$$$$$Smart Ways to Save Money$$$$$

You knew I'd make a page like this eventually. I am quite the miser, as people will tell you. But, being smart with your money will pay off in the end (get it, pay off?) The text is also green, the money color. Ah yes, very clever. Anyways, here it goes. I'll add to the list whenever I think of something. You might lose respect for me, or find these ingenious. Some are legit, some are a little shady.

1. Return cans in Michigan - Dude, you get 10 cents for each can. When I was in college, I made over 200$ with returned cans. Sure, it's not glamorous, but who cares? You're making money.

2. Shop at Aldis - This is the best place to buy food. Mac and cheese costs 33 cents! Bread is usually about 30 cents. Everything there is dirt cheap, but good stuff. I managed to pay 40$ a month on food cause I shopped there. Think of it this way: Cereal: 1.00$, Milk 2.00$. That'll last you a couple of days, so your breakfast each day might cost you 50 cents. For lunch, make a sandwich. Bread: 33 cents, Peanut Butter: 1.00, Jelly: 1.00. Those will last you a couple of days, so that's about 20 cents for lunch. For dinner, anything. Mac and cheese: 33 cents, Milk: 2.00$, Butter: 1.00$. You're looking at maybe 50 cents for the dinner. Total for the day: 1.20$.

3. Movie Club - If you go to Celebration Studios or Studio 28 in Grand Rapids, then you can get this movie club card, and you get points for each movie ticket you buy. The card is free, and after a certain number of points, you get free movies and popcorn. If you're going to the movies anyways, this card is awesome. Here's the link.

4. Shop at Goodwill - Kudos to Goodwill. Cheap clothes and random household stuff.

5. Edealinfo.com - I found this site awhile ago. If you look under the freebies section, you'll occasionally find great stuff for free with rebates. I bought a 30$ phone for 3$ (from shipping). Good to check out from time to time. Link.

6. Anytime you can get extra food for free, do it. Like at a cafeteria or something. When I'm on movie sets, there's always an excellent selection from their craft services. Take a coke and some candy bars with you, then you won't have to buy them later.

7. Go to gasbuddy.com and find the cheapest gas prices in your area.

8. Always use your student ID when you're at the movies, even after you graduate. Keep that card!

9. Always keep extra cash in your wallet, so you don't need to go to an ATM and pay the 1.50$ surcharge.

10. Don't buy drinks - Water is fine. Especially at restaurants, as they rip you off with drinks.

11. Buy your textbooks at Half.com or Amazon.com. Don't buy them at your bookstore! Get your books used and you'll save hundreds.

12. Don't buy blank CDs. Wait until there's a sale where the CDs are free with a rebate, and just turn in the rebate. There's always a sale that comes around for free CDs, so just wait awhile.

13. Don't EVER buy a brand new computer. It is very very easy to put together a computer, and it'll save you a lot of money. Just search the internet and you'll find tons of sites to help you build a computer. Buy the parts from ebay.

14. For digital pictures you want to print, go to Snapfish.com. They'll give you like 10 free prints for a new member, and then like 10 free prints for every friend you refer. Just create 10 email accounts with Yahoo, sign up with each one, and you'll end up with 100 free prints. Just pay for shipping.

15. Save your change. It doesn't seem like your quarters will do anything, right? I made 70$ off my spare change, cause I saved it all. Except for pennies. Gosh, throw pennies away! They're useless! I hate them!!!!

16. Buy things that you know you'll need later when there's a sale. This sounds obvious, but few think to do it. After the winter season, there was a big sale on cough drops. I didn't have a sore throat, but I knew I'd need them eventually, so I paid like a buck for 3 packs.

17. There is no need to pay for a car wash. Be creative. Either wash it at a friend's house (thanks Steph and Ethan!), or wait until it rains, then wash it off.

18. Get the rewards membership thing at Blockbusters. It's like 10 bucks, and you get a free rental every month. So if you would normally rent one movie a month, you'll save some money there. That's less than 1$ a month, as opposed to the 3$ for the movie.

19. Buy a digital camera, but a good one. That way you can take tons of pictures, and only print the ones you want. Never buy film again. Note #14.

20. If you're going to ship anything media related, ask to send it "Media Mail", like they do at Half.com. It's a cheaper way to ship stuff.

21. Don't eat out that often. Sure, it's fun, but it costs a lot. At a restaurant, you'll probably spend 10$. I have always hated eating out, because an hour after you're done eating, you don't feel super happy or even remember your meal. It's such a momentary pleasure to me. If you get fast food, you might spend 2 or 3 bucks (and get water!), and you'll still get full.

22. Be careful of credit cards with a free rewards program. I found out only recently that American Express (and I'm sure others) charges 40$ a year to use their rewards program. It was under the fine print, but who reads all those legal notices? Just be wary.

23. You can always, always bring down the cost of a hotel room. The receptionist will give you their standard price, and what kills me, is that most people say "Sure". You can drop it down by at least 20$ just by asking, or saying you've only got a certain amount of money. Last month, I went up to the hotel desk and promptly said, "I need a room for under 70$". Their price was 90$. They said sure, without even bargaining.

24. Get a free magazine. There are tons of magazines that offer a free issue. You sign up, you get the magazine, then cancel the membership. It's amazing how many times you can do this without them catching on.