What is Digg?109 Comments
- maiku00, on 10/12/2007, -2/+32102. Get rid of your wife/girlfriend
- bamiller3, on 10/12/2007, -2/+30Pirate music and movies from the Internet....
- bitt3n, on 10/12/2007, -3/+30not if you get cancer quick enough. you just have to smoke more.
- lustre, on 10/12/2007, -1/+24When I quit smoking I noticed that I no longer needed to carry much cash. I was in the stores far less often and bought far less un-needed stuff. A few dollars can often last weeks but when I smoked those same dollars would often last only a couple of days. The savings are hidden but real.
Of course, quitting is incredibly difficult.
Another oddball thing I noticed is that I was far less inclined to go have a drink or two in a bar because drinking made me want to smoke. The elimination of bar tabs saved me even more.
YMMV. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16#100 - Rent your lawnmower? I agree with most of the list, but put the crack pipe down.
- felchdonkey, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19101 ways to be a penny-pincher with a dull life.
So according to this, I should spend all of my time comparison-shopping at grocery stores, poring over my phone bill and using pre-paid cards, and clipping coupons.
When I buy clothes, I should look for dowdy discount labels (maybe I need T.J. Maxx?) and avoid anything that might be in style.
I need to pack a lunch for work, quit smoking, wear a sweater, and never drink with dinner.
The "have a drink at home before you go to dinner" tip made me laugh the hardest.
Instead of following all these matronly tips, try living a rich and full life. If you need more money, see what you can do to earn more, instead of pinching the pennies you have.
There are a lot of ways to avoid unnecessary spending, like being more organized, avoiding credit cards, and learning to enjoy activities instead of shopping for fun.
This article, however, is just a recipe for dullness. - willistg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13I actually kind of enjoy the personal finance related stories popping up as of late. Having control of your finances is something everyone needs to do.
That and hope credit card companies get blow'd up - KyotoWolf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13dugg for the picture at top of article... how do they make that!
- Urusai, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14102. Spend less money.
Thanks, will do. - mywhitenoise, on 10/12/2007, -5/+18"The amazing thing is, there are Millions who will read the list and think, "Oh, Gee, that's a LOT of things I'd never have thought to do!""
Sadly because most of America are a bunch of brainwashed idiots. - halleyscomet, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15@Pyroteq
The amazing thing is, there are Millions who will read the list and think, "Oh, Gee, that's a LOT of things I'd never have thought to do!" - drlha, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13#102. Alienate all your friends by being a skinflint boring penny pincher. This will not only save you money through pennypinching (because you never get your round in), soon you won't have any friends at all, so won't have to go out any more, saving thousands per year.
- bobrboob, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13Not always obvious. For instance, stopping smoking will add >100k to your bottom line over your lifetime; both health and buying-cigarette costs add up bigtime...
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11http://members.cox.net/crandall11/money/shirt/
- felchdonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10"Ready for dinner, honey?"
"Just a minute, lemme down a couple shots before we go out."
--later--
"That was a great meal! Should we enjoy some nice conversation in this restaurant over a drink?"
"Nah, I'm gonna go home and plop down on the couch, have a brandy while I kick the kids' dirty gym socks off the coffee table." - dclowd9901, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10"Even as our lifestyles are generally improving, the number of Americans declaring bankruptcy or otherwise in financial trouble is at an all time high. Whatever the reason for this"
This article skips right over the big question here: Why are people in crazy amounts of debt and declaring bankruptcy?
I'll give you the one-word short of it: Credit. You can finance ANYTHING these days (ever bought a drink with a credit card?) It's this ease of putting yourself in debt that causes so many Americans to overlook how much they're actually spending, and if they're living beyond their means. And Credit companies' nebulous rules and fees don't help much, either.
The worst part is, it's almost impossible to purchase a home without being in some sort of debt at some point in your life. So what are we supposed to do? - misteral, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1127. If you HAVE to visit the doctor, do remember to negotiate the cost of treatment.
Or... move to Canada. - sTiZZiT, on 10/12/2007, -4/+13Some of these are just downright terrible.
Turn off your AC when at a stop light? Thats non-sense! You MIGHT save $1 over the life of your car, maybe.
Coupons? Many people have proven that they waste more time than they save money (if you value your time). Additionally, they help you to spend on things you didn't really need before you looked at that coupon book.
I dont know about you, but I dont want to be trimming coupons, going to ANOTHER store for contact solution and advil, and carrying a calculator with me. Maybe I'm not dirt poor but that is just annoying.
77. If you have no option but to drive, find out the shortest and thus the cheapest route to your place of work.
Come on now, isn't that common sense? Only exception to this rule is traffic.
83. Plan well and fuel up at the petrol station that offers quality fuel and also offers it at a lower price.
Who has quality fuel? I'm sure THAT will start some arguements. Ever heard the term you get what you pay for?
There were like 5 things that were useful (not new to me however) on that list. - cdawzrd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9They left out
* Use VOIP phone solution like Skype or Vonage if you are already paying for high-speed internet
under the "reduce phone costs" section - digitaloxygen, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10@maiku00
"102. Get rid of your wife/girlfriend"
That's assuming your wife/girlfriend doesn't bring in about 40% of the income like mine does. ;)
I kick her out and I lose my car and probably my house. Although it would be a lot quieter around. Let me sleep on it. :D - mywhitenoise, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7nice way to spend money on a DUI.
- shaggtastic, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8So... we should shop at several grocery stores, but drive less? That's just one contradiction I noticed right away.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11The best way to get out of debt? Start a website telling people how to get out of debt and run ads on it.
- The_Dude, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7#196 Drop out of society
#305 Marry into money
#274a Get addicted to making money
#274b ***** it man... - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7I'd like to find a service that helps explain which no-name products are just as good as the brand name. Some no-name products are better left alone, while others taste or function the same.
- oxyrubber, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@charlie55
I would rather pay taxes for general healthcare than pay into Social Security and Medicare, both of which will be bankrupt long before I will see a dime from either.
And I would rather see companies and government organizations do a better job of negotiating packages from HMOs/PPOs. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Most effective way to cut your daily costs : Stop going to Starbucks for that coffee-break once every few hours.
While I can't complain about the quality of the coffee (I just love it too much), it's so friggin expensive! A cup of coffee, and a slice of cake each day - and off go 150 bucks or so in a month. - Jomwilli, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Or don't use VOIP or a regular phone at all? Use a Cell phone as your normal phone? VOIP and land lines are a waste of $ in my opinion and should only be used for remote, BFE places that haven't any cellular service.
- richbradshaw, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Starbucks coffee is awful! It's so bland - a typical American company! Putting the price up on something doesn't automatically make it a better product!
- happyMac, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6rent lawnmower!? Buy sheep!
... they mow AND FERTILIZE the lawn for free and you can make sweaters out of em and eat em! - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6@happyMac
"Buy sheep"
And with sheep roaming around, who needs a girlfriend. Even more savings :) - Optimus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5'U.S. residents are less healthy, less able to access health care than Canadians'
A study by Harvard Medical School researchers in the July, 2006 issue of the American Journal of Public Health finds that U.S. residents are less healthy than Canadians. Moreover, despite spending nearly twice as much per capita for health care, U.S. residents experience more problems getting care and more unmet health needs.
Canadians had better access to most types of medical care (with the single exception of pap smears). Canadians were 7% more likely to have a regular doctor and 19% less likely to have an unmet health need. U.S. respondents were almost twice as likely to go without a needed medicine due to cost (9.9% of U.S. respondents couldn't afford medicine vs. 5.1% in Canada). After taking into account income, age, sex, race and immigrant status, Canadians were 33% more likely to have a regular doctor and 27% less likely to have an unmet health need. For each of these measures, the average Canadian did about as well as insured U.S. residents.
In the U.S., cost was the largest barrier to care. More than seven times as many U.S. residents reported going without needed care due to cost as Canadians (7.0% of U.S. respondents vs. 0.8% of Canadians). Uninsured U.S. residents were particularly vulnerable; 30.4% reported having an unmet health need due to cost.
Lead author Dr. Karen Lasser, primary care doctor at Cambridge Health Alliance and Instructor of Medicine at Harvard commented, "Most of what we hear about the Canadian health care system is negative; in particular, the long waiting times for medical procedures. But we found that waiting times affect few patients, only 3.5% of Canadians vs. 0.7% of people in the U.S. No one ever talks about the fact that low-income and minority patients fare better in Canada. Based on our findings, if I had to choose between the two systems for my patients, I would choose the Canadian system hands down."
"These findings raise serious questions about what we're getting for the $2.1 trillion we're spending on health care this year," said Dr. David Himmelstein, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard and study co-author. "We pay almost twice what Canada does for care, more than $6,000 for every American, yet Canadians are healthier, and live 2 to 3 years longer."
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=10515 - chubbymidget, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I'm betting not buying Salmon And not cooking Salmon in the dishwasher are on this list.
- mecole21, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7i always drink before i go out to the bars... its called Pregaming... (except don't obviously do it if ur driving, nothing worse than getting a DWI on the way TO the bars)
- mutants, on 08/17/2008, -1/+5"53: ...Instead you could have a drink or two before you leave for dinner or a brandy after you come back."
Uh... walking? ;-) - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Do you guys really think what you're writing about free health care being bad, or are you just saying it because you're... not canadian?
Sure, maybe if you never go to the doctor this year you'll be happy to spend your savings. But when your child is born with some debilitating disease and needs constant care, your cost vs benefit argument will look stupid. And thank GOD you aren't forced to help your neighbours dying children! How horrible would that be. - diecastbeatdown, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4don't forget tv shows too. ditch that cable box.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3lol, or how 'bout stay home and sleep all day long?? :P
or even better, stay home and check digg.com :D - NinjaBoy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I got a coupon from domino's that was $3 more than they normally charge! And i bet a fair amount of people actually turned them in.
- GTAcrimelord, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'd have to agree with you. Where in the hell can you even rent a lawnmower? I guess at one of those Rent-A-Way centers, but last time I checked, they didn't rent out stuff like that.
- aengusj, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4TV alternative: If dropping all TV is not an option, consider free over the air high definition TV. For about $300 (PC tuner, antenna, software, larger hard drive and PC remote control), I pull in four stations in High Definition (better than DVD video resolution) and have Tivo functionality. No monthly costs. Yes, I only have four stations but folks living in a metro area should receive more stations. The following link estimates what stations are available in High Definition for a given address: http://www.checkhd.com/aw/welcome.aspx .
- Pyroteq, on 10/12/2007, -12/+15Common sense. So much in that article is just so blatantly obvious (I only spent 20 seconds skimming through it though), but c'mon, buy discount brands? Gee, why haven't I ever thought of that?
- ahawks, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I already do some of these, and most of the others were not applicable or just stupid.
One of my favorite things I've done to save money, is dropping from the "(Extended) Basic" cable plan ($50/mo), to the non-advertised $11/mo plan. It has most of the stations I watch, without all the BS ones I never bothered with. and $40/mo savings is quite worth missing out on The Food Network, etc.
Personally though, I am looking to improve my finances, and I'm going to go about it by doing more with my money, not doing less. - TheBarge, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Sheesh settle down. Apparently wearing discount clothing is a sore subject? I think he was just throwing that in there as yet another dull thing. I agree with felchdonkey to an extent, but there are sometimes when people HAVE to pinch pennies like that, whether it be dull or not. A single mom (or dad) who is paying for daycare can easily have financial issues, even with a decent average job.
- jhshukla, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i think it is 99
- felchdonkey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Hey, I save money when I can, and I also like to dress in clothes that look good on me.
There's nothing wrong with creative use of outlet stores (Century 21 in NY is the best), secondhand and even some H&M for good measure. If you live in NY or LA, there are amazing sample sales, too. You'd be suprised to know that even Prada can be cheap at a sample sale.
I was just saying that the author's recommendations made it sound like you should be getting out-of-season leftovers at Fashion Bug, as if clothes were only to keep you from going naked. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Or, if you do buy a new car, keep it for more than a couple of years. I bought new 5 years ago, paid it off, and plan at least 5 more out of it before I sell. (And I am in no way trying to claim that buying new is in any way cheaper than buying a good used car)
- happyMac, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3If you like the Starbuck's you can always save money by making your own. I have an electric teapot, french press and grinder and can make a week's worth of coffee for the price of one drink at the store.
- vern01, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3cutting out your daily Starbucks run
???
NO WAY!
HOW would I ever STAY awake??? - ghostis, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3"Avoid having alcoholic drink at the restaurant along with your dinner. The price you pay for the drink is very high. Instead you could have a drink or two before you leave for dinner or a brandy after you come back."
It's uncool to advocate driving while intoxicated - :-(
Buried.
-ghostis -
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