From the Desk of Penny Saver – 25 Ways To Save Money Part 5

Finally we come to an end of my personal top 25 money saving tips! My desk is cleared and now I will move on to the next article for you dear readers, coupons and free stuff!

21. Re-use plastic shopping bags as trash bags.

Every time I go off to Wally World I get tons of those little plastic shopping bags. While I have a tall trash can in the kitchen I have the normal medium sized ones in the other rooms. I use the Walmart shopping bags as my trash bags instead of buying bags. This saves me money and makes use of the bags that I get from shopping.

22. Use a water filter.

I drink tap water to save money instead of buying bottled water. I did invest in a filter because the ordinary tap water tastes a bit funny to me. The cost of the filter is absorbed over the time period it is used and I have great tasting water all the time.

23. No Cable.

I do not pay for cable (although sometimes I do miss the shows I do not regularly get to watch) because right now that is an unnecessary expense. I watch the television shows online, for free usually at hulu.com I also spend time on this blog and I use the internet at school a lot so that I do not miss the cable too much.

24. Use Paypal for purchases.

I use my paypal card to purchase things so that I am operating on a cash-like basis. The card will only work if I have the money in my account so I am using it like a debit card and not racking up any more charges on my credit cards. However I do get 1% cash back if I hit credit when I use the card. Getting a 1% cash back might not seem like much but when you operate on a cash basis you do not get anything back so I am winning here. Another way I look at it is that I get a 1% discount every time I make a purchase. Way to go PayPal!

25. Make lists…and stick to them.

I have found that one of the best ways for me to save money is to make lists and stick to them. When I go shopping I only buy what is on the list and nothing else. That way I can stick to my budget and not end up overspending on anything. I also make lists of my chores for the day and rearrange items so that I have minimal walking or driving to do. I combine trips when possible so that I can also save on gas and time.

Send your tips to tips@beattherecession.com and look for them in an upcoming article!