@Anonymous wrote:"I like coupons; I don't bother with the newspapers, I order them from a clipping service online. They charge a flat-rate $1 for shipping, and the fee for "clipping" the coupon is usually 8¢ to 12¢ per coupon depending on how popular it is. This allows me to 'stock up' when there is a coupon and sale running simultaneously. I'm also a fan of Wal-Mart's savings catcher, but it's been rather hit-and-miss for me."
Tell me more about this clipping service.
I use two; sometimes one will be sold out and the other will still have stock, and I've found them both to be reliable and ship fast (usually the next day). Another plus (for me) is that they both take PayPal, so if you are like me and don't like putting your credit card into random websites that's not a problem.
In the past I've asked a moderator about sharing a website name in a post and it was OK since I'm not advertising for them. (I tried to give the name without adding a link, but the forum software makes it into a link anyway.)
I've had excellent service from both sites; weclipusave's website is not quite as 'polished', but as long as I know a site is 'legit' I tend not to hold that against them. Klip2save is more polished and intuitive (to me, anyway) but they tend to sell out more quickly on the popular coupons. Keep in mind that it's not legal to buy or sell a coupon, but in this case you're paying for the labor it takes for them to 'clip' it for you. Also, in some cases you can even get the coupons a few days before they are in the newspaper.
If you have additional questions, feel free to send me a PM. 
@Anonymous wrote:
If you are paid bi-weekly then learn to budget each month only on (2) pay checks. This way two months a year you get that third paycheck and you can save it.
Some do this, some don't. When your next direct deposit comes in, and let's say for simple math your DD is $2,500. Let's say your balance at the date of DD is $700.00, at that point assume your account has 0 dollars and that DD gives you a current balance of $2,500. Continue this exercise and it can start to add up quickly.
A similar idea that I use is to always claim 0 exemptions on employment tax forms. Then budget for what you take home. That way when tax time comes around each year, you always get a refund.
I know there are many who say doing this is "letting the government use your money," but with APY rates so low, I'm not losing much. And it feels good to see the big tax refunds as bonus money. 
@UncleB wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:"I like coupons; I don't bother with the newspapers, I order them from a clipping service online. They charge a flat-rate $1 for shipping, and the fee for "clipping" the coupon is usually 8¢ to 12¢ per coupon depending on how popular it is. This allows me to 'stock up' when there is a coupon and sale running simultaneously. I'm also a fan of Wal-Mart's savings catcher, but it's been rather hit-and-miss for me."
Tell me more about this clipping service.
I use two; sometimes one will be sold out and the other will still have stock, and I've found them both to be reliable and ship fast (usually the next day). Another plus (for me) is that they both take PayPal, so if you are like me and don't like putting your credit card into random websites that's not a problem.
In the past I've asked a moderator about sharing a website name in a post and it was OK since I'm not advertising for them. (I tried to give the name without adding a link, but the forum software makes it into a link anyway.)
I've had excellent service from both sites; weclipusave's website is not quite as 'polished', but as long as I know a site is 'legit' I tend not to hold that against them. Klip2save is more polished and intuitive (to me, anyway) but they tend to sell out more quickly on the popular coupons. Keep in mind that it's not legal to buy or sell a coupon, but in this case you're paying for the labor it takes for them to 'clip' it for you. Also, in some cases you can even get the coupons a few days before they are in the newspaper.
If you have additional questions, feel free to send me a PM.
Nice play UncleB, I was printing mine out on computer and cutting them myself. Interesting note, I was shopping last night and somewhere between the last two aisles and the checkout counter, I misplaced all my coupons,,,Grrrrr!!! $8 or $9 worth... Still irritates me.. :-)
@Anonymous wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:"I like coupons; I don't bother with the newspapers, I order them from a clipping service online. They charge a flat-rate $1 for shipping, and the fee for "clipping" the coupon is usually 8¢ to 12¢ per coupon depending on how popular it is. This allows me to 'stock up' when there is a coupon and sale running simultaneously. I'm also a fan of Wal-Mart's savings catcher, but it's been rather hit-and-miss for me."
Tell me more about this clipping service.
I use two; sometimes one will be sold out and the other will still have stock, and I've found them both to be reliable and ship fast (usually the next day). Another plus (for me) is that they both take PayPal, so if you are like me and don't like putting your credit card into random websites that's not a problem.
In the past I've asked a moderator about sharing a website name in a post and it was OK since I'm not advertising for them. (I tried to give the name without adding a link, but the forum software makes it into a link anyway.)
I've had excellent service from both sites; weclipusave's website is not quite as 'polished', but as long as I know a site is 'legit' I tend not to hold that against them. Klip2save is more polished and intuitive (to me, anyway) but they tend to sell out more quickly on the popular coupons. Keep in mind that it's not legal to buy or sell a coupon, but in this case you're paying for the labor it takes for them to 'clip' it for you. Also, in some cases you can even get the coupons a few days before they are in the newspaper.
If you have additional questions, feel free to send me a PM.
Nice play UncleB, I was printing mine out on computer and cutting them myself. Interesting note, I was shopping last night and somewhere between the last two aisles and the checkout counter, I misplaced all my coupons,,,Grrrrr!!! $8 or $9 worth... Still irritates me.. :-)
+1
I print some of mine as well, but the ones you order are the same ones that come in the newspaper, which are generally higher-value than printables (but not always). Plus, when you print you are limited to two (2) per item, but when you order them you can generally order as many as you want (until they run out, which is only a problem on the really popular ones). The modest fee is quickly recouped in savings.
(FWIW, I once misplaced my coupon envelope as well... I was fuming for days! It hasn't happened again, though... LOL) 
I have been reading blogs and everything I can on saving money. I like this idea. I get psyched about pretending the ending balance in two weeks is zero. I guess after several months of doing this, there will be thousands of dollars in savings.
@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:I'm a personal fan of reading personal blogs like I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi or Get Rich Slowly(formerly owned by J.D Roth) that teach personal finance but also on occassion have some creative ways to save a buck.
What are some of your favorite ways to creatively stretch a budget to go longer?
One simple one I do is buy in bulk on a dollar per use basis.
If you are paid bi-weekly then learn to budget each month only on (2) pay checks. This way two months a year you get that third paycheck and you can save it.
Some do this, some don't. When your next direct deposit comes in, and let's say for simple math your DD is $2,500. Let's say your balance at the date of DD is $700.00, at that point assume your account has 0 dollars and that DD gives you a current balance of $2,500. Continue this exercise and it can start to add up quickly.
I'm a fan of this. Plus it keeps my bills payed way ahead of schedule each time I reach the later end of each 6 month period before the dates on the calendar reset.
Cool, it's like a business setting a budget for a time period. I am working on that. It will make life easier.
I don't know how 'creative' this strategy is, but I find the best way for me to save money is to simply stay away from the places/circumstances where I might spend it, including and especially the grocery store.
Usually, I go to the grocery store once a week and try to keep my spending to a minimum. However, like virtually every other person in the world who's ever stepped into a grocery store I always end up with a few impulse or semi-impulse buys (maybe it was technically on my list, but maybe it didn't really need to be or was added last minute in the parking lot to give me an excuse to buy it. 
). My solution is to delay trips whenever I can and not make them up. So if I usually go on Sundays, I'll skip the first Sunday, push a trip to Wednesday and then also skip the upcoming Sunday, relying on all the extra, unnecessary stuff I've been stocking up on to get me through. Sometimes I can skip whole weeks.
On the grocery topic, I also try to play it as tight with perishables as I can and avoid food waste. I very rarely end up throwing out food that is still safe and edible and I always bear in mind that expiration dates are often completely arbitrary and commonly more a guarantee of quality rather than safety. Bottom line is that for many/most items just because it's past the date (which may itself be a "sell by" or "best by" date rather than an expiration date) doesn't mean it isn't still perfectly safe to eat, and often still completely good and tasty. To me it's sort of like how a vehicle may come with a 5 year warranty, but that doesn't mean the vehicle won't still be running after 5 years; the date/warranty just means if you do get a dud you have some recourse.
Back on the topic of staying away from spending opportunities, I think this also very much applies to things like restaurants or other fun, but expensive excursions. I know myself; I'm not going to limit my spending when I go out. I'm going to 'live it up' and not even look at prices because that's just who I am and how I've always been. Even if I do manage to have an economical trip I'm usually miserable about it and feel deprived. I don't feel deprived simply not going out, but I do feel deprived trying to do it on a budget. So much better to not go at all or go way less often.
Which, to me brings me to the next big point: be honest with yourself. I think a lot of 'savings' tricks can end up costing more money than they save, or at least end up being more hassle than they're worth. Eating 'expired' salad dressing, not having cable television, and spending lots of quiet nights in are no burden at all to me. On the other hand comparison shopping, DIY projects, or trying to minimize my electricity usage would all be huge burdens to me. You just have to know what you can do to make a difference.
Closely related I think a great and important strategy for curbing spending is to avoid or minimize your exposure to advertising whenever possible. I've read lots of studies indicating that most people don't think they're affected by marketing and advertising, but that they actually very much are, just subconsciously.
@Anonymous wrote:I use Acorn its just like BOA with the round ups and I have a $10 dollars going to it every week...It takes 5 to 7 days if u want to withdraw from it making it not worth the hassel to go into.
I've been wanting to try Acorn for a long time now! I really need to set that up!
Which reminds me of another important saving and budgeting trick: automate as much as possible. I have savings and retirement contributions automatically drafted from my account every paycheck to make saving as easy and mindless as possible. On the spending front, I have many of the same items I always go through every month on Amazon's Subscribe and Save. It again helps keeps me out of the store where I'd be making needless purchases and keeps me from actively browsing Amazon, because for me at least impulse online purchases are also very much a threat. So just send me the things I know I'm going to need/want, take my money, and don't show me anything else!!
Likewise, when I do go into a grocery store I always buy exactly the same brands and avoid looking around as much as possible. It's easy to zone out and grab the same 5 things you always need, but looking around or considering other options can be dangerous to a budget in my experience.
I also try to be mindful of coupons and sales. Paying less for something is great...unless you weren't going to buy it at all, but now you're going to because it's on sale/you're getting a discount and...well I guess I could use that/may need it some day/was probably going to be buying that pretty soon anyway. 
Anyway, like I said, maybe those aren't so much 'creative tips' so much as broad strategies and I guess they can mostly all be summed up by a simple statement: willpower is easy if you avoid temptation.