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Personal Finance from the Broke Perspective

10 Everyday Items You Can Save Money On Today

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Saving money is the safest way to build assets, as investing money always carries risks. That’s why the best way to take control of your finances often involves creating a flexible budget that ensures a certain amount of money will go toward savings every month. Here are ways to save on 10 everyday items.

1. Food

The best way to save money on food is to not each out as much. It doesn’t mean cut all restaurants from your budget, it means focusing more on preparing your own meals. If you can’t stop eating out, at least look for coupons or gift certificates.

Fruits and vegetables are still fairly cheap yet are high in nutrition, giving you more quality for your money. You can save hundreds of dollars per month by making your own salads and sandwiches. Mixing water with juices is an economical way to get the benefit of diverse flavors and nutrients at low costs.

2. Energy

Cutting down on dependence of electricity is important for various reasons. You never know when there may be a disaster with the electric utility company and you’ll be without power, so it’s good to prepare for such catastrophes. Conserving energy helps the environment by reducing fossil fuel emissions. Energy costs can also be unpredictable, so it’s a good idea to adopt energy conservation techniques. Smart tools are spreading to help remind consumers the amount of energy they are using. Turning off all appliances when not in use is a major key.

3. Water

Water bills can get surprisingly high in the event of a water leak. As with energy, there are now smart tools to detect water losses in piping systems. The key to adhering to values of sustainability is to simply not waste water. Use it as necessary, but don’t turn water on and forget about it. If you don’t have timers on sprinklers then be aware of when it’s time to turn the water off.

4. Transportation

A good way to save money on transportation is to walk more when it comes to short distances. If you live near a store, for example, save gas by walking. For longer distances, consider riding a bicycle or public transportation such as trains and buses. You can save money on daily rates by purchasing a monthly pass.

5. Disposable items

Part of regular expenses are often disposable items such as paper towels and tin foil. These items can be purchased cheaply at discount stores that sell items for a buck. These stores also carry a wide variety of soaps, cleansers and personal care products.

6. Entertainment

Spending money online for entertainment can add up to big bills if you watch a lot of movies. Playing Mini Lotto is a much cheaper alternative than other forms of online spending. At least with a lottery you have the satisfaction of enjoying the thrill of possible winnings until the numbers are called. Joining a lot of different streaming services can add up to a lot of money even if each one only charges $10 per month. Lotto is a fun affordable way to be in the running for expensive prizes.

7. News consumption

At one time everyone used to subscribe to newspapers delivered to their doors. Over time these papers would stack up and occupy space in the garage. Eventually online publications became the norm for keeping up with news. Ask yourself if going completely digital works for you and if there are online sources that publish the news you want for free.

8. Exercise

Instead of investing in a physical fitness gym, you can stay fit by doing exercises at home. Walking or jogging around the block is one way to stay fit for free. If you live in an apartment complex with a swimming pool, think about how swimming uses every muscle of the body. Finding a track at a nearby public school with a basketball court can also help cut fitness costs.

9. Clothing

One of the most important things to remember about saving money on clothes is that practicality often has more value than fashion. One of the reasons people buy new clothes is to keep up with the latest fashions. Then when the clothes go out of style they just take up space in a closet. Consider cleaning out your closet and selling old items to used clothing stores. Then make room for clothes you know you’ll need for every season.

10. Internet

The internet is a great tool for saving money on anything. Mobile phone users can use digital coupons offering discounts while they visit stores. Thanks to many businesses emphasizing the internet as a way to find them, there are countless promo codes and ways to learn in seconds with search tools where the best deals are online.

Image source, Pictures of Money, Via Flickr.

Saving Money in Gaming

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Digital gaming is one of the most popular hobbies in the world. Whether through old video games, newer entries, or even the world of online gambling, the many forms which gaming takes never leaves us wanting for choice. The problem with this, especially when it comes to traditional video games, is that cost can often be an inhibiting factor.

A mobile phone or console can cost hundreds as a platform, whereas a gaming PC can easily cost over a thousand dollars. Games that cost upwards of $60 on top of this can be the straw breaking the camel’s back, so how might we save on this front, so our money goes further?

Searching Out Bonuses and Savings

One of the most important components of saving money when buying games comes from the fact that not all shops are made equal. It is only very rarely the case where physical stores will ever match up to the sales which you can find online. While second-hand games on consoles can buck this trend, the best bet is almost found online.

For traditional video game purchases, you might first check out a key selling service such as G2A. These services operate by buying digital keys of games when they’re on sale, or when they’re cheaper in another country. They can then sell these back to the consumer, legally, far cheaper than can usually be found with traditional storefronts.

For an example of this, we could look at the immensely popular GTA 5. The regular price for this game on storefront Steam sits at around $35. Using G2A, users could pay as low as $13. The savings here make this choice a no-brainer.  Here is a handy screenshot from G2A so you can see what their interface looks like.

When it comes to online casinos to play, this concept is often much simpler. There are many comparison websites out there that search out promotions like a PartyCasino bonus code for a player. This means less time, money, and effort wasted searching the wide realm of online services, with benefits like deposit matches allowing more play for less investment.

Premium Gaming Services

Another growing path in the world of gaming comes from the rise of premium gaming services. Available over mobile, desktop, and consoles, these effectively act as subscription services, usually at a cost of around $1 to $20 a month. During the subscription period, players can gain access to dozens or even hundreds of games.

Many of these services even include access to new releases. For an example of this, we could use The Outer Worlds, which was released on the Xbox Game Pass as well as regular stores. To purchase the game would cost around $60 but, due to a special from Microsoft, users of the Game Pass could get a month’s access to this game and many others for just $1.


“The Outer Worlds” (CC BY 2.0) by SnakeDrone

The last part of this equation comes down to simple budgeting on a month to month basis. This is especially important when it comes to subscription services if you’re only after one or two specific games. Feel free to change your choice depending on new games you want to play, and what sort of time you have available, and you’re guaranteed to get all the more from your experience.

Whether for yourself or your family, check out these tips, and you’ll be surprised at just how much you can save.

 

Saving Money (and Possibly Your Life) With Vaping

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I’ve written about cigarettes and smoking in an offhanded way a few times here.  It doesn’t take an accountant to tell you how expensive of a habit it can be.  I was smoking about a half pack a day.  Sometimes more, sometimes less.  Now, I save money with vaping, and I might just be saving my life too.

Why I Switched to Vaping

I was a smoker for almost 15 years.  Over those years, I’ve attempted to quit a number of times.  I tried the nicotine patches, Wellbutrin, and Chantix on several occasions.  All with varying levels of success, and then failure.  Of the bunch, Chantix was probably the most successful.  I think I managed 6 weeks without a cigarette that time.  But, you only take Chantix for about 6 weeks, and then the urge returned, my will power left, and it was back to it.

Saving with VapingAbout a year or so, I started seeing, and reading, articles on Facebook and elsewhere about vaping.  For the uninitiated, vaping is the act of vaporizing a liquid called e-juice.  Technically, those e-cigarettes you see at the gas stations are vaporizers.  Whomever decided that naming them e-cigarettes should be ashamed of themselves though.  The e-juice that you vaporize is a mixture of Propylene Glycol and/or Vegetable Glycol, liquid nicotine, and various flavorings.  The mix is added to a tank that wicks the e-juice to a coil.  You press a button on your Mod (the device that holds the batteries and powers the coil) and the coil heats the e-juice to vaporization.  You inhale the vapor, exhale the vapor, and get your nicotine fix without a lot of the chemicals you’ve been getting in your cigarette smoke.

As I read more and more of those articles, a recurring theme started to show itself.  There were a lot of people who had started vaping and completely replaced their cigarette habit.  And most of the reports I had read seemed to indicate that vaping was a lot safer than smoking cigarettes.  I decided to give it a try.

Luckily, for me, I had a friend who I knew used a vaporizer, and I was able to ping him to get suggestions on equipment.  If I hadn’t, I would have been completely lost, and probably struggled with the process a lot more.  I might have even failed again and written off vaping entirely.  I’m glad I had that help.

I ordered my equipment, and some e-juice to get me started, and on May 25th, 2015 I made the switch to vaping.  I’ve had a total of two cigarettes since then.  And they both tasted terrible.  It’s been almost 6 months.  The urge to have a cigarette is almost entirely gone.  There are still a few triggers that spark the urge, but I can easily overcome those with a few quick vapes.  I’m no longer a smoker.

Saving Money with Vaping

In a way, I’m lucky that I live where I do.  A pack of cigarettes is only about $5 here.  In neighboring Minnesota, a pack will easily cost you $7.50.  There are places where it’s more expensive. For comparison sake, I can buy a 15mL bottle of e-juice for somewhere between $7 and $25 (the premium juices are the top end of that range.  Average is closer to $10-12).  On an average day, I vape my way through about 3-5 mL.  So, that 15mL bottle lasts about 3 days.  I used to smoke a half pack of cigarettes a day.  The cost for e-juice is slightly less overall.  Equipment adds a bit more, averaged over time.  As the cost of cigarettes continues to go up, over time I’ll save more.  That’s assuming that taxes and such aren’t applied to vaping products of course.  They might be.  If so, it might be a wash.

While some of this is unclear, what I’ve read so far indicates that vaping is a whole heck of a lot safer for you than cigarettes.  I fully expect, based on that, so see a lot of the savings from making the switch through my health and health care costs.  There’s really no way to calculate those savings, but I believe they are pretty huge.  Those savings aren’t just in financial terms either.  There’s a very real possibility that my health will improve, my quality of life will improve, and I’ll possibly have saved my life from some nasty cigarette related disease.  That’s my kind of savings!

Over the last few months, I’ve found a few ways to apply some standard saving techniques to my vaping as well.  I’ve used coupons and sales to buy e-juice at bargain prices.  I’ve done the same for some of the equipment.  I’ve started making my own coils which reduces the cost of the coils by a great deal.  And I’ve found some nice subscription offers to get some good e-juice for a far cheaper price.

Ready to Save Money with Vaping too?

If you’re looking for equipment, I fully recommend an open tank vaporizer set up.  All that means is that the tank is refillable unlike those disposable ones you find at the gas station.  Reusable and refillable is excellent.  I use the eleaf iStick 30w Mod.  I wish I had the eleaf iStick 100W TC.  It just adds some additional wattage and other options that I would have liked to have had.  Cost made it a bit of a stretch though.

As for the tank itself, my favorite right now is the Kanger Subtank Mini.  It will take premade coil units in a pinch, but also has the ability for you to build your own coils.  It’s the best of both worlds.

e-Juices come in hundreds of different flavors.  What you need to know is that you can adjust your level of nicotine.  I started off with 18mg/mL and it was too much.  Someone who was a heavier smoker might want it that strong.  I’ve been using 12mg since, but recently started buying 6mg.  One of the coolest things I’ve found is Zamplebox.  It’s a subscription box where you get sent a variety of 15mL bottles each month.  I’m subscribed to the 6 bottle package.  It’s highly customizable, and allows for you to try some flavors that you might not have without. They offer a 3 bottle, 6 bottle, and 11 bottle subscription.  They’re $19.99, $24.99, and $44.99 respectively.  At $24.99, my 6 bottles are just a hair over $4 each.  That’s a pretty good deal.  If you’re just beginning, I highly recommend you give them a try for a few months.