Bulk purchases
Bulk purchases save money on many occasions. So look for bulk purchases of vegetables, fruit, eggs etc.
Out of season items
Most often we buy out of season items for the next season at more than 50 percent discounts. For example we buy our warm clothing from Feb to Apr for the next winter and our warm clothing in Oct to Dec for the next summer and get huge discounts.
Paying for cash
We pay our bills by credit cards. Many times I bargain with sellers for some discount if paid in cash. Everyone loves cash. Instead of paying to the credit card companies they may be willing to pay you for immediate cash. Sometimes we bargain for no tax payments against cash as well.
Credit Card Promotions
Sometimes I get offers from banks for cash advances at 2 or 3 percent rate of interest. I have used this money to pay for Lines of Credit or simply to deposit in higher paying deposits (like GICs etc.). After the promotion period is over, I simply withdraw money and pay back before they start charging me normal rate of interest. I just make some money by reinvesting this promotional offer.
One should make calculations before borrowing this promotional money and then reinvesting. I have been making anything from $100 to $200 in a year by spending some minutes of my time.
Bank A/C Fees
One should also be careful about bank fees. There may be some accounts very sparingly used accounts and one might still be paying bank fees. Banks charge money on any small excuse. One should carefully watch if one is not unnecessarily paying any bank fees. There are ways to overcome the same. For example, one can save fees if one gets electronic statements rather than paper statements.
TV, Internet cable and Telephone Bills
These may be a heavy drain on one’s pocket. One should pay close attention to what one is being charged. If one is not watching too much of a TV or does not need too fast an internet connection, one can save a lot of money by just going for basic TV and internet. Long distance charges could also be heavy. There are alternative companies which offer very cheap long distance plans. So it is mostly better to have a different long distance provider. In my case I have a different long distance provider for landlines only and another for cell phones as this way I get cheaper rates. We talk a lot internationally for about $30 only.
Service Providers
One should always check who is charging how much for different facilities like phone, internet, TV etc. Since there is too much competition in the market, if one finds a cheaper rate somewhere, one should immediately call one’s own service provider and negotiate a better deal. My experience is that at most of the times, one will get a concession. I get many discounts at present only because of this.