I don't go to restaurants and fast food establishments often. When I do go, I usually get an offer to call in and do a survey to rate my experience eating there. Ex: I ate at Red Lobster last month. I got "picked" to call in and do a survey about the food, experience, etc. It took about 5 minutes and they give you a code for $4 off the next time you go. Hey, $4 is $4! Most restaurants do this nowadays. Also, fast food places sometimes do it also.

Another thing: I enrolled in Bank of America's "Keep The Change" - it's a great way to get free money just by using your debit card. Most people I know are really skeptical about this program but I absolutely LOVE IT.

you know that keep the change program isn't 'free money' it's YOUR money just moved over

Yeah but they do an annual match...

From their website:

"Every time you buy something with a BofA Visa debit card, the bank rounds up your purchase to the nearest dollar and transfers the difference from your checking into your savings account. It also matches 100% of transfers for the first three months, and 5% of the annual total, up to $250 a year."

yep, just wanted to make sure that you understood that they charge the money out of your checking account for each transaction you do...ie your purchase is $2.05 but BoA actaully charges you $3.00 for the transaction and deposits the difference. also to get the max you have to have $5000 in 'round-up' for the year. you'd get more out of your money buy just depositing $1 per day in an ING savings. but yeah, as long as it is getting you to put money into savings, it's not all bad.

hmmm that's not a bad idea. maybe i should open an ING account altogether. i've got $1500 in my b of a savings acct. just sitting there.

At worst, its a 5% return on savings, I think. Not too shabby

Yeah, there really is no downside to this aside from the fact that it is hard to track exactly how much you spend on things.

I have a long commute, 125 miles a day so I found a guy to ride with me that works at a place I go past everyday, we split the gas.
I also use acetone in my gas 2oz for every 10 gallons and get another 3mpg on average, also use real gas not the 10%enthenol blend, you get better gas mileage with 100% gas and a good grade.
Change to a lighter oil. Keep off the throttle as much as possible and use the the bump and glide techniques when you can, ie. speed up gradually and then coast some.
Raise the air pressure in your tires to 5psi less than the maximum rating, it lowers rolling resistance and increases mileage.
If you are going to idle more than 30 seconds shut the engine off, do not use the drive thru, walk in.
Turn the a/c compressor off for 2 minutes out of every 5, leave the fan running of course.
Engine off coasting is very effective but you must be in the right driving situation no stop and go, I do it going down long hills and slowing down for stop lights.
Using all of these methods I have raised my mpg by 10 points!
The biggest savings at the gas station is do not buy anything but gas, stay out of the store. I keep some bottled water from walmart in the car.
Get all the junk out of the trunk, every 100 lbs cost you 3% in fuel economy.
Combine trips with neighbors, it saves gas and time, plus you can make friends
Make a list of stuff to do and plan your trips, takes time and makes you think about the things you really need to do, instead of driving around just for fun.
Get a habit of cleaning or replacing your spark plugs and air filter often.

Many stores are now offering a similar deal regarding customer service surveys.

I save money by not using Bank of America. Their fees are high. Instead, I use a local bank with low fees, and just deposit the extra money myself.

My girlfriend uses Bank of America, but she pays no fees... I don't pay fees either, even low ones. Why would you have to pay a bank to bank with them?

BoA is notorious for 'service charge' fees. Although I do understand they have gotten better over the last few years. I quit using them about 6 years ago because of various extra charges.

I don't get it why people don't use credit cards. Here's a benefit list from them.

- don't pay transaction fees
- a lot of card have some kind of reward points
- only pay at the end of the month (you NEED to pay everything off. if you can't that means you bought something you can't afford.)
- no need for pin
- on your bill, you see where you spent more (mine is mostly gas and groceries)

Keep the change: I'm a member of the program, but I think there are better offerings out there.

Credit Card Buying: Agreed, there are good reward programs, but it's hard to rely on a credit card for people who spent a lot of time trying NOT to use them because of built up debt. Spend only what you actually have. Granted, this is a point of personal responsibility to not go overboard and pay it off monthly.

My Tip: Use PayPal debit card, transfer your "Spending Money" in there. Using it as a MasterCard (spending your actual money) instantly rewards you with 1.5% on all purchases.

Tip #2: Use whatever works for YOU. Just find a way to save.

They eat your brain, that's why.

Not everyone has tasty brains, but many do.

MMMMMMM....brains......