Living the Frugal Life

I recently began a series about free stuff because we all love free stuff. Since more people seem to be paying attention to our budgets, the more free stuff we can get the better. Listed here are some of my favorite free services:  

1-800-GOOG-411 - Free Directory service. It is extremely easy to use, and FREE!

Craigslist.org - Free Classifieds. Better if you are close to a big city.

Traffic.com 866-MY-TRAFC - Real time reports on traffic condition for the country’s biggest cities.

Freecycle.org - Before you throw something away, list it here for free, and give it to someone for free. You could also get something for free that someone was going to throw out.  Another’s man trash could be your treasure.

BookMooch.com - If you have books that you want to share, and are looking for some new books, this is a great free service. The only cost is mailing the books.

www.protonic.com - Free Technical Advice. This is an online community where non-technical people can ask questions and get free advice.

The Auburn Hotline (334) 844-4244 - Any kind of advice. Auburn students staff this call center to answer any kind of question you can possibly think of - from personal, technical, mechanical, astrological, etc. The service is free (long distance charges apply) and it is 100% confidential. If they don’t know the answer to your question, they will find out.

FreeRice.Com - Free Charity. Challenge yourself with this word game, and the more you play the more rice is donated to the UN World Food Program.

That’s all the free stuff I have time for today. I will share more later! 

Who doesn’t love free stuff? Right now, companies are hungry for your business and consumers are reaping the rewards. Over the next few weeks, I am going to share with you some of my favorite, trusted rewards programs.

Credit Card Rewards - WARNING - these credit card rewards recommendations are for use at your own risk! I use credit cards for monthly expenses and pay off the balance each month. I also use my credit card for work purchases and get reimbursed.

Now that I’ve said that, some of my favorite credit card rewards programs are:

Disney Rewards Visa from Chase

By using my Disney card for work, I was able to collect over $1200 Disney dollars. Disney dollars are just like cash at any Disney themepark, Disney hotel, Disney store, and some restaurants on Disney properties.  You earn 1 Disney Dollar for every 100 dollars you purchase. We just got back from a trip to Disney, where we only had to pay about $500 for a 4 day vacation.

BP Gas Rewards Card 

This card makes a lot of sense right now with the rising cost of gas. I prefer BP mainly because there are several in the area where I live, which makes it more convienient for me. Here are the rebates you get from using this card:

• 5% rebates on all participating BP Amoco location purchases (10% for the first 2 billing cycles)
• 2% rebates on eligible travel and dining purchases (4% for the first 2 billing cycles)
• 1% rebates on other eligible purchases (2% for the first 2 billing cycles)

With the economy as it is, we should all be looking for more and more ways to save money. Here are 3 surefire ways NOT to save money:  

1. Drive like a maniac
   • I’m sure by now everyone has heard the gas saving tips from the EPA that are necessary to stretch a gallon of gas. Now, we just need to start using these tips. Some of the suggestions include: avoid aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration & braking), observe the speed limit, remove excess weight, avoid excessive idling, keep your car in tune etc. Following these suggestions, and you could lower your gas mileage from 5 - 33%.
2. Charge it!
   • Consumers are seeing their credit card interest rates skyrocket right now. If you maintain a balance on your credit card, consider the impact the purchase will make on your future. You could be paying for this item for the next 5 - 15 years. Ask yourself if it is an absolute necessity before you buy.
3. Living the good life
   • Eating out several nights a week, paying for premium cable/satellite service, gym memberships, cleaning services, gardening services,  excessive phone bills. These things some may think are the “good life” can really add up. Take a look at your bills and bank statements. See what the necessities are and remove the rest. You could save a bundle of money.

Living the frugal life can be a lot of fun. Once you are on the bandwagon, you will want to come up with more ways to stretch your dollars.