Recessionista tips

I am a total frugalista/recessionista/whatever you want to call it. I love a good deal. Below are a couple of my tried and true tips for saving money

1) If your winter coat still fits bring it to your dry-cleaners. New buttons, and a good cleaning does wonders. And you just saved hundreds of dollars.

2) Always take your leftovers. Two meals for the price of one! Even if you have plans or don't think there is enough for another dinner still take it. You can have it for lunch the next day, with the addition of fruit/string cheese/etc. If you live in a big city like I do, buying your lunch everyday can be super expensive.

3) Give yourself a"fun" allowance and keep it in cash. This would be not the money for your bills, not the money for groceries, but the amount you can use for fun....movies, dinners, shopping, brunches, anything that is not a necessity. But keep this in cash. That way when the cash runs out, so does your fun. It helps keeps you from impulse spending, or over spending.

4) Coffee drinkers - make your coffee at home and save the trips to Starbucks for the weekend or when you need a treat.

5) Comparison shop when shopping online. It is so easy to google an item and see where else it is offered, and who has the best price. It literally takes only seconds.

6) Don't be suckered by a deal. Marketers are really good at their job. So make sure that if you are buying a "deal" it really is one, and not just a promotion.

7) Have a friend come over and go through your closet. I guarantee they will find something you forgot about, or put things together to make new outfits you have not thought of.

8) Go to the grocery store more often. This way you always have fresh food. I used to try and go as little as possible. But inevitably I ended up ordering out more because there would always be something I was missing so I couldn't cook.

9) Contact your service providers to see what new promotions are running. This would be phone, Internet, cable. The competition between companies are fierce so there are always specials, and bundles, and ways to save. I have noticed that if you call at night for some reason the people are nicer, and more willing to help.

10) Go to the library. I read a lot and it can be an expensive habit. A library card is $1, and you can now renew books on-line. Plus the overdue charge is $0.10 a day. So even if you forget to return the book for a month it's still only 1/4 of the price of buying the book.