Lots of good tips there! If you're responsible for paying your BC Hydro bills, then yes, turn off your lights. Unplug your cell phone chargers/dvd players/tv's when not in use. They are still drawing power if plugged in. (Or use a power bar and switch that off when not in use). Change out your old light bulbs for CFL's. Biggest component on your Hydro bill is heating. Turn down your thermostats and put on a sweater! Seal up any drafts in your doors and windows. Use Energy Star engery efficient fridges. Wash dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher.

If your company has a gym at work, use that instead of paying for Fitness World. I use my company's gym and also shower there, using their soap/shampoo to save my own. I also charge my cell phone, digital camera, lap top at work instead of using my own Hydro. :D
If possible, walk or ride a bike to work instead of driving. Gas is a big money item for me. And yes, after catered meetings, I grab whatever leftover food there is. As for groceries, I found that the little produce stores (at least near my place) is cheaper than the Safeway, so I buy my fruit and veggies from them. I hardly buy breakfast or lunch from the cafeteria. I buy Granola in bulk, and use the milk from the cafeteria (yeah, the milk that's suppose to be for the coffee..haha) to pour on my cereal. Sometimes when I bring salad to work, I use their salad dressing as well.
And we all probably do it, use/take stationary from work! I don't think I've ever bought a pen/pencil/highlighter/ream of paper/etc..

Ok, I'm not going to tell you where I work now...haha.. Man, I'm a cheap bastard.

go to mc'ds or wendys and take lots of salt/pepper, sugar, ketchup packs and napkins
i'm sure a lot of ppl has done that

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murd0c, but wait... theres more... !

oh man this thread is great! so much info and advice, i'm definitely gonna take everything into consideration

This shouldn't be a habit though. The stationary is bought for employees to use at work. That is kinda like stealing. Same concept as taking the toilet paper at work and bringing it home.

Be good in bed, when you're good in bed, she won't wanna go out.

I want this woman in my house, NOW!

Oh wow, what a response.

Thanks for all the thanks, for those who thanked. :D

#1 and #2 - we live at the end of an alley, so my sister and I just check the block our house is on every once in a while if we happen to walk by. Our neighbours actually leave stuff of value next to their trash cans, sometimes even with a note saying "FREE". Same with empties. They'll actually put it in the alley next to their blue boxes, or at the very top. We're not talking about dumpster diving here. :lol As for electronics, I drop the leftovers off at a recycler. If someone doesn't take them, they'll just end up in that Cache Creek landfill. So I'm saving a couple of trees as well. ;)

#5 - You tell me if anything below is newer than 2005. ;) The only upgrade I've done is a Wi-Fi b/g card I got from Telus for free in Feb 2009. Before then I had a 4-port LAN router (donated of course :)) rigged to the machine near my feet and a bunch of wires running throughout the house.

PC: (the one I am typing this post on)
Athlon XP-64 3500+
2GB DDR400 (all donated; I was on 512MB DDR333 until 2008)
GeForce 6800
Dual 19" CRTs (both chucked from my neighbour :eek:) - only one of them is flat :lol
250GB + 80GB + 80GB IDE HDDs (yes, 3 hard drives; 1 was donated)
Sound Blaster Audigy 1 - works very well with my donated 2.1 speakers. :D
PS/2 keyboard and mouse (from my previous 2002 machine)

Laptop: Acer Aspire 3002 - bought used in 2005. According to the label it was built in May 2003. The only upgrade on it is 2GB of DDR333, done in Dec 2009. Before that it had 512MB.

Both machines run MS Office, Firefox 3.6, and Youtube (480p on laptop, 720p on desktop) just fine. :) Computers last WAY more than 2 years if you're not a hardcore gamer. This isn't 1993. And yes, a GeForce6 is more than enough to play Modern Warfare 2 if you don't run full detail at 1920 x 1080. I'll send you my save file proving I beat the game if you want. :D I have a couple of friends still using 2002-era machines with using GeForce 4s in their main computers, and both aren't exactly poor either. In fact, one guy owns a house.

#7 - My friends actually like it when I take their old stuff. Saves them a trip to the recycling place or whatnot. Mind you I'm taking junk they were gonna get rid of anyways, not stealing or leeching from them. In fact, now they automatically ask me if I want to look over their stuff before they junk it.

#18 - CRA hasn't said anything and obviously they are aware of it every time they do my NOA. If you want to overpay your taxes, be my guest. ;)

#19 - Why is that fraud? That's just not being stupid. You're basically splitting a big dental job into 2 portions, then doing them one at a time. I'm not telling you to fix the same teeth twice. And you ARE paying a price: going another year with a few crooked teeth. :D Of course, if you weren't dumb, you'd have an appointment in December and another in January. Another good example is laser eye surgery - do 1 eye at a time!

He's even cheaper than I am, so actually, in his eyes I'm a disappointment. :cry: I won't walk 8km to save $2 in bus money (unless I'm drunk and lost my wallet and cell phone). And yes, he still calls me a "big spender" and "money waster". :lol

You ain't seen cheap. I know people who charge their electronics at other ppl's houses every time they visit. :lol

Not sure where you're returning empties but I just do it at the liquor store right before buying my next batch of beer? No hobos there last time I checked.
I drive like this all the time, unless it's a weekend rip through the mountains. The biggest difference between myself and a C-lai is that I'm a Roadstar. So can we still hang out? :p
What's your monthly bill? I'm wondering if I can top your expenses in this department. :D With that said, I must say I'm impressed at the ingenuity of your scheme here.
I love how people tell me they're broke, then buy a $11 sandwich.
Good call. I do that as well. T1213 is "Tax Deductions at source". Of course, this doesn't work for everyone as not everyone needs to buy RRSPs or has regular tax deductions.
You can be cheap while holding a 2nd job and investing too you know. ;) That's exactly what I'm doing right now.
I admit I'm one of them, and a lazy one at that. :D

QFT. I've probably saved about $10k in mods this way on this car alone. MB parts are stupidly expensive. Examples of stealer prices: $3000 for a set of 17" wheels, $4400 for a GPS unit, $900 for a 6-CD changer, and $2400 for a phone kit (using a custom super-advanced V60 :lol). :eek: Mind you, the tradeoff is that it took me 6.5 years to finally get every mod I wanted. :D

I just remembered a couple more points.

20) Stay at home as long as you can until you're ready to buy. I don't know why people voluntarily spend $1k/mo renting some shack in Yaletown then bragging to people that they "have a place". Last time I checked, your landlord's getting rich, not you. Sure there's the occasional argument with the 'rents, but this will also teach you the art of getting along with others. :) Of course, not everyone has this luxury (such as those who move to another city for work). This point alone will probably save you more than the other 19 points I listed.

21) Predrink when you go clubbing. Very easy to do if you're at a buddy's place close to the club or your friend's the DD. You can get toasted for less the price of a couple of watered-down drinks inside. Of course, you can save way more $ by not going clubbing at all, and throwing a house party or group dinner instead. Personally I see clubbing as "paying a ton of $$$ to freeze outside and go deaf inside". Can't they turn it down a couple of notches in those places??

Just tallied up my potential monthly savings here (averaged for one-time deals like vacations).. I'll be conservative with the numbers.

1) $10
2) $50
3) $15
4) $25
5) $70
6) $20
7) N/A
8) $50 after taxes
9) $100 (my portion of the bill)
10) $30
11) $100
12) $20
13) $30
14) $10
15) $5
16) $10 (based on 1 movie in the theatre a month, I go way less than that. ;))
17) $150 (I still eat out once a week for lunch)
18) $80 (opportunity cost)
19) $50
----------
Total: $695/mo, or $8340/year after taxes. Before taxes, that's about $10.4k.

Not sure about you guys, but to me that's not a bad deal at all.

Now just imagine if you also did 20) and 21), and stuck it out for a few years.. hello downpayment.

:bowrofl:

Try $1500-2000/month in Yaletown. :)

My intuition tells me that many people who live with their folks into their late 20s and 30s aren't actually saving money, but instead spending it on things like flashy cars, exotic vacations, useless goods, etc.

For some, living on your own is priceless.

A final point: being single is cheap, but if you want to court someone, you're going have to ante up, at least in the beginning.

:lol at people goign to other people's houses to charge their electonics

split 3 loads of laundry into 2 when drying, and add extra quater in each for added time. Clothes come out dry, and u dont need to use 3 machines. Saved $1 & electricity, learned because i was short of change 1 time..

- turn off heat for your tenants (zero heat)
- digital thermostats to turn heat on at home 7-8am 6-10pm (when your home & awake)
- pack lunch
- avoid eating at restaurants
- drink company coffee
- take dumps at work (save water & have company pay you doing #2)
- gym & shower at work
- hang dry all your clothes
- buy energy efficient appliances
- CFL light bulbs
- dont drive around town with the trunk of your car full
- use timers
- buy vehicles that depreciate slowly
- charge your phone at work
- get basic phone plans
- never carry cash
- use coupons
- never buy at full retail price
- cancel internet connection (you use the computer at work anyways)
- transit

-Don't eat at places that rips you off. i.e the fine dining places. Seriously, do you really wanna pay $50 just to get literally a couple bites of food, only to get hungry 1 hour later? Avoid these 'fancy' places as much as possible.

-For me, i spend less if i pay using cash or debit, instead of using my credit card. Its so easy to just use your credit card on everything--and it gives you a false sense as to how much money you actually have.

wow i didnt exprect this thread to become this good haha. awesome tips! especially that insurance deductible! i'll have to try it!

Im not sure about turning off the heat for ur tenants though. Long ago my mom had a tenant that worked during the day and would always have their heat full blast with a crack in the window. So during the day my mom would turn off the main switch. Then they found out 1 day and moved out because they didnt want their $5000 parrot to get sick. In the end it's understandable and we shouldnt of done that. Only thing you can do is say what months the heat will be on and off during ur contract signing. Can't go in after and decide to shut off their heat as long as they are paying rent.

And like previously stated, saving is all about consistency. Saving $2 on food permeal seems like it's not worth it if you only do it on occasion, but if you do it for every meal, adds up in a year. Great tips slammer! didn't knw someone can be so much cheaper than me out there! haha

does leaving your computer on significantly affect your electricity bill? say a 450wPSU system?

I'm assuming it does if you do it 20/30 days etc.

Been looking at BC hydro bills and just trying to cut down on expenses like lowered heating, less laundry done with the machines, less dishwashing.

IMO if you are canceling your phone plan only to mooch of your friend's phones, charging your phones/electronics at friend's place or at work to save $$$, taking toilet paper from work home to use/only going #2 at work to save $ or just plain freeloading of others, then I think there is seriously something wrong with your lives and some re-evaluation is needed.

Good thread.

For me, I just try to turn off any unnecessary lighting and cook at home

If you know how to cook at home, and know where to buy your groceries, the quality doesn't have to suffer.

This is called willpower. I only have 1 credit card with a very large limit. I only charge things to it that I will be able to pay off in full at the end of the month. I don't see how its any different from someone using their debit card unless they dont have overdraft or have no money in their bank account at all. Its all about self control.

^

yup and i have no self control, LOL

hence i need to pay debit/cash

QFT

I mean really, how much are you really gonna save by charging phones/electronics at friend's place or at work, and taking that roll of toilet paper from work just so you can take a dump and not use your own toilet paper.

Taking TP from work & bringing it home is plain retarded.

you get paid to take a break

if you take a shit during your break then essentially work is paying for you to take a dump

taking shits at work saves paper, water, & time from home!

paper = money
water = money
& of course time = money

Why bother using toilet paper at all? Just use your hand. Don't bother washing it after, though, because that'll use more water (and water costs money!). Just get your dog to lick it off! But wait, a dog costs money too! I guess it's up to you to lick it off. You just killed 2 birds with 1 stone. You got a little snack and you didn't have to use any toilet paper.