MONEY
TALKS  205 Ways
to Save Money
Entertainment
196. Use coupons
to eat out. You can probably
find “entertainment” coupon books that will offer
you buy-one, get-one-free meals, as well as other valuable coupons.
Often the dry-cleaning coupons alone found in these books are
enough to reimburse you for their $25 to $30 cost. But make
sure if you buy one that you use it! You can also often find
decent coupons in newspapers and city guides.
197. Watch amateur sports. I don't know about
you, but I'd rather watch high school football, baseball, basketball
or hockey than pro any day. The seats are better, the hotdogs
are cheaper, and since the athletes aren't quite as polished,
the outcome of the games are less predictable and more exciting!
If you do insist on pro sports, check the classifieds the week
before a game. Season ticket holders unable to attend might be
selling cheap.
198. Go to happy hour. Learn what college students
nationwide have known for decades. Go to a nice lounge that offers
free happy hour food, nurse a drink, and chow down!
199. Go to local events. Every week there is
an amazing array of free or inexpensive things happening in most
towns. Plays, concerts, dance, art exhibits, classes.... the list
goes on and on, and you'll find it by calling your parks and recreation
department, or looking in your local paper or city guide. Local
colleges are another place to find great low or no-cost entertainment.
See if you can get put on a few mailing lists.
200. Lower your restaurant bills. There are
simple things you can do to dramatically lower restaurant bills.
For example, have appetizers at home to somewhat satisfy your
appetite and then split an entrée at the restaurant. You'll
also be amazed at how much you can reduce your bill simply by
skipping alcohol. Another idea is to have a romantic dinner at
home, then go out for a nice dessert and coffee. Eat out during
the week when you're more likely to encounter specials.
201. Go to the library! Why people spend so
much money on books they read only once is one of life's great
mysteries. Is it because we need to fill our bookshelves with
something? Anyway, if you haven't been to the library lately,
you'll be amazed at just how entertaining it can be. Besides books,
you'll often find video, books on tape (great for long-distance
driving), music, magazines and Internet access. Sometimes even
computer software. It's normally all free because you already
paid for it through your taxes! There are two other great things
about libraries that bowl me over, especially when you compare
them to the mega-bookstores. One, it seems that there's always
someone friendly and helpful nearby. And two, it's never crowded!
202. Bag the paper and magazines. Most of us
subscribe to things we don't read. If you're only going to read
every third issue of that magazine, maybe you should cancel the
subscription and either buy it at the newsstand when you want
it, or read it at the library. And nowadays if you have Internet
access, you can easily keep up with everything that's happening
on the planet instantly for free. If you really love the idea
of curling up with the Sunday paper, see if you can get a Sunday-only
subscription.
203. Stop upgrading your software. If you have
a computer, you might already know that software upgrading is
one of the world's great rip-offs. We already have word-processing
and bookkeeping programs that have bells and whistles we'll never
understand, yet for some unknown reason we feel compelled to get
the most recent upgrade. While it is possible that the latest
and greatest version actually has a unique and timely feature,
in my experience it's not likely. If what you've got ain't broke,
don't pay lots of dough to upgrade it. You should also check out
free or low-cost shareware at places like CNET.
204. Don't pay for Internet access. At least
try out one of many free Internet service providers. They only
take a few minutes to set up and you'll probably find the few
annoying ads worth the $150 to $250 a year you'll save. Some ideas:
205. Use your imagination. Like saving money
on so many other things, imagination is often a great substitute
for currency when it comes to entertainment. When was the last
time you went on a picnic? Tried out the swings at the local park?
Parked your car at a scenic overlook? Went to the zoo? Went hiking?
Camping? Played card or board games? There are a million ways
we can entertain ourselves that involve spending little or no
money. We just forgot what they were. But when you think about
the most memorable and happiest times of your life, I'll bet that
they didn't include paying a huge bill in a fancy restaurant or
staying in an expensive hotel.
Whew! There you have it: 205 tips that will help you
develop your own personal Debt
Destroyer. While I did my best to make the
list as complete as possible, I know it isn't. Fact is,
there are thousands of ways to save money, and hundreds
of resources to help you do it. If you have Internet access,
simply do a search for “money saving tips.” You'll
be surfing the web for weeks. Or, if books are more your
style, visit the library and browse the dozens of books
you'll find there.
Keep in mind: the key to saving money is to
do things that are painless for you. Otherwise, you'll never be
able to stick with it. And what's painless for you might be ridiculously
hard for me, and vice-versa. We've all got things that we are
willing to trade our money (and therefore our lives) for. The
trick is to find the ones that are really yours instead of blindly
following the fake reality created for you by Madison Avenue.
Reshape your reality by rediscovering what's important to you
and choosing to part with your resources to experience it. Then
ignore the ever-present background noise designed to keep you
enslaved to debt.
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