365 Ways to Live Cheap: Your Everyday Guide to Saving Money

by Trent Hamm

Know your numbers before you go. Use the Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com) to find out the value of your current car (if you’re planning on trading) and the value of the car you’re looking at. You will then have a sense of how fair the offer is.

Use Bankrate.com to identify banks with good services. Bankrate. com identifies banks that offer high-interest checking and savings accounts. Click on the “Checking and Savings” tab there to find out all the info you need about your local banks.

If you’re looking for free or low-cost entertainment in your community, look for a community calendar that provides a listing of all of these events. You might have to do a little footwork to track one down. Try visiting city hall, the chamber of commerce, the visitor’s center, the library, or the post office, or visiting the city’s website. They will list lots of free activities going on in your town, many of which you likely aren’t aware of. If you start choosing an evening activity or two a week from the community calendar, that’s time you’re not out and about spending money.

Towns and cities often have an interesting cultural or historical heritage that many residents are only remotely aware of. Spend a few minutes at your town’s visitor’s center to find out about these interesting local resources, and spend an afternoon or two visiting them. You might be surprised at the genuinely interesting and engaging historical and cultural elements around you. Many of them can be enjoyed without spending any money at all.

One way to keep yourself awash with fresh material to read, watch, or listen to is to participate in online clubs for swapping these items. PaperBackSwap (www.paperbackswap.com) is an excellent resource for swapping books. Just list the books you’re willing to trade on the site and when someone requests the book, you send it out and earn a credit. You can then spend that credit on the site to have a book shipped to you. Swap-A-CD (www.swapacd.com) and Swap-A-DVD (www.swapadvd.com) offer very similar services online for CDs and DVDs. It’s a great way to give yourself something fresh to listen to, watch, or read on a regular basis without leaving the comfort of your home.