I love to save money, so I am always looking for ways to be frugal. One of my colleagues says I am as tight as Dick’s hatband. That is okay with me.

We all work hard for our money so why not stretch it as far as it will go. So, I will be sharing my tips along the way.  They may or may not work for you, but hopefully they will get you to think about what will work for you.

I will not give you investment advice. However, I will tell you to be conservative with your money…unless you can afford to lose it. If you are wealthy, you probably can loose it and not miss it. But for most of us, we are trying to grow our savings. In my opinion, the only way to do this is conservatively.

So, for my first secret (which really isn’t a secret)…let’s discuss getting what we want, for less.  It starts by always doing comparison shopping.  This is so much easier now that we have the Internet.  Before I buy most things, I see if I can get it cheaper elsewhere.  Most times I can.  For example, when I travel, I always see books about the area that I want. A new history or cookbook can run $30 or $40.  Used online, I can usually get them for $15 or $20 with free shipping.  Who cares if they are slightly used.  The only thing I gave up was the immediate use of the book.  But it is worth the wait.  And sometimes that wait works to my advantage, I talk myself out of the purchase.

I think the main question you need to ask yourself when buying anything is if you truly need the item.  There is a lot out there that I want, but really I don’t need it.  I won’t use it much, I don’t have a place to store it, and it will end up being a burden rather than a delight.  Trust me, much of what we purchase ends up being a burden.  Think about it, and I think you will agree.

Even though there is a wide world of purchase options out there, I do think it best if you can purchase locally.  If what you want is not for sale in your town, maybe you don’t need it.  But if you do, get it for as cheap as you can.  Save your hard earned money!