How has the Internet helped you be frugal?

**peanut** · 04-29-2009, 02:50 PM

What do you do on-line that saves you money? Do the benefits pay back your connection fee? Here's what I do with the Net...what about you?

get coupons
search flyers
find cheaper books, etc. than locally,
support for various activities on boards
research on topics of interest...saves me money on professionals and trips to talk to people,
estimating parcel costs before going to the PO, where I feel obliged to pay whatever they say!
news. I no longer watch the TV news. Much nicer to check it on-line.
communication. Email and Facebook connections with relatives.
book airline tickets at a discount.
ascertain quality of items on sites that rate products,
Review and put library books on hold (and order interlibrary loan books) saving a trip to the library.

I'm curious how other people use the Internet to save them time (which is money) and money.

Jean

**RaineyDaye** · 04-29-2009, 03:07 PM

I print postage at home so I don't have to wait in line at the post office.

I pay most of my bills online.

I reserve books, movies and music online at my library. They call me when the items are ready for me to pick up, so I just have to make a quick trip to the check out desk to get items.

If something breaks, I search for solutions on the internet. It has saved me so much time and money, by learning how to fix things.

I check sales on the stores websites. Some stores, like Walgreens, have an online inventory system so I can see which stores have the sale items in stock. This has saved me a lot of time by avoiding wasted trips.

I do a lot of shopping on the internet rather than going to stores.

I'm sure there are a lot more ways I save time and money on the internet. My internet connection is a necessary expense that pays for itself!

**mauimagic** · 04-29-2009, 03:20 PM

number one frugality is FV!!

Reservations for planes, cars, and hotels
Ordering DVDs
Buying online bargains!!
Do almost all of my bill paying online
Finding frugal recipes
Gift ideas
Craft ideas
Sending every occasion cards online
Take online courses

Sure there's more - can't wait to see what others do!!

**SaucyCranberry** · 04-29-2009, 03:59 PM

Much of what is mentioned above:

Printing coupons. Previewing drug store and mass market store ads and even ordering extra coupons on deals that are good for my family.

Watching streaming TV shows (shut off our satellite) from network sites and also from Netflix.

Lots of home school freebies, free curriculum and printables.

Great sites like FV and other "deal" sites that help me stock the gift piles for 90% off retail.

Getting mystery shopping assignments and taking surveys for extra cash and gift cards.

Saving money and space on cookbooks by getting tons of recipes online.

**marjorie** · 04-29-2009, 04:52 PM

FV, coupons- trades, printables, forums listing best deals at various stores, freebie announcements, sweepstakes/contests, family communication/photo posting/Skyppe/free crochet patterns, Christmas ideas, medical information/research, online registries and more.

**zakity** · 04-29-2009, 05:41 PM

Oh man... It is really cheap since DH's work pays for most of it.

What I use the internet for:

message boards
medical info
homeschool info
curriculum
store ads
socialization
random bits of needed info
recipes
shopping
gardening info
watching tv shows
playing games
paying bills
research (for whatever)

That is all I can think of...

**Contrary Housewife** · 04-29-2009, 05:44 PM

I check store sale flyers online
keep up with news (no paper)
comparison shop for prices
search for recipes and meal ideas (instead of buying books)
download free music and games for entertainment
research travel info and print maps for trips (instead of buying books)

None of this comes close to covering the cost of our connection but it saves time and hassle.

**heartofmine** · 04-30-2009, 12:48 AM

I get coupons as well as lots of freebies online as well as rebates and using upc's to get free items.
Find all kinds of frugal tips and helpful hints
I check out online flyers.
Order things I can't find here in my small town.
Get tracfone codes for our tracfone's thus getting us more minutes on them for free.
I sale unused or no longer needed items on Ebay and our local sales (like Craig's List)
Talk to freinds via Email and did talk on Messenger when I had a headphone and mic thingy...it broke. No long distance calls that way.
I've made a ton of life long friends online and that is worth the most to me. I've been blessed to meet 2 of them and I've spoken to others on the phone.
I find some good websites to study the Bible with.
My kids do lots of research for their term papers...both in college.
I've done my taxes online for free.

**sunshine** · 04-30-2009, 07:20 PM

email friends and family, instead of writing or calling

IM chat with video instead of long distance phone calls

digital pictures, sent via email or posted on photo hosting sites, instead of printing and sending via snail mail

read newspaper online instead of subscribing

freebies and internet shopping deals

free craft patterns instead of buying craft books

**IntlMom** · 04-30-2009, 08:05 PM

The time I spend online is "free" entertainment....yes, it costs to be online, but it keeps me entertained where I may be spending money otherwise. (I don't get too much into the online shopping, however)

Also, the online freebies, coupons, Village..... etc.....

**cab54** · 05-01-2009, 11:17 AM

Oh, gosh, soooo many ways...

I check the dates online -----for picking all of the 'free' forest goodies that grow wild. The wild leeks, there are also fiddlehead ferns we are thinking of trying this year. I'm ascared of picking mushrooms, or I'd pick morels. (as a nurse, took care of some pretty sick people, one of whom died....picking their own mushrooms.) The summer raspberries are fairly easy to tell when ready.

I check the dates online------ for planting things. In Ohio, the dates to plant are weeks earlier than up here. It's a fairly short growing season here.

I look at soooo many frugal and simple-living sites.

I LOOOOVE FV!

I look up recipes for homemade bug repellent, what herbs are good for what, all linds of stuff.

**known2him5** · 05-01-2009, 07:15 PM

No library in our area, so I read books free online (Gutenberg, etc.)

I search and find plans for various farm things to help us save money (solar heat grabbers, etc.)

frugal recipes found online

**FrugalWitch** · 05-03-2009, 09:39 AM

I check for best prices, eBay, freebies, online library services, Netflix (lot of watch-it-now options), frugal tips and recipes. And of course FV!

**Missourimom** · 05-03-2009, 01:00 PM

I'm not sure what else I can add to this list. I love the internet and will never go without it.

**Thevail** · 05-04-2009, 02:02 AM

All the above stuff..

plus through eHow, youtube, etc. etc I've become the DIY queen and saved myself literally thousands.

Last week I repaired dove tails in an original 1913 tall boy dresser..old dresser with busted drawer..$13...old dresser with perfectly repaired drawer...several hundred dollar antique!

I also took apart, oiled, and replaced the old mortise locks in my doors.. now my doorknobs work properly. I really didn't want to replace them since they are those pretty antique crystal ones.

And through Angie's List.. I found a guy to put in my new 95% efficient gas furnace and all new insulated ducting for $3800..... instead of the average of the other quotes about $8000.

$4000 is a LOT of high speed internet. even at $40/month that's 100 months. Slightly over 8 years.