Posted on 12/31/2017 12:51:08 PM PST by PJ-Comix
Okay, it is the last day of the year. So what did you do in 2017 that saved you money? I am all ears and will be taking notes. In addition, I will lead off with my own moves to save money.
My biggest single money savings move of 2017 was getting Amazon Fire Stick for our 2 TVs. At the same time I cut out our cable TV. Net savings for the year over $600. This comes from saving $80 per month by cutting Comcast Cable TV. Actually I am really saving $55 per month because along with my Amazon Prime, I opted for $25 per month for Sling TV so net yearly savings of $600. One interesting thing is that I thought Comcast would go for a long sales pitch to keep me with their cable TV when they switched me to their account executive but I was pleasantly surprised when he gave me online TV streaming for no additional cost so I ONLY pay for Internet.
Okay, what else? Well, a lot of you know I am a heavy duty couponer so I figure I saved at least $2000 this past year via coupons. I come to that figure because I save at least $40 per week. Oh, and for those of you who don't think the time and effort are worth it, GOOD NEWS! You only need to use a couple of coupon sites to find all the deals you need. For me it is PublixSavings101.com because I shop a lot at Publix and the Mother Ship of all coupon web sites... KRAZY COUPON LADY. As to clipping coupons, things have changed. Most of the coupons I use now you can print right off the web or get electronically.
Another trick that I use when buying stuff online is to go thru the entire checkout process except for the payment. I just leave the item sitting in my shopping cart. Guess what? Almost always the company sends you an email within days offering a discount from what you would have paid.
In 2018 I will be looking for saving money on travel deals. I have heard the best time for booking cruises is within a couple of weeks when the cruise actually begins so they can fill unbooked cabins.
Why didn’t I think of that? ;)
But if I couldn’t go on FR what would I be saving for? Would life still be worth it?
True, if the water is good there. Also Trader Joe’s has a lot of cheaper, wild caught frozen fish. And even canned tuna is cheap and healthy.
Yeah, I also did that last May when I switched to GEICO and my monthly premiums dropped by about $75 per month so about $900 per year in savings for us right there.
Bkmk
Took the World Poker Tour Cruise but didn’t play poker (those guys are way too good for me) — just got the group discount and a very nice stateroom.
My next move is to finally cancel my monthly seller’s deal at eBay. For $19.99 I get over 200 free listings plus a discount on my seller’s fee. That was a good deal a few years ago when I sold a lot on eBay but now I don’t sell as often so I will be saving that monthly fee so over $200/year in savings right there.
I should have bought ALL of them and sold them on eBay.
BTW, if anybody is living in South Florida who has a boat, I would be willing to pay for gas to go along on fishing, specifically spearfishing, expeditions. I know a secret spot in the Keys chock full of fish.
The fringe benefit is that my wife, from Venezuela, knows how to cook fish, especially Snapper which they call "Pargo" in the very special way they do it down there. Completely different than the way fish is cooked here. When I first met her she invited me to her sister's home and served fish. Internally I groaned because, come on, it's fish. However, as soon as I took a bite I couldn't believe how good it was. That is because they have a different way of cooking it.
Give me a choice now between Pargo (Snapper the way they cook it) or a T-bone steak, I would definitely prefer Pargo. It is that good.
And that is why I want to go down to the lower Keys and spear snapper.
Replaced three toilet flappers for a savings of $100 per month in water. Also moved fan from ON to auto on AC blowers. No more vent mold and probably saved another $100 per month.
“Nice! other than the hardware cost you five grand.”
Off by a ‘little’
BTW, that drill will save me money. How? Because I love coconut water and coconuts are all over the place down here. Either pick them off the ground or just pluck them off the trees. Then drill a couple of holes in them and let it trickle into a pitcher, place in the fridge, and you have fantastic chemical-free coconut water FREE. After I drill about 40 of those coconuts the drill will pay for itself in money I saved for coconut water.
I gave up on Ebay years ago for selling.
For a sideline, I make a few bucks peddling stock footage and photos.
I hope to get the macro lens for the GH4 soon. My macro stuff did best. The people things, not so much.
Will check.
Good for emergencies after hurricanes down here if the water system is no good. Just find the many coconuts knocked off the trees after a hurricane, drill, and drink the coconut water.
DiGiorno? You’re really missing the point - the taste. ...and sometimes making food is therapeutic in itself (takes my mind off of other things). Experimenting with techniques and flavors to create something you’ll never get from a box.
If you’re creating pizza that is better than most pizza chains you can hardly put a $2.50 price tag on it. It’s probably more like a $15-20 pizza quality wise. Some ingredients can be expensive, it depends on what you want on it. You couldn’t pay me to eat DiGiorno.
I suppose it comes down to how cheap you want to live at what standard you’re willing to accept.
Ebay was great in its early years. I started selling there in '98. I couldn't believe the great prices I was getting. Once I sold a 50/50 Ren & Stempy T-shirt for $42. Nowadays, forget it. You would be lucky to get $7 for the same shirt. However, they do have great deals for buyers. If you are willing to wait a few weeks for delivery, you get really low priced stuff out of Shanghai.
I buy vintage Craftsman hand tools off there mostly.
I turned down the water heater temperature to the point where I can turn the shower full on hot and enjoy a hot shower, without being close to scolded. I found it uses far less gas, at least for that device. I also assume I’m putting less stress on the unit.
That’s an awesome deal! I could make do with 5 GB just fine, especially for that price!!
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