Coupon Sharing

This next tip comes from Amber K. I recently forwarded a Walgreens coupon for $10 off a $40 purchase. As much as she thinks Walgreen's has some great stuff, she feels like spending $40 would be force-buying (or buying stuff just to use a coupon, that you otherwise wouldn't buy). So she and her mom are going to split the coupon. Each spends $20, and they each get $5 in savings. That's a 25% discount any way you slice it!

Free Gas Money!

This is a great tip I picked up from Everyday Cheapskate. While it involves giving up a little bit of convenience (which I can see being a deterrent for many of my friends), it's really no more complicated than clipping a coupon (at least the first part of it).

GAS SAVINGS. We have found a way to save money at the gas pump. It takes an extra step, but it's worth it to us. At Marathon gas stations in eastern states, you can buy a $50 gift card and they'll add $2 to it immediately for buying it. We do this in the store, buying it with a credit card that gives us 3 to 5 percent back on gas. Then we use the gift card to pay for our gas purchase. Having this gift card also classifies us as using "cash" and so we get the lower price when that is available too.

My parents were actually doing this for a while at Shell- the part about buying the gift card. I've found gas stations that will give you a discount on gas if you buy a car wash (which I would do anyways). It's a win-win!