Ten Second Rule.

One of the best ways to curb wasteful spending is known as the "ten-second rule." When you are in a store and pick up something that is a non-essential (and remind yourself what is actually "essential" and "non-essential"), hold it in your hand for ten seconds and think about if the item is actually a necessary purchase. More often than not, you will decide that it is truly not that important and put it back, allowing you to leave with money in your pocket and a sense of pride for your frugal evaluation.

When it comes to big purchases, which can be amazingly easy to justify, apply the same method but use a thirty-day rule.

These tips and more from a fantastic book called "365 Ways to Live Cheap" by Trent Hamm, currently on Amazon for about $8.

Coinstar Update

My friend Walter showed me this Coinstar Locater . And....my friend Matt told me that the Coinstar machine in Levittown NY in Waldbaum's grocery store is broken, so when you go to purchase a Borders giftcard with your coins, a voucher prints out without the normal Coinstar deductions. Woot!

Healthy Fast Food Part 1

Burger King now has a Side Salad on the Value Menu for $1.00. It comes with dressing and croutons and isn't bad for a buck! Add a side of Apple Fries for $1.49 and you've got a quick and healthy meal on-the-go.

Free Iced Coffee! (Sorta...)

Ok, so many gas stations are offering promotions if free cup of coffee with a fill-up between 4-8pm. If the gas prices are comparable, get your coffee! Add the sugar/sweetener, but not the milk (unless its non-dairy creamer.) Then stick it in the fridge when you get home. Before work/school/etc., grab the coffee, add milk and enjoy during the morning drive.

Automotive Piggy Bank

I began keeping my piggy bank in my car. I put all my change (except quarters, those puppies are for laundry only) into Mr. Piggy (who, ironically fits rather neatly into the passenger cup holder, snout up) and then disregard them until Pigster is too heavy to budge. At that point I take him to the nearest Coinstar machine and am able to put all that money on a Starbucks gift card.They also offer iTunes gift cards as well as a few other types. If you put the money on a gift card Coinstar won't charge the normal 7-8% fee fee coin counting.
Then I get to treat myself to an overpriced Venti Mocha Iced with cinnamon syrup and soy milk! Woot!

7 Radical Ways to Save $$

LINK. :)

University Move-Out Week

Although we are closest to Move-In week, many college students simply ditch their dorm stuff (small fridges, microwaves, rugs, curtain, furniture etc.) when they move out of the dorms rather than drag it home. Cruise around the dorms on the last week of a semester for some gently used goodies.

Be Broke and Still Healthy!

Seventeen Healthy Foods Under $1:

1. Potatoes
2. Rice
3. Oatmeal
4. Watermelon
5. Garbanzo Beans
6. Pinto Beans
7. Bananas
8. Kiwis
9. Cantaloupe
10. Carrots
11. Lentils
12. Grapefruit
13. Nuts (giggle)
14. Water! (duh)
15. Eggs
16. Popcorn
17. Apples



See complete list here:

http://www.tiphero.com/newsletter.html&lpid=905?=lpid=1

No Shame in Scavenging

So, my neighbor is moving in with his fiance and clearing out his apartment. Having the aforementioned lack of shame, I felt no worries digging through what he had left near the trash bins to be discarded. I now have a nifty metal dish rack, brand new unopened set of patterned coffee mugs, new Fossil watch and neat wall clock.
Most cities/counties have one or two days a month that the sanitation service will pick up large trash items such as furniture. If you can get up early, you will be surprised at what people will throw out as opposed to donating.

DOLLAR TREE!

is officially awesome. They take overstock of name-brand merch and offer it at one friggin' dollar. While much of their items are pretty low quality, it is definitly worth checking out for name brands like Crest, Carefree, Spic-n-Span, etc. Plus stuff like notebooks and binders for school are just as durable as what you would pick up at a drugstore or Wal-Mart. Be weary of off-brand pens (which I learned the hard way), as they tend to suck and dry up in a matter of mere seconds it seems.

Dollar Store Food?

Questionable, to say the least. I buy food in the dollar stores only if I recognize the brand name. For instance, Sargento shredded cheese was at the Dollar Tree this week so I picked up a bag to make quesadillas. The end result was a little chewy, but otherwise edible. Many food items at 99-cent and dollar stores are brands that grocery stores reject, so keep that in mind while shopping.