Penny Pinchin' Tips

We all know the times are tough and the pennies are certainly being pinched. Especially being a college student, the situation can feel all the more suffocating. This is why I have decided to dedicate this blog entry to money saving methods that I have gathered throughout the past few weeks. I have read many tips on how to save money in the long run, how to save money immediately, every method imaginable. Hopefully from the ones I will post here today, some of you cash-deprived college kids, and whom ever else read my blog :) can take a tip or two away with you today. At the end of my blog, some of you may hate me, some of you may thank me, and well, hopefully, most of you will be able to walk away with a few helpful tips you can practice. I am pulling many of these tips from online sources I have found, and will site them as I go.

First i'd like to start with
Big Wastes of Money: Things that people should learn to part with to save themselves the extra dollars.

1. Tanning Salons


People need to realize that you will not fall off the face of the earth if you do not go tanning over the winter. Believe it or not, there once was a day where the winter time, meant EVERYONE walked around in their natural "winter coat" hue. People spend WAY too much on tanning salon memberships starting anywhere as low as $30/month and in addition to that, if you buy the tanning lotions, starting anywhere around $20 and up, that really begins to add up! Not to mention the risks of developing skin cancer down the road due to constant overexposure of UV rays.



2. Movie Rentals
Okay people, listen close here. I'm going to tell you about a little secret that sounds so simple you're going to wonder why you didn't think of it before. GET A LIBRARY CARD. Library cards are not only good for taking out those hard things with words in them (yes, some of us do get books for casual reading), but, get this, libraries have free DVD rentals too! Yes, you heard me correctly. FREE DVD RENTALS. C'mon people. It's plain old common sense. Yes Netflix sounds awesome, and believe me, if I had the time and money to do it, i'd be pretty tempted too. But for the extra few minutes it takes to walk to the library, (those of you who have not been to the Boston Public Library in Copley Sq. MUST go), it is definately worth the free movie. Not to mention, renewing the movie is as easy as going on line to your library account and doing it there. If that idea isn't incentive enough, just remember, you are paying for it through your taxes so you may as well take advantage!

3. Nail Salons
Okay so i'm well aware by now, i've lost all female blog readers by adding this one in addition to the tanning salon suggestion, but think about it people, how easy is it to do your own nails?! Exactly. Go to the drug store, buy a 4-step nail file, when you get home at night, soak your own nails in warm water, push away your cuticles if they are a big issue, file/sand/buff away, and paint on your own polish! You have probably spent $5.00 total. Going to the salon? A mani-pedi in this city on average will cost you as little as $30 and as much at $65. No one is going to notice the difference.




4. Shut Off Your Lights!
Come on people, this one is a given, yet you would be surprised how often you can catch yourself not doing it if you really thought about it. This is big for students in apartments who split the electricity bill with others. Out of courtesy for your room mates, shut your lights off when you're not in the room. If you don't care about the extra 10-12% per month you can save on your energy bill, i'm sure your roommates will.







Now i'm going to move onto,
Ways to Save Money: the little things you already knew about but probably don't do that could save you a lot.

1. Pack Your Own Lunch
"Packing your lunch is not only a healthier choice, but also saves you a good amount of money that could be spent elsewhere. If you're eating out every day, spending about $7 a day, you could save around $700 a year, just by packing your lunch two times per week."



2. Second Hand Clothing Stores
I know I know, a lot of people wouldn't even think twice about this one because the thought of buying used clothing sounds gross or wierd; however, hear me out. There are a few stores that you can find throughout the city called Second Time Around. It is a clothing/accesories store that you can go to, and find designer clothes for incredibly low prices. Men and women should check it out, you'd be surprised as to what you can find. There are two locations on Newbury St. and there is a location on Charles St. right on the other side of the commons in reference to Suffolk. If you live further outside the city, check out the website, there are tons of locations popping up in suburban towns everywhere. This works two ways now, because in addition to saving money if you go here to buy designer jeans or whatever else you are looking for, you can also make room in your closet if you have clothes you are not using yourself, by SELLING THEM to these stores and they will give you a profit of the sale. My word not enough? Check out even national magazines are picking up on the trend!


3. Buy Your Phone Online
Okay, before you go crazy and buy it through some cheapo no-namer website, that is not what I mean. So, disclaimer here, I am only supporting the idea of buying your cell phone via your online mobile carrier website. In example, my two year contract is going to go up in a few weeks with my cell phone carrier. I use Verizon Wireless (there's pros and cons to each carrier), and when I was browsing phones on their website the other night, I noticed, almost all of them, have an additional $50 online discount. So if you are unsure of what phone you are looking for, go to the store, play with them, see which one you like and go home. Don't worry about making the cell phone vendors upset because you're not buying a phone on the spot. When you buy your phone online when you resign your contract, you will get your 2-year contract price (significantly lower than if you were to buy it without signing for a contract), and if you don't know about it already, Verizon offers a $100 discount on your next phone purchase after a 2 year contract is up. So there is another $100 off, and then since you are smart enough to go online, you get the $50 online discount. BAM! That's at least a $150 savings right there.

4. Online Coupons
So there is this website called RetailMeNot.com that I keep hearing about amongst people at work and school. I decided to go online and check it out for myself. Well, i'm glad I did, because this website has coupon codes and discounts for over 20,000 Stores!!! Seriously! From Victorias Secret, JCrew, Papa Johns, Sears, Urban Outfitters, Six Flags, Marriot, and so many more. You really need to go online and check it out.




Well I hope some of you find these things useful. Chances are I will post a few more here and there as I keep blogging in my effort to spread the good word. Good luck with the savings people, and remember, coin jars are not a thing of the past, you'll be surprised at how much you can collect in them. My last collection, $70 worth of coins. Try it out! A large tomato sauce jar should do the trick.