50 Thrifty Ideas
We asked how you pinch pennies these days, and you responded
with a thousand suggestions. Our pick of the lot could save
you thousands of dollars By SID KIRCHHEIMER
1. Quit idling “To save gas, UPS drivers plan their routes to avoid tie-ups
at left turns. So now I plot out my errands so I’m not zigzagging around.”
—Sue Foster, Titusville, Florida
2. Hoard your Lincolns “I tuck the
$5 bills I get back in change in my
favorite piggy bank. At the end of
the month I deposit them in my ‘$5
Account’ at the bank. I’m able to save
anywhere from $150 to $300 a month.
It’s always a blessing to know that if an
unexpected repair or expense comes
up, you have a little stash to use instead of a credit card.” —Janet Sinclair,
Boston, Massachusetts
3. Drive a search engine “I am very
fond of Google’s Froogle ( google.com/
products), which lets you sort the results from low price to high. And I have
always saved a ton of money by buying
on eBay.” —Teri Beahm, Cypress, Texas
4. Send less down the drain Low-volume showerheads aren’t the only
way to cut water bills. “My kids were
always letting the faucets run when
doing dishes, brushing teeth, and
shaving. But underneath the sink is
a shutoff valve that lets you reduce
water flow.” —David Rutter, Needham,
Massachusetts
6. Split the pills “I have my doctor
prescribe a double-strength dose of
my pills, and then I cut them in half.
That’s one copay for twice the medicine.” —Elmont Hollingsworth, Mount
Pleasant, Iowa [Search “pill splitting” at
aarp.org for more details. —Ed.]
all these chores keeps me so active,
there’s no need to join a gym!” —Bev
Nord, Round Rock, Texas
8. Hairdo it yourself “Every month
my husband colors my hair and I cut
his, saving us $540 a year.” —Sharon
Wadel, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
EDDIE GUY
5. Split the bills “My husband and
I don’t generate a lot of trash, so we
split the garbage-collection bill with
a neighbor.” —Debra Larrison, South
Bend, Indiana
7. Put the work in workout “I figure I save $40 a week by mowing my
half-acre yard myself, $125 a week
by cleaning house, and $175 a month
grooming my four dogs. Plus, doing
9. Cross the border for a doctor
“For major dental work I go to Costa Rica to an internationally known
dental clinic and save thousands. All
