6 Extreme Ways to Go Frugal and Save

Here is another great article posted yesterday on Yahoo Finance by Melissa Neiman. Go here to read about some extreme ways to go frugal and save more. Then read how I have saved in the following areas that her article addresses below:

1. Get rid of your car. We are proud to be owners of both of our vehicles. It took us three years to pay off a new vehicle. Five years ago we bought a used Saturn for $600 and we are still driving it today! We do plan to purchase a new/used vehicle soon since we plan to extend our family, but we are making sure we wait for the right time and get the best deal around.

2. Take in a renter or a boarder. This is something we haven't done, but there is extra space if someone needed to "live" here for a few weeks. A friend of mine also "rented" out her space once for my cat when I needed to be away for an extended period of time.

3. Downsize your home. I have mentioned this before. I prefer a smaller home. The less space you have in your home, the less you have to clean, organize, and furnish--saving lots of valuable time and money.

4. Change how you use credit cards. I use one major credit card (Upromise) for purchases and pay it in full each month. I earn 1% back on this card. Whatever gets put into the Upromise account goes straight into my daughters college fund.

5. Only use coupons or go generic. I use coupons for just about everything now. From grocery coupons to department store, craft stores, restaurant, oil changes, and using coupon codes online, these have been a HUGE money saver for me. Make sure you read my coupon tips by clicking on the tab at the top of my homepage.  If I can't get name brand for cheaper than generic after coupons, I go generic, but with using coupons now, I almost always get the name brand item cheaper than the generic! Along with using coupons, we always score great military discounts on top of all of this!

6. Dump High-Tech Toys. I actually do use the library for checking out books. I even take advantage of the "lending library" here where I can check out toys for my daughter to play with! I also find all other toys at thrift stores, for as little as $1.00 or less! I rarely EVER buy toys full price. Just not worth it. One thing I WILL NOT cancel is my gym membership. Health is a priority and I LOVE my membership. We did get it at a discounted military rate so we barely pay anything for it as it is.

What areas have you been extremely frugal in? Please leave a comment!

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