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Saving Money is as Good as Making It!

John P.

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CashIt’s true. There is nothing like making a few $Hundred grand a year. But almost as good is buying stuff for half what it’s worth!

So, being the excellent consumer I am, The Man has compiled a list of 8 great tips for saving loads of cash. I’m not being paid a dime to make these recommendations, I’m just sharing a bunch of services which have saved me a cumulative ton of money in the past.

  1. Always eBay! Folks, if you have never purchased even one item on eBay I can guarantee you are wasting money. I’ve bought everything from welding equipment to high end Audio / Video gear on eBay, saving literally thousands of dollars. My basic rule is, on expensive items if I can’t save 25% I don’t use eBay and on inexpensive items if I can’t save 50% I don’t use eBay.
  2. Gas BuddyFind the cheapest gas in your area with GasBuddy.com! I’ve mentioned this tip before, but it’s worth restating. Right now, there is a $.50 per gallon difference on DallasGasPrices.com between the highest and lowest prices in the area. That’s an extra $10 on a 20 gallon tank, and if you just check the site you can see if you’re better off buying the gas near your home or near your destination. Routinely doing this can honestly make a car payment for you each year.
  3. Restaurant.comRestaurant.com has some of the best deals available on line! I know this is hard to believe, but there are 47 different restaurants in my area alone that are giving between 50-66% off on gift certificates bought online. For example, I can buy a $25 GC to a nearby diner online NOW, print it out and go there and eat for 66% off. They have these deals for over 7,500 restaurants ! Why wouldn’t you do this??
  4. I don’t know how long this will last, but for now if you want to purchase some fine furniture your best best is to go to the local stores and make a note of exactly what you’re looking for. Then visit SmartDecorating.com and request a free price check. Kimberley Causey will e-mail you a response letting you know where to get it and how much to pay.
  5. For any electronic or mechanical devices, always to comparison shopping. The following four sites have always given me a representative sampling of what’s available: Froogle.com – PriceGrabber.com – PriceScan.com – MySimon.com.
  6. Kayak.comDon’t dare buy travel services without checking Kayak.com and Sidestep.com first. They make Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz look old and feeble.
  7. Buying a car is one of those times when I’m convinced many people decide they are going to get “taken” one way or another, so they decide to take the easy route and just let themselves get robbed. This is unacceptable! Edmunds.com Now dealerships will try to quote you Kelley Blue Book (I wouldn’t trust the people who put this out any more than I could… shoot them in the head!) and who knows what else to convince you a car is worth more than it really is, but the only reputable pricing guide I’ve found on the Internet is Edmunds.com. The last 4 or 5 vehicles I’ve purchased were all within $200 of the price they said people are paying in my area. I might have had to walk out of a dealership or two but I simply didn’t have to pay more. Go get the True Market Value and take a printed copy with you!

So, there you have it. From food, to electronics… cars to travel… everything you need to save a bundle!

Now, if you ask what you can do for me in return, well that’s simple! Just sign up to receive notifications when I post new articles on the top right corner of your browser window! It will make me feel good to know that the time I spend putting these things together is not a huge waste. :-)