Money Saving Tip: Buy Used Tires

It's that dreaded time: your tires are shot and you're looking at shelling out hundreds of dollars to replace them. The problem is, your bank account is hurting and you need to make your dollar stretch a bit further. Enter the used tire market. Believe it or not, many people replace their tires well before they are worn out, leaving a fantastic opportunity for us cheap skates of the world. I actually took this route 9 months ago and am still driving on my same set of tires. Instead of paying close to $200 for a full new set of tires, I ended up paying $35 for a few used ones. Granted, they take a bit more TLC, but they are still running. You will run into air seeping out of your tires a bit quicker than new tires, but keeping a $20 air compressor (which can be bought at the big department stores) is more than adequate to fix this problem. So even with buying a new air compressor, I saved over $100. I understand that this may not be the best option for the long haul, as I will have to buy another used set sooner. However, I don't really know how much longer my car is going to hold up, so it would be a shame to buy a new set of tires for a car that I'm planning to sell in the near future or that may see its last mile soon. So for those of you who need a short term fix, buy used and you could save hundreds!

Money Saving Tip of the Day: Unplug Those Appliances

To save money on electricity, you do the smart thing and turn lights off when you leave rooms, never leave tv's or computers running when you're away, and always try to close the door behind you. You've covered all your bases, right? Wrong. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a whopping 75% of all energy consumed by electrical devices is used when the devices are turned off. WHAAAAAAT???? That's madness! Crazy as it sounds, it is very accurate. Devices such as TV's, computers, Blu Ray Players, cell phone chargers, etc. all continue to pull electricity even when they aren't being used. Don't believe me? Put your hand on your cell phone charger when it's not charging your phone. It's still warm, huh? Boom! Science lesson complete. To combat this, the Department of Energy recommends that you unplug devices whenever they aren't in use. To make this task easier, I recommend that you hook your appliances up to a power switch. By doing this, you can cut off the power too all devices hooked to the strip by flicking one single button. It will save you a lot of time and hassle constantly plugging and unplugging electronics. It may seem like a pain in the butt first, but it will quickly become habit. Terrapass.com states that you can save as much as $87 in a year by buying one power strip and using this method. Just imagine how much you could save if you used this tip in every area of your house? Try it out and you may not have the urge to cry when you see your next energy bill...

Money Saving Tip of the Day: Skip the Shopping Cart

If you're anything like me, you have a nasty habit of buying things at the store that you don't need. You see something that looks delicious or is bright and shiny and you decide to throw it into your cart. Why do we do this? Well, we are hard-wired by evolution to do so. Just as with eating, our caveman roots cause us to consume as much as possible. This hereditary habit comes from a time when we weren't so lucky to have unlimited food and other goods available to us via stores, so our ancestors would hunt and gather as much as was possible for them. They didn't know if they'd have another chance at it, so they would consume everything in site. We still have this problem nagging us today. Even though we don't need many items at the store, this impulse kicks in and tells us to buy as much as possible. Wanna know an easy trick to overcome thousands of years of human habit? Skip the shopping cart. Just think about it: the less space you have to carry stuff, the less you'll buy. Instead, opt for a basket. Or even better yet, only buy what you can carry in your hands. Now I understand that this trick may not work if you're buying groceries for a lot of hungry mouths, but it does work for those buying just for themselves or those buying just a few items. Try it out a few times. I guarantee you will save a lot of money by avoiding impulse buys.

Money Saving Tip of the Day: Flask It!

Wanna go out and enjoy some libations with your friends, but can't afford the crazy markup the bar is charging on your favorite thirst quencher? Try bringing a flask to the bar! That's being too cheap, says you? Neh, that's just being smart, says I. Plus, you'll totally look awesome with a flask. Why overpay for your alcohol? You could just as easily bring a flask into any bar or restaurant and cut your expenses in half, if not more. You’ll have the same amount of fun and pay half the price that the other suckers are. Just be sure not to get caught pouring grandpa’s cough medicine into your drinks. Some bars don’t look kindly to that sort of thing... However, there are a few cool bars out there that actually encourage you to BYOB. A searchable database of the aforementioned raddest bars in the States can be found here. Enjoy flasking it, my friends!