Comments on: CNN Money’s 7 Best Ways to Save – Are They Really the Best?

By: Eric Myers

Eric Myers — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 07:44:27 +0000

Saving money is important and a lot of the suggested ways are no doubt problem areas for a lot of personal and business overspending. I think that its good to try and cut costs from all angles. From the big to the small things, everything counts.

By: Titan

Titan — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 02:59:02 +0000

There are some good tips in here. Carrying cash around, its always more difficult to spend the cash instead of swiping, it makes you think more. Engery efficient appliances not help save money but help save the planet as well. A tip not mention but has saved me money is getting out of my cell phone contract and getting net10, i pay just a flat 10 cents a minute. My cell phone bill went from around 80 a month to more in the 20 and 30 range.

By: alfred kelley

alfred kelley — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 03:16:57 +0000

1. minimize buying clothes, going out to eat.
2. ride public transportation and drive- do both.
3. make sacrifices of items you have-get rid of cable/satellite,etc..
4. bargain shop when you go get food/things for your house- try to find the most affordablest price

5. get a high interest savings account- to have your savings grow- netspend.com- 5 % apy

6. make more money-and you can save more money.
Good luck to everyone!!

By: Robert Largent

Robert Largent — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:40:32 +0000

Along with energy star appliances I forgot to mention weatherizing your home. A little caulk can save a bundle.

By: Robert Largent

Robert Largent — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:38:17 +0000

I see a lot of comments, most of them are on the same track as the original article. Originality in thought may be dead.

1. Transportation. Can’t do much about. Yes I drive, yes I have a car. I map my routes out before I leave the house.
2. Cash. I don’t carry more than $20. Just asking to be robbed carrying a big wad of cash. I get cash back when I make purchases, avoiding the ATM. I also use the credit option at most stores when using my card. TO avoid other fees.
3. Wine. Wow. It would make far more sense to advise people to skip alcohol and soft drinks when eating out and drinking tap water. The mark up on those items is HUGE. You can almost cut a 1/4 of your final bill by drinking water.
4. 5. Insurance. I can agree with most of that.
6. Energy Star appliances. I am on board with the cutting back on energy use to save money. Motion activated lighting outdoors and in areas that are quickly visited (Closet, bathroom, laundry room)
7. Interest checking- Paypal works for this option. You can get a Paypal account and a paypal debit card.

Now, my ideas. Use freeware on your computer.
Dump windows, use Linux.
Dump Internet explorer, use Firefox.
Dump Norton anti virus, use AVG anti virus.
Dump Microsoft Office, use Open Office.
Any program out there has a similar version that is free. Google Majorgeeks, check out their freeware.

Don’t pay for magazines, they can be had for free online.
Don’t buy a newspaper, you can read all the news online.
Don’t go to Starbucks for coffee, McDonald’s has the same coffees at half the price.
Don’t drink bottled water, fill a bottle with tap water.
Sign up for free stuff. Walmart gives away a lot of samples. (I don’t want to give away all my secrets, a lot of free stuff is limited supplies)
Get rid of your land line phone, use skype on your computer or google voice.
Haggle everything. There is more than one insurance company, more than one cable provider, more than one Internet provider. Make them earn your business.
Pay attention to free advice, people like Clark Howard, Leo Laporte, Consumer Reports, Aurthur Frommer and others can all help you save money with their advice.

By: Rosa

Rosa — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:50:44 +0000

I don’t think you should shrug off the transportation thing so fast, though the scooter idea is pretty limited.

It can be hard to switch to biking, walking, or busing, just like it’s hard to learn not to use credit cards or to balance your checkbook so it never bounces. But if you put the effort in – learning traffic safety, investing in gear, learning safer/faster routes, getting in the habit of doing it – you save a tremendous amount of money. There are also easier, intermediate ways – carpooling, parking farther out where it’s cheaper, stuff like that.

I stayed out of the debt trap when my old car bit the dust, back when I was 22 – instead of taking on debt for another car, I got a bike as part of my cash-only lifestyle. The value of the $8k or so I didn’t borrow then is not huge, but the psychological value of staying out of debt is. My partner and I remain a 1-car household because each of us is able to bike most of the places we go, so there’s little conflict about who gets the car (even with a child – a $400 bike trailer is exponentially cheaper than a car.)

By: Eves Bank

Eves Bank — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:44:24 +0000

Yea I use a credit union – and I’m never charged any fees. They also have excellent customer service.

By: Rick Johnson

Rick Johnson — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:16:41 +0000

To avoid ATM fees switch to a credit union instead of a bank. Just about all credit unions belong to a network that lets you use the ATM at ANY credit union and at most 7-11s across the country with no fees at all.

By: Phinance

Phinance — Fri, 01 May 2009 23:02:45 +0000

The cash versus plastic argument is very true for me. When I go out and have plastic only, I often will cover my friends if the meal is under $50. And even if you collect the difference from your friends in cash, you’ll most likely spend it all.

By: Tim Landry

Tim Landry — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:52:55 +0000

To n-girl and others – as someone who has specialised in Disability Insurance – you will be shocked at how little more “Long Term” disability costs than “short term” – and if you ARE disabled for 90 days – the AVERAGE disability will be longer than 2 years.