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- Got unlimited incoming calling
- Shopped on eBay
- Cancelled the cable movie channels
Got a cheap international calling plan
- Switched to bi-weekly mortgage payments
- Switched to store brands
- Drove less
- Packed lunch
- Said “no” to the daily Starbucks
- Switched lights off in unoccupied rooms
- Purchased household items in bulk
- Switched from premium to regular fuel
- Didn’t incur bank fees
- Didn’t incur late fees
- Paid my credit card balance in full each month
- Ensured checks I wrote didn’t bounce
- Took a defensive driving course
- Saved charitable receipts for tax deductions
- Invested in no-load mutual funds
- Stopped buying on impulse
Negotiated a lower APR on my credit card
- Kept car tires properly inflated
- Switched from bottled to filtered tap water
- Declined extended warranty on new purchases
- Haggled the price of a new car
- Used the Internet for comparison shopping
- Bundled my cable, Internet and phone service
- Carpooled to work
- Took public transport
- Bought holiday gifts during sales
- Stopped buying pay-per-view programs
- Cooked more at home
- Stopped going to the car dealership for oil changes
- Increased my auto insurance deductible
- Painted the second bedroom myself
- Used the 10% savings method
- Bought tickets to a matinee show
- Ate out less
Only ordered what I could finish
- Washed the car myself
- Used a point card when filling gas
- Stopped tipping strippers
- Applied for and received an education bursary
- Disputed false cell phone charges
- Put a larger down payment on my house
- Didn’t use an out-of-network ATM
- Threw loose change in a glass jar
- Avoided designer labels
- Fixed the sink myself
- Got life insurance through employer’s group policy
- Booked flights early
- Shopped online for cheap airfare
- Reused plastic bags as garbage bags
- Put money in my RRSP (401K for the Yankees)
- Used the health spending account through work
- Returned the PVR unit
- Rented the DVD
- Bought winter clothes in the summer
- Bought summer clothes in the winter
Asked for a doggie bag
- Used a shopping list when buying groceries
- Bought lunch sushi at half price after 5pm
- Invested in index funds
- Removed 3-way calling from my cell phone
- Mailed in rebate forms
- Bought used books
- Got my mortgage through a broker
- Switched the thermostat from “On” to “Auto”
- Challenged and won the parking ticket
- Stopped speeding
- Avoided “jack-rabbit” starts
- Avoided hard braking
- Use cold water to do laundry
- Adjusted my tax withholding
- Switched to a no-annual fee credit card
- Used credit card points for purchases
Switched to rechargeable batteries
- Found and used online coupons
- Switched to term life insurance
- Got a movie from the local library
- Cancelled unread magazine subscriptions
- Cancelled the unused gym membership
- Started re-gifting
- Declined insurance on the rental car (used my own)
- Bought an energy-efficient appliance
- Caulked home window seals
- Had leftovers
- Used a gas discount credit card
- Put my bonus towards my RRSP (401K)
- Skipped the rust-proofing at the car dealership
- Started dollar-cost averaging
- Bought from a garage sale
- Programmed thermostat based on work schedule
Switched the water off when shaving
- Used Dryel instead of dry-cleaning
- Ordered contact lenses online
- Unplugged appliances when not in use
- Got a variable mortgage
- Bought DIY furniture
- Negotiated a group discount
- Cut down on popcorn at the movies
- (…and one more since #42 may be too hard to do)
Bought a generic brand of printer toner
11 responses so far ↓
1 Pinyo // Jun 15, 2008 at 10:58 am
Nice list. Simple and concise. This is a good idea generator.
2 Frugal Canadian Living // Jun 15, 2008 at 11:32 am
I like number 42. It might be the answer to life, the universe and everything.
3 The Village Idiot // Jun 15, 2008 at 5:25 pm
@Pinyo: Gracias.
@Frugal: Easier said than done
4 Living the Cheap Life » Blog Archive » Blog carnivals and link roundup - 6/18 // Jun 18, 2008 at 3:34 pm
[...] 101 ways I saved money this year - Wow, nice list. From Save, You Fool! [...]
5 passivefamilyincome // Jun 20, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I like the format and idea for your post. I may have to try a similar style of post. Thanks for the idea! Look forward to visiting your site more often!
6 The Village Idiot // Jun 20, 2008 at 7:38 pm
@passive: Thanks for visiting and the comment. I was surprised after completing the list at the many ways we manage to save on a daily basis - most of these is actually do-able without much effort.
7 101 money-saving tips from the village idiot - Smart Spending // Jun 25, 2008 at 7:35 pm
[...] you can find some inspiration in “101 ways I saved money this year” by “The Village Idiot” at an entertaining blog called Save, You [...]
8 Jay // Jun 25, 2008 at 10:46 pm
I think if we stop number 42, it should take care of all our financial problems. It looks like the strippers will have to find a day job now…
9 Suze Orman’s Freebie Download + 101 Ways To Save Money This Year » TipNut.com // Jun 27, 2008 at 7:08 pm
[...] next feature is from Save You Fool with 101 Ways I Saved Money This Year. Here’s an idea of what you’ll find, I’ve included a few of my notes beside [...]
10 Betty G. // Jul 6, 2008 at 5:44 pm
For entertainment, I check the newspaper for free things happening in my city. A subscription to the newspaper is well worth the price. For this 4th of July weekend, the local Assisted Living Complex had an Open House with a free picnic lunch.
For years, when I helped bring up my granddaughter, I attended free entertainment that was for adults and children, some of it was indoor activities, some outdoors such as free symphony concerts by the lake of a univ. where the kids got outside for the fresh air, had plenty of room to run around and plays, had playmates, got to feed the ducks, and listen to the beautiful classical music and we had a picnic dinner.
11 The Village Idiot // Jul 7, 2008 at 11:32 am
Great idea Betty. I too have found newspapers to be an excellent source of free or cheap entertainment that is both fun and healthy. Also weekly neighborhood flyers about weekend events promise similar benefits - I just enjoyed a free, open air jazz concert yesterday that was a 5 minute walk from home and one I would’ve never known about had I not read the Sunday flyers.
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