Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Money-Saving Tip of the Day
So this seems like a no-brainer, but to me it was a revelation. I shop at Tom Thumb for my groceries, almost exclusively. But when it comes time to fill up my car with gas, I usually just stop into whatever gas station is closest at the time. I definitely won't be doing THAT anymore after realizing how much I can save by going to the Tom Thumb station and using my rewards points. Now, I'm not one to keep track of 20 different reward cards, but like most places, Tom Thumb stores your reward card info for access with your phone number. If you shop at Tom Thumb, or a grocery store with a similar rewards program, I definitely recommend going onto their website to see if they participate in a gas rewards program. Tom Thumb's is pretty awesome - $1 spent on groceries = 1 point, and 100 points gets you 10 cents off per gallon at a participating Tom Thumb gas station. (I realize I sound like a commercial right now...but I promise Tom Thumb isn't paying me to say this - wish they were though!) This may not seem like much, but believe me it adds up quickly! When I realized I needed to get gas before heading to work this morning, I made sure to drive the extra couple of blocks to the Tom Thumb station because I thought I probably had some rewards points saved up from the past few months. Turns out I got 50 cents per gallon off!!! So I filled up my entire tank for $45, which would normally cost me about $52-$60! Not a bad way to start the day at all...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
8 comments:
Great money saving tip!
I was wondering though, the amount you spent on gas even with the reward points seems high. Maybe you should think about trading your car in more a more gas efficient car? That might help since you are on a budget or maybe if you moved to a place closer to your work.
Thanks for the suggestions! I love to get tips and suggestions from anyone willing to offer them! Yes, unfortunately my car is not the most gas efficient one out there. However, it is completely paid off (yay!), so I like to think that the lack of a car payment may balance out the gas expense a bit! Unfortunately, I already live about as close to work as I can get...only about 10 minutes without traffic (although days without traffic NEVER happen)! Living any closer would bring a substantial increase in rent, sadly enough. Moving to a place with equivalent safety and cheaper rent, which I've checked into very seriously, would require me to add at least 30 minutes to my commute. Oh, the tradeoff!! So hopefully I can continue to get some decent gas savings and find other areas to cut back! Thanks for the comments...keep 'em coming!
I love to give personal finance tips so expect to be hearing from me a lot!
Here's a site to check out for more tips:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Frugal
Also, I hope this isn't too personal but are you still paying off your student loans from law school?
It's me again...are you sick of me yet? LOL
Just wanted to give you a book recommendation since you said you are interested in Austism. The book is called "Love Anthony" by Lisa Genova the same author who wrote "Left Neglected" which you discussed in an earlier post.
No I'm absolutely not sick of you!! I love getting comments! To answer your question, yes I am still paying off law school loans, but I feel very fortunate that my remaining balance is not that scary at all. So at least I'm not buried in an overwhelming loan debt. And, as for the book recommendation, you must have read my mind! I actually downloaded Love Anthony onto my iPad this past weekend! I haven't had a chance to start reading it yet, but I am looking forward to it!
Hey Jill,
I might be moving to Dallas soon and had a few questions I was hoping you might be able to answer.
I'm looking at places to live. What do you think about Uptown?
Also, do you have a recommendation for a good gym?
Thanks
I'll try to give you some good info on looking for a place to live in Dallas. It really all depends on budget and how close you want to be to where you work. Uptown is a great area and has a very busy social scene. Lots of restaurants, bars, shopping, etc. There's a mix of ages, too - some college kids, graduate students, and then young professionals/young families. For me, it was TOO bustling and busy...the parking can be atrocious because so many people flock there on a daily basis to go eat, drink, etc, and some places along the main streets are loud late into the night. But that may sound good to you...I am just an old lady and didn't want to deal with that in my backyard! There are lots of huge apartment complexes in Uptown with some good properties - the big names in Dallas are the Gables, Post Properties, and Marquis. But I found that they were all a bit more expensive than I wanted to pay, considering the square footage you'd get. It takes some digging, but there are other options, such as old homes converted into duplexes and small apartment complexes that sometimes offer more for your money. They are older and maybe not as trendy or pretty on the outside, but I think they have character. There are tons of duplexes, condos, townhomes, etc that provide more of a home-y feel than the huge apartments, in my opinion. As you move away from Uptown, you can find some more budget-friendly options, but you have to be careful of the area because, as with any big city, some neighborhoods where nice places to live are popping up are still transitional and not as safe, particularly if you're single. I can give some pointers though if you have questions about a specific area!
If you do decide to live in Uptown, there are tons of gym options. There is a Gold's Gym in the heart of uptown as well as several other private gyms. 24-Hour fitness has a location downtown, but it's sort of inconvenient unless you work near there. Equinox is a big Uptown gym but I found the membership fee way too expensive (about $100/month). There are also lots of specialty gym options, such as several Cross-Fit, Kettlebell gyms, Boxing gyms, etc. A few Lifetime Fitness and LA Fitness locations have popped up recently too, and I think there are a couple near Uptown. Again the gym choice depends on where you live and what you budget to spend on membership fees.
I hope this helps, and feel free to ask me more about living in the Big D!
Thanks for the advice!
Please update your blog soon! :)
Post a Comment