June 24th, 2009
Ever buy something in the clearence section just because it was cheap? Buying an item soely becuase it’s a good ”value” is a waste of your money. This includes buying items in bulk to receive a discount when you only have plans to use only a small portion of the items purchased.
It’s an entirely different story if you buy items on the cheap to resell them for a profit. There are many people that buy soely for the thrill of getting a good deal without a plan for their purchased goods. Buying without a plan is wasting money and not “saving” you any money.
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tim
Categories: Frugal Living, Saving Money
June 17th, 2009
When shopping at the grocery store, there is a quck way to find the lowest price that you pay per unit in a few quick seconds that doesn’t involve any manual calculations. By simply comparing the unit price label (should be in most grocery stores) you can easily see which product has the best price per unit.
Below, you’ll see that there are many different choices of ketchup to choose from.
By taking a few seconds to scan the unit price (price in the orange box in the picture below), I was able to find the lowest price per a pound of ketchup. The best deal was only $0.66/pound!
Price per unit is just one factor to consider when buying a product. Other factors to consider are nutritional value, size and personal taste.
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tim
Categories: Frugal Living, Saving Money
June 10th, 2009
There are probably lots of bills that you pay monthly without giving a second thought to. If you take a few minutes to take study them, you may find that you can cut back on your expenses.
Cable
Do you have a cable package with premium channels that you don’t watch? Trade down to a cheaper package or consider cutting off cable completely and install an antenna instead if you only watch TV sparingly.
Phone
If you are paying for a land line and a cell phone, consider switching to just just a cell phone or take a look cheaper options such as a VOIP line.
Gym Membership
If you only go to the gym once or twice a month, cancel your montly membership. Many gyms give you the option of paying for each visit, instead of on a monthly basis.
TV/Magazines
Do you have piles of unread newspapers or magazines? Don’t renew your magazine/newspaper subscriptions at the renewal date. If you only read the newspaper on the weekend, consider subscribing to the weekend edition.
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tim
Categories: Frugal Living, Saving Money
June 3rd, 2009
You should almost never take the first offer given to you. There’s a good chance that a better offer will be given to you after you turn down the first offer. If there isn’t, you can almost always go back and accept the original offer.
When I was offered my first job out of college, I was able to get about a 5% increase over what I would have gotten by turning down the initial offer. I told the hiring manager that I was expecting more given the current market rate. I showed him the going rate for my position and location according to Salary.com.
Turning down the first offer works in most situations where there is a list price, asking price or an offer given to you.
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tim
Categories: Career, Frugal Living, Misc, Work