Excite your taste buds and your wallet. Host an international tasting party to learn more about ethnic food and wine. Have guests bring dishes and drinks to sample. You’ll expand your culinary horizons, have fun, and avoid the high costs of sampling food and drink at restaurants and bars.
Go directly to the source. You probably know that you can get free tax help over the phone from the IRS (800-829-1040), but did you know you can get free tax help in person at IRS walk-in sites? You can visit irs.gov, click on “Contact IRS,” then click on “Contact my Local IRS Office,” and find an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center near you.
Go high-tech for (very) high savings. If you have DSL or a cable modem, download and install Skype software for free and call other Skype users all over the world from your computer—for free! You can also call the landlines and cell phones of non-Skype users at bargain rates. Visit skype.com for details.
Make saving a feature. How often do you use speed dialing? Has call forwarding come in handy? You probably don’t need—or use—the many telephone add-ons that show up on your phone bill. Reevaluate each feature, drop several, and easily save $10 per month. Special offers from the phone company change all the time, so speak to a customer-service representative to evaluate your options.
Go all the way. If you have a smartphone, do you also need a landline? Cutting the cord on the landline will eliminate all the associated costs. If you get your phone service as part of a cable package, though, be careful. You might be getting the phone as a thrown-in bargain, and you won’t be saving anything by getting rid of it.
Simplify and save. Do you really need over 100 television channels? If you trade your current cable package for basic cable, you may save up to $500 a year.
A super deal for the Super Bowl. Wait until the weeks before the Super Bowl for the best deal on a big-screen TV.
Lower the temperature and lower your costs. The Alliance to Save Energy says that you can subtract about 5 percent from your heating bill for every degree you lower your thermostat during the winter.
Get with the program. You’ve heard that programmable thermostats can save you money—but how much? If you invest $70 in an Energy Star programmable thermostat, you’ll save more than twice that in the first year alone.
Don’t exaggerate. In the morning, turn the thermostat up to the temperature you desire—not a higher temperature in the hopes that your house will warm up more quickly. It won’t, and your furnace will have to work harder to reach a temperature you don’t even want (and that will cost you more).
Test for leaks. Add a drop of food coloring to the toilet tank. Wait a few minutes, then check to see if the color has shown up in the toilet bowl. If it has, you have a leak—and it may be costing you up to 200 gallons of water a day. Save water and money by fixing the leak.
Take up space to save. If you have an older toilet, put a plastic bottle filled with water on the floor of the tank. Because the tank will require less water to fill, you’ll save money on your water bill every time you flush. (Don’t do this if you have a high-efficiency toilet.)
Priced for Dad, bought for you. Buy the tools you need when they go on sale around Father’s Day in June.
Tag it. One of the best places to buy tools is at a tag sale. Keep your eyes peeled for everything from well-priced (but used) table saws and sanders to hammers with a history. Feel free to haggle.
No cavities—and a free toothbrush. Be sure to ask your dentist for a free toothbrush next time—and every time—you go in for a check-up. Most dentists are happy to give you one, and some will also hand out free toothpaste, mouthwash, and dental floss.
Use them when you don’t travel. In your wallet, replace your emergency cash—that you may have used for impulse purchases—with a traveler’s check. You’re less likely to spend it than cash, which means you’ll keep it for when you really need it (and not for something you really don’t need).
Naturally cool your house . . . and your costs. Plant trees on the south, east, and west sides of your house, and save up to 25 percent on cooling costs. And here’s an easy and inexpensive way to get trees: if you join the Arbor Day Foundation, you’ll receive 10 free trees! Just visit arborday.org.