A recent post on the blog The Simple Dollar
charted the author's money saving moves over each of the 24 hours in a typical day. At midnight, for example, a programmable thermostat adjusts his home's temperature, saving on cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. At 3 a.m., clothes hung out to dry the night before in a spare bedroom continue to dry in the cool night air, saving on the cost of running the dryer. At 5 p.m., a homemade dinner costs less than $1 per person.
Matt's View
You may not be drawn to all of his ideas (homemade laundry detergent, anyone?). However, I like the idea of thinking about the activities of a typical day to look for ways to spend money more effectively. Drive to work on your own each morning? How about carpooling with a neighbor who heads in the same direction every day? In the habit of hitting the vending machine each afternoon to ward off fatigue or stress? How about bringing a piece of fruit to work instead? Go to bed each night with lots of electric devices drawing energy? Unplug them before turning in or plug multiple devices into a power strip and turn it off when they're not in use. Little money saving habits practiced on a regular basis will add up to lots of savings.
Ever heard of Ebates
? I found out about the web site from the blog Gather Little by Little
. A quick online registration process gives you access to rebates from hundreds of merchants. The rebates are typically about two to five percent of the purchase price, but can go higher.
Matt's View
For items you're planning to buy anyway, why not get an additional rebate? Ebates also offers rebates for hotels, airlines, and more. When you sign up you can choose a $5 bonus rebate or a $10 gift card. Feel no pressure to do so, but there's also a spot where you can enter the e-mail address of the person who referred you (matt@moneypurposejoy.com) and they'll get a $5 bonus as well!
For a lot of people, going to a movie is a favorite form of entertainment. However, with tickets now $10 in many markets and a "small" container of popcorn going for nearly $5, even a love story can seem a horror show. Some money saving tips from Smartmoney.com
included the following. Find the freebies. Regal Entertainment Group offers free kid-friendly movies
each Tuesday and Wednesday morning this summer. Seek out discounts. Entertainment books usually offer reduced price tickets, and right now you can get a free 2008 book (shipping will cost $4.99) when you order a 2009 book
. Lastly, don't buy tickets online, where you'll pay a premium for the "convenience."
Matt's View
The biggest mark-ups are at the concession stand. It'll be cheaper to have your snacks before or after the show. Wouldn't going to the movies be an all around better experience if everyone did that? There's nothing like a chorus of popcorn munching to put a damper on some good dialogue.
There was an interesting post on Free Money Finance
about the many benefits of going without a TV, including the financial savings
, and the quality of life improvements
.
Matt's View
Of course, there's nothing inherently wrong with watching TV (especially when there's a good golf tournament on!). However, it's pretty easy to make the argument that we Americans tend to overdo our tube time. According to one study
, "average daily household TV viewing" in the U.S. tops eight hours. According to another
, in many households with children, "parents have created an environment where the TV is a nearly constant presence."
From a strictly financial perspective, Boston College sociologist Juliet Schor has found a direct correlation between TV watching and savings--the more a person watches TV the less they save. And not just because of exposure to commercials, but also because of the expensive lifestyles depicted in many of the programs.
By the way, back in January I encouraged TV owners who use rabbit ears to order free coupons
that'll knock $40 off the cost of a digital signal converter box. You'll need one starting in 2009, when most TV stations will broadcast only digital signals. If you received your coupons but have not redeemed them, be sure to check the expiration date. I just noticed that mine are set to expire later this month.
