Real Simple Deals

Real Simple magazine offers tips on how to find deals on everything from garden supplies and groceries to cell phone plans and school supplies.  Here are just a few: 
 
- Purchase oranges, onions, and potatoes in bags rather than individually; you’ll pay roughly half the price.

- Don’t buy non-grocery items at the supermarket.  Health and beauty goods are usually cheaper at mass-market retailers like Target or Wal-Mart.  And you’ll find the best deals on paper products at warehouse clubs.

 

- Opt for frozen seafood over fresh.  Vacuum-packaged seafood cost 20% to 40% less than fresh.

 

- Buy ground beef and chicken breasts in bulk or family-size packages – you’ll save 20% on ground beef and 50% a pound on chicken.

 

- Find out an item’s cost per unit (CPU).  It’s listed on the shelf sticker next to the price.  It will tell you what an item’s cost per pound or ounce is, which can keep you from getting fooled by packaging.

 

- To save on garden supplies, shop early.  Supply and demand rules at garden centers, and the selection is greatest early in the season. 

 

- Cash in on compost.  Many municipalities pick up yard waste and turn it into free compost.  Ask if your community participates.

 

- Attach a timer to the spigot.  A sprinkler or a soaker hose left running wastes a lot of water. Spend $15 now on a mechanical water timer and save on tomorrow’s water bills.

- If you send or receive more than one text a day, sign up for a texting plan (prices start at around $5 a month) and you’ll avoid the average 20-cents-per-text charge.  If you have a teenager, enroll in an unlimited-messaging plan.

- If your phone usage spikes after dinner, ask about extended calling hours.  For an additional $5 to $9 a month, some carriers offer packages that allow you unlimited calls after 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., compared with 9 p.m. for most typical plans.

 

- If you talk for fewer than 200 minutes monthly, use a prepaid plan. 

 

- Drop phone insurance.  The $5 to $8 monthly charge adds up, and you’ll still have to pay a $50 deductible if you need to replace a broken phone.  The replacement, often just a refurbished used phone, will cost about the same as a new one.

- Forget that “every 3,000 miles” rule.  A survey by AAA found that 95% of drivers had oil changes too frequently.  Only heavily used cars, such as taxis, need one after 3,000 miles.  Normal usage typically requires an oil change every 7,500 miles, says Perry Stern, editor at MSN Autos.

 

- Shop around.  For out-of-pocket repairs that could cost several hundred dollars, get three estimates and tell each company that you’re shopping around.  By all means, feel free to haggle.

- Fix windshield chips immediately because a small chip can lead to a full crack.  A repair can be done in your driveway for less that $100 – the cost of replacing a windshield: $500 to $1,200.

 

- Skip the extra warranty.  Standard warranties generally cover you for three years or 30,000 miles

(whichever comes first), and some cars are covered for their lifetime, 10 years, or 1000,000 miles.

 

- Review your insurance annually. Monitor the value of your vehicle as it ages, and drop collision coverage when the annual premium approaches the car’s worth.

 

- Get free DIY advice. Go to youtube.com and type in “askthebuilder” for how-to videos on simple procedures, like replacing a faucet or a light fixture. 

 

- To save on medical bills, ask for freebies or discount coupons.  Your doctor may distribute samples of everything from over-the-counter cold medicines to asthma inhalers.

 

- Request a three-month prescription.  This option, given mostly for medications that treat chronic conditions, like diabetes and arthritis, can reduce costs up to 33% compared with paying monthly.

 

- Consider generics – a person under the age of 65 could save an average of $46 annually by substituting generics for brand-name drugs.

 

- Enroll in your company’s flexible-spending account so you can pay for out-of-pocket expenses with pretax dollars. 

 

- Try mail-order pharmacies.  Those affiliated with your insurance company save you time and gas and cost about a third less than retail pharmacies.

 

- See a dental student for checkups.  Fees are about 50% less, and your care is supervised by a dentist.