Keep More Income

Another almost obsessive tip today, but remember that everything adds up, and even the ideas that seem the most minor can end up saving you the most money!

Today I am speaking to all the apartment-dwellers out there.  If you’re anything like me, you’re lazy when it comes to laundry.  If I had a laundry machine inside my apartment, this would be a different story.  As it is now, though, I’ve got to take all my clothes down to a laundry room and do everything there.  There’s just something unappealing about having to walk one hundred yards to do my laundry.

Well, I found a way to motivate myself, and it involves just about twenty-five more yards of walking.  I now proudly save money when doing my laundry by simply walking next door to my neighbors’ building and doing my laundry there.

The machines at my neighbors’ building — which, by the way, is under the same ownership as my building — end up costing 75 cents less total to do a full load of washing and drying.  It seems insignificant at first, but that adds up — every other load of laundry ends up being free, compared to using my building’s machines!

An added bonus, although technically stealing: a lot of my neighbors leave their bleach out, and I’ll admit that, yes, in a pinch, I’ve taken some.  But just enough for one load.  I promise.

But most importantly, simply exploring and going another twenty-five yards with my laundry has resulted in a great money-saving find: I’m basically getting some free laundry done from this!

Internet access can get expensive.  Where I am, a cable Internet connection costs $45 a month.  However, I’ve made it a bit cheaper by sharing the connection with my neighbors.

No, I don’t steal their Internet access.  That seems like an attractive solution to lots of people but, all legalities aside, it just does not provide a steady Internet connection or the promise of consistent access.  Trust me, I’ve been in situations in the past where I had to “borrow” Internet access in this way and the day you stop getting access to it is very frustrating.

These days, I have a deal set up with my neighbors where we share the Internet connection, and the set-up is very simple.  (This tip largely applies to apartment-dwellers like me, but is also relevant to those living in neighborhoods with densely-packed houses.)

If your dwellings are very close, then you will only need one wireless router.  Set everything up, put a password on it, give the neighbors a password, and set up a payment system with them.  You’re done.

If the connection is not consistently strong for your neighbors, what you’ll need is a wireless router with WDS (Wireless Distribution System) enabled.  Most new wireless routers have this built-in straight out of the box.  If you are a Mac user, Apple makes it very easy to set up with their Airport Extreme and Airport Express base stations.  Simply have your primary wireless router sending the Internet signal out, and then set up the second router in your neighbor’s place where the signal is the strongest.  WDS will work with the router to simply “extend” the wireless connection.

I work in tech support and, trust me, I know that this can be very confusing to most people.  What I’m trying to get at is that it is easy to set up an Internet-splitting deal with your neighbors, and that you should do it!  My instructions here are not meant to tell you exactly how to get it done, but rather to get you started on the right path.  Consult your hardware’s manuals when setting it up to see how to do everything properly, and also don’t forget the power of a good Google search.  My job here is to plant some ideas in your head, give you an idea of where to get started, and finally encourage you: get started!

Today’s tip may seem nit-picky to some, but that is just the spirit of this site.  This tip will only save you a couple dollars a year, but in the long run, combined with everything else you’ll be doing, it’ll make a difference.

Today, I simply advise you to use less paper towels, tin foil, and plastic in the kitchen.

It’s very easy to do this.  In the case of the paper towels, simply tear off small sections of each paper towel instead of ripping a whole towel for clean-ups.  For example, when I clean my microwave, I use a paper towel but I only use half of one.  If someone spills something small on a counter top, I don’t need a whole paper towel — or even two or three, as is the case for some people.

It may seem simple and obvious, but trust me, most people fly through paper towels when they don’t need to!

In terms of plastic and tin foil, simply reuse it.  Most people don’t even think to do this, instead throwing out plastic bags and sheets of tin foil after one use.  This is ridiculous to do, especially when the materials were made for reuse.  Just run each through the sink, let the water dry out, and you’re back to square one and are ready to use either material fresh.

Again, today’s tips are simple and seem obvious, but most people don’t abide by them.  When you take a small tip like this — and all the other tips you receive every day from this site — they will add up to a hefty savings.

I’ve written plenty about selling your stuff on craigslist, and I’ve even discussed how to get a cheaper gym membership. Put both together and you have today’s tip — sell your old gym membership on craigslist (or eBay, I guess!).

I recently decided to switch gyms because I was unhappy with mine. I got a great deal, but of course I still had three months of prepaid time left on my current membership. Kind of ruins what would otherwise be a great deal, wasting three months like that.

Luckily, though, my membership is one that works at any of my gym’s chains across the country. What I realized is that I don’t care if someone takes over my gym membership for three months under my name — I could make my money back by selling that out.

Make sure there’s no credit card tied to your account before doing this, though! My account is simply a prepaid business plan that I signed up for with just my name, so I have no sensitive information available on my account.

I had never even thought of selling something like this, but the truth is that you can sell anything on sites like craigslist or eBay.

Another thing to take out of this: consider looking on craigslist or eBay for gym memberships — and other services — being sold. But that will be saved for another day!

My first post on this site was a recommendation to sell dead electronics on craigslist. I’d like to expound on that topic now, specifically with the example of iPods.

iPods are a ubiquitous part of American culture now. As such, many people are going to end up with broken iPods in their possession. It’s just the way electronics are — there is no way 100% of all electronics will always work.

I work in tech support and I know how that iPods die, and because of the sheer number of iPods sold, there are a lot of non-functional iPods out in the wild. But what most people don’t realize is that there is a healthy market for broken iPods.

I know that I don’t necessarily recommend selling goods on eBay, but broken iPods are one of the exceptions I make to this rule. Doing a quick eBay search for “broken ipods” will show that you will get back a large amount of your initial iPod investment.

In fact, there are a number of online stores that will buy your broken iPod. Check out this web site for a good list:
http://www.wallstreetfighter.com/2006/12/where-to-do-with-you-broken-ipod.html

Basically what I’m trying to get at is: sell your broken electronics on eBay or craigslist!

Healthy eating is a passion of mine.  I love the way I feel when I eat well.  Vegetables are a big part of healthy eating.

I can’t tell you how much money I’ve wasted on fresh veggies that I’ve let go bad, though.  I know you’ve probably wasted a ton, too.  Almost every time I

I actually don’t buy fresh veggies anymore.  Everything I buy now is frozen.

Now I know there are some people out there who will eat nothing but fresh veggies because of their nutrient content or because they prefer the taste.  But for most people, when cooking vegetables, frozen will work just fine.

Not only are frozen vegetables cheaper than fresh vegetables, but they don’t go bad as quickly — or really at all.

And I’ll let you in on one more health tip: try grinding some of your favorite frozen veggies into any kind of shakes or smoothies you make.  I substitute ice with frozen broccoli in my shakes and can hardly taste the difference.  It sounds surprising, but give it a shot — you’ll see how beneficial frozen veggies can be.

I’m a relatively cautious, careful driver, but I still end up with dents and dings on my car.  The most recent collection of bruises I received came from someone parking nearby my car, denting it as it pulled out, and not leaving any kind of note.

My run-ins with car dents have always ended inexpensively, though, because I know a nice little trick.

I call up the local high school and ask to speak to the shop/mechanic teacher.  Most major high schools have a shop class that works on cars, and they are more than happy to have a “guinea pig” car to work on.

I let the shop teacher know what’s going on — I just want a couple dents pulled out of my car — and now he has a project for his class, and I end up with free dent removal from a professional (the teacher).

You can likely use this technique for other minor cosmetic blemishes on the car as well.  Just consult with the teacher to see what’s possible.

Of course, don’t forget to remove any expensive or important items from the car before attempting this, unless you are a very trustworthy person.

Sometimes you have to spend a little money to save a little money.  This tip isn’t really a necessity, but it has come in handy big-time for me.

I like to keep a clean apartment.  But an apartment with white carpets can dirty up, and quickly.  The only way to efficiently clean a dirty white carpet is to rent a steam vac, which in my area is about $60.

I found one day searching on Amazon that many consumer-level steam vacs (many of which technically don’t incorporate steam, but work just as well) run from $100 to $200.  I picked one up and had my investment paid back with just two cleanings.

The added bonus of the steam vac, though, is that it can clean upholstery beautifully.  I actually now make a small side income by picking up couches and chairs off the street that are in perfect condition except for dirty upholstery, and simply spend twenty minutes cleaning them with my steam vac.  They come out looking good as new, and make me a small profit.

So not only was my steam vac paid for within two cleanings, but it has ended up making me even more money.

All my life, I’ve gone to regular haircutters that charge about $15 per cut (plus about $3 to $5 in tips).  Not to be dramatic, but my hair gets unmanageable when it’s longer, so I was getting my hair cut every four weeks.

In other words, I was spending roughly $234 a year on haircuts I didn’t particularly like that much.

About two years ago, though, I realized something: haircutters have to learn their trade somewhere, and they need someone to learn it on.

That’s right: I now get my hair cut at a hair cutting academy.

A quick Google search revealed there were many hair cutting academies in my area: barber shop academies, stylist academies, and more.  The prices for each one varied, but there was one constant: they were all cheap.  Very cheap.

One barbershop academy I found was $2 per cut.  I’ve heard of others in cheaper areas being completely free.  I could go from $234 a year in cuts, to paying just tips — about $60 per year.

I actually ended up settling on a stylist’s academy in my area that costs the same as my old barber did ($15/cut), but I get amazing haircuts that rival $60 cuts from professional stylists.  I actually go less frequently than every four weeks now, because stylists are better-trained and can cut my hair in a way that lets it grow back out better than it ever did before.

I know one big worry about these haircutting schools is that you’re getting your hair cut by amateurs.  That should not be a worry, though, for a number of reasons.

All the hair cuts are supervised by trained professionals.  The woman who supervises the classes at the stylist academy I go to charges over $100 per haircut!  Since she is teaching the classes, she ends up cutting half my hair in order to show students certain techniques.

Many students also are already trained cutters, but are simply going back for a brief school session in order to be kept up-to-date on the latest styles.

And if all else fails, hair grows back.  But so far, in two years, this has not been a worry for me.

Search around for hair cutting academies in your area and be ready to save a couple hundred bucks a year and, in cases like mine, receive the best haircuts you’ve had in your life!

When I moved to my apartment a year ago, I also had to find a nearby gym.  I had two interests in mind: good facilities and low price.

Good facilities are easy to find.  Simply go into your local gyms and take a tour.  Low price, however, takes a bit more work.

Every gym will try to gouge you.  I was shocked by the monthly prices I was being offered.  Most started at around $40 a month.

The truth is, gym memberships can be bargained for.  I know this because I ended up bargaining for my rate, and I got what I wanted.

If you weren’t able to bargain for your gym membership rate, then you would not be sat down at the end of the gym tour to go over rate plans.  There wouldn’t be someone at their desk trying to sign you up every time.  They would simply have you sign up for a specific plan and go on your way.

Keep in mind that whatever the first offer you get is, it will be far more expensive than you need to pay.  Tell the person that that is way too much  money, and notice how within five minutes, they will be offering you nearly the exact same plan for less money.

Long ago, I had a membership at this particular chain of gyms for $19/month.  I had a friend who got me in at a great promotional rate.  I told the representative the rate I had, and that that was what I wanted again.  I knew it was possible, and I wouldn’t settle for anything else.

It took about half an hour of bargaining back and forth — plus I ended up leaving saying “thanks but no thanks” — but the next day I received a phone call offering me the $19/month rate.  “I talked with my manager and she said it’s OK, but you’ll have to sign up today.”

Now I’m not saying you will receive a rate as great as this through bargaining, but you should bargain for your gym membership.  You could end up saving at least $15/month from the standard offer you first receive, meaning you’ll have an extra $180/year minimum.  At the very least, you’ll get some free stuff you wouldn’t have received otherwise.

Gym memberships were meant to be bargained for, so do it!