Thursday, March 31, 2011

Stop paying for Xbox live.

http://www.xbconnect.com/index.php 

Get your friends to switch over and host your own server for you and your buddies and suddenly you have a service better than Xbox live.

Feed your destructive habits (for less!)

If your going to feed your habits and addictions, do it cheaply. It still wastes money, but you can waste less with this advice.
  • If you smoke, smoke e-cigarettes. They are much cheaper than regular cigarettes. And they are way healthier for you. 
  • Wanna get drunk? Cheap vodka with a chaser is cheaper than the several beers you will have to buy to get drunk. 
  • If you gamble, gamble with pocket change. Don't impulsively put your paycheck on the table.  
  • Like the internet a little too much? Settle for a lower speed connection, and compensate with compression. Your lolcats will still be funny with less pixels and/or color. The guy giving you a lecture on YouTube on politics, or religion, or whatever can preach to you at 240p, for the sake of your wallet.

Friday, January 21, 2011

How to Entertain Yourself Cheaply

If your broke, entertainment might not be (and probably shouldn't) on your list of priorities. However, a little entertainment is essential to anyone's mental health. Here are some ways to entertain yourself cheaply, from movies to books to video games.

  • Use Redbox. You get movies for a dollar. So if you recorded it you would be getting a full movie for a dollar without the pirated picture quality. But I'm not telling you to record the movie with something like a VCR or computer, because that's illegal. Just rent it and watch it.  
  • Get a library card. They're free and you get access to thousands of hours of reading and the computers at the library.  
  • If your thirsty for some gaming, get a PS2. They are a hundred dollars new, and there are more than eighteen hundred freaking games for the thing, and they all are cheap because the console is on it's way out the door.
  • If a hundred dollars is too much, try original Xbox. It should only be about fifty dollars and the first two Halo games will cost you about ten bucks. An Xbox, two controllers, a friend, and a Halo disc will get you hours and hours of fun.  

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

How to Eat Cheap

In times like these, even putting food on the table can be hard. But there are many ways to stretch food, get free food, and replace certain foods with other foods you might not have thought of. Ways to save money on food include:
  • When you go to a fast food restaurant, always take a handful of condiments with you when you leave, and always refill your drink before you leave to take with you.
  •  Try to spice up stale food with salt or spices to make it tasty again. Make sure the food isn't too far gone if you do this, though. This tip is risky and will get you sick if you don't have common sense. 
  • Get free samples whenever you can from grocery stores, delis, and the like. If you walk around a grocery store and get every sample you see you could end up with a good sized snack.   
  •  If you drink coffee or energy drinks, switch over to caffeine tablets. They are usually cheaper and are definitely better for you than drinking coffee or energy drinks. Caffeine tablets won't have the sugar of energy drinks or the carcinogens of coffee.
  • Don't waste money on bottled water. Buy a filter for your water and buy reusable bottles to put it in. If you don't want to buy a filter, boil the water and bottle it.   
  • Make food out of your environment. Pine needle tea, acorn flower, and dandelion tea can all prevent you from starving if your truly desperate. Make sure you don't poison yourself with pesticides, though.
  • Determine which foods have the most value. You should look for maximum vitamins and calories per dollar.   
  • If you live near farms, often farmers won't care if you take a few shucks of corn or a handful of peaches off the side of their field. Use this tip at your own risk, as it is technically theft.  
  • Think about the cheapest foods you can buy that will fill you up. Bisquick, Ramen Noodles, beans, ect. 
  • Be careful not to malnourish yourself by eating cheaply. Just because your full doesn't mean you're not lacking some essential vitamins. As I said earlier in the article, buy maximum calorie and vitamin content for dollar.  
  • And lastly, don't be afraid to improvise! Just think what you can do with that slice of cheese, a pack of Cheetos, and half a pack of saltines. Get creative! 
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    Some websites with cheap recipes: