Live Cheap, Save Big

Nothing makes Mom happier on Christmas than a framed picture of the family or that special one of the just the two of you. It’s because she knows you went through a considerable bit more time and effort than running into a store last minute and buying her a gift certificate like you usually do. If you have a photo-quality printer then you’re more than half the way there. If you don’t have a photo printer or a scanner, hit up a kiosk at a convenience or camera store and get your picture printed for a few dollars. All you need to do now is go to a department store during a weekend sale and pick up a picture frame for $20 or less. Picture frames are always on sale so chances are likely you can get a nice one for that price which looks like you spent a lot more.

So save yourself some money by spending a little time and effort, and you’ll be sure to come out as the thoughtful son or daughter this Christmas. Trust me, I can tell you from experience that it works!

Via belazier.com:

Eggs - The nice thing about eggs is there are countless ways to cook them and make them more than a Spartan meal if you’ve got accessories. Hard boiling, sunny side up, and scrambled are the most convenient. Add some salt, pepper, and tomatoes to fancy them up, if you can be bothered.

Like the article states, eggs are great because they’re delicious, super quick to make and easy to dress up with cheese, vegetable and a little spice. Plus, eggs are one of the cheapest foods around at just over a $1 for a dozen or $3 if you prefer to buy organic eggs. Either way, they’re super friendly on the wallet. Also making the top 5 list is pasta, which is also extremely easy to make and very cheap.

Cook pasta at home and you can feed 4 people for less than $15 and still have leftovers. You can also grill your own burgers and make sandwiches at home and still have a cheap delicious meal. Just because you’re saving money, doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice on taste.

If you’re addicted to anything that’s not good for you, like cigarettes or fast food, give yourself a financial incentive to quit. Stop indulging in the bad habit and take whatever you spend on that item daily and set it aside. If you’re addicted to cigarettes for example, take $4 a day and put it in a jar. At the end of one month you’re going to have $120 saved up, and you’ll probably also feel a whole lot more healthy. The same thing goes for unhealthy food, if you eat out at a fast food restaurant at least once a day, set that $5 aside you’ll have a nice chunk of change after a couple months. You should reward yourself with the savings by buying yourself something nice. I’m not saying you should go out and blow the whole amount but get yourself something you normally wouldn’t buy or you usually stinge yourself on. Even if you do decide to blow all the money, go ahead because you earned it by being good and its money much better spent!

Via msn money:

A quick-start guide for new graduates looking for their first job and first place of their own. This article outlines important steps you need to follow to get on with that second all-important stage of your life…working. Their advice regarding your first job:

Once you land a job, you’ll breathe easier, but keep a few things in mind:

• You’ll probably earn more money than you’re accustomed to, but Uncle Sam will take a bigger bite, too. Don’t spend your first paycheck before you actually get it. (Get an idea of what your take-home pay will look like here.)

• Your tax return will become more involved as your salary and investments increase. Plan for deductions. (However, the costs you incur landing your first job aren’t deductible.)

• Remember that your career is your most valuable asset. Manage it better than any other investment.

There is also other helpful advice for people new to the working world, including budgeting, saving, and resisting the urge to spend you new-found wealth. We all know that feeling of the first real paycheck we ever got, our first urge is t o go and blow the whole thing since we never really had money like that before. The article urges us to cut back on luxury expenditures and the fact that it’s never too early to start saving. If you’re about to graduate and search for your first job, check out the article for tons of good advice and tips.

Cooking at home saves you a ton of money in the long run but it’s just not realistic to cook every single day. Whether you’re in the mood for something you can’t make, you’re short on time, or you just don’t feel like exerting the effort it takes to cook a meal, sometimes you just feel like eating out. There are still ways you can save on the bill when you do decide to go to a restaurant. The first thing you should do is order water with your meal. The markup on sodas, tea, beer and liquor is astronomical. You’re there to enjoy the food, water gives you something to wash it down and will not effect the flavor of your food. If you go somewhere known for their generous portions, skip the appetizer or share one. A lot of restaurants also include a soup or salad with the meal, do you really need an appetizer on top of that?  If you’re full after the meal, skip dessert and pick up some ice cream for later on the way home and save yourself some more money.  You can also see what specials they’re offering that day, as those dishes usually come with a better price tag.  Skipping the booze and sodas, appetizer and dessert can save you a hefty chunk off your restaurant bill and you can still enjoy a nice meal out.

A good date is not defined by how much money you spend, but the quality of time spent together. Many people think that to have a great date you have to sit down at a fancy restaurant and spend a bunch of money. But a great date can cost little to nothing if you find a fun outdoor activity to do together including miniature golf, a bike ride through a park , or taking a walk on a nice day. CNN.com offers some cheap and fun date ideas, including cooking a meal together at home. Not only does preparing a meal together serve as a fun bonding experience, but you also save a lot of money by not eating out.

The local paper is also a great resource for finding cheap date ideas. Local art openings are mostly free and usually provide food and beverages. Other free activities include outdoor music festivals, museum exhibits, and flea markets. There’s lots of great ways to have some fun, take in culture and save some money at the same time. All it takes is a little research to find out what’s going on in the area.

Ladies, don’t be lame and go out and buy a princess costume for Halloween. You know you still have that old prom dress just sitting pointlessly in the corner of your closet! More than likely you paid a few hundred dollars for it, so why not get your money’s worth by wearing it one more time? The costume is almost ready to go when you pull that shiny prom dress out of the bag. All you need now is the matching pair of shoes you already have, and a cheap tiara which I’m sure won’t cost you more than a dollar or two.  And there you are, you’re a princess!

If you travel regularly for business or pleasure, make your miles work for you by signing up for miles cards for the airlines you use. They cost nothing to sign up and once you earn enough miles, your loyalty is rewarded with free flight vouchers and ticket upgrades. I travel about 7 or 8 times a year for work so I should earn enough miles for a free domestic flight fairly quickly. I signed up for Continental OnePass, United Mileage Plus, and Southwest Rapid Rewards. Some airlines give you an automatic number of miles when you sign up as an incentive. Continental gives you a minimum of 500 miles for every flight you take. Southwest gives you a travel voucher for flying 8 times in a 2-year period which isn’t that much if you travel regularly for work. So sign up for for mileage rewards cards, pack your bags and rack up those miles for free travel perks and vouchers.

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who goes to a coffee shop every morning before work and once again in the afternoon for a pick-me-up, you’re throwing your money away.

I bought a Tassimo single-serve coffee machine in July and I have been extremely happy with it. It makes strong delicious coffee, cappucino, hot chocolate, tea and even espresso. It is also extremely easy to use - you insert a coffee pod, hit a button and about 30 seconds later you have a delicious coffee. Just throw away the pod and wash a few removable parts about once a week and you’re good to go. Coffee costs around 50 cents per serving while drinks such as cappuccino run less than a $1 per cup, which is still about a 1/3 of what you’d pay at a coffee shop.

After using the machine for a month, I made my money back and then some. If you’re really into coffee and are sick of spending over $5 a day going to a coffee shop, I highly suggest you purchase a single-serve machine for your desk at work. I can’t vouch for the other brands but I can tell you that I love my machine. The initial investment of $130 was well worth it, I have gourmet quality coffee whenever I want and am spending less than half as much money as I used to.

Techiebuz offers up 25 gadgets that save you money. One in particular that I found very interesting was the idea of installing an electric windmill on your house:

25. A Residential Windmill
Price: $8,500 (including installation)
Time Until Break Even: 8 years

If you want to be “king geek” in your area, few things will top this. $8,500 will get you a windmill on top of your house, which can, by itself, take care of almost all of your home electrical needs. It looks like a high-tech antenna up there, quietly whirring away, using the wind to provide your juice. For an average household, the device will pay for itself in eight years; after that, it’s all gravy. Plus, you’re helping the environment by almost eliminating your load on the power grid.

While the initial investment is quite large, the windmill will pay itself off in 8 years and after that it will supply most of the power needed to keep your house running. This will equal immense savings after the 8-year mark. Other cheaper gadgets such as filtered water bottles, rechargeable batteries and compact fluorescent bulbs are suggested. Not every gadget has to be outlandishly expensive and serve no real purpose other than being flashy. Something to think about.