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Not Buying Scratch Tickets Helps Pay Off Debts

For every day I don't buy a scratch-off lottery ticket, I put the $2 I would have spent on it, and put it into an envelope and as it builds up I take it and apply it to a debt. It seems like found money and feels great making the payments

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By Michael McIntosh from Greenwich, CT

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By Dianne Upstate NY (Guest Post)
February 10, 20060 found this helpful

Great Idea!
I should do that with my pk a day cigarette money.Imagine the savings in my found money envelope .

 
February 12, 20060 found this helpful

Another thing to 'not buy' is magazines or candy. Imagine how much that money would add up!

 
October 10, 20060 found this helpful

It has been said that the Lottery is a game for people who are very, very bad at math. I was grinning about this (I'm pretty good at math so I don't play it) and feeling somewhat smug, until I realized there are other things I do that are a total waste of money. One poster mentioned mags and candy; I dropped my mag subscriptions, and seldom buy candy. However, I bake brownies at least once a week, and eat ice cream every night. These things get expensive, but I will not give them up. I always buy my ice cream on a "2 for 1" special, and I use flour, cocoa, chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, oleo, milk, walnuts, etc. purchased from Aldi so I save a bundle there.

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Another poster mentioned cigarettes, and that's another item I won't give up, until I *choose* to. I have quit them but disliked the void they leave in my life when I put them down.

So how do I save money with these and other non-negotiable expenses in my life? I seek a buyer's market. I try to buy things before I have to have them, giving me time to watch the specials or order online. If my old car is beginning to clunk (that's what 'clunkers' do) and I can't fix it, I put the word out that I'm looking for a vehicle with certain attributes and I'm willing to pay $(however much I'm willing to pay) for it. My cap is usually $1K or lower. Everyone will tell me there's no way I'll get what I'm looking for at that price, but I just smile and say, "Yes, I will." And I really will, but it may take awhile. I don't *have* to buy today; my old bucket of bolts still runs. This fact makes it a buyers market and as long as my old clunker will keep clunking I don't have to be in a hurry. The deal will come in its own good time. I used this concept to buy a van back in '99, telling everyone I was looking for an old van to haul my musical equipment, and I'd pay $500 for it. Everyone laughed and said, "Man, you ain't gon' find a van that runs for $500!." It took some time but a van found me: '89 Ford E150 conversion van. They wanted $1000 for it but I just didn''t want to spend that much. It didn't sell, they got back in touch, and I'm still driving the van (when my '84 Volvo wagon won't do). Remember: if you *must* have an item today, it's a seller's market. If you can anticipate your needs and shop accordingly, all the rules change in your favor. And even if you are in a hurry don't let the seller know that. Slow yourself down, take it easy, and make a wise decision so you don't get stuck with a bigger problem than the one you're trying to replace.

 

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