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Some Great Ways To Save Money

GENERAL
WRAL's "Five on Your Side" Monica LaLiberte shows different ways to save throughout the Triangle. See links to her stories.

DRUGS

Walmart, K-Mart, and Target have inexpensive prescriptions. Ask your doctor if you can substitute an existing drug for a generic one. One neighbor saved $80 a month he spent on Lipitor by substituting another drug. He now spends $4.

Note: Do you take Claritin for allergies? You might ask your doctor about a prescription for Loratadine, the active ingredient in Claritin. Target Pharmacy has Loratadine for $4/month. In comparison, Claritin (now available over the counter) costs $22 for a 30-day supply at Sam's Club.

Here are lists:
Walmart - $4 a month: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=546834 (scroll down on that page to see list according to illness)

K-Mart - $15 for 90 days:
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/dap_10151_10104_DAP_Kmart+Pharmacy+90+Day?adCell=A3

Target - $4 a month and $10 for $90
http://sites.target.com/site/en/health/page.jsp?contentId=PRD03-004033

EYEGLASSES

ZenniOptical.com - "Cheap eyeglasses that don't feel cheap" -- starting at $8. They have a great selection as well as progressive lenses for people who need bifocals or trifocals. Get an exam at a local doctor and mail in your prescription from the website. TV consumer reporters have tested the prescriptions, and they are just as good as what you'll find locally. Just a whole lot less expensive.

Here is an NPR audio story about one reporter's experience ordering glasses online: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89576384 (Click "Listen Now.")

Note: The BeautifulBrentwood webmaster ordered three glasses from Zenni Optical and is very happy. For $160, she received three pairs. At Walmart, one pair would have cost nearly $400(!). The trick is you need to find out your pupillary distance -- the distance from one pupil of your eye to the other. Ask your eye doctor for it. You can also use a metric ruler or print out a "pupillary distance ruler" from the Internet. You may need to (easily) change your printer options to make sure the printout of your ruler is correct. Here is more info about pupillary distance, near the bottom of the page, from another vendor: http://www.opticsplanet.net/prescription-sunglasses-info.html

Also make absolutely, positively sure you key in your prescripton numbers properly on the online form. If you make an error and order your glasses with incorrect measurements, you can send them back and get just a 50% refund. But it's worth the effort!

FREE LONG-DISTANCE PHONE CALLS

Skype.com

It costs nothing for you to call other people, anywhere, who have Skype installed on their computers. Downloading it is super simple. For more info: http://www.skype.com

Note: The BeautifulBrentwood.com webmaster used Skype to talk to business contacts in South Korea for two hours. For free!

TRAVEL

Hotels:
Priceline: This takes a little research, so go to BiddingForTravel.com and study that site well before using Priceline. Read the site well before posting questions to BiddingForTravel.

Airfare:
Cheaptickets.com

Share the Ride: http://www.sharetheridenc.com/ From the site: "Share the Ride NC is a new statewide rideshare matching service, which allows commuters in North Carolina to quickly and securely find other individuals who share similar commutes and work hours, and are interested in carpooling or vanpooling. In addition, Share the Ride NC allows commuters to find park and ride lots, public transit services, bike routes, and more!"

CLOTHES, HOUSEHOLD GOODS

  • ReTails Thrift Shop http://www.animalkind.org/retails.html
    1608 North Market Drive Raleigh, NC 27609 ph: (919) 872-0019

    Very inexpensive items; well-operated store, friendly staff. All profits go to spay and neutering programs. Ask for their calendar sheet listing their sales; they are ridiculously fun.

    They are always looking for donations, and if they can't use it, they'll donate it to other thrift shops.

    On the last Sunday of every month, everything (or almost everything) is 50 percent off their normally ridiculously low prices, and it's crazy!

    Note: There is a Goodwill store as well as a "Antiques to Zippers" thrift shop on the same road.

  • Coldwater Creek Outlet - Far cheaper than in the mall, and if you don't like what you get, you can return it to the mall store and save on shipping. They've recently raised prices, but they are still less expensive than the mall.

  • MetroStyle.com - Younger, hipper styles in smaller sizes. Search for online coupons and/or use their frequent promotions. They have decent suits for under $50; find a 40% off discount code, and you have quite a deal. (Yes, the Brentwood webmaster did that and bought a nice suit for $30, total.)

BANKING

Federal Coastal Credit Union - If you can qualify for an account, this bank is the best one you can find, especially if you use the nearby St. Albans location (the headquarters). Low fees, friendly people, short lines. You use "video" tellers at the St. Albans location, but there are "real" people available to answer your questions, too. See: http://www.coastalfcu.org/select_employee_groups.htm and look at the huge list of business partners as well.

FOOD

  • Discount Groceries: (Bring your own bags.)

    Aldi's, 4241 Louisburg Rd, Raleigh
    Aldi's, Eastgate Shopping Center, Old Wake Forest Road, where Books-a-Million used to be.

  • Some restaurants that offer take-out orders offer kids' meals. Order kids' meals to save $$ and reduce calories.

  • Some restaurants change from lunch to dinner prices at 4 pm. Order before 4 for your early dinner. Or buy it to go and eat it later at home.

  • State Highway Patrol Training Academy Cafeteria

    The cafeteria is open to the public.

    It's not fancy, and the hours are restricted (see below), but you can have a complete meal (at least at lunch) for about $4, including everything. You'll be eating with State Highway Patrol cadets, who file into the cafeteria in formation. It is most likely the lowest-priced and safest place to eat in all of Raleigh.

    The address for the Training Center is:

    North Carolina Highway Patrol Training Center
    3318 Garner Road, Raleigh, NC 27610
    Phone: (919) 662-4430

    The cafeteria is in Building #8 and provides the following meal times:

    Breakfast from 7:00-8:00AM
    Lunch from 11:30AM-1:00PM
    Dinner from 4:45-5:45PM. (The cafeteria closes after lunch on Friday and closes early before a holiday.)

  • Online Resources:
    http://www.forums.savvydollar.org/index.php - Local online forum with user suggestions for food savings and coupon news.
    http://www.smartspendingresources.com - promotes book with savings tips

    Printable coupons:
    http://www.print.coupons.com/couponweb
    http://www.coupons.smartsource.com

  • Shopping Tips article from News and Observer, includes tips about shopping at Farmer's Market: http://www.newsobserver.com/987/story/1103562.html

EXERCISE/HEALTH:

Exercise:

  • Walking: Go to Triangle Town Center (mall) and walk before the mall opens, rain or shine. You'll find plenty of company. The mall allows walkers in at 8 am, Monday through Saturday, and on Sundays, they'll let you in at 10 am. Of course, Brentwood is a great neighborhood for walking as well.

  • Exercising: If you have a TV that works with a VCR, you can buy old VHS exercise videotapes for $1 at the local thrift shops or on Craigslist.com. For $5, you can follow a different routine five days a week. No excuse!

Health:

If you need to pay full price or a high co-pay for a doctor's office visit, you might find the $59 or so rate easier to take at CVS Pharmacy's MinuteClinic for simple illnesses.There is one at the CVS at 2340 Spring Forest Road, at the corner of Spring Forest Road and Atlantic Avenue. They also do camp physicals for kids.

FURNITURE:

 If you haven't discovered it yet, you'll find that Craigslist (www.raleigh.craigslist.com) is a great resource for buying or selling furniture and household goods. When you're selling, keep in mind that sometimes people who promise to show up and see the item you're selling don't show up at all. So keep your ad up until the item sells. Generally, you'll meet a lot of nice people. And best of all, it's FREE.

MUSIC:

  • Pandora.com http://www.pandora.com is GREAT. You can listen to your favorite music all day long! Pop, rock, classic, alternative, blues, country, hip-hop, whatever; it's there.

    No advertisements except for tasteful ones on the site. You can select your favorite artist, type of music, or specific song. The site will automatically play either that song, that artist, or something similar. You can create individual "stations" that play specific types of music, or you can select "Quick Mix" and select multiple stations that will play the different types of music that you chose.

    You can hook     up your computer to stereo speakers and get great CD quality sound --FOR FREE! There are other gadgets available for sale that enable you to listen elsewhere in your home or in your car.

MISCELLANEOUS:

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