Spring Break

It is for me today, Spring Break, a time off from school. What can we all do on Spring Break or in general to save money? Not throw parties. Parties are expensive and may be more expensive and annoying when people don't leave your house or dorm. So if you are going to throw a party, here are a few suggestions:

• Don't have it at your house
• Only have a few people come
• Have people contribute food

• Have everyone help you clean up the mess, or have everyone chip in for a cleaning service

• If you are going to have a large party, have a few friends help you keep it under control

• Don't play excessively loud music, or if you do, get some friends to help you pay the fine 

This is just one way to save money over Spring Break.

Investing in Stocks

In case you didn't know about stocks, here is what they are and a general idea on how to invest in them. Stocks are not just simply numbers that go up and down (although they do), they are a reflection of a companies value divided by the number of shares outstanding. So this means that if a company is totally failing, then the stock price will go down, where as if it is releasing a new product, then the stock price will most likely go up. So you want to buy a stock right before the stock price goes up. This is just some basic stock investing information, I'll post more basic information about them tomorrow.

A list of tips

Like I said in my last post, I will post a list of tips to help cut down on your water and electricity bills.

• Take shorter showers
• Use cold water in a washer (only if your clothes aren't that dirty, because cold water doesn't kill bacteria as well as hot water)
• Replace your traditional light bulbs with new, energy efficient ones
• Dry your clothes for a shorter period of time in a dryer
• Instead of heating your house more in the Winter, wear warmer clothes indoors
• Irrigate your lawn less
• Make sure your doors and windows are sealed tightly and not letting in cold air.
• You can probably find a lot more, just look them up.

Water and Electricity bills

While electricity and water have become much easier to access over the last couple of years, they are now part of your monthly bill. This is an area where you can definitely reduce. Being green, either by buying more water and energy efficient appliances, or by just using them less, definitely will show in your monthly bills (in a good way). How to cut back? The best way is to buy better and more energy efficient appliances. The easiest way is to just use less. Take shorter showers, and if your not using a computer, turn it off. This doesn't mean that you should stop taking showers all together to save money, just that you should cut back. I will be posting many more tips in my next post, so keep reading!

Contests

I think that I have already mentioned this, but I can not stress this enough. Contests are one of the easiest ways to get free stuff. Most contests are started by companies not out of the good of their heart though. If I were to start a contest on this blog to get attention for my blog. Most companies will make contests to either get attention or to sell a product. Most of the time, you have to buy a product. Or do you? No you don't. Companies (I think, it only makes sense) are required by law to require a free method of entry. So, just print out a copy of the contest rules, and find out how to enter for free (usually by sending in a note card via snail mail on a certain size postcard, yeah, it's kind of annoying). Once you find out, you enter for free, and hope that you win something. I find that it is best to enter contests that have decent items so you don't get trashy items, but so that you also have a decent chance of winning. At this moment, I know that Subway is running a contest, but you may want to look some more up.

Regular vs. Plus

So, today I was fueling up my car, and realized that not everyone bought regular gas. Plus is the biggest ripoff ever. Your car can most likely run on regular. If you doubt me, buy a little in a container (if that's possible), and try it at your house to make sure that your car actually works on it. I'm not really sure the differences, I have just read that it is a waste of money, so I suggest that you look into it that I am correct.

Gas Prices

Unless you happen to own a horse or are in biking distance of work, you most likely own a car and have to deal with gas prices. Gas prices are currently at around $3.25 and are most likely going to hit $4. This is a problem for those of you that actually like to have any money to spend and who isn't a millionaire (okay, that's a little exaggeration, but still). So, how to save money on gas? There are a few options. 1. Steal gas. Not only incredibly difficult (you have to pay before you can pump gas at most places), but is illegal in the US and pretty much everywhere else in the world. So, you will most likely wind up in jail. 2. Do what you usually do, and go to the cheaper gas station whenever you can. A decent option, much better than the first, but not the best. My suggestion: When you see a low gas price, buy it in bulk. This means not only filling up your car, but bringing along a few plastic containers to put gas in. This is, unfortunately, the best I could come with. Why unfortunately, because of the many drawbacks. Drawback 1. Leaking gas containers. Leaking gas outside at the station is bad, so it can't be any better in your garage. 2. I'm not exactly sure how you would get it into the plastic containers in the first place, since the pumps are meant for cars. Those are some inconveniences, but if you get around them, then you can save some serious money, plus if you buy enough, you may be able to sell some gas to your friends for a quick buck. I will try to think of a better suggestion for tomorrow, until then au revoir (goodbye in french).