Nov 20, 2009 8:16 pm US/Eastern
MoneySaver Report: Save On Life's Little Splurges
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
For most people, saving money is a drag – cutting out everything in the day that's fun. There are, however, ways to save while enjoying life's little splurges.
From that venti soy vanilla latte, to a great movie, to a little mani/pedi, it's life's little splurges that make the week fun – and that's exactly what people are cutting out in order to save money during these tough economic times.
"I gave up my personal trainer, I went to a cheaper gym," Upper West Side resident Christina Mahle said.
"I cut back on weekly manicures and pedicures," Crown Heights resident Cozette Townsend said.
"When you think about saving, it equals deprivation for people – but it doesn't have to," Kelly Grant, of smartmoney.com, says.
Take Starbucks, for example, and $4 cups of designer coffee – check out their refillable rewards card, with benefits.
"It gets you free flavor options and free milk options, and free refills on your plain coffee," Grant says.
You can also shrink your DVD rental bill.
"Instead of going to the store, look for a kiosk," Grant says. "Blockbuster or Redbox rentals, they're $1 a night."
You can also rent your books for your e-reader.
"Head to the local library that offers book titles that you can borrow for a week or two to your computer or e-reader," Grant says.
Everybody loves the guilty pleasure of reading a magazine. But instead of spending up to $60 for a year's worth off the newsstand, get the entire year's subscription for the cost of what one issue costs.
Music addicts, too, can save money indulging in one of their splurges – in many cases, they'll get away with paying as little as $0.25 per song.
"We like downloadshopper.com – tell it what song, artists, and it compares across iTunes, Wal-Mart, and Amazon," Grant says.
And don't forget the manicure treat – by looking for coupons at spa-addicts.com and spafinder.com, you can find major bargains.
"You can easily save 50 percent or more as a new customer, and 30 percent for a returning customer," Grant says.
It all adds up to about 30 percent savings on all of your little indulgences. For more information on these tips to save on your splurges, click here.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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