How to: Save money the IHC way! [How To]

I admit that I’m really really bad at saving money.  I see articles all the time on ways to save money and I don’t really ever pay attention, even though I know I should.  But times are getting tough for most people, and it would probably be good if I at least gave it some effort.  So here are some tips from IHC on how to save some bank this year.

Video games and entertainment:

Video games and other forms of entertainment can be expensive. A new video game for a current generation console will run you $50-60 or more. You can always rent, which will save you some money or you can find other ways to stretch your dollar even further.

I’ve found that in times of financial woe that the $15 / month for something like World of Warcraft or some other engrossing MMO can go a long way. For the $15 / month for WoW, or free / month for something like Guild Wars or Second Life, you tend not to get out a whole lot, which decreases costs for things like going to clubs, going to the movies or buying up a crapload of new games. And it gives you something to talk about at work with people who play as well, so it’s social.

If WoW or other MMOs aren’t your thing, you can still save money by taking your existing games that you don’t really play anymore to somewhere like GameStop and trading them in for store credit. Often, you can get rid of a game or two and walk away with a brand new copy of the hottest game without spending a penny. And when you’re done with that one? Trade it back in. Don’t be shy, used games are how places like GameStop make their money, so they’ll never turn you down no matter how many times you come in. You can also extend the life of the games you already have by doing a little bit of searching on the Internet for new ways to play. Breathe life into your old games by researching codes and cheats that may take you past a place you’re stuck or introduce a new way to play.

For non video game related entertainment, such as music, movies and TV shows, why spend money to rent it or buy a CD when you can practically almost always find what you’re looking for legally via iTunes or Amazon for super cheap or not-so-legally via BitTorrent sites. Just don’t get caught, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.

Food

Food can be some expensive shit and it’s pretty critical for survival. You can save on food first off by cutting down eating out to a minimum. Making breakfast lunch and dinner on some frugal grocery shopping can save hundreds a month over eating out several times a day. It takes a little more work, which is why I usually avoid it, but I’ve gotten myself into really bad habits by say hitting up McDonald’s for breakfast, a restaurant at lunch and then pizza for dinner. That’s bad. That right there can be upwards of $60 in a single day on yummy stuff that just ends up as poop anyway.

I’ve also found that the less you eat, the less hungry you get, within reason. Eating high calorie food is not only bad for you in the long run, but can have the effect of making you hungrier as your stomach expands and as your body gets used to processing more food. Eating lighter will not only save you money, but eventually reduce your overall frame. You know, for the ladies.

When you are at the grocery store, buying in bulk as much as possible will save you a ton. Shopping at Sam’s Club or BJ’s will allow you to save a crapload by getting bulk discount for stuff you like. You can also save money on things like meat by buying from local producers in large quantities– a quarter of a cow or a whole fucking pig for example. Provided you have enough freezer space and are willing to chop the beast up yourself, you can save a ton.f

You can also always save money by doing things like quitting smoking or drinking less, but who wants to do that? Cutting back on other food expenses will make sure you still have money to burn for smokes and halfway decent beer.

Transportation

Right now, me and my wife only have one car between us. At times, this can be a real pain in the ass but most of the time, it ends up saving us quite a bit on gas. This wouldn’t work in all situations, and you need to plan your routes carefully so you don’t end up burning up more gas then you would normally by doubling your route.

In some areas, public transportation can be a good option, but if you’re in an area with good public transportation, you’re probably already using it. Here in the Raleigh / Durham area, public transportation is shit. Yes, I could take the bus everywhere, if I was willing to spend half my waking day waiting for the bus somewhere in some seedy part of town. But if it works for you, go for it.

Siphoning gas. It’s stupid and it doesn’t work most of the time, so don’t be stupid and risk getting put in prison for it. I tried it once… I thought if I just went down to the auto store, pick up a siphon and voila free gas forever! Only pretty much all cars made in the past 20 years have gas tanks that prevent you from doing that, so even if you find an older car that doesn’t by chance, you’re still a lowdown bastard with your hand in someone’s gas tank in the middle of the night. Delsyd properly chastised me for that one. That was pretty dumb.

Clothes

What the hell do you need new clothes for anyway?  Properly cared for, your shit should last years– don’t let people tell you what’s in fashion and what’s not.  Anyway, if you must, if your clothes are ripped and you’re too lazy to mend them or if you’re gaining too much weight, and you’re poor as hell, don’t be afraid to visit Goodwill and the Salvation Army.  Sure you can get some cheap crappy flannels and Wal-Mart and be done with it, but it’s hip to shop at thrift stores and usually you can find pretty decent stuff for only a couple bucks.

The T-shirts at thrift stores usually suck ass, unless you go to one of those overpriced super trendy thrift stores, so if you want a cool and witty T-shirt, why not make them yourself?  A pack of T-shirts runs you only a few bucks and a packet of transfers is only a few bucks more and with some Photoshop and a little imagination, you can have a whole slew of really awesome shirts.  Or if you don’t have any artistic skill or imagination, you can always print off cool stuff you find on the internet and iron that on.

Hope some of these tips help.  If they don’t there’s always the sucking dick on the corner option.  I hear that makes pretty decent money.  But I really hope you don’t have to resort to that.  Really I don’t.  It’s not fun.