Frugal tips
Coupon from the Trash
Couponing at all costs is what a lot of people do to save money, including rummaging through the trash of neighbors and dumpsters from local shops. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, right?
Switch Banks
Switching banks comes with many perks including hundreds of dollars, free appliances and other freebies when you join a new bank. So, why not switch banks to take advantage?
Only Shop on Sale
Only shopping sales means if it’s not on sale, you aren’t buying it. It’s a pretty extreme take on shopping but if you decide to do this, you can make it easier on yourself with these money-making tools: Dosh: This free app lets you earn cash back on your purchases. It’s simple. Install the app for free on your cell phone, link or debit/credit card and use that card to make purchases at participating retailers. You can scan your area with the app to see what retailers are available and offering discounts. When you make a purchase, cashback is applied to your Dosh account automatically and you can redeem for cash to your bank account, PayPal cash, and other options! Ebates: You will want to get the free Ebates browser extension on your computer. When you land on an Ebates partner site, you’ll get a popup showing you how much cash back is available with your purchase. Once you buy, you’ll have cashback applied to your Ebates account. Then, redeem of rewards like cash, gift cards, and more! Ibotta: You can scout out the sales in your area, scan receipts and do so much more with the free app, Ibotta. It’s for grocery shopping and will help you save a ton on your food costs. You’ll want to check out these 13 Ibotta tips and tricks to get the most out of the app!
Live in Your Car
A lot of people are starting to do this to save money. The cost of renting an apartment, up to $1,000+ is saved every month and can be applied to savings or your debts. Who does this?
- College students
- Recent college grads
- Digital nomads It’s definitely an extreme way to cheapen your lifestyle costs, living in your vehicle.
Regifting
Do you know those gifts you receive for yourself that you don’t like? Don’t throw them away, regift! This will save you a ton on gifts that you’ll be buying throughout the year for birthdays and other events.
Ask for Refunds
Have you ever paid a membership for the month and cancelled halfway through or before the month ended? Why not ask for a refund. Even a prorated refund is a win, getting money back for the portion of the month you didn’t use. A lot of people don’t even think to do this, but ask. You might be surprised how often you’ll get a refund back!
Live a Petless Life
Pets are expensive. They can bring joy and serenity to your life. They can truly feel like part of the family but the truth is, the upkeep for having a pet can be high:
- Food
- Housing
- Toys
- Supplies
- Vet checkups
- Cleaning Save money and have no pets.
Eat Free Food
There are free food opportunities all around you. Here are some ways to eat free:
- Install fast food restaurant apps on your phone
- Check out monthly free food deals here
- Mystery shopping
- Use a rewards app Restaurants that Give Free Food Your favorite fast food retailers like Burger King and KFC offer incentives for downloading their free app onto your cell phone. You can get free food just for downloading, along with other perks like birthday freebies, coupons and more. Here is a roundup of some restaurants that offer incentives for getting their app:
- Baja Fresh
- 7 Eleven
- Auntie Anne’s
- Burger King
- Chili’s
- Chick-fila
- Denny’s
- Dominoes Check out more restaurants that give free food. Monthly Food Deals Head to Thrillist for their monthly roundup of free food deals from restaurants that are offering specials, honoring a holiday or giving out free food for no reason at all. Mystery Shopping With mystery shopping, you are working as an undercover shopper, evaluating the performance of restaurant employees. You are paid for your services with money or rewards and you usually get the item you are shopping, for free. You can check out companies like Mystery Dining HGEM or Service Scan to sign up as a mystery shopper. Rewards Apps Get Olio. Here’s how it works: First, download the app, for iPhone or Android phone users. Then, connect the app to Facebook and browse local eateries offering free food.
Eat Super Cheap Dinners
Similar to eating like a college student, you can do really cheap dinners throughout the week to save. You can eat spaghetti and marinara sauce for under $.50/serving, feeding about 5 people. You can also eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or cereal to save money.
One Meal a Day
Go even more extreme, eating just one meal a day. People who fast do this for the purposes of losing weight. Can you imagine how much you’d save on your grocery bill if you shopped for one meal a day, instead of three meals plus snacks!