Everyday Cheapskate

A lot of people believe they're saving money when they buy things on sale, but it's not true unless they stop at the bank on the way home from the store and actually deposit the amount of money they didn't spend in a savings account. When you buy things on sale, you don't really save money. You simply spend less than you might have. Today's selection of great reader tips might give you a few new ways to save money that you've not thought of before.

BUCK BANK. Every $1 bill is marked with a letter to the left of George Washington. I save bills that have either of my initials on them. I put away more than $300 in $1 bills over the past year, and I used it as my spending money when I visited relatives in California recently. Thanks to my stash, I enjoyed my visit without using my credit card, and it was so satisfying! — Elsie B., Ohio

CHANGE JUG. My husband and I have a five-gallon plastic water bottle in the bedroom. Every night, we empty our pockets into the jug. One-quarter of it is now filled. About four months ago, we emptied the full jug and took it to the bank. To our surprise, we had $2,134.42. We were able to pay down one of our credit cards with the money. With our next full jug, we are planning a vacation. We won't need to empty our savings account for our getaway! — Barbara V., New Jersey

GROCERY ROUTINE. My husband and I always shop for groceries with the sale flier and our box of coupons.

We rarely purchase items that aren't on sale or don't have a coupon for a discount. After each shopping trip, I collect the register tapes and clip them together. At the end of each month, I add up how much I saved with coupons and sales, which is listed on every receipt. Then I write a check for that amount and deposit it into our savings account. By writing a check once a month, you can really see the savings you earn from grocery sales and coupons. If you just put the savings from each trip in your pocket, it gets wasted on unnecessary things. — Elaine K., e-mail

CHECKING CUSHION. In my checkbook, instead of deducting or adding the exact amount of each transaction, I round up or round down. If a transaction was a debt of $13.06, I deduct $14. Because I use my checking account so much, this adds up quickly. I have managed to save hundreds of dollars this way. I keep a periodic running total of the actual amount in a separate area of my register. Currently, I have about a $350 cushion in my checking account because of this. — Jannaya, e-mail

Would you like to send a tip to Mary? You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Include your first and last name and state. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including "Debt-Proof Living" and "Tiptionary 2." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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