More Ways to Save

More Ways to Save Money – Additional Tips and Tricks

As another follow up to my first post on tips for saving, here goes some more ways to save money.

1. Clean Out Old, Used or Unused Items and Sell

I recently posted a post on spring cleaning and platforms to sell on. Do it! It’s better than throwing away in the hustle and bustle of moving of stress of cleaning. And while donating is an option for a lot of options – keep track for tax reasons and if you think you can’t or won’t donate at a later time, just try a little bit each day to clean and gather items to either sell or donate.

And don’t consider those old toys worthless too fast. Check out eBay as you may be quite surprised how much some old toys or items sell for.

By cleaning you are saving up some space and selling, you can make some money.

2. Hate Emails as Much as Me? There are Other Ways to Keep up to Date on Deals.

Here are a few tips:

• Check out your favorite sites around Saturday as many offer deals then.
• Check during holidays or close to holidays – some stores really extend those holiday weekends out.
• Check during off-season. Need a new coat but figure you should wait until it gets cold again? Sure but as it approaches spring, you may snag one at a great price. This goes for clothes and trips as well. Also, if you need a new device and know the newer one (e.g. the next iPhone is about to come out), it’s a good time to check for deals on the current model.
• eBay has a daily deals site featured here. Worth checking out!
• Amazon also has deals that are updated and hand-picked. Check them out here:

Speaking of Amazon, a cool trick someone taught me is to add items you want to your wish list and periodically check it out because it will tell you when the price drops so you can get those items easy breezy.

3. Streamline the Save Money Process

• I really hate paper coupons. I really really do.
• Luckily some apps let you activate deals and connect them to your credit card. So you barely notice! Just make the purchase and done. This includes Dosh, Drop (use my invite code:  janq5 ) and EBates.
• Piece of advice: check to update the deals because they can change on these sites/apps.
• Plug-ins! A great extension for the Chrome browser is RetailMeNot Genie. Install it and when you visit a site with a current deal, a little message will pop up saying the deal and prompting you to activate it. Note that you need an account with them first – which is free via site or app.
  • Check out my post on Chrome browser extensions for more information on how to easily save with some cash-back extensions.
• Check your credit card as some offer cash back deals that you just need to activate.

4. Refinance loans if possible. Interest rates can be high and this is very specific to the individual but worth pointing out.

5. Save your change (literally)

No I am not talking about the Bank of America program. But make a coin jar and throw your spare coins in it. I have coins all over and believe me they add up.

If you do not feel like rolling them in those little paper packets to take to the bank, you can find a coinstar kiosk and dump them in to receive cash or a gift card with a fee for the service. If you are unhappy with the fee, with coinstar you can reject the offer and get your coins back.

Get crafty and make the jar fun!

6. Be Crafty

There are plenty of resources that give you some cool tips and tricks – especially with home decor. You do not need to be an artist or crafty for some things. And you may end up with your ideal item at a fraction of the cost.

Still doubting yourself? OK. Go to a store with some of the necessary supplies. You will be surprised how helpful sales associates can be towards guiding you here and explaining what to do so it can be easy! And save money and be truly unique.

7. Beauty Queen? See if you can bring in old makeup cases for some money off new ones.

Some brands do this. Check if the ones you use do – it tends to be more expensive ones. This can add up!

8. Before you Buy a New Service, check for any new member offer.

A lot of services offer free trials or other incentives but only to new members. If you are planning to purchase anyways, check by searching for any trials or other promotions available to new members.

9. Do One Thing Fun and/or Easy that Also Lets you Save

This could be a swear jar or a jar you put a coin or dollar in every time you break a habit you are trying to keep. Yes neither sound fun but can be if it keeps you going at sticking to some goal. Point is: you aren’t thinking of saving money, but thinking of some other thing while actually saving money. You may not notice that you are even saving but you will never at least some and can tap in if need be.

Or if you want the nostalgic route, dont underestimate the value of a piggy bank! Just add a little here and there to the point you do not notice on a day to day basis but maybe you’ll be surprised when you open it up.

Order a gum ball machine. Hey it’s yours so you can add a quarter and not notice you are really saving. There are tons of cool ones on eBay.

These are just a few ideas. Whatever is fun and easy for you, it will help you save without thinking.

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Enjoy and hope you’re able to save some with these tips!

And remember, the first steps are often the hardest.

Random final thoughts

Also because I really love this preview feature and sharing songs, my current obsession which is available on iTunes:

Or on Amazon: