Reuse condoms. Those things are way overpriced.

tip less than 15%?? as a former server, this really bothers me...I perfer this tip from msn, who argue that 20% is the new 15%

[articles.moneycentral.msn.com]

Northwest's "dumpster diving tips" to fired employees.

some people may hate me for this one, but the whole save money by running your washing machine with cold water thing just disgusts me. there are some things that only come completely out in hot water. it's just not worth saving the $2 per month on my electric bill.

Actually, reusing teabags is useless if you drink tea for the caffeine. Studies have shown that nearly all of the caffeine is released from the teabag in the first 15-30 seconds of steeping.

@protest:

I HATE YOU, YOU HOT WATER WASTER!!!

lol, no... actually, I have to agree. Certain laundry loads merit hot water. To be blunt, sweaty (etc) underclothes need a hot washing. If others want to wash them in cold, thats all well and fine, but I dont get to the laundry often enough, so they may have sat dirty in the bin for a week, and I dont feel right about cold water and soap washing the filth and bacteria away. (yuck)

@protest: we wash some things in just cold water, like lightly worn clothes. its easier on them. but towels and such are washed in hot water.

um...what are you getting on your clothes that require the use of hot water??? :)

@protest:

I do sheets, towels and undergarments in Hot, and everything else in cold.

The thought of washing those in cold is gross to me.

Issue top evecutives $100 million in bonuses as the company collapses. Have company leaders cash in $1 billion in stock sales. Despite the company's weakening financial condition, issue optimistic reports about its future.

Oh, wait, you mean personal finance, not corporate finance, right?

@protest:

Also interesting to note that coin-operated washing machines (laundromats, apt. complexes, etc.) charge the same for a cold-water load as they do for a hot-water load.

@protest:

I wash cold water only every load purely out of habit and have never had problems...If I save money in the process...awesome!

When I lived in the boonies, I knew a lady who was always very proud of herself for her frugal grocery shopping... she'd brag up a storm about saving 20 cents on butter, but she'd fail realize that driving 30 miles out of her way had cost her far more in gas costs.

Don't bother with cable TV.

I had an aunt that would fill up her car when she was down by a quarter of a tank. She claimed it saved her money because she spent less per visit. Explaining the flaws in this logic was futile.

And no, I'm not making this up.

My family is the WORST at saving money. It seems like almost everything you shouldn't do, they do. It drives me nuts as I'm financially tied to them at the moment. I contribute almost all my money to the household, then it is missmanaged, yet my protests to the way things are managed are not acknowledged as I'm the youngest. *sigh*

Anyway, that is enough of my rant.

I'd say the advice of my grandfather has saved me lots of money, when I'd see things on sale that I didn't quite need. "You don't save money by spending money."

"Buy your video games used."

Worst advice ever. Most stores that sell used video games take off 5 dollars and the game disks are shot to hell.

@The Bigger Unit:
Actually, with Netflix/Blockbuster and the Intertubes, I know married couples that no long have cable. Everything they want is on DVD on a season by season basis. They don't watch news or talk shows, so there was no reason to keep Comcast Digi.

@MameDennis:

On that note driving all over town to track down gas that's 3 cents cheaper. Hell or even getting gas on the left side of the street (thus necessitating two left hand turns) versus just paying a few cents more to get in and get out quickly.

The stupidest one (not on the list) is saving bar soap slivers and putting them all in the mesh bag you get onions in. I get a big pack of bars of soap for $5, the effort plus the gross factor just does not merit the payoff of maybe saving a bar of soap worth for every 20 you use.

There are bigger money wasters to tackle.

I want to know what Protest is doing to his clothes too. Cold water for everything except whites, towels and really filthy stuff.

@superlayne:
I don't like Gamestop, but they do have a 90 day return policy. I skipped the whole Xbox generation, and now I can get a system and 7-10 games for less than a Wii.

@G-Dog:

I'm getting to that point. Every good show is on Netflix a season later. I've watched Lost, CSI, the Prisoner, all on DVD from Netflix.

And when I watch TV I'm annoyed as hell by the IN show advertising (sweepers and promos at the bottom of the screen).

If you're not into live sports and can consume your news via internet it's a perfect reason to ditch vable and just get consume your entertainment via netflix.

BTW, I use hot water for everything too. I also wash 99% of my clothes after I wear them once, no matter how long I wore them. Yet at the same time, I always use just slightly less than the bottom line on detergent caps, as I feel that using the reccomended ammount is often too much soap. Plus I use scent free detergent, and scent free fabric softener. I don't want ANYTHING on my clothes! My girlfriend things I have OCD.
:-P

@G-Dog: Oh, I was being serious. I do the same thing. I ditched cable over a year ago, and aside from missing the Discovery channel, I couldn't give a damn. I do have internet, which, thanks to Joost and whatever else substitutes fine.

Steal everything.

For those of you who wash everything in hot water, how do you keep colors from running?

Wow. That article lives up to its title. All bad ideas, indeed. As an alternative to dumpster diving, you can always check Craigslist for people giving away old furniture and appliances.

Another bad money saving idea is "hypermiling". Hypermilers are people that try to get the best fuel economy from a regular car. Often times, hypermiling involves driving techniques that are dangerous and/or just plain idiotic. Not exactly worth endangering other drivers on the road to save a couple bucks on gas. You can read about it here.

@Black Bellamy: 'Cause everything's free in prison?

@B: If all your blacks are slightly faded, they will all match, and nobody will be able to tell. >_>

@AlteredBeast:

your girlfriend is probably right.

whatever happened to the sniff and search method of clothes evaluation?

If it looks dirty or smells dirty, it gets washed. if it looks clean (no spots, not dingy, etc.) or smells clean (or at least doesn't smell dirty) then it gets put back in the drawer or hung up.

The always-exceptions to this rule are underwear, socks and undershirts.

I wash via the tags as close as possible. Warm for most everything. cold for delicates or fadables, and hot for sheets, towels, whites, etc.

@B: break their legs.

How about a post on the best way to get fat or ingest mercury?

Why is this a post...?

@AlteredBeast: my grandpa always said "if you're spending over a buck 98 you're gettin' jipped!"

@bohemian: Slivers of soap can be tossed in the wash with your linens - some people say that the sensitive formula bar soap is easier on the skin than laundry detergent. BUT the idea of saving up a bunch of scummy old things until you have enough to wash with sounds like bacteria-ville. I'd do the soap in the laundry thing, but only if it were straight out of the shower... not weeks later!

I knew a guy who would bring an EMPTY thermos to work. At the end of the day, he'd dump whatever coffee was left in the office pot into the thermos and bring it home to have with breakfast.

I used to travel a lot for work. I have not bought a bar of soap or bottle of shampoo in over five years, thanks to the hotels!

I get my floss free from my dentist or from a basket at my kid's orthodontists office. They are free sample from the manufacturer anyway....

Use it up,
Wear it out,
Make do,
Or do without!
(Old WWII saying)

Taking flowers from funeral homes to give to your wife. That guy that did the talk show circuit awhile back to talk about how he survives without a job does this.

@B: Toss a handfull of salt in the wash when you get a new pair of jeans or other dye-heavy clothing. It's supposed to reduce bleeding for whatever reason. I would still expect some bleeding in the first 10 washes or so.

@AngrySicilian: Because it's FUNNY!

@protest:

If you have proper hygiene techniques, those skidmarks don't happen!!!

Save on toilet paper - use your hand!

Hahahahahaha!

I was told by the washing machine salesman and it's also listed in the manual that hot water isn't needed anymore. Laundry detergents are advanced enough that they don't require hot water. All the hot water did was expand the molecules in the water allowing the detergent to dissolve better and therefore work better and detergents are designed to dissolve into the water easier now. The hot water does not get hot enough to kill germs if that's what you're thinking since the water only gets to around 110 degrees max. and you'd need it to get to 160 degrees to kill anything.

I wash everything, except the kids undies, in cold water. I haven't had any problems with colors bleeding or anything else. Seems like when you put the clothes in the dryer though that they are shrinking, anyone else get that?

I have a few friends say they fill their gas tanks up when it hits 1/4 tank full and they think they are saving money. I don't understand how because that means they would have to put gas in their tanks more frequently.

"Discarded pizza boxes are an excellent source of cheese"

@bohemian:

i find it hilarious that people on the internet always seem to assume they are speaking/typing to a man unless the moniker is sexy-gal69 or something. for the record 'protest' is a girl, and i guess i should have been more clear: yes i was referring to towels, gardening clothes, workout clothes, basically stuff that gets gross, i wash the delicate stuff in cold.

an example: i was at a party where they were grilling steak and onions over an indoor grill thingy, and my shirt smelled awful when i got home. i washed it in cold (landlord had disconnected the hot water line) and it still stank, even with good detergent. so i took it to my friends house and washed it in hot, came out smelling clean. i would relate this story to any salesman trying to tell me that hot water doesn't make a difference.

Who has the time to peel apart 2 play toilet paper!!!!?????!!!??!?!?!??
And not tipping 15%?
Try saving money an easier way and just stay home and cook your own food.....
Ugh - reusing tea bags? Seriously? Box o tea - $2 for 20 tea bags - How much money can you really save on this one?
Let's do some math here:
I'll even spot the Tea bags at $4 each.
Cost per bag? 50 cents.
Meaning that the best you can do here is save $4. And drink crap tea that tastes bland and flavorless. And as others have pointed out, most of the caffeine in Tea is in the cup within a few seconds of brewing.
Why not just reuse old coffee grounds (yuck)....
Seriously.
These are excellent examples of stupidity in motion.
Here's a great way to save money - stop eating out if money is tight. You can stretch your dollar by cooking at home.
Brew your own coffee at home and bring it to work.
I have a coworker who gets two large coffees from *$'s every day. $2+ each, five days a week.
Right there, I saved you $20 a week, which incidentally is enough to buy two ply toilet paper, tea, and leaves you some cash left over for a nice tip when you do go out.
Sheesh....

Seems like when you put the clothes in the dryer though that they are shrinking, anyone else get that?

That always happens. A fabric that shrinks will shrink most of the way the first time you wash and dry it in the clothes dryer with heat. The next time you wash and dry it that way, it will shrink some more. The percent shrinkage that you expect from the fabric (4 percent for denim, for example) is just an expected shrinkage the first time you wash it.

If you aren't going to tip, don't eat out, simple as that. In today's society with waiters and waitresses being paid so little it is customary to tip, don't like it, then don't eat out.

Splitting the meal is common in restaurants especially ones that serve huge portions, there is an Italian restaurant here that serves mega-huge portions, I mean seriously I do not think the average American could even eat that much in one sitting. Not surprising to me was that most of their clientele could barely fit into the booths and chairs in the restaurant.

I like the people who drive an extra 30 min to save 10 cents on a pound of butter or 20 cents on another item as was mentioned above. Oh a 10 cent savings... BUT ITS ON SALE... ok so that warrants a 30 min out of the way trip to a grocery store for the 10 cent sale....

Dumpster diving is just not cool, the warning signs are there for a reason, I can understand picking up something that is on the side of the road, nothing wrong with that.

Being frugal is good, being just plain CHEAP is not.

Well, the obvious "bad money-saver" goes to the infamous "Entertainment coupon" books produced annually and sold door-to-door. I've seen variations on this theme with "coupon packages" at pizzarias and other similar approaches. Here's a tip: if you have to pay for a coupon, it's not worth it. The same goes for any kind of "loyalty" program (punch cards, frequent user clubs, etc.)

Buying in bulk can be a hit-or-miss for money savings, but it's usually a miss. Buying in bulk requires you to have adequate storage space, and predictable consumption patterns. Plus, not all bulk prices are savings. The per-can price of cat food at Costco is the same as the per-can price at my local grocery store; the only difference is Costco only sells 24-can packages. There are a handful of nonperishables that you can have a 2-year supply on-hand without problems (paper products, mostly) but mostly its a bad choice. Sure, the taragon/cinnamon/sage in the bulk foods is a lot cheaper than the stuff in the bottles, but it's also exposed to air and is usually very stale. Yes, the 16 oz. bottle of cayane pepper is a better price per ounce than the 4 oz. bottle, but again, it's a spice that will go stale, so how fast will you use it?

One terrible tip I heard was that each day, you should empty your pocket change into a "change jar", and not dip into the jar for a full month, then cash it in at the end of the month. This was supposed to be an example of "good monetary habits". It's not; you're just spending more bills to have more chance at the end of the month. It has zero net effect on your money spending.

The "unplug your appliances" tip is another dud. Your VCR/DVD/computer/microwave all draw a tiny amount of current even when they're off, in order to power the internal clock and other minor features. The net savings annually are a few pennies, but the hastle of unplugging, re-plugging, and resetting the clock every time you use an appliance is not worth it.

Cold water wash is better for the environment than a hot water wash.

And current standards of cleanliness are insane. You should be more concerned about the toxins you're poisoning your body with when you use standard laundry detergent, then a handful of benign germs you're leaving behind when you cold water wash.

A save money and enviro tip: use arm and hammer baking soda (unscented) and vinegar in lieu of fabric softener. All fabric softener is, is a violent acid whose scent is masked by the smell of even more toxic "perfumes".

And no, you're wash won't smell like vinegar.

@Dibbler: It uses the hot water from your hot water tank, which can be considerably hotter than 110 degrees. That's like a lukewarm shower!

You bring up a good point, though -- it seems like everyone else only recognizes hot and cold. There be a warm setting there, too.

The very idea that someone thinks that it is OK to tip less than a "customary" 15% in order to save money angers the living hell out of me. Could you pay your rent and living expenses if you worked what is probably a relatively low income job already, and your company, in the interests of saving money, decided to knock a bit off of your "customary" salary? The article is correct that you shouldn't go out to eat if you want to save money, but if you do go out, you should go ahead and figure in a 20% tip as part of your cost. That's right, 20%. In the 90's 15% was ok, but the new standard is 20%, more if the service is exceptional. There are a lot of people out there working their butts off, and trying to put themselves through college, while making sure that diners and eaters alike(there is a huge difference) enjoy their experience at a particular restaurant. You would be astounded(or maybe not if you're one of the cheap ones)at the number of people that feel that it's ok to shaft the server that just gave you a passable or wonderful dining experience in order to save a couple of bucks for themselves. I cannot begin to describe the horrors that should be visited upon the insensitive and ignorant people that feel that this is acceptable behavior.