Ask Lemmy

I did surveys for money so I could buy things I otherwise wouldn't. I made thousands doing it and bought SO much stuff I needed and wanted. I got entirely sick of them though as it really is a grind and stopped. It's impressive how much stuff I bought with this money. (I'm happy to tell anyone how). Sometimes when I'm leaving for work I just think of everything I'm wearing or carrying that I didn't pay a penny for.

I go to the hair salon school and let students cut my hair to save money (it's super cheap) and began colouring it myself. I only get my hair cut like twice a year as well despite wanting to do it more.

I have like seven digital library cards, I give the library a fake address in their city and sign up. It actually only benefits them that they get more patrons reading books. I can request books at my library anyway that they don't have in their collection and they'll get it from another library too.

My health benefits through my workplace include orthotic sole inserts, but also you get two pairs of shoes. That's two pairs of shoes a YEAR. I have coworkers who do it and don't use the orthotic insert, just for the shoes. If you have workplace benefits look at everything they give you and use whatever you can.

I will price match at the grocery store to the penny. You just stand there and say "this is 5 dollars at Walmart" and nobody ever checks so if it's really expensive I'll tell them it's a price I've seen it be before even if it isn't that week. The cashiers will also say "this is X amount at X store" and ring it up without me asking sometimes too.

I'll go to my doctor and get a prescription for something so it goes through my benefits even if I could buy something to treat it over the counter. I'm Canadian so it doesn't cost me to go, and they're legit conditions, but I don't HAVE to go in. Universal health care for the win.

Our drug reps bring us food like once a week so that's usually my lunch that day.

My workplace has an employee perks program where insurance or phone carrier or clothing stores or whatever will give you discounts. My phone carrier was going to charge me 30 dollars more a month to upgrade my phone, so I went and looked into their phone plans, and got an employee pricing plan for less than half of that with much more data and international calling, through the same carrier through an employee pricing plan dealer. It was even 5 dollars less when I went to pick it up on Tuesday because the plans change all the time. So now I get 100 GB of data, international calling and texting as well as all my usual features, for 45 dollars plus 1 dollar a month for a new Pixel 10. Can't wait to hand my old phone in on Saturday to my carrier and tell them I'm done with their bullshit as they were going to charge me 100 a month. Fuck you Bell Canada.

A local church has a "good food box" program (for anyone who wants it, not just for low income people) where you get a bag of 10-11 fruits and vegetables every other week for 22 dollars. Saves me mountains of money at the grocery store and it's very practical. It's absolutely great, and you just pick it up at one of the two locations.