Live Cheap, Save Big

Buying DVDs is not a good idea in the modern world. DVD prices have gone up as movie studios are cramming in more crap that we won’t watch into each disk. Double disk editions of Shrek are really not necessary - we’d get along fine with one disk. Prices have snuck up to around $25.

A $23.99 monthly subscription will get you 4 movies at a time, or for $29.99 you can get 5. I can’t imagine that you could possibly watch more than 5 in a two day period. If you can, you need a life, which is free.

Also if you have a non-copyrighted DVD, home movie or what not, you can burn it to a blank DVD with this simple step-by-step. You shouldn’t do that with copyrighted stuff because that’s illegal - the process is the same however.

DVDs are the ultimate impulse buys. Go to a Best Buy checkout and see for yourself. The $10 DVDs are there to make you feel like you’ve saved your cash and entice you to get that one last movie you’ve been meaning to see before you leave. Of course there are always those DVDs you’ve just got to have, but other than that control your urge to splurge.

Although I don’t advocate the use of credit, it’s an inescapable part of big ticket items like a car or house for most people. In the United States people buy most things on credit making a good credit score vital to not getting overcharged with high interest rates.

Bankrate.com has a free online credit score calculator [via Lifehacker] you can use to get a decent estimate of where you stand before you go out and buy that BMW you can’t afford. Even if you’re not going to buy a house anytime soon, your score will give you an idea where you stand and a heads up to get you act in shape if it’s too low (under 650).

One of the biggest obstacles to saving big isn’t “the system” or “the man” but yourself. In fact there are so many opportunities to save big by doing little things some people have even made entire blogs revolving around the subject. (Other than us I meant.)

Get Rich Slowly writes about a few good ways to channel your inner frugal-power [via The Consumerist]. One tip I especially liked,

Tax yourself whenever you make an impulse purchase. Take 10% of the of what you paid and put it into savings. This action alone can make you more aware of your spending habits.

What are some of the ways you control your impulse spending? Making lists, a ribbon around your finger, Vulcan mind melds let us know in the comments!

Wisebread has compiled a nice list of cheap ways to get rid of those pesky car dings and dents with included video. You can use the two methods he demonstrates with either dry ice or using an air dryer.

Be careful though, if you mess up it will cost you much more to get it patched up at a body shop. Laziness is always the cheapest alternative.

Lowering your thermostat a few degrees in the winter can save you a significant amount on your electricity bill. Here are 10 Tips for the Thermostat that will save you money. You can save 1% on your energy bill for every 1 degree you turn down your thermostat while you are sleeping or not at home. When you’re sleeping, will you really be able to tell the difference if it’s a couple degrees colder? If you turn it down 5 degrees, I bet you’ll be able to tell the difference on your electricity bill.

Using SkypeOut through your computer you can make unlimited calls to the U.S and Canada for $29.95. SkypeOut also has low international rates, with a nominal connection fee of $.0405 from the U.S.

Credit card balance transfers can save you a lot of money in interest charges if you pick the right offer. Competing credit card companies want your business, so much so that many will pay off the debt on your current card and give you an interest-free period (often called a grace period) to pay off the balance. It is important to carefully read the terms and conditions of all offers as some credit cards will charge you a one-time fee, often 3% of the balance, to transfer the debt to their card. If you are unsure if you will be able to pay off the debt within the grace period, you should pick a credit card with a lower interest rate. If you have $5000 in debt on your current credit card with an annual percentage rate of 18%, switching to a credit card with 0% interest for 12 months and no balance transfer fees will save you $900 in interest charges if you can pay it off in the 12 months.

When you sign up for a Cingular cell phone plan, they charge you $2.99 a month for roadside assistance through a third party named Asurion Insurance Services whether you want it or not. The terms and conditions of the roadside assistance program are confusing and make it seem as if you have to subscribe for this service even though they automatically add it to your contract. If you do not want or need this service, call Cingular at 1 866 CINGULAR and speak to a customer service representative to have roadside assistance removed from your plan. Both Cingular and Verizon are facing legal action for charging their customers for this service without their consent.

Cingular also funds spyware and charges customers for switching to paperless billing. Since cell companies frequently change their contract with you (again, without your consent) you can easily get out of them.

Everytime you get up in the middle of the night to tinkle you are flushing away 2 gallons of water (which equals money) down the crapper. Urine can wait a few hours as you might wake up more than once, or potty when you wake up. Toilets in the United States comprise an average of 10% of the overall water a typical house consumes. At .002 cents per gallon, it adds up. Not to mention it conserves water (Earth Day yesterday remember?)

For those of you overseas feeling better about yourselves, keep in mind that although most bowls are not filled when they are empty, they waste just about as much water when the trigger is pulled. American Water has 49 other simple ways to save on money, er, water.