I wanted to let you know about a site that is solely dedicated to people who are giving usable things away, rather than throwing things away....

Why? Mutual help, frugality, saving resources, being nice, curbing waste... obviously it's one of those things where if everyone is a TAKER, then the thing doesn't work. So if you participate, be sure to be a GIVER to the group too.

The site is www.freecycle.org

You locate participating groups in your area and look at the listings available. Some of my friends have gotten clothes, furniture, exercise equipment, etc... all FREE!

You can also post a "WANTED" so that other people will know what you are looking for.

Check it out... I never ceased to be amazed at how much STUFF we have in America.

One of the residual benefits of American prosperity for prudent folks is that pretty much everything you need to buy can be found in like-new condition for pennies on the dollar. If you are running down to Walmart, BestBuy or the mall to buy new items, you are simply WASTING money.

Light up a hundred dollar bill, and watch it burn. That is the same exact result you will achieve by visiting department stores and shopping malls.

I don’t know hardly anyone who doesn’t have lots of stuff to “garage sale”, too many clothes, too many toys, to many gadgets, too much STUFF. We’re not talking wealthy people… this is the norm for run-of-the-mill middle-class folks.

Here are some places to buy like-new stuff for pennies on the dollar:

• Garage Sales
• Consignment Stores
• Salvation Army
• Ebay
• Craigs List
• Local Classifieds

There are three big hurdles to becoming content with secondhand stuff:

1. It must be junk, right? Worn out? Old? NO. People have so much stuff today, that you can frequently find items that have NEVER been used, or rarely used. Because of the surplus of “stuff” people have, for the most part, they don’t put out “junk” because they know it will not sell.
2. Only “poor” people who aren’t successful buy used items, right?. No… only “poor people” who are up to their eyeballs in debt and credit cards refuse buy perfectly good used items. People who are worried about status, image and keeping up the appearance of lifestyle have the hardest time buying secondhand. Even if you insist on the best name brand, you can find all the latest fashions, styles, models and upgrades secondhand because of the sheer amount of extra “stuff” people have nowadays.
3. Impulsiveness and convenience – it’s faster, easier and a quicker gratification to buy now, even if it is 10-20 times the cost. I understand that. You have to measure the balance of instant gratification against long term pain. There are times when we need, or WANT to buy something now, instead of looking around for a used version, but if that is your HABIT, then you are willingly giving up a big chunk of your potential wealth (that could be going to something truly worthy, rather than another pair of $100 jeans or a $600 golf club).

My wife and I, even with seven kids, have purchased almost no new clothing, new toys, new books or new educational items. And it’s not like our kids are wearing rags, or get made fun of. We find tons of in-style, brand name items. Especially for the pre-teen kids, we are able to find MOUNTAINS of toys and like-new, brand name clothes for LITERALLY pennies on the dollar.

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It is simply amazing the amount of clothing, furniture, electronic items, sports equipment, toys, baby items and decorations you can find secondhand in perfectly usable condition. “Hey, I’ll give you a dollar for that…” Most of the time you get a “yes” and just saved yourself another 20-30 bucks.

Want to take it one step further? Simply ask friends, church members and family if they have any “extra stuff”. Tell them you need clothes for the kids, need a piece of furniture, looking for a computer, need a lawn mower or trying to get some toys for the babies… and typically you’ll have mountains of stuff thrown your way just because people want to 1) get rid of stuff, and 2) would like to help someone in the process. It makes them feel better about having wasted money on the stuff in the first place! Or, it could be they are just being nice and doing a good work. Either way, you save TONS of money.

This one topic alone can reduce your personal expenses by amazing amounts. Try it for a month and see if I’m right.

 Download the full report here.  Here's the first ten:

1. GET OUT OF DEBT. My most recent book and DVD are on this topic. Being out of debt is the number one thing that will help you relieve stress and do well when costs go up, and the belt gets tight. Check out my book here: http://www.seriousgetoutofdebt.com/

2. Quit drinking expensive coffee. Do you really need to pay five dollars for a cup of coffee? The overwhelming majority of people cannot tell the difference between an expensive coffee and expensive name brand from coffee shops. The truth that no one wants to admit is that expensive coffee is a fad, and drinking it is just going along with the crowd.

3. Shop around for auto insurance. The average person can save anywhere between 65 and $85 a month on their car insurance if they spend a little time researching different companies and different prices.

4. Pay off your credit cards. The interest rates on credit cards will eat your budget alive. You are simply throwing money in the toilet when you buy on credit and hand over free cash to the credit card companies.

5. Shop around for better cell phone plans and make sure you cancel features you are not using or that she can live without.

6. If you're paying any sort of bank fees, you shouldn’t. Take time to find a bank who offers free checking, free online banking and just about free everything when it comes to the bank services.

7. Quit buying prepackaged food. Bite sized, prepackaged, and conveniently-portioned-already-prepared foods are many times more expensive than regular foods that you prepare yourself.

8. When you enter a parking lot, park near the street and far away from the building. This not only saves gas from driving around the parking lot, it also gives you a little exercise which in turn, will cut down on your food and medical expenses.

9. Befriend your neighbors and learn to borrow, and share items with each other. There is really no sense in every person having their own seldom used items or tools. Make a list of the items that you would like to have but are rarely used, and see if you can't get a group of friends to divide up the list and each one buy a separate item and then share them.

10. Stop drinking soda pop. It costs money when you buy, it costs money when you lose productivity because of it, and it costs money and increased health care when it makes you fat and sick. Result: soft drinks cost you LOTS of money.

 Download the full report here. 

Did I mention get out of debt?

The reason why I've repeated it several times is not to try to sell you my book, Life Without Debt, but because this is absolutely the number one golden goal of reducing your financial stress, saving money and becoming financially free. Being in debt robs us of life in many ways. Being free of debt is one of the greatest joys you'll ever experience.
The list I have given you in this report is really just a means of becoming debt-free, thinking debt-free and living debt free.

On my financial blog, http://www.brentriggs.money.com, you'll find that I concentrate on for specific areas that will help you become debt free:

• Increasing Income
• Eliminating Debt
• Reducing Expenses
• Giving & Stewardship
  

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I hope you've enjoyed this free report and please feel free to refer your friends and family to it. I would appreciate you sending them to the following link so that they will have a chance to refer other people as well: http://www.brentriggsblog.com/report_100_save.asp

I took the time to write this to help people. I'm offering it free in exchange for the benefit of people telling other people about it which brings new readers to my sites. You win, they win, I win. It's a good deal for everyone.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me from my website, http://www.brentriggs.com

~ Brent Riggs

I'm writing a report on over 150 ways to reduce personal expenses, save money and get more bang for your buck.

I anticipate having it done this weekend. It will be a FREE report.

If you know any great ways to save money, send them to me so I can include them.

Here's some suggestions on way to save money which helps us with goal number three: reducing expenses.

A Deep Freeze

A freezer full of frozen vegetables, bulk prepared meals and left-overs uses very little electricity because its full of frozen food, and rarely changes temperature. It’s a great way to save by buying bulk meats and veggies.

Thermostats

Programmable thermostats that allow you set a room temperature benefit from cool nights when windows can allow the breeze to cool a room during the warm months.

Combining Trips

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With gas prices going haywire, it now pays to plan trips carefully. We live about 20 miles away from any real shopping areas, so it now costs us $10 every time we want to “run to town”. Turning several casual trips into one can save $20-40/week, or about $100/month… not exactly chump change.

Left Overs

Gas goes up, food prices go up. Being more diligent and creative with left overs can make a significant impact on your food budget. Cooking batches of meats (hamburger, sausage, chicken, etc) then freezing for later use can save both time and money.

Old Fashioned Fun

Reading, going for walks, rocking on the porch, doing crafts… old fashioned fun saves lots of money over movies, dining out and shopping, AND it’s a lot more healthy for your family (physically and spiritually).

LET’S CREATE A LIST: THE TOP TEN WAYS TO SAVE MONEY… go here to add your two cents.