I use the internet to the MAX when trying to find cheap things to do out! Yelp, Foursquare, Drink Philly, Uwishukno, and Phillyfunguide all tell me about great, cheap events!
I try to take advantage of my student ID whenever I can which usually gets me something.
I have completely stopped going to the movies, I would so much rather wait until it's on RedBox or Netflix. I'm patient.
Locks of Love is a scam. They do not "give out" wigs they sell them at a reduced price depending on income. Pantene gives out wigs free as do other charities. So I'd leave Locks of Love out as they are quoted saying that they sell and mostly throw away the hair they get.
We go to local college sporting events for free. Men's and women's basketball are especially enjoyable - great seats with a crowd of maybe a couple hundred - small schools need the local support unlike the national hype of big Division I colleges. Check it out!
We go to free events around town - Portland, OR has several free events all year long, but in the summer there really are a ton (concerts, plays, music, etc.).
We get DVDs from the library for free. We use local buy 1 get 1 movie theatre tickets. We try to go to museums and gardens on free days and nights.
We also sign up for local contests and have won several concert tickets for free over the pas few years.
Not a straightforward answer for me. Arguably, what ultimately led me down this path was seeing my own family's struggle with finances (and the many resulting arguments from it) and me vowing I won't end in the same situation.
But what truly gave me the knowledge I needed to actually upkeep that vow is the Internet. It began small;I'd search Google for 'best credit cards', 'how debit cards work', and etc. The initial questions soon led to bigger questions -- 'How does FICO work', 'how does IRAs work', etc -- which made me began frequenting personal finance forums (e.g. Reddit, FatWallet, etc) which then led to me frequenting personal finance websites (e.g. WiseBread).
Without both of the above, I'd be in a much worse situation (no desire to be responsible and no knowledge to be).
Here's a funny thing, though, video games probably played a huge part in how well I took to learning personal finance.
Well, not necessarily the games themselves, but the community. When I was younger, I would hang around forums and I would get into discussions/arguments that would last hours or, in some cases, span days. What's important, though, was that the arguments had a lot of technical aspects. I would argue the financials of video game companies, statistical information regarding the possibility that one of my favorite games would do well, sales information to back up my claims that so-and-so company sucks, price/performance ratios of various products, etc. Basically, financials (albeit corporate financials) and their importance became second nature to me.
It was all entirely in fun (otherwise, the impatient little kid me would definitely not be searching heavily for company financials and market analyst opinions), but the structure of it all really helped me get attuned to learning personal finance later on.
We wait to rent movies instead of going to the theater. We wait to buy video games until they are on sale. We read books from the library. We play board games and have potlucks with friends.
My husband and I watch YouTube instead of television - there are a lot of great shows and weblogs for free (search for Crash Course, The Game Station, Flog, or The Lizzy Bennett Diaries to see our favorite shows). Also, we like to spend time with other people. I go to a writers group Wednesday nights (we sit in a friend's living room and read what we've written over the past week or so and give encouragement and critique). We have a big family and friends dinner Saturday nights (burgers, pizza, and macaroni and cheese can be cheap ways to feed the crowd of ten or so that show up). Tuesday nights, I play Dungeons and Dragons, which is a great outlet for creativity and we can all share the books, so the cost outset was small compared to the amount of use we've had. A friend and I also write a story that we share on Google Documents and tag each other by email or text message when we've added to it. Creativity is the best way to save money.
I count eating out as part of my entertainment budget, and I save on that in a couple of ways: I never buy soda or other drinks, just get water for free. I also sign up for loyalty programs and e-clubs for my favorite restaurants. I've recently gotten a free bagel at Bruegger's, a free pita sandwich at a local Greek restaurant, and a free sandwich from Which Wich. When it comes to eating out, I try to decide what I really want and am willing to spend money on. A great sandwich? Sure. A microscopic bag of chips that's way overpriced? Not so much.
I'm a library fanatic! I check out movies from the library and magazines which saves roughly $20/month. Besides that instead of cable my husband and I watch shows and movies available for free through Hulu.com or PBS.com
I try to find Groupon and Living Social deals that interest me and use local business coupons whenever possible. We are also big on outdoor activities which tend to be low-cost or free!
We use the public library for books, cds, and movies. Most of our magazines I've gotten for free through Rewards Gold. We go to the fair on a day that we can pay discounted admission and see a free concert. We usually see movies only when we get gc to the local theater or when I have been able to get free tickets through giveaways or contests. Discounts tickets to local museums and events help. When we go on vacation or to amusement parks we use my husbands government rate if available if not we use AAA.
I live in Florida where the weather is usually really nice, so when I'm bored during the weekends I always try to just get outside. I usually call up a friend and see if they want to go for a walk or take their dog to the park. It can be frustrating trying to find things to do when your bored on a budget because nearly everything costs money, but these are some good ideas!
I think automating savings is a really good idea. If you have money going into a savings account for an emergency fund each month automatically, you will begin to think of that money the same way you think of paying bills- non negotiable. This is a great way to build up an emergency fund and really commit to putting that money away for the "what-ifs" in life.
Wait for movies to come out on DVD. We have a Netflix membership for that, 10.99 a month; at that price only one in family could pay to see a movie & with Netflix we can watch as many as we want in a month, for the whole family.
I belive i can. I have worked in the credit card industry for 25 years. What bit you was the obnoxious way that interest is assessed on your account.
It is based on on average daily balance.
if you buy something on 1/1 for $1,000, get your statement on 2/1,
pay $1000 on 2/15.
on 3/1 your average daily balance is
1000 x 15(number of days it takes for them to get your check)/28 (Days in month).
Stinks don't it. Want some good news?
Visa just lost a large legal action. They was forcing merchants to hide the cost of the credit card transaction. now merchants can charge extra to use credit cards, and less to use cash. This is actually very good news. I can explain if you need me too.
Be very careful reading this article. Interchange fees being added to your bill is not a bad thing. Everything you now buy includes a hidden interchange fee. Visa has recently lost a legal action that stated they no longer could force merchants to hide the cost of a credit card transaction. Thats how Visa got rich. All these perks? They are a ripoff. A way to trick you to use a credit card. 99% of perks never get used. But you are charged for them whether you use a card or not.
The answer is simple. Do not pay the fee. Use your ATM card instead. I think you will find that products will be cheaper. Forget the perks. Those are for the dupes, the suckers. Believe me, you are chasing a shadow.
I use the internet to the MAX when trying to find cheap things to do out! Yelp, Foursquare, Drink Philly, Uwishukno, and Phillyfunguide all tell me about great, cheap events!
I try to take advantage of my student ID whenever I can which usually gets me something.
I have completely stopped going to the movies, I would so much rather wait until it's on RedBox or Netflix. I'm patient.
Locks of Love is a scam. They do not "give out" wigs they sell them at a reduced price depending on income. Pantene gives out wigs free as do other charities. So I'd leave Locks of Love out as they are quoted saying that they sell and mostly throw away the hair they get.
We go to local college sporting events for free. Men's and women's basketball are especially enjoyable - great seats with a crowd of maybe a couple hundred - small schools need the local support unlike the national hype of big Division I colleges. Check it out!
We do lots of things to save on entertainment.
We go to free events around town - Portland, OR has several free events all year long, but in the summer there really are a ton (concerts, plays, music, etc.).
We get DVDs from the library for free. We use local buy 1 get 1 movie theatre tickets. We try to go to museums and gardens on free days and nights.
We also sign up for local contests and have won several concert tickets for free over the pas few years.
Not a straightforward answer for me. Arguably, what ultimately led me down this path was seeing my own family's struggle with finances (and the many resulting arguments from it) and me vowing I won't end in the same situation.
But what truly gave me the knowledge I needed to actually upkeep that vow is the Internet. It began small;I'd search Google for 'best credit cards', 'how debit cards work', and etc. The initial questions soon led to bigger questions -- 'How does FICO work', 'how does IRAs work', etc -- which made me began frequenting personal finance forums (e.g. Reddit, FatWallet, etc) which then led to me frequenting personal finance websites (e.g. WiseBread).
Without both of the above, I'd be in a much worse situation (no desire to be responsible and no knowledge to be).
Here's a funny thing, though, video games probably played a huge part in how well I took to learning personal finance.
Well, not necessarily the games themselves, but the community. When I was younger, I would hang around forums and I would get into discussions/arguments that would last hours or, in some cases, span days. What's important, though, was that the arguments had a lot of technical aspects. I would argue the financials of video game companies, statistical information regarding the possibility that one of my favorite games would do well, sales information to back up my claims that so-and-so company sucks, price/performance ratios of various products, etc. Basically, financials (albeit corporate financials) and their importance became second nature to me.
It was all entirely in fun (otherwise, the impatient little kid me would definitely not be searching heavily for company financials and market analyst opinions), but the structure of it all really helped me get attuned to learning personal finance later on.
I save money by renting dvds from the library for free or $1 from blockbuster
We rarely watch movies in the theater any more (and then it's at matinee prices). We typically just wait for them to come out on Netflix.
We wait to rent movies instead of going to the theater. We wait to buy video games until they are on sale. We read books from the library. We play board games and have potlucks with friends.
My husband and I watch YouTube instead of television - there are a lot of great shows and weblogs for free (search for Crash Course, The Game Station, Flog, or The Lizzy Bennett Diaries to see our favorite shows). Also, we like to spend time with other people. I go to a writers group Wednesday nights (we sit in a friend's living room and read what we've written over the past week or so and give encouragement and critique). We have a big family and friends dinner Saturday nights (burgers, pizza, and macaroni and cheese can be cheap ways to feed the crowd of ten or so that show up). Tuesday nights, I play Dungeons and Dragons, which is a great outlet for creativity and we can all share the books, so the cost outset was small compared to the amount of use we've had. A friend and I also write a story that we share on Google Documents and tag each other by email or text message when we've added to it. Creativity is the best way to save money.
Library or free movie screenings in the local newspaper
I count eating out as part of my entertainment budget, and I save on that in a couple of ways: I never buy soda or other drinks, just get water for free. I also sign up for loyalty programs and e-clubs for my favorite restaurants. I've recently gotten a free bagel at Bruegger's, a free pita sandwich at a local Greek restaurant, and a free sandwich from Which Wich. When it comes to eating out, I try to decide what I really want and am willing to spend money on. A great sandwich? Sure. A microscopic bag of chips that's way overpriced? Not so much.
I'm a library fanatic! I check out movies from the library and magazines which saves roughly $20/month. Besides that instead of cable my husband and I watch shows and movies available for free through Hulu.com or PBS.com
I go to my local library and get movies on dvd and request museum passes for the weekend.
Thanks! Glad you liked it. And getting outside is a great idea. We could probably all use a little more of that:-)
I take advantage of twofers and coupons whenever possible.
One word ....Netflix!!!
I try to find Groupon and Living Social deals that interest me and use local business coupons whenever possible. We are also big on outdoor activities which tend to be low-cost or free!
We use the public library for books, cds, and movies. Most of our magazines I've gotten for free through Rewards Gold. We go to the fair on a day that we can pay discounted admission and see a free concert. We usually see movies only when we get gc to the local theater or when I have been able to get free tickets through giveaways or contests. Discounts tickets to local museums and events help. When we go on vacation or to amusement parks we use my husbands government rate if available if not we use AAA.
I live in Florida where the weather is usually really nice, so when I'm bored during the weekends I always try to just get outside. I usually call up a friend and see if they want to go for a walk or take their dog to the park. It can be frustrating trying to find things to do when your bored on a budget because nearly everything costs money, but these are some good ideas!
I think automating savings is a really good idea. If you have money going into a savings account for an emergency fund each month automatically, you will begin to think of that money the same way you think of paying bills- non negotiable. This is a great way to build up an emergency fund and really commit to putting that money away for the "what-ifs" in life.
Wait for movies to come out on DVD. We have a Netflix membership for that, 10.99 a month; at that price only one in family could pay to see a movie & with Netflix we can watch as many as we want in a month, for the whole family.
I belive i can. I have worked in the credit card industry for 25 years. What bit you was the obnoxious way that interest is assessed on your account.
It is based on on average daily balance.
if you buy something on 1/1 for $1,000, get your statement on 2/1,
pay $1000 on 2/15.
on 3/1 your average daily balance is
1000 x 15(number of days it takes for them to get your check)/28 (Days in month).
Stinks don't it. Want some good news?
Visa just lost a large legal action. They was forcing merchants to hide the cost of the credit card transaction. now merchants can charge extra to use credit cards, and less to use cash. This is actually very good news. I can explain if you need me too.
I made the mistake of washing my new IPOD in the pocket of my pants. Amex replaced the accidental destruction as well. Amex customer for life.
We use our cc rewards card for everything and use the points to take the family on a trip every year.
Be very careful reading this article. Interchange fees being added to your bill is not a bad thing. Everything you now buy includes a hidden interchange fee. Visa has recently lost a legal action that stated they no longer could force merchants to hide the cost of a credit card transaction. Thats how Visa got rich. All these perks? They are a ripoff. A way to trick you to use a credit card. 99% of perks never get used. But you are charged for them whether you use a card or not.
The answer is simple. Do not pay the fee. Use your ATM card instead. I think you will find that products will be cheaper. Forget the perks. Those are for the dupes, the suckers. Believe me, you are chasing a shadow.