There are not that many people out there that don’t try to save money. In my experience, the people who end up rich are the ones who try to save their pennies. They are always looking for bargains, and they never spend more than they actually need to.
There are a lot of people out there who don’t need to worry about money. In China, there is a man named Jack Ma. He is worth almost $40 billion. The president of Google, Sergey Brin, is worth over $47 billion. People like that don’t worry about money. I don’t even know what they do with that much money. Are there really that many private islands out there to buy? At a certain point, how much money is too much money?
Well, unfortunately, that’s a question most of us don’t have to answer; I doubt anyone reading this has billions. If anyone does, I’ll take a million or two.
If you are trying to save up, here are fifteen creative ways to save money.
1. Save Money On Apple Products
I had no idea this was the case until recently. Apparently, with certain online retailers, if you put an item in your “shopping cart” but don’t buy it immediately, you will be offered a discount.
That’s a neat trick to know. Apple makes a lot of great products, but one might argue they are a bit overpriced. A simple cable, if you’re lucky, costs you $20. The cost of their computers is sort of insane.
The iPhone, though, will probably be popular until the end of time. It is almost hard to believe that they have been around for over ten years. I remember the days when you couldn’t even take a simple picture with your cellular phone. They didn’t even have text messaging back then.
2. The Instant Noodles
If you are in college, or you are just poor, there are ways to eat a lot of food for very little money. You have options.
Unfortunately, those food options are not really the best. People need fresh fruit and vegetables if they are going to stay healthy, and fresh food generally does not come cheap.
However, eating instant noodles is definitely better than starving to death. They may be really high in sodium, but they definitely taste great. A lot of people eat them every single day.
3. Avoid Brand Name Food
Frankly, it is almost stupid to purchase brand name products in grocery stores. Unless you have truly incredible taste buds, you can’t tell the difference; the generic brands taste very similar, and they are generally a lot cheaper. You won’t notice at all.
There’s a particular grocery store chain in the United States called Wegmans, and the products they make taste as good—if not better—than the brands you know. Those products cost significantly less. It is almost astounding how much less they cost.
Wegmans is a neat company. It has been around since about 1916, and there are almost 100 stores in the United States. It is considered one of the best companies to work for in the United States. Almost 60,000 people work for the company.
The tuna can in the image kind of concerns me, though. It looks a bit too generic. Hopefully, whoever ate that turned out fine.
4. Know When to Buy Certain Products
In January, it is a good idea to buy the things mentioned in the image. A lot of it makes sense when you think about it. Really, January is a great time to buy a lot of stuff. The major holidays are over, and there is not going to be another one for several months.
I don’t really understand why you should buy gym memberships in January, though. People do tend to put on a few pounds during November and December, so you would think the gyms would charge more in January. That is when people are looking to lose weight.
I am not sure you are supposed to buy clothing in January. Is that because you gained a lot of weight over the holidays? That makes sense, I think.
It is pretty obvious why you should buy calendars in January. Buying linens in January makes no sense, though; don’t people need linens year-round?
5. The Frozen Wine
Apparently, if you have leftover wine, you can freeze it in the form of ice cubes. That seems like a neat trick. I don’t know how good wine that has been frozen can possibly taste, but it is better than wasting the wine. I also don’t know who opens a typical bottle of wine but doesn’t expect to finish it.
Wine really can be expensive. While most bottles cost less than one hundred dollars, there are ones that cost far more. There are bottles that literally cost thousands of dollars. In fact, there are bottles out there that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. I am not sure why anyone would want one of those.
I am sure the wine tastes great. Then again, most wine out of a box tastes pretty great.
6. The Burritos and Chipolte
This is a pretty clever trick. If you’re going to eat out, you might as well get your money’s worth.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, if you’re not familiar, is a pretty interesting company. It is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, and there are over 2,000 restaurants. The company employs over 40,000 people, and its income is more than $400 million a year. The company serves several countries, including Canada, the United States, France, and Germany.
7. Use the Right ATM
If you aren’t using your own bank’s ATMs, you are basically ripping yourself off every single time you withdraw money. The fees can be positively ridiculous.
In the United States, at least, it can cost you five dollars or more, and that is a lot of money to spend if you just want enough to buy some chips or a drink. The amount charged, frankly, should be considered criminal. I do not understand how the banks get away with it. It is just a simple online transaction. Years ago, I understood why it cost so much. In this day and age, though, it makes no sense. They are just trying to make as much money as possible.
8. Use The Pad
The advice here is to use a pad when a bra’s underwire begins to start poking through its fabric. It will cover up the spot.
That’s pretty good advice, really. Bras are not cheap. A really good bra can cost fifty dollars, at least. You don’t want to just throw those things away. You should try to mend garments whenever possible.
9. Save On Air Travel
It is almost impossible to take a flight without spending a small fortune. From start to finish, it seems, the entire experience is designed to separate you from your money.
Apparently there is a science to buying airline tickets, though.
I understand it is best to buy tickets early. Last-minute tickets often cost a small fortune. I don’t understand why tickets are cheapest on Tuesdays, though. Is it because a lot of people think Tuesdays are the worst day of the week? Mondays are terrible, true, but at least you just came off of the fun of the weekend. By Tuesday, those memories are fading.
10. The Bottle of Coins
It seems that a 2-liter bottle will hold about $500 worth of dimes, which sort of surprises me. You wouldn’t think it would hold that much considering how little dimes are worth. They are pretty tiny coins, though, so I guess a lot of them will fit in a bottle.
It is important to save your change. I have literally seen people throw away their coins in a trash can, which is a really dumb move. I hope the person who did that sees this article. Five hundred dollars is a lot of money.
11. The Student Discount
If you are a student, you should absolutely take advantage of student discounts. If you have a student ID and it is valid, you would be wasting money if you didn’t use it. Even if you are not strapped for cash, you should use it. Why not?
Similarly, a lot of places offer senior discounts, and you don’t even need to be that old. If you can save a couple bucks on a movie theater ticket, you should. There’s no shame in getting old. Everyone, if they’re lucky, eventually does.
12. Keep Those Bananas Fresh
If you are going to buy fresh food, which can be expensive, you will want to make sure it stays fresh for as long as possible. Using plastic wrap to keep bananas fresh is a great trip.
Bananas are interesting because they are a non-seasonal crop, which means they are grown year-round. Most bananas in the world are grown in India and China. They are also grown in several other countries, including Ecuador, Brazil, and Ghana. They are also pretty good for you, although they don’t actually contain as much potassium as people seem to think they do. If you are looking for potassium, you might want to try a little raw spinach.
13. Buy Your Car At the Right Time
Cracked.com, which is a pretty amusing humor site, often has pretty good advice. This is an example of good advice.
It is true. You should always, if possible, try to buy a car at the end of the month. The savings could be substantial.
Don’t speed on your way to the dealership, though. It is my understanding that, at least in certain parts of the United States, police officers are more likely to give speeding tickets at the end of the month. They have their quotas to meet, after all. There is a certain road near where I live that I absolutely avoid during the last week of the month. There is always a police officer there, and he will nab you for barely exceeding the speed limit. Of course, you can also get pulled over for going below the speed limit; you really can’t win.
14. Use the Pharmacy at Costco
In the United States, at least in many states, you might be able to use the pharmacy at your local Costco even if you are not a member. There is some law about it. You might also be able to buy from their liquor stores in some states. The savings really do add up. I know from personal experience that Costco has great prices on both prescription drugs and beer. If you have one nearby, you should absolutely check it out.
If you’re not familiar with Costco, you’re missing out. There are over 750 stores in the world; most of them are in the United States, but they can also be found in the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and Japan. Sadly, there is only one store in France; if you live in France, this advice might not be too valuable. Similarly, there is only one in Iceland.
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