact item. This can save you running all over town to different grocery stores to get the best deals. Of course, the items can’t be the generic store brand but I have saved money by doing this. And if you have a coupon for the item, its even better.



  5. SavingFreak on May 7, 2009 at 6:53 pm

    If you do not use coupons shopping at Wal-Mart and Aldi will save you 20%-30% off your regular bill. So in a pinch those are the two stores to shop at.

    If you are willing to spend a little time with websites like couponmom.com and grocerygame.com you can save many times more than what you get at the two stores listed above.



  6. Alison on May 8, 2009 at 6:18 am

    Hey guys!
    I’m a freelance writer who happens to spend TONS of time looking for ways to save money. Every week CVS and Walgreens offer freebies (stuff like toothpaste, body wash, deodorant)through their special programs. Basically you pay for the item, but you get a slip of paper that gives you that money back to spend on whatever you want in the store. If you can get started on this weekly cycle you will constantly be getting free stuff! I donate a lot of mine which I write about at http://www.DoMoreWithYourMoney.com. Here are some other tips I’ve written about:

    Slashing your cell phone bill: http://www.cheapstingybargains.com/121705/slash-your-cell-phone-bill-in-five-steps/

    Hotel alternatives that will save you money:
    http://www.outofdebtchristian.com/budgets/hotels-too-expensive-alternative-lodging/



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