How our money experts save money, #13 in a series

Editor's note: Still more from Tony G., our resident cheapskate.

9. Reward your good credit habits with a rewards card. If you always pay off your credit card bill each month, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be using a rewards card that gives you cash back or other goodies. For example, I just signed up for the Hess Visa Platinum Card, which, for 90 days, will give me 10 percent back on all purchases at Hess gas stations (mostly located in the Eastern U.S.) and 5 percent after that; spending elsewhere earns 1 percent back. Not only is Hess the closest station to my home, but it has the lowest milk and egg prices in town! If you already have a rewards card, make sure you’re getting the most out of it. For example, your card isn’t doing you much good if it offers points toward a new car or airline travel but they end up expiring before you've accumulated enough to use them. You can compare cards at sites such as Cardratings.com, Creditcards.com, and Bankrate.com.

10. Check for online coupons. Before buying anything, especially online, do a Web search for an online coupon. For example, when I recently wanted to buy Roboform, a computer password manager and Web form filler, I typed “Roboform coupon” into a Google search and instantly found a 20 percent off coupon. That cut $6 off the $29.99 price tag. Coupon Web sites include couponchief.com, couponcabin.com, retailmenot.com, and ultimatecoupons.com.

11. Swear off bottled water. Bottled water is bad for both your wallet and the environment. In fact, concerns about the cost and  steady waste stream of empty plastic bottles have caused some cities, including Seattle and San Francisco, to ban the use of their municipal funds to purchase the stuff. Tap water is often just fine, but if you want to remove possible contaminants, you can buy a relatively inexpensive home filtering system. Carafe and faucet-mounted systems are available for around $25, plus the cost of replacement filters. For more information, type “water filters” in the search box on our home page.

12. Get a prepaid cell phone. If you need a cell phone only for emergencies or occasional calls, consider going prepaid. There are no contracts and some pretty good rates. For example, T-Mobile will sell you 1,000 minutes for $100 (that’s 10 cents a minute), and you don’t have to buy more minutes for an entire year unless you want to. Prepaid can also be a great way to get kids’ cell phone use under control. Before you buy, check the prepaid carrier's calling areas to be sure you’ll get a signal where you’re likely to be making or receiving calls. Prepaid services can have smaller calling areas than traditional cell service, even with the same carrier.—Anthony Giorgianni, associate editor

Do you have an unusual money-saving tip to share? Please post a comment, below.

Comments

[Papa Bear]

I save money by using www.freeshipping.org to get free shipping.

[Cheryl Maguire]

I use the library for everything--books, cd's, dvd's (they have ones that are just as new as in rental stores), magazines and they have a coupon swap box where you can take or leave coupons. Plus they have a free weekly storytime for my kids.

[Lisa B]

You can also earn cash rebates on your online shopping by joining www.MyCashRewards.com. It's free and they have over 1,500 stores that I regularly shop at. Once you have $25 in your account you can request a check - it's really easy and I got my check within 5 days of requesting my cash. It's worth checking out!

[Susan Goodwin]

I recommend http://www.ebates.com for any coupon and discount shopping because they partner with 1000 different stores and retailers. You also earn cash back while shopping.