99 Great Ways to Save

I got this e-mail featuring some great tips for saving money – and, clearly, I’m all about saving money.  Thing is, though, the tips are provided by (and found in) AARP.  Ummm . . . hello?!  Do I look old enough to receive AARP?  Please say “no”. (I know the day will come all too quickly and I’m trying to ward it off with some hair dye and a 5 year old boy!)

In any case, these really are great ideas for ANYONE (many of them are ones that Brian – who is a whole year and a 1/2 older than me and closer to AARP benefits – is already preaching to me about).  You can check out all the tips here.  In the meantime, here are a few of my favorites (with my personal thoughts in parenthesis):

Gas app. A website that drivers can use to check local gas prices, GasBuddy.com, has gone mobile with free apps for Apple, Android, Windows and BlackBerry.  (While Brian hasn’t yet moved up in the world of technology, he check GasBuddy’s website every time we’re traveling, so he knows which location or state is the best place to get our gas.)

Save with cash. Studies show that people may spend 50 percent more on fast food and other purchases when they pay with a debit or credit card, because parting with cash hurts more. Some retailers, including gas stations, offer discounts to cash customers to avoid paying the card "swipe fee" to a bank.  (This is a lesson for me – I rarely ever carry cash.)

Pay yourself. Put an open jar in a conspicuous place in your home. When you do something you might have paid for — ironing, cooking, fixing a good latte — feed the jar with the amount you'd have spent. Do the same if you resist the impulse to buy something. The money will add up, fast.  (OK, I’ve not done this, but it sounds like a reasonable idea!)

A drip in time. Your AC system and dehumidifier pull water out of the air that's perfect for gardening or car washing. Some devices will route the water to your garden. (While we’re not sophisticated enough to route our water, we do recycle the water in our dehumidifier – and, trust me, we have a lot of it right now.  Our  basement smells like an old person’s house.  Ick!  Gee, maybe I am ready for AARP after all.)

Ye olde travel agent. Price out your trip components (air, hotel, rental car) at several online booking sites, then ask an agent to do better. Some large agencies buy blocks of tickets and rooms at bulk rates and charge less than discount websites; smaller agencies may be privy to obscure package deals. (I never thought I’d use a travel agent because I enjoy doing my own researching and planning for trips.  However, we got a MUCH better deal using an agent for our Disney trip in May.  I’ll be posting about her and her services in an upcoming Thursday Disney Review.)

Time is money. On average, coupon users save $8 per supermarket visit from 13 minutes of clipping—more than $400 a year, according to the coupon industry. Those who devote 20 minutes a week to the task shave their annual grocery bill by nearly $1,000. (So worth it!)

For more tips, check out AARP’s website.  I did it – you can too!