Secrets of Cheapness

Since most people have money on their minds these days because of everything going on with the economy, I thought I would share some of my secrets of cheapness that helped us get through the month of no spending. Some of these I just started using this month and others I have developed over time:


- Never buy a book at full price. Get books from the library. Now you can even re-check them online if you don't finish the book within 3 weeks, so there is no excuse. Even if you are super late bringing the book back, the fines are so cheap that you still won't have to pay half of what you would if you bought the book at full price. This also cuts down on clutter because you won't have old books sitting around that you will never read again. If you must have a new release that isn't available at the library, get a used one on amazon.com for a fraction of the price you would pay at a book store.

-Borrow baby/kid stuff. I guarantee you that for almost any item you need, you can find a friend who is thrilled to loan you theirs because their child doesn't use it anymore and they are tired of it taking up space in their house. Just send an e-mail to your friends asking if they have what you need before you buy anything big. If your baby is tired of the baby toys you have, try your tupperware or measuring spoons as a toy.

-Carry food in your purse or car (granola bars, crackers, apples, etc.) so you won't be tempted to get fast food or candy while you are out running errands.

- Find free weekend activities in your town. Austin has a million. http://www.keepingaustinfree.com/ and http://www.austin360.com/ are good websites for finding them.

-Have people over for coffee or meet friends out for coffee instead of a meal. This cuts the cost and effort involved in entertaining. All you need is coffee and maybe some muffins or fresh fruit. You don't have to cook a gourmet meal every time you have friends over!

-Use all of the food in your pantry and freezer before you buy anything new. I was amazed at how much canned/frozen food we had that we never use.

These are just a few tips. I have so many, but I don't want to bore everyone with them all!