Frugal thrifty and happy

40 simple ways to save money on the internet

2008-10-29T09:22:00.001-04:00

Here is an article from Techradar.com:
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Capitalism is collapsing, we're eating shoes for dinner and our houses are worth about 10p - so it's more important than ever to ensure that we're getting the biggest bang for our bucks.

If money really talked, it'd be saying "go online and save some cash!"
So we did.

Here, we reveal 40 ways to use the web to beat the bills, cut your costs and get more from your money.

1. Go paper-free for cheaper billsMany firms, such as Norwich Union Direct give you one discount for applying online and a further discount if you choose online-only paperless policies.

2. Make free phone callsWhether it's Skype or your favourite chat software, why pick up the phone when voice and video chat is free?

3. Cut your credit card ratesIf you don't clear the balance every month, high interest rates could be costing you a fortune. Use MoneyExtra to find a better deal.

4. Get cheaper gas and electricEnergy firms make a lot of money from inertia - that is, customers sticking with the package they're on instead of switching to better deals. Use Uswitch to compare different providers.

5. Collect AirmilesAirmiles aren't just for flights - you can use them for hotel stays, too. The Airmiles website shows you where to collect the most miles.

6. Be patient and save on delivery chargesMany online shops such as Amazon charge a fortune for fast delivery. Go for free delivery instead - no book, game or DVD is that urgent.

7. Get cheaper broadbandBeen with the same ISP for a while? You're probably paying too much. Broadband Genie shows who's got the best prices for the speed you need.

8. Get loyalty discountsProviders such as O2 give massive discounts for customers who take more than one service so, for example, O2 broadband is £5 cheaper for existing O2 customers.

9. Get cheaper insuranceInsurers typically attract new customers with generous deals and then stuff them when it's time to renew. Use Confused.com to get a better deal.

10. New quotes are often cheaper than renewalsLike your insurer but hate the renewal price? Get a new quote from their website and demand they match it. We saved £90 this week doing just that.

11. Buy groceries onlineSupermarkets are brilliant at encouraging impulse buys, so avoid temptation by ordering over the internet. If possible, arrange midweek delivery: weekends cost more.

12. Dump designersSites such as ASOS.com can help you get designer styles without paying designer money.

13. Book flights earlyThe earlier you book a flight on airlines such as EasyJet, the less it costs.

14. Use free softwareIs OpenOffice.org as good as Microsoft Office? Who cares? It's free! See also: Picasa, Google Docs, Paint.net...

15. Get cheaper gig tickets in advanceSign up to mailing lists to get advance notice of ticket sales for your favourite acts.

16. Get cheaper last-minute ticketsNeed tickets for a sold-out gig? Sod the scalpers: try ethical trading site Scarlet Mist.

17. Get cheap Christmas presents nowIt's not long till Xmas, and there are sales a-plenty from big names such as Debenhams and Marks & Sparks.

18. Find freebiesThe lovely people at Moneysavingexpert.com have found freebies ranging from baby food samples to study aids and sun cream.

19. Compare prices to save bigNever buy things from the first site you try - a quick trip to Kelkoo will often find it cheaper.

20. Use a car broker and save cash on your new carCar dealers are suffering, so brokers such as Broadspeed can get even bigger discounts on new cars than before.

21. Monitor the market for cheap mortgagesThe best deals appear and disappear in a matter of days, so use a site such as Moneysupermarket.com to make sure you don't miss any.

22. Prioritise your debts to cut repaymentsShifting debt to a credit card with 0% interest on balance transfers could slash your repayments; find one on Moneysupermarket or MoneyExtra.

23. Get a currency cardTravelling abroad? Pre-paid currency cards can save you a stack when you pay with plastic.

24. Find the cheapest petrolPetrolprices.com finds the cheapest petrol stations in your area.

25. Earn more interest on your savingsMake sure you're earning maximum interest at Moneysavingexpert.com.

26. Get 2 for 1 cinema ticketsWith Orange? Text 241 to get two-for-one tickets on Wednesdays.
27. See films for freeDisney's Film Factory often gives away free tickets for new movies.

28. Sell your story to the pressDid your partner leave you for a chicken? Beonpaper is where real-life mags often get their case studies - and many of them pay.

29. Get free stuff from FreecycleJoin your nearest Freecycle group and discover how you can get people's unwanted items for nowt.

30. Get cashback when you shopSites such as Topcashback can get you cash back when you buy from major retailers - although you should always check that the same things aren't cheaper elsewhere.

31. Stream music for freeWhy buy CDs when Last.fm's streaming is so good?

32. Build a blog, not a websiteFree blogging platforms such as WordPress are often better than paid-for web space.

33. Cancel the newspaperThey're all online, so subscribe to their RSS feeds with NewNewsWire or FeedDemon.

34. Find cheap restaurant deals5pm.co.uk offers cheap same-day deals for all kinds of swanky restaurants.

35. Do a holiday house swapDon't pay for a hotel: swap houses with someone instead.

36. Save petrolPlan your route before you travel - it saves petrol and it's cheaper than a sat-nav.

37. Get cheaper train ticketsBook in advance and use services such as Raileasy to find the lowest fares.

38. Get bargain hotel roomsLaterooms can save you a packet on hotel accommodation - especially if you're booking at the last minute.

39. Find free Wi-FiFree-hotspot.com and Wififreespot make it easy to find free Wi-Fi - although inevitably, availability is awful outside big cities.

40. Use up food before you buy moreCooking By Numbers is brilliant: tell it what odds and sods are in your fridge and it'll come up with recipes. We got Bacon Surprise: "The surprise is that it is nothing but bacon."

Now read 12 Vista Sidebar gadgets that will save you money and 7 Firefox add-ons that will save you a fortune

By Gary Marshall

Lunch money

2008-10-21T14:10:00.003-04:00

Today I've scheduled a $15.00 weekly automatic transfer to my savings account.

If I bring my lunch to work everyday, this is pretty much what I would save. That way I will really see that bringing lunch is worth it :)

On a diet

2008-10-15T16:27:00.003-04:00

I decided to start a diet. I need to lose about 10-15 pounds.

Tonight I'm making cabbage soup. It's cheap and a good start to lose weight.

I've tried sooo many diets in the past, I know they can be expensive. So this time I'm not going to fall into those slim fast-WW-Special K products!

Vegetables are my friend :p

What I've done to save money

2008-10-08T15:46:00.002-04:00

I've decided to become a saver about a year ago. Before that, I didn't really pay attention to my money. Here are the things I've done in the pas 12 months to save money:

- opened different ING saving accounts (EF, vacation, scooter, RRSP, TFSA)
- Opened ING 1 ½ year GIC at 4%.
- Changed my credit card to get 1% cash back.
- closed my landline and got a good deal on a cell phone plan
- bought a soy-milk maker
- Bought a yogurt maker (combined with the soy-milk maker, a yogurt cost me 0.03$).
- Bought a bread maker
- Subscribed to Opinion Outpost and PineCone (surveys companies).
- Got hired by 3 mystery shopping companies and make 3 or 4 assignments a week.
- Babysit on occasions.
- Worked on an Excel spreadsheet to create a good budget
- Asked for a raise
- bought a Diva Cup
- bought white vinegar and baking soda to clean my apartment
- Got used to bringing my lunch everyday at work.
- Shopped at Goodwill for clothes.
- Used coupons at the grocery store

And last but not least

I read PF blogs everyday to keep going!!!

In one month from now: vacation!!!!

2008-10-07T14:02:00.004-04:00

In about a month, I'll be in San Francisco, I can't wait :)

Some friends told me to buy my tickets for Alcatraz on the internet because it is really crowdy and they refuse people every day. It is $36.00 for the day tour or $43.00 for the night tour, which looks a lot more fun!

I also need to find a motel. I don't want anything fancy, as long as it is clean. I should find one on Expedia.ca or Travelzoo.

Back to my Excel spreadsheet

2008-10-01T09:57:00.003-04:00

I've decided to go back to my Excel spreadsheet for budgeting. I've tried Quicken for a few month, but I manage my budget a lot better with Excel, it's easy to cheat with Quicken, so it's not what I need :p

I opened a new GIC with ING. I took advantage of the new 1 1/2 GIC at 4% :)

Goals for October

2008-09-30T09:34:00.002-04:00

- blog more. I've really been a bad blogger lately.

- Get back to my budget seriously. September has been very chaotic. I bought many Christmas gifts. Even thought I made good deals for each of them, it wasn't part of my September budget.

- be more serious about bringing lunches at work. In September I bought lunch three times, not good!

- Prepare my November trip to San Francisco.

Scooter - Episode 2

2008-09-30T09:25:00.003-04:00

I managed to contact the guy that bumped into my scooter. He gave me a $500.00 cheque to get it fixed which is what the insurance would have given me.

This week I'm living at a friends' house. They are on vacations and need someone to take care of their cats and fish. It's cool cause it is very close to work and they left me their metro pass so that I don't have to buy one :)

Another scooter accident... arrrgh

2008-09-25T09:04:00.002-04:00

Yesterday another car bumped into my scooter. The scooter was parked on the street and the driver probably 'forgot' to check in front of his car... bang!!!! right on my scooter.

I was soooo mad when I came out of work!!! But fortunately the guy left his business card.

I had to wait an hour for the tow truck, sitting on the scooter cause it couldn't stand by itself anymore.

And this morning I was back on the bus. God I hate public transportation!!!

Starting to be cold!

2008-09-23T08:41:00.003-04:00

Brrrrr, Winter is coming! This morning on my scooter I wore three jackets, a scarf and gloves :))) My colleagues made fun of me when I entered the office as the Michelin Man LOL

On Saturday night I went to the Sigur Ros concert. I was soooo good. I bought my ticket 3 months ago for $37.50, and it was worth it :)

On Sunday I invited friends over and made crèpes for everyone. It was good but very long to make. We had fun and it didn't cost me much, just milk, flour and eggs (and Nutella :p).

And tonight i'm going to another circus show, the premiere of La Vie. I have a friend who works here, so I have a pretty good discount ($21.00 instead of $28.00).

Ipod refurbished price drop...

2008-09-17T15:04:00.002-04:00

Yep, a week after I buy a refurbished Ipod Nano for my nephew the price drops! Arrgghhh, I should never look back after I purchase something :p I bought it for $105, it is now $89.

Tonight I'm going to the Ghost Town Premiere, I have free tickets. I've checked on Rotten Tomatoes and the critics are really good. If it is the same humour as The Office (Ricky Gervais is the creator), it might be fun :)

And two more Christmas presents!

2008-09-15T09:55:00.002-04:00

I just bought Christmas presents for my dad and my brother in law.
I took advantage of the Adidas discount and Visa perk presented at Smart Canuck.

I bought a polo and a shirt for $52.00, including taxes and shipping :)

Frugal plan for the weekend

2008-09-12T19:29:00.002-04:00

I really don't want to spend too much this weekend so with my friends we decided to have a DVD marathon! :)

Each person will bring a movie that he/she had never seen before, with an actor that he/she really likes.

I haven't decided mine yet, but it will probably be with Johnny Depp :p

Christmas presents

2008-09-10T16:11:00.002-04:00

I just bought another Christmas present :)

My nephew wants an MP3 player for Christmas. I got him a refurbished Ipod Nano from Apple.ca. It was $105 instead of $169. Pretty good deal :)

News on the raise

2008-09-09T15:15:00.002-04:00

I talked to my boss, he said that the CEO is okay to give me a raise, but first they want to establish a global raise system, for the whole company.

So I don't know how long it will take, I really hope I'll get it soon...

Free dinner and show tonight!

2008-09-08T09:14:00.003-04:00

My boss has invited the whole team to the new show of the Cirque Eloize tonight(which is kind of like the Cirque du Soleil). I've never been to a modern circus show before. The only circus I've been to includes clowns and elephants :p

So I'm really exited about it :) AND, we'll have a free dinner, so I'm even more exited!!!

Last weekend I went to see the Oasis concert at the Bell center. It was fun except I don't really like their new songs. But listening to a live 'Wonderwall' was amazing :)

I love your blog

2008-09-04T14:25:00.004-04:00

Sorry I haven't post much this week, I'm having problems with my internet connection at home: I tried to set a wireless router by creating a bridge on my modem... it wasn't a very smart idea, everything is messed up and my internet is down :P
I'm hoping to get it fixeds tonight, fingers crossed.

Canadian Saver gave me an award, thanks I'm really touched :)

My turn to give awards to seven of my favorite PF blogs:

1. Saving4Later

2. Fabulous Broke in the City

3. Always the Planner

4. Squawfox

5. Getting Rich in Grad School

6. The Frugalista Files

7. Almost Frugal

A raise???

2008-09-02T16:28:00.002-04:00

This morning I asked my boss if I could get a raise since I've been working here for more than a year, he didn't hesitate at all and said "well I think it would be normal, I've got to talk to the CEO but you should get it". YAY!!!!

After that he told me that when I asked if we could talk and closed the door he was afraid I was going to make a bad announcement and that he HATED announcements LOL

I don't know when he will talk to the CEO, but I'm hoping to get an answer on Friday.

Bye-bye cheap flights! Zoom Airlines closed...

2008-08-29T12:48:00.002-04:00

I got an email from Zoom Airlines yesterday saying that they had suspended operations :(

With the price of gas nowadays, I can't say that I'm surprised but it is too bad, it was the cheapest way to go to Paris and London from Canada.

I have a few friends that had booked flights with them I don't know if they will see their money back... I'm guessing they won't.

Thank God I booked my Christmas flight with Air Transat!!!

Soy-milk maker again

2008-08-27T19:14:00.003-04:00

I got a soy-milk maker on ebay for almost half price. I got is at $84.00 instead of $150 :)
I'll probably receive it next week since it is coming from Vancouver.

Today I went to the Asian grocery store and bought soy beans. $1.79 for a 900g bag, it is very cheap! Cheaper than the health store I went to last week (it was $3.00).

Can't wait to start making my own milk, tofu and soy yogurt :)

Sad :(

2008-08-26T15:27:00.002-04:00

I told you in a previous message about my cat. Well, yesterday I had to bring him to the vet to put him to sleep, he wouldn't eat anymore and was losing his balance because of his cancer.

This was heartbreaking, I couldn't stop crying at the vet's office. I decided not to stay when the vet put him to sleep, it is too hard to watch.

Good deal :)

2008-08-24T14:07:00.002-04:00

This weekend Zellers is having a sale on luggage :)

I needed a new one since mine has been broken by the airport luggage services, they are so tender...

I didn't want a black suitcase, everybody has one and it is hard to recognize at baggage claim. So I bought a cute pink 3-piece set :) With a pink suitcase, I'm sure I'll recognize mine easily LOL

$50.00 for a 3-piece set :)))

Soy-milk maker???

2008-08-21T19:02:00.003-04:00

I'm thinking about buying a soy-milk maker. It is pretty expensive ($150), but it may be a good investment.

I would make my own milk, knowing exactly what's in it, for about $0.60 a liter, which is very cheap comparing to $3.50 for store bought soy milk.

I could even make tofu and yogurt with it. I already make my own yogurts with cow milk. I make 10 yogurts with a liter of milk. At $1.50 a liter of cow milk, a home made yogurt cost me $0.15.

With home-made soy-milk, a yogurt would cost me $0.06! :P

I read Skinny Bitch this week and decided to eat less dairy products (I got scared with all those hormones and antibiotics stories :P).

So the soy-milk maker is probably a good idea, but I'll keep on searching for a cheaper one on the internet.

Success stories: From Rags to Riches

2008-08-20T15:53:00.002-04:00

Here is an article from Neatorama, From Rags to Riches:

JIM CARREY

From Rags ... He had to drop out of high school and take a job as a janitor in a factory. In fact, his entire family worked in that factory, living in a small cottage on the grounds. At his lowest low, Carrey wrote a $10 million check to himself ... to be redeemed when he made the big time.

... to Riches: After working the comedy circuit for years, Carrey landed a role on In Living Color, which led to a movie deal. In 1996 he became the highest paid actor ever when he received $20 million to star in Cable Guy. When his father died, Carrey placed the check he had written to himself in his dad's burial suit.

J.K. ROWLING

From Rags ... As a single mother living on public assistance, Rowling started writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in a café while her baby daughter napped. Why the café? Because it was warmer than the tiny flat she lived in. When Bloomsbury Books bought her manuscript in 1996, she was thrilled. The £1,500 (about $2,400) she was advanced was more money than she'd ever received at one time in her life.

... to Riches: Four years and three more books later, Rowling was worth more than $400 million ... and she's not done yet. [ed note: this article was written in 2003, now Rowling is worth more than $1.1 billion]

This is such a beautiful success story :)

OPRAH WINFREY

From Rags ... Born in Mississippi to unwed teenage parents, Winfrey grew up in poverty. While living in Milwaukee, she was molested by relatives. Not knowing what else to do, her mother sent her to live in a detention home.

... to Riches: Fortunately the detention home was full and Winfrey went to live with her father. He nurtured her abilities and helped her get to college. Now, as the queen of the talk show, Winfrey is worth an estimated $1 billion. [ed note: by 2007, Winfrey is worth $2.5 billion]

She really deserves it :)

From Riches to Rags ...
WILLIE NELSON

From Riches ... By 1988 Willie Nelson had been a country music star for nearly 20 years and had two multiplatinum albums under his belt.

... to Rags: Due to years of "creative" accounting, in 1990 Nelson owed the IRS $16.7 million. To pay it, he had to auction off just about everything he owned.

[ed note: Nelson's debts were settled in 1993, and he continued to write music and perform.]

M.C. HAMMER

From Riches ... "U Can't Touch This," released in 1990, became a pop phenomenon, making Hammer an overnight superstar. A world tour and endorsement deals with Pepsi and KFC followed.

... to Rags: Hammer went on a $30 million spending spree that included mansions and $500,000-a-month payroll. After two mediocre follow-up albums and some poor investments, Hammer declared bankruptcy in 1996, more than $13 million in debt.

[ed note: Hammer is now a blogger and a preacher]

NIKOLA TESLA

From Riches ... In his heyday in the 1890s, Tesla was a rich and famous inventor and held more than 700 patents. He is best known for developing alternating current (AC) electricity.

... to Rags: He was also naive. Thomas edison, who saw Tesla as competition, did all he could to undermine Tesla's work. It worked. A series of patent lawsuits left Tesla with no money or credit, despite his many inventions. He died broke in 1943.

MIKE TYSON

From Riches ... The youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history had earned $300 million.

... to Rags: By 2003 it was all gone. Tyson blames his former promoter, Don King, for mismanaging his earnings. King claims that Tyson blew the money himself. The two will duke it out in court.

The article above is reprinted with permission from Uncle John's Unstoppable Bathroom Reader.

I bought my first Christmas gift

2008-08-19T14:32:00.003-04:00

Today I received an Amazon.ca gift certificate of $10.62. I got it from the Socratic Forum, an online survey company.

I didn't need anything for myself, I rent my DVDs through Zip.ca and I borrow books from the library.

So I thought I could start my Christmas gifts with it. I bought the X-Files season 5 for one of my good friends, she has just started her collection so I know she will like it :)

I cost me $17.00 including tax and shipping.