Sunday, November 9, 2008

Ways I Save Money



I've been called thrifty.
And frugal.
And penny-pinching.
And cheap.
I certainly prefer the former rather than the latter, but I must admit that the words discounted, on sale, coupons, and FREE excite me.

Let's start with discounted items. I LOVE to read, but I don't like spending top-dollar for new, hardback books. So, if I really want to read a book when it first comes out, I'll buy it at Costco. For instance, I recently purchased Maya Angelou's newest book, Letter to My Daughter, for just $13.49--over $11 off the cover jacket price. (And while I mean no disrespect to Ms. Angelou, I wish I had saved the money and borrowed it from the library six months from now.)

I also enjoy attending theater productions, especially at the B Street Theatre. B Street offers Preview Nights, where you can attend a new show for only $12 per person. Last year, we had season tickets (thanks to Brian's parents), but this year, we weren't sure we wanted to subscribe to the whole season. During the first show, we attended a preview night. That night during intermission, B Street offered reduced season tickets for only $75 per person! (Subscriptions normally start at $100 per person.) What a deal!

I know when some people think Dollar Tree, they think cheap--not just inexpensive prices, but also low-quality products. I stumbled into Dollar Tree several years ago, looking for toys and trinkets for my teacher prize box. And while I'll admit there are many items at Dollar Tree that I don't buy, it's still the place I go every few months to stock up on toothpaste and shaving cream. I know they sell Pepsodent toothpaste and Colgate shaving cream at Safeway, but I'd rather save a few bucks by buying them at Dollar Tree. Plus, occasionally, I'll come across some great spools of ribbon or cute scrapbooking stickers, too.

Coupons help me to save money, too. The Entertainment book is a great resource for dining coupons. On several occasions, we've dined at classy restaurants where we purchased one meal and received the second meal FREE, thanks to our Entertainment card.

I also use coupons at two of my favorite craft stores, Jo-Ann's and Michael's. In fact, every time I receive a coupon in the mail, I tuck it into the seat pouch in my car. That way, next time I'm in need of some retail therapy, the coupons will be close at hand. And did you know that Jo-Ann's, Michael's, and Beverly's allow you to redeem coupons from their competitors? Even better, though, at Jo-Ann's and Michael's, you can use multiple coupons on different items in ONE purchase.

And last, but not least, it's time for the FREE stuff! As a lover of books, my favorite place to find (and borrow) FREE books is the library! All you need is a library card. And if you don't have one of those (like my hubby), well you can borrow your wife's card (hehe) or head over to www.saclib.org, print out an application and take it to your nearest library. And requesting books is so easy! Just log onto the library's website with your library card number and password, and then request the books you're interested in reading. Plus, you can specify the library location where you'd like to pick up the book AND the library will e-mail you when the book is ready! I'm currently reading Reclaiming Nick, a Christian romance novel by Susan May Warren, which I recently requested from the library. If audio books on CD or tape are more your style, though, check out the library's collection. When I commuted daily to Natomas, I grew tired of listening to music CDs and the radio, so I visited the library and checked out several audio books on CD. The drive went by so much faster when I was engrossed in a romance novel! :-)

Now, it's your turn...how do you save money? Share your favorite money-saving tip by leaving a comment.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How do I save money you ask? I married you! Thanks for helping me save money, and occasionally letting me spend it too.

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