Economy Schmeconomy

So the bad economy is like everyone's favorite scapegoat. But I've been thinking of ways to make extra cash and save extra cash without changing my lifestyle too much. Here's what I've come up with:

• Recycle! Okay, I know loading up on aluminum, glass and plastic seems like its for the real downtrodden. But it's totally easy to do and it's good for the environment. I load up on the recyclables and bring them down to my local center. Poof! 10 bucks! Paul has said it's not worth the hassle, but I don't think it's a hassle at all. I figure I get about 10 dollar every trip and we go about every other month or so. That's $60 for the year!
• Starbucks Gold Card membership! So you have to pay $25 up front. But you save 10% on practically every purchase. If you drink enough Starbucks in the year, you will definitely save more than $25.
• Reuseable mugs! If you bring in a mug into Starbucks, you'll get $.10 off your drink. Combine that with the Gold Card and you're talking like $.50 off. Not bad! Plus, it's better for the environment than all those white cups floating around.
• Part time job! This one isn't as fun, but I'm definitely working on it. The trick is to work for a place where you can get a discount on what you want. My sister in law is a 2nd grade teacher, but works at Ann Taylor Loft part time to get the discount on clothes. I would totally work at Trader Joe's, and my first choice is as a server at a sushi restaurant. Then I can feed my sushi addiction at a lower cost! I'm thinking Paul should work at our favorite local winery on weekends. Schelp some wine, talk some wine, and bring home some wine!
  
• Coupons! The Sunday paper only costs $1, and you can definitely find more than $1 worth of savings in there. It's totally frugal, but you can definitely save. I save about $5 during each trip to the grocery store. Plus if you like to eat out, you can find coupons to chain restaurants like Baja Fresh, Red Lobster, Sweet Tomatoes, etc.
• Leftovers! We're definitely cooking a lot more, which leaves a ton of leftovers. So instead of going out to lunch, we'll bring leftovers. Unfortunately that means I sit at my desk and eat, but it does save time, money and gas. But I still go out to eat every so often so I don't get sick of our food and I don't go stir crazy.
• Restaurant deals! One of my go to lunch time restaurants does something I've never seen anywhere else. Towards the end of the lunch hour, the sushi boat starts to consolidate their plates. Meaning, instead of two pieces of nigiri, it becomes three. A plate of oysters normally costs $4.50, but they bump it down to $2.50. My average cost at this restaurant on a regular day is $15+. When I take a late lunch, it's closer to $10. I wonder if any other restaurants do stuff like this...
  
• Restaurant.com! This is by far one of my favorite websites. I like to cook, but I love to eat out. Restaurant.com offers $10-$50 in savings to some great restaurants at low cost. A $10 gift certificate costs $3 and a $25 gift certificate costs $10. If you're on the mailing list (like me), they send a discount code multiple times per week, which can be up to 80% off. So a $25 gift certificate will cost you $2. Paul and I rarely go out to eat without one!
  
• Library card! I'm still working on this one. I love having a gigantic library of my own so I buy books all the time. However, it gets me into trouble because I'm running out of room and sometimes the books end up sucking. Case in point, I bought The Dim Sum of All Things because it sounded interesting, was based in San Francisco, and was written by an Asian American woman. It was AWFUL! I would donate it to a library, but I don't want to punish the library either.
• Reusable bags! Some retailers offer a discount if you bring your own shopping bags. Safeway gives you $.03, which isn't much. But hey, it's better for the environment.
• Carpool! No brainer here. Saves gas and puts less pollution in the air.
• Matinee shows! I love to watch movies, but they're getting pricey. Paul and I will catch a weekend matinee rather than going at night. It saves a couple of bucks and it's less crowded. I also buy discounted gift certificates through work. Instead of $10, it costs $8, so I stock up on those. If we decide to watch a movie at night, we'll use those.
  

My Hot New Shoes

SEXY! Now I just need an occasion to wear them!