January 27, 2008
16 Ways to save money by NOT being Normal
Save money with the library
Normal = Pay for things that the library offers for free
If you can get past the frequently outdated décor, public libraries are home to a wealth of resources. Of course you can borrow books instead of buying them, but they also often have subscriptions to high cost services or publications like Hoovers or Valueline. Our local library has grown a huge collection of popular CDs and DVDs over the last few years. So, it can be a cheap (free) ways to catch a few good movies. If you must be “Normal” and buy, at least use these 5 ways to save money on books.
Buy used stuff
Normal = Buy new
I first learned the power of this back in college, when I discovered that I could get my textbooks for free, by buying and selling them at Amazon. I was paying a few bucks (at most) for my textbooks that many of my classmates were paying over $100 for.
Leo from Zenhabits suggests to, “Send out an email to family or friends, or just ask around. You might be surprised. I was about to buy a printer, and then found out my mom just bought a laser printer and didn’t need her old inkjet.” Freecycle.org and craigslist.org are also good places to look. And of course, you can always check out garage sales and thrift shops.
Simplify your wardrobe
Normal = Buying clothes that you like without looking at the wardrobe as a whole
Don’t buy clothes that will only work as one outfit. Look for clothes that you will be able to wear with many other things, creating multiple outfits. Instead of buying that green and purple striped coat that will only go with one or two outfits, you could get a solid color gray that will work most of what you wear. Spend less money on the trendy items that won’t be in style long, and spend more on quality items. You really can do this and still be stylish at the same time. Simplifying your wardrobe is just one way you can save money on clothes.
Make money with your clutter
Normal = Garage sale or throw away clutter
It is easier than you may think. eBay and Amazon make the process a breeze. Sign up for an account, take a few digital pictures, post it, and watch the buyers come to you. HINT: The biggest key I have noticed is selling brand name items and taking a few seconds to think, “If I wanted to buy this item, how would I search for it?” If you do this, you will be much more successful.
Of course, some of your junk won’t be worth the effort of selling it online. For that stuff - maybe garage sale, maybe just save yourself the hassle and give it to goodwill. Check out how to sell your stuff on eBay for more information.
Maintain stuff
Normal = Buy new, don’t maintain, it breaks, then buy new as cycle repeats again and again.
This is a no-brainer, but we don’t often think about it: if you take care of what you have, it will last longer. You’ll then spend less on buying new stuff. When you buy something worth maintaining, take a few minutes to read the maintenance manual, and create a maintenance checklist that you can attach to the item. For important things like your car’s oil changes or tune-ups, put them in your calendar. To make it even easier schedule most of your maintenance all on one day with a Car Day.
Saving energy = Saving money
Normal = wasting energy
Even though, “Being green is so IN right now,” the “normal” thing to do is waste energy. So not only will everyone think you are cool, 
but you can save money as well. Check out these 10 Energy saving tips.
Also, I am not sure how much money this will save you, but check out Blackle.com - birthed out of a question, “How much energy would be saved if Google had a black screen instead of a white one?” Supposedly, the search results are the same as the regular Google results.
Save money on exercise
Normal = Sign up for an expensive gym membership and never use it
Why not be extremely abnormal? You can get much cheaper access to a gym AND use it too!! Sign up for a class at a local community college (as little as $35 a semester). Then, use your ID to work out at the community college gym. That is a lot better than the $30-$40 a month most gyms charge.
Save money at the symphony
Normal = Pay full price to go to the symphony
By volunteering as an usher at theatrical events, you could get in free. Many concert halls and theaters across the nation do the same. Call your local theater to find out if it needs help. Or Google “volunteer” and “usher” plus your hometown.
Live in a smaller home
Normal = Buy the biggest house you can afford (or more than you can afford)
For some reasons, Americans just love to assume that bigger is better with just about everything. There is a plague of families constantly having to get a larger dwelling because their stockpile of junk gets too large for their current home. Often just by throwing junk away and spending time organizing storage areas and closets, you may realize that you DO have a big enough living space, it just needed a little organizational love. A lot of money can be saved by living in a smaller place. When you think about it that way, organizing really might pay very well.
Buy a used car
Normal = Buy a new car, pay it off (or maybe not) and buy a new one
You can save a lot of money on car depreciation by purchasing a car 2 years old or older. Some cars can lose as much as 35% in value during the first year. It’s best to drive a car as long as you can especially if you do purchase them new.
Shop after the season
Normal = buying Christmas décor during Christmas season
Shop for holiday cards, decorations, and gift wrap as the season ends, and keep them for next year. We do this and then we also enjoy the nice surprise after Thanksgiving of finding out what we bought the previous year that we forgot about.
Shop when no one else wants to
Normal = House shopping while the weather is nice
If you are considering a new home, remember the best time to buy is in the dead of winter, when other buyers huddle inside. You can save 5 percent off the peak-season price.
Find the best deal on car insurance
Normal = Buy insurance and keep renewing without checking rates
Regardless of who you buy from, you can be abnormal and save money by shopping around every year or so for insurance. I was paying a premium for convenience with my car insurance agent. But once I found that Geico offered me the same coverage for $330 less, I had to make a switch.
Buy jewelry from a discounter
Normal = Buy jewelry from the mall jewelry store or another traditional store
If you haven’t purchased jewelry in a while, you may be interested to know that the jewelry industry is going through some major changes. Diamonds have always had ridiculous markups, but recently there are more options for relief. Many direct importers are selling rings themselves at much better prices than you could get from the traditional stores. It makes perfect sense - the traditional stores have to pay for a storefront, sales force, utilities, etc., therefore the importers can usually beat their prices hands down. I bought my wife’s engagement ring at Amazon and ended up having it appraised for thousands more than I paid.
Save money at the hospital
Normal = Don’t know that it is possible to save money at the hospital
I didn’t realize that you had options and to be honest most times if the hospital is involved, I am “normal” and could care less about what it costs. But, if it isn’t an urgent matter there are ways to save money at the hospital that I had never thought of. Did you know that you can bring your own stuff (e.g. pillows, linens, nightgowns)? Evidently, hospitals charge quite a bit for these items. (I have no personal experience with this one - can anyone confirm or deny?)
Go out to dinner for half price
Normal = Go to the same few restaurants all the time and pay full price
I love to try new restaurants, but since it is quite an expensive hobby - it is nice when you can save a few bucks. Enter the Entertainment book. This wonderful tool costs about $25, but will pay for itself quickly if you use it a couple of times. It is available for most large U.S. cities and has thousands of coupons to participating restaurants - most of which are buy-one-get-one-free. This is one of my favorites ways to find new places to eat and save money in the process. Also consider Restaurant.com who sells $25 gift certificates (with restrictions) for $10 to thousands of restaurants across the country.
Feel free to share any ways that you save money by NOT being “normal.”
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Comments on 16 Ways to save money by NOT being Normal »
Mrs. Micah @ 8:43 pm
I hadn’t even thought of the community college one. Another thing to consider is looking for fitness classes at the community college.
Very Cheap Car Insurance » 16 Ways to save money by NOT being Normal @ 9:41 pm
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Minimum Wage @ 10:16 pm
If you are a college alum and still live near your alma mater, you might be able to get a very good deal on a semester pass to the intramural facilities.
My college also offered library privileges - a lifetime library card with a $10 deposit.
Lez @ 11:27 pm
I would use Darkoogle http://www.darkoogle.com instead of Blackle to save energy since its got the ’simiar page’ on the result page like the normal white Google.
Angie @ Many Little Blessings @ 11:41 pm
One that really does go along with buying used, but I think could use an extra “shout out,” per se, is buying clothes second hand. I try to buy as many of the clothes for our family of five second hand as possible. (And, I have never turned down hand-me-downs from friends and family. Sure, sometimes things are quite right for us, but I would say that more than 50% of my 3 year old daughter’s clothes in her lifetime have been free to us because they were hand-me-downs from friends, family, and even friends of family members.)
I would say another thing that we have done that is not “normal” is that we have not had our children in daycare. This has often meant a lot of crazy schedules while I have worked various part time jobs (or now that I work part time as an independent contractor through our state for early intervention services for kids), but not only did it mean a lot to us to be able to care for our kids ourselves, we also about died when we were paying so much for daycare in the two week period that we had two kids in daycare (before I left a full time job then to just stay home instead). I know that this can’t work for everyone, but I just can’t imagine how some people are making money after paying daycare costs.
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bob @ 12:16 pm
@Mrs Micah and Minimum
good points, thanks for sharing
@Angie
I don’t have kids yet, but I completely agree with hand-me-downs and basically CHEAP clothes for kids. When they will only wear it for a few months before they outgrow it - it seems like a good idea to spend as LITTLE as possible on it…
KMunoz @ 2:50 pm
Another option instead of gyms and local schools is fitness DVDs. Amazon sells tons of them for pretty cheap, and I have often found some decent ones at discount stores like Ross and Marshall’s. They let you work out with professionals on your own time without ever leaving your house — as many times as you want!
Debbie M @ 9:04 am
I love this entry!
At conferences, it is normal to stay in the attached hotel. And if you drive in, it’s normal to park very close to the conference site even if you have to pay.
Abnormal things I have done to save money at conferences: 1) Stay at a state park (in a tent), drive in to the closest free parking lot, and walk the rest of the way. 2) Stay at a hostel and take a bus to the conference site. 3) Stay at a cheap hotel within walking distance after taking a bus, instead of driving, to the city where the conference is being held.
I also save a little money by not seeing movies at the normal times (Friday and Saturday night) and instead going to matinees. (Or waiting until the movies come out on DVD, of course.) Also, I don’t eat at movies.
Normal people get hair cuts and apparently get their hair dyed when it starts greying. I let my hair grow long and just have a friend cut it straight across the bottom, and I don’t dye it.
erin @ 10:08 am
The stuff about the hospital is totally true. They will charge you for kleenexes in your room, so take them when you leave. Where you can save the most money at the hospital, though, is by bringing your own medication. If you take any medications at home (from vitamins to blood-pressure pills to an aspirin a day), your doctor will likely continue them during your hospital stay. If you don’t bring your own, you will pay a high price for each dose you get at the hospital. Always let the doctor or nurses know which medications you brought with you. If it’s an emergency, wait until your patient is admitted and stabilized, and then let the nurse know that someone will be going home to get the patient’s medications. Don’t forget to retrieve your meds before you are discharged!! This can save you a bundle, especially if you take a lot of meds at home!
DivaJean @ 11:08 am
I like seeing that I’m even more “abnormal” than your tips!
My tip for saving money on exercise- don’t bother with any. And before you go ballistic about health and exercise- here’s part 2 to that theorem– there should not be a car for every living adult. WALK or take the bus once in a while.
As for clothes savings- we go by the least cost possible. Kids clothes are thru this intense networking of friends- boxes of clothes are handed around and back again. The rule is no selling- if it turns up that a size/gender combo is not needed by the collective anymore, it gets donated. It has been an excellent system- twice a year we go thru our kids dressers and then hit our own stockpiles. Usually, the only thing needed to buy is shoes and underwear. The kids in this group are especially hard on shoes! My hubby and I only buy clothes infrequently- but if its something specific we need (say a white shirt) we would start at the Rescue Mission or Salvation Army stores and work our way up the cost chain until we find what we need. It really cuts down on impulse buys!
And- we never go out- except for our annual foster parent dinner and my work’s Xmas party and summer picnic. Hubby has had a gastric bypass- it is no fun to go out to eat with someone who doesn’t eat! So we cook nicer meals at home. We nver go to movies because the babysitting costs are too high for 4 kids. We splurge on cable for entertainment.
So we are able to afford to live on my paycheck alone (hubby is a stay at home parent)- 2 adults and 4 kids on under $60k.
bob @ 12:25 pm
@erin
thanks for confirming that - I will have to keep that in mind if I am ever visiting…
@everyone else - thanks for adding to the list
SavingDiva @ 12:47 pm
I have to comment on DivaJean’s no workout rule. I would DIE without working out! I love running and biking! I go to my gym about 6 days a week. With that being said, I do belong to one of the cheapest gyms in my town…but I love it, so I go. Even though I bike to work, I would be upset if I wasn’t able to get more exercise than just walking…
I agree with Debbie M that a lot of women pay too much for their hair. However, I’m not totally ready to let my hair go…I’m too vain! I go to an Aveda school. I get a trendy haircut for next to nothing. Plus, I get awesome styling advice and great conversation. Also, I go about 12 weeks between hair cuts instead of the recommended 8. On the hair note, I did stop coloring my hair and went with my roots. By the way, I’m fabulous as a brunette.
Normal=Driving to work
I ride my bike for 10 months out of the year. I have to stop during January and February because the temperatures dip below 0…and I just can’t take the windchill.
Paul @ 1:54 pm
Something I do that is “abnormal,”
I have rabbit ears (the kind that have a built in amplifier and plug into the wall) and nowI get all my local channels as good as if I am watching the station on cable. So, for a one time $30 investment, I get to skip the monthly $75 cable bill.
Something else. My local Goodwill doesn’t get many pair of men’s used jeans, but they always seem to have 5 racks of women’s jeans. Try them on. Noone can tell and they fit fine.
bob @ 5:19 pm
@paul
LOL - I love the goodwill idea!! No promises that I will do that, but I got a nice laugh out of it!!
Harm @ 9:43 pm
Don’t buy any jewelry, discount or otherwise…..
DivaJean @ 9:45 am
I agree on the hair and jewelry. Hair styles work best when they go with the natural haircolor and texture. Fighting nature is only going to cost- in terms of time, effort and money. I gave up haircoloring a few years ago and within the last year or so decided to also give up on getting haircuts every 4-6 weeks and let my hair grow out- I just trim my bangs when they get too long. As for the kids, hubby learned how to clipper cut the boys hair- and the girls are also wanting long hair like mine. End of it (except for hubby who goes maybe every 6 weeks for a Supercuts).
Jewelry is nothing we value in my family anyways. I didn’t even want a diamond engagement ring- the whole diamond industry is full of lies, scams and shams– and the blood of diamond miners. Not for me.
Gayle @ 10:04 am
The stuff about hospitals is only sort of true. I am an RN working in a critical care unit in a top flight hospital. Here’s the deal. We have no mechanism in place for charging for kleenex and toiletries or linens. If you bring your own linens they will most likely either be thrown out or join the hospital linens as soon as you soil them in a fashion which we will not discuss. I also throw out any underwear which you insist on wearing as it becomes soiled. I do not carefully remove clothing which you insist on wearing, I make my life easier by cutting it off. In other words if you are not well enough to do self-care and I have to do it for you I will do it in the most efficient way possible.
As for the medications, regulations require that they be in the original containers with the original labels. They must be sent to pharmacy for identification and relabelling. They might be returned if pharmacy actually completes that job. Then they are locked up for the duration of your stay. There must also be a physician order for me to administer your own medications to you. You will not be allowed to self administer as I am not going to be liable for your errors. At the end of the stay they might remember to return them to you. Most of the time the docs totally change the medication regimen anyway, sometimes several times a day. In addition, all of our medications are bar coded and I have to match the bar code of the med to your individual bar code to prevent medication errors. This is mandated. In other words, if you insist on bypassing the system you will be more likely to be a victim of medical error. Even vitamins have well known and not innocuous interactions with medications.
daydreamr @ 10:35 am
I say shut off the TV. People don’t realize how much power it sucks up. It’s not just the TV, it’s the ad’s that “alert” people to new products. Media also brainwashes ppl, telling them what is normal and they internalize this crap. Then they feel the need to buy a new car, a bigger house, etc.
Sara @ 10:46 pm
Re: clutter…If you have a thrift store that uses the money for causes you care about you can give it to them. That way you can make a donation to a group and get rid of your stuff in a relatively headache free way.
nick lewis @ 12:42 am
LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO BE CHEAP!
bob @ 12:10 pm
@nick lewis I am not following you - are you referring to the article or someone’s comment? Either way I agree with you - but know that there is a huge difference between being CHEAP and being wise with your money… I strive for the latter…
daydreamr @ 3:16 pm
Cheap is one thing, it would be different if $$ really did grow on trees. It’s a totally different thing when you struggle to make ends meet. Do you get a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) job so you don’t have to be cheap? Well life’s too short to spend it working for the man!
Daisy @ 9:58 am
some of these things are really worth thinking about.
about the pillows and sheets in the hospital, I think some do that. one of our biggest hospitals has stopped the practice though. they’re trying to keep people from bringing in stuff with germs that could worsen patients’ conditions. that’s what I heard from a doctor anyway.
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