Fave money saving hacks? (funds, HSA, pay, rent)

[sunshinelove0000]

A spin off from my other thread on how to save $$$.... It made me wonder what "hacks" you've discovered to save $$. For example:

We could never afford a landline, so we use magic jack instead. We still have cell phones, but this allows us to keep our cell phone plan at the lowest number of minutes (thus saving us money).

If you have an iPhone/iPad and are on a data plan, when you're connected to WiFi, make sure to go to Settings, Cellular, and shut cellular data OFF. Keep in mind if you leave the house you want to turn your cellular data back on. This has helped limit the amount of data we use.

Amazon prime- this membership has paid for itself 10x over!! We don't need cable- just use Amazon instant video. For someone like me who can't get out and shop, I can use the app from the comfort of my home and things are delivered for FREE in two days. Best part is the subscribe & saving discounts. Plus they offer incentives where if you elect to opt for slower shipping (instead of 2 day free shipping) you can get a $1 credit towards Amazon instant downloads (movies, songs, etc)...

Google free RedBox codes. It's the only way we afford to rent movies (aside from Amazon credits).

Coconut oil is a great product to have on hand. Can be used as a hair mask, in place of shaving cream, as eye makeup remover, as lotion, as *ahem* lubricant, in cooking recipes... So many uses and very cheap!

For those with kids- don't invest in burp cloths. Get a big package of cloth diaper prefold. You can find them cheap on Amazon, eBay, or even babies r us when on sale. They work so much better than burp cloths, you get more for your money, they can be great to place under a fitted sheet when your child starts potty training, great to keep on hand in the car for spills, and once your kids outgrow them you can use for dusting and cleaning. One of the few "baby items" that's really worth the $$$ because you'll get year's usage out of them (my aunts still use theirs to clean the house and their children are in their 30s).



What are some of your favorite money-saving hacks?

[MDrenter223]

I don't buy stuff I don't have the money for.

That one is pretty clutch.

[numberfive]

This probably belongs in the frugal forum.

Anyway, here are some of my favorites:

- invest in a kill-a-watt or similar energy monitor. Helps you find the "energy vampires" in your home
- avoid "stuff lust" -- ask the question "would I buy this exact same model at this price 2-5 years from now?" If not, I buy older models
- prepaid cell contracts
- play the internet service switching game
- cut out cable and stream via netflix/amazon/etc
- credit card churning (not for the faint-of-heart, but very profitable)
- hop on sites like retailmenot for coupon codes
- trend sites like camelcamelcamel for Amazon purchases I don't need right away

[Flamingo13]

Originally Posted by numberfive

This probably belongs in the frugal forum.

Agree, there are already lots of threads on saving $$

[sunshinelove0000]

Didn't know there was a frugal forum! Who can I contact to move it there?

[jtur88]

Learn to live (and be contented) without all of the stuff that all those ^^^^ people think they need.

[lottamoxie]

Money Saving "Hacks"

- I dropped cable TV/satellite about 5 years ago. I had installed a small outside antenna on the upper side of my house and I obtain several OTA channels (which are all HD) and access content I want online aside from OTA channels. Saving $80+ a month.

- I'm about to cancel my cell provider when my 2 year contract ends in another 8 weeks. I will instead use Tracfone Wireless, which just happens to use my current national provider's cell towers and 4G LTE service, and for a phone I'll use my existing Samsung Note 3 smartphone. I will go from paying $70/month to an average cost of $13/month, based on my particular level and type of usage. No contracts, no more big bills.

- For a "landline" service, I've been using Google Voice and an ObiHai device (one time cost of $40 about 4 years ago). Google Voice works beautifully with the ObiHai adapter. I use my 4 regular Panasonic wireless handsets so I can answer a call no matter where I am in the house. Ongoing cost right now is $0.

- I have standard Internet broadband cable. I currently have a $30/month rate. When Google Fiber comes out next year in my area, I will opt for the one time fee of $300 and get 7 years of Internet service thereafter, with no recurring fees. After the first 10 months I will then break even and save $30/month for the next 6 years and 2 months.

- Put the maximum allowed yearly into an HSA (Health Savings Account) which is taken out of your paycheck pre-tax, can be used for medical/dental/vision expenses, doesn't have to be used up every year (unlike an FSA), and is always available to you regardless of where you work. You can have those funds invested as well. It's another way to bring down your taxable income and provides a nice way to save a big chunk of $$$ for current and future medical expenses.

- Max out 401K every year, which defers paying taxes on those monies and allows you to take home more in your paycheck (while building a nice future nest egg for retirement).

- Never ever charge more on a credit card than you can pay off within the month, incurring no interest fees. Things are expensive enough as it is.


I have more "hacks" to save money but those are the big ones.

[galaxyhi]

To keep bills low,

~we dropped cable to just the local channels, and, if, in the new house, we can get them with the HD antenna, may drop those. We use ROKU for extra, and pay just $7.95 to Netflix for tv shows we'd like to watch. We DO pay for high speed 'net service, but saved $50/m over previous cable bill.

~BIGGIE: turn down the thermostat!!! some 5 years ago when the nat. gas rates went up, and still keep it low. Set it at 60 or below at night, and no higher than 63-65 days, if those temps are reached. heavy fuzzy microfleece blankets keep plenty warm! we also use the electric oil-filled radiator style heater until the furnace needs to go on. it could be near Christmas before we need the furnace and by Easter time in march the furnace is off.

~DON'T turn on the heat until NEEDED. same with A/C. The heat pretty much doesn't go on until TG time or when the house gets to 55F,and off by end of March. It May go on to warm house just in the morning until up and about and warmer after showers.

~We substitute $1.00 Banquet micro dinners one night a week {$2}, and pasta one night a week {$1 for pasta, $1 for sauce} for dinner, If we need a "stretcher" we have a salad off a $1.30 head of lettuce. a little Oil/vinegar/ a tbls of water and a few herbs mixed together make a nice dressing.

~ we will change cell phone plans in June when ours is up and won't go for another two year plan, if we can avoid it. Since I don't need mine as much as my spouse {work requires punch in/out on smart phone}, I will drop to something like consumer cellular and only pay for the few minutes I use each month. it was an experiment I don't much care for the price for over pre-paids, but didn't much care for pre-paids service quality...

~I only use gasoline only IF necessary. Use shopper card discount to buy gas at a local station off the beaten path near the store that takes the shoppers card.

~We apply for assistance programs we qualify for as some programs a family of 2 can earn up to $54k {or more} a year and still qualify. It saves money. HEAP application for heat assistance is already IN for this coming heating season!

~Because we get HEAP each year, we also get a land line discount,a mounting to $30/m, cutting the bill more than in half.

~ we get 100% charitable discount on services from our local hospital not covered by insurance, and that includes high deductibles. A family of 4 can still get a 50% discount earning up to about $75K a year.

What else?

[jtur88]

Sports online. At lest one game nearly every day, Every sport in the world, from Singapore snooker to Turkish women's basketball to every MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA game, to the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, all free. Make sure you have AdBlock.

[SaucyAussie]

I stopped paying for lawn service. Without fertilizer, the grass grew much more slowly this year. I only had to mow it 3 times. Win-win!