GIVEAWAY: Republic Wireless Phone + Service!

Hey Guys! If you’re still needing a push to give Republic Wireless a shot, today could be your lucky day :) I got word that they just released a new phone in their lineup, and to help promote it they shot me a prize package to give away which includes the phone and 3 months of free service – woo!

Though the service doesn’t cost that much to begin with, haha… The exact reason I decided to switch a year ago for a total savings of $100 each month :) $1,200 now banked from a single step of action!

They’ve since changed their plans up to a simple “refund” type one – meaning they’ll give you back any money you spent for data that you didn’t use, something no other carrier is doing right now – so you might even save more yourself. (Ours is dropping another $18/mo!)

Here’s what that looks like:

republic wireless refund planTheir new plans range from $5/mo to $55/mo before getting any credits back. And everything’s still unlimited except for data over the cell networks. It’s a little strange at first picturing all your calls and such going through WiFi (Republic harnesses that to keep costs so low), but over time you don’t even notice it. And since it switches to “normal” cell phone usage whenever WiFi isn’t around, you don’t have to think about it either. Technology’s getting pretty cool :)

Anyways, they’re worth considering if you’re tired of spending so much or have crap service. Especially if you mainly use your phone at home or at work where WiFi is plenty.

Now onto the giveaway!

Here’s the new phone up for grabs, along with the 3 months of free service:

moto e 2nd gen - white
Moto e – 2nd Generation ($129.99)

It’s one of their two current phones they offer (the other being a more fancier one – The Moto X – @ $299), and here’s what their CEO says about it:

“The Moto E is a perfect first smartphone for people who need just the basics, as well as for ‘tweens, teens, students and grandparents. If all you need is a smartphone that lets you replace a home phone, check email, take you to Facebook, capture images for Instagram or fire off missives on Twitter (or WhatsApp or Weibo), the Moto E is a capable, stylish option.”

Here are some of the specs:

  • 4.5 inch display protected with Corning® Gorilla® Glass
  • 4G LTE cellular capable
  • Long lasting 2,390 mAH battery
  • 1.2 GHz quad-core processor
  • 8GB storage + microSD card slot supporting up to 32GB expandable memory
  • 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, f/2.2 aperture, Quick Capture, 4X digital zoom, Slow motion video, Burst mode, Auto HDR, Panorama, Tap to focus
  • VGA front facing camera for video conferencing and selfies

Look like something you want?

Answer this question in the comments below and you’ll be automatically entered to win:

What was the last thing you did to save money? (How much did you save?)

We’ll run the giveaway until midnight this Sunday, August 23rd, and will use Random.org to pick the winner shortly thereafter. Open to U.S. residents only (sorry my Canadian lovers!)

Good luck guys! And I wish you happy savings no matter which carrier you use :)

**GIVEAWAY NOW OVER** Congrats to Hannah Roehrick for winning!

—–
PS: For all those already rocking RW, run your data #’s through their calculator (scroll down) and see if you can save even more by switching to the new plans. I just did ours and found out we’ll be able to chop off an additional $18.00/mo, bringing our bill down from $50 & change to $32! For TWO phones! Though I will kinda miss the feeling of unlimited everything…

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322 Comments

  1. Chris Muller August 19, 2015 at 5:16 AM

    What up J – been wanting to try RW for quite a while now…

    The last thing I did to save money was sign up for BillCutterz – per your recommendation. I just uploaded all of my bills yesterday. Not sure how much the savings will be though.

    The last ACTUAL savings I had from something I did to save money was cancel my cable – which I did just the other day. I’m expecting to save about $80 a month. Cha chiiiiiiiiing!

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 19, 2015 at 5:54 AM

      I see you’re still waking up nice and early too – way to continue!

      Reply
      1. kristin August 19, 2015 at 9:29 AM

        We have 3 rw phones – 2 motox 1 gen and 1 moto g. Started with defy during beta. Love rw and want this moto e for my son. Last money saving step was a trip to Walmart focusing on sticking to brief list and resisting all temptation to impulse buy. Made even more difficult with two kids begging for everything! Saved about $45. Vow to continue shopping g this way in the future.

        Reply
      2. Chris Muller August 19, 2015 at 7:42 PM

        Lol not easy but I’m makin’ it work!

        Reply
  2. Lucas August 19, 2015 at 5:35 AM

    I am not on republic yet (i have a slightly cheaper but less featured option through Air Voice wireless), but have gotten several family members switched over to Republic.

    Lets see, the last thing i did to save money was to call back into the auto shop that had forgotten to plug my brake lights (along with a couple other issues) back in during a recent repair. I got $200 back on the repair job.

    Reply
  3. GM August 19, 2015 at 5:56 AM

    Last thing I did to save money was print out coupons for Dollar General (including the $5 off $25 or $30 coupon for most Saturdays). Got stuff I was buying anyway for $10.20 less. Not counting the cost of ink, though… it might be a wash.

    Man, I was just shopping for my first smartphone the other day (haven’t picked a phone or plan yet, so this looks great).

    Reply
  4. Rebecca August 19, 2015 at 6:10 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was max out my 403b and 457b accounts. It should save us a ton in taxes this year.

    I’ve always wondered if the call drops or cuts out a little as it switches from WiFi to cell service. Also, do you have to manually enter the password for the wifi at your various locations?

    Reply
    1. cindy August 19, 2015 at 8:25 AM

      I switched from AT&T to Republic Wireless 2 years ago. I haven’t experienced a problem with call dropping when switching from WIFI to cell coverage. My husband is still on Verizon with a contract Apple phone and he can’t get a good signal inside the house here. I however, with Republic, since it is WIFI, can talk anywhere. Now, when/if there is a power outage and the WIFI is down, I am on cell service as well and I too need to get to a window or the front yard for the signal to reach. As far as the password for WIFI, the phone will remember. So if you have successfully used WIFI at a location, it automatically jumps on. So for me, places that we go (doc offices, school, library, etc) their connection info is just recalled and there is no break.

      Reply
      1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:37 PM

        Mine will get wonky every now and then, but nothing too bad.

        Reply
  5. Thias @It Pays Dividends August 19, 2015 at 6:31 AM

    We have been looking for a new phone service once our contract is finally up to help save a little more per month. I’ve been curious about Republic Wireless and planned on giving them a chance once we got closer.

    It definitely looks like an incredibly attractive phone and offer!

    Reply
  6. Christina R. August 19, 2015 at 6:48 AM

    We just switched our electricity plan (in TX you have to pick your plan) from 12.9 cents per kW to 7.2 cents per kW!

    Reply
  7. Rosemary August 19, 2015 at 7:01 AM

    Last thing I did to save money was to stop drinking soda. Less caffeine lets you sleep more soundly and get up earlier. Amount saved $20+ a month.

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:34 PM

      wow – that’s a hard one to do, congrats!

      Reply
  8. Mark August 19, 2015 at 7:04 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was officially cancel Direct TV. We now have to HD antenna’s in our house and a Roku. I took the $50 that I was paying per month and now have it automatically withdrawn into my investment account.

    Reply
  9. RG August 19, 2015 at 7:05 AM

    Shopped around on auto insurance which was well worthwhile. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  10. implicit August 19, 2015 at 7:06 AM

    Last thing I did to save money was install the Honey browser plug in. Can’t wait to give it a shot next time I purchase something online!

    Reply
  11. Julia August 19, 2015 at 7:06 AM

    Switched to rabbit ears!

    Reply
  12. Dan August 19, 2015 at 7:08 AM

    I just took advantage of an energy saving program thru our electric company. They installed a new programmable thermostat for our heating and cooling for free. Not sure what it will save yet, but it didn’t cost us anything and its a better system.

    Reply
    1. cindy August 19, 2015 at 8:19 AM

      We do this and it saves a lot. Here they call it the “Time of Use” plan (TOU). It looks like this: from June 1 to September 15 from 3 to 8 pm we voluntarily use less power (no A/C, no dryer, no stove, no oven, etc). If we do, the rate is very high (incentive). The cool thing is this: the rest of the day (from June 1 to Sept 15) and the rest of the year (Sept 16 to May 31) we have unbelievably low rates on electricity. We are in the hot South and this helps our electric membership cooperative handle the huge load on usage during the summer months. We have been doing this 20 years. I use programmable thermostats inside and the electric cooperative installed two meters on the outside of my house so that the electricity could be measured for the “On Peak” and “Off Peak” usage. Pretty cool.

      Reply
  13. Carrie August 19, 2015 at 7:09 AM

    The last thing I did to save money happened yesterday when I purchased 3 $100 Disney gift cards from Target for next month’s Disney vacation. Using my Target card saved 5% ($15!) so $285 for $300 worth of spending money – and it’s Disney, so you know I’m going to spend $300 easy. I already have money set aside in savings so the $285 will be paid off immediately.

    Reply
  14. Jim Levine August 19, 2015 at 7:17 AM

    I use Ooma for my home phone at less than 4 dollars a month and Republic wireless for our two cell phones

    Reply
  15. Tasha @OneBigHappy August 19, 2015 at 7:18 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was cutting cable. Instead we stream content from Amazon Prime and Netflix. It still carries a monthly cost but it is far cheaper than cable and doesn’t require a contract!

    Reply
  16. Kelly Sangree August 19, 2015 at 7:28 AM

    The latest thing I did to save money was NOT fix our dryer! We had the air conditioning in my van (which we use to drive for Uber) go out at the same time as the heating factor in the dryer, and to me deciding which to fix was a no brainer. We have clotheslines and drying racks – a tumble dryer is a luxury for most of the world. But the van actually MAKES us money if all the parts are running right!

    BTW, I have wanted to try RW for ages now – we’re waiting out our current ATT contract before we switch the family.

    Reply
  17. Lance Cothern August 19, 2015 at 7:30 AM

    The last thing we did to save money was use a coupon at a restaurant we were going to go to anyway. We saved $10, not bad for a restaurant coupon!

    Reply
  18. Susan L August 19, 2015 at 7:31 AM

    I use coupons to get most of our toiletries for free. The excess I give to the food shelf. It takes a while to get going, but once you do, you really can get a lot of items for free.

    Reply
  19. Sonja Johnson August 19, 2015 at 7:38 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was call to lower my high speed Internet cost. They were offering $44.99 per month to new members for my exact same service, so I asked them to match that for me. $20 per month saved!

    Reply
  20. Jason August 19, 2015 at 7:38 AM

    Funny. We just did the cell plan swap for my wife to save money.

    Tried Straight Talk service for a month and took advantage of a free phone with service. At the end of the month my wife still preferred the coverage of Verizon. Fortunately they just changed plan structure so we took a “medium” non-contract plan. Now we have unlimited text and more data for less.

    We considered RW but I couldn’t sell her and although I would consider them, the phone cost and inability to transfer would be a gamble. This would be a great deal.

    Keep up the good work.

    Reply
  21. Carol Lane August 19, 2015 at 7:46 AM

    The last thing I did was go for a hike instead of going out and shopping. Saved probably $50

    Reply
  22. Pete August 19, 2015 at 7:49 AM

    I called car insurance Company A and told them I was leaving for a better rate I was quoted at Company B. In order to keep me as a customer, Company A match the rate of Company B, saving me ~$300 per year!

    Reply
  23. Robert August 19, 2015 at 7:49 AM

    I switched my Comcast cable over to SlingTV and save about $50/mo!

    Reply
    1. Steve Miller August 19, 2015 at 10:19 AM

      Hi Robert,

      I was wondering more about SlingTV. You don’t get the primetime TV channels (Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS), right? Do you use an HD Antenna for those? Also, do you get the History channel?

      We are trying out different TV options and trying to see what fits us best. We tried Hulu this week but they don’t offer a lot of the current programming and very limited in episodes of the ones we normally watch.

      Reply
  24. Hannah August 19, 2015 at 7:49 AM

    I called a medical billing company and saved several hundred dollars by paying on time in cash. Unfortunately, I would have saved more by not sticking my finger in a blender.

    Reply
  25. Ann Cluck August 19, 2015 at 7:51 AM

    Last thing I did to save money was not call the A/C repairman back. After $800. the last thing he was “supposed” to have fixed, he didn’t. However, it somehow corrected itself. Still considering reporting him, except I have no real proof. What happened to honest repairmen. I know, they are out there, I just got a lemon. Going to look into that BillCutterz program.

    Thanks for the giveaway. My husband needs a decent phone other than that piece of crap from AT&T.

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:35 PM

      Let me know what you think of BillCutterz if you give it a shot!

      Reply
  26. Amanda August 19, 2015 at 7:51 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was switching from Ting to Google Fi. Fi also gives money back for data you don’t use, so I get it all back because I use a FreedomPop hotspot with 500mb free data instead :D I know someone who would do well on Republic Wireless though… muahahaha

    Reply
  27. S L Niemann August 19, 2015 at 7:55 AM

    What was the last thing you did to save money? (How much did you save?)

    A couple that are me… and a couple not me. *grin*
    Two new ongoing:
    1) bought a thermos and am bringing my coffee to work, for a savings about $6 a day (2-3 cups of coffee per day)
    2) My company is offering the employees half off the price of the meal, for any meal they offer that is a healthy option. I am getting my breakfast at work (full-on egg white veggie omelette) for ~$1.90 a day – for a single low-carber I cannot MAKE an omelet with all of these veggies for that price. The food would go bad too quickly (and the EGGS! oy)

    My latest one-off:
    3) I just bought a mother-of-the-groom dress for $5 at Goodwill. — whoops, $2.50 — a found one with a color tag half off that week. It runs for ~$70 at Dillards.

    So, my newest ongoing is ~$30 a week on coffee, $9.50 a week on breakfast and a one-off at Dillards for another $68 bucks.This is in addition to the money I am banking due to updating my insurance and dropping cable.

    So, I am now up to $350 saved a month and I have more to go through.

    It does not hurt to go over all of your coverage with your insurance company every couple of years to take advantage of changes in habits and new offers.

    Reply
  28. Jean August 19, 2015 at 8:02 AM

    Lowered my package on Dish to save $10 a month.

    Reply
  29. Brianne Ashley August 19, 2015 at 8:04 AM

    The last thing that I did to save money was to ditch DirecTv. We are cord cutters and after an initial rough patch we are getting by just fine with Hulu and Netflix and our Roku box. Wouldn’t consider going back to cable or satellite for anything. Nothing like having that extra $60.00 a month. Would love to win the republic wireless prize pack :)

    Reply
  30. Becky August 19, 2015 at 8:06 AM

    Well, I guess the last thing I did to save money is to send both of my teenagers off to camp to work for 9 weeks this summer! The camp feeds them and houses them. So, that means my grocery bill is much lower since it is just me and my hubby. I would say that on average, we have been going from $160 a week in groceries (this includes cleaning supplies and toiletries) to about $120 a week.

    Reply
  31. Erin M August 19, 2015 at 8:07 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was shop at Aldi yesterday. Yes it means I have to make two grocery store trips instead of one (Aldi + regular store) but I save so much money it’s worth it.

    Thanks of the opportunity, I’ve been wanting to try Republic Wireless out.

    Reply
  32. Drew August 19, 2015 at 8:08 AM

    Just went on a honeymoon to the UK where we rocked hotel and airline points. We were able to fly to/from Heathrom for free and stay for two weeks for free! All said and done, we only had to pay for food and saved thou$and$ on the honeymoon of our dreams!

    Reply
  33. Shannon August 19, 2015 at 8:09 AM

    Made coffee at home this morning instead of stopping at Starbucks. Saved $4.00. Thank you!

    Reply
  34. cindy August 19, 2015 at 8:10 AM

    Last thing I did to save money was to eat leftovers…it was a pretty strange meal…I have a very accommodating family!

    Reply
  35. Aaron August 19, 2015 at 8:14 AM

    Like RW – though I think my phone is too cheap as I’ve been having problems getting text w/ photos (crashes on me). So, I’d recommend if you go with RW you get a more expensive phone – and don’t go with the cheapie. But, you can certainly save bunches of money! Last bill for me (being on the $10 plan) was $4.50 with the new refund plan.

    Reply
  36. Jim August 19, 2015 at 8:14 AM

    Last and most common way I save money is to buy in bulk. It may cost a bit more up front, but spend a little extra time and space to store items and you save a lot in the long run.

    Reply
  37. Toyia August 19, 2015 at 8:16 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was download the app Ibotta , which pays me for products that I already buy.

    Reply
  38. Michelle August 19, 2015 at 8:17 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was to start budgeting with YNAB. I can’t even count how much money we have saved over the last year with YNAB. Just bank fees alone have saved us on average $35/month. I was always moving money around trying not to go in overdraft, because I had used my bank balance to determine our spending. Big mistake! Now we know exactly what we have to spend and are able to save for a rainy day.
    I love your blog!

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:37 PM

      YES! YNAB is hot, yo!

      Reply
  39. Rosemarie Lombardo August 19, 2015 at 8:17 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was to stop cable TV. I am saving $65.00 a month without cable. I am able to watch most shows online, so I just have internet now. The next thing I’ll do is cancel my land line phone. I am probably the last person to have one, but I was always afraid the wifi would be down if there was an emergency.

    Reply
  40. Robin @ The Thrifty Peach August 19, 2015 at 8:18 AM

    We went on vacation this month with friends of ours and split the cost on a big house which saved us hundreds of dollars for our vacation on the beach. :)

    Reply
  41. Amanda August 19, 2015 at 8:20 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was host a clothing swap with some friends. We all needed new work clothes and we were able to get what we needed by trading instead of hitting the mall. We made it a day long event at my house that included Netlfix movies and all home cooked food. I am trying out the non consumer advocate lifestyle that you’ve blogged about and the clothing swap definitely kept me on point on not buying new.

    Reply
  42. Elizabeth Weatherford August 19, 2015 at 8:20 AM

    Brought my own breakfast and lunch to work today. Saving about seven dollars.

    Reply
  43. Chris August 19, 2015 at 8:20 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was start cutting my own grass instead of paying someone!

    Reply
  44. Ann August 19, 2015 at 8:21 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was change my actively managed ira mutual funds to indexed funds. The maintenance fees are considerably less, which really add up at retirement time!

    Reply
  45. mlbrockies August 19, 2015 at 8:22 AM

    I gave up Satellite TV, I have an antenna now and a roku. I use other’s accounts for Netflix, Hulu and also watching things online! My satellite bill was $75 a month! Cha Ching $!

    Reply
  46. Terry August 19, 2015 at 8:24 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was to pay my 3 high school age kids for their grades. They get paid at mid-term and end of the semester. This encourages them to keep their grades up all semester. They get the most for an A, less for a B and if they get a C they pay me! The savings for us is they have to buy their clothes with this money. Amazing how they now watch for sales and it doesn’t seem as important to them that they have “name” brands.

    We would love to save with RW and switch us all over to their plan!

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:39 PM

      Oh wow – haven’t heard of the “you pay me” one, I’m taking notes! Haha…

      Reply
  47. Matt August 19, 2015 at 8:24 AM

    I bought a gently-used tent on Craigslist rather than a new one.

    Reply
  48. Hannah Roehrick August 19, 2015 at 8:24 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was return some clothing. I really wanted to keep the items, but once I got it all home I realized I missed the cash more than I liked the clothing. I saved $250 by returning (almost) everything.

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 3:26 PM

      Guess what?

      YOU WON – Woo! Congrats!

      Look for an email from me/RW soon :)

      Reply
  49. Brandon August 19, 2015 at 8:26 AM

    Last thing I did to save money was use AirBNB to find a place to stay on our last vacation instead of a pricey hotel!!

    Reply
  50. Scott August 19, 2015 at 8:26 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was schedule a car maintenance appointment before the repair shop’s busy hours to cash in on a $10 oil change coupon. I didn’t have transportation home from the shop because it was so early so I had to put my running shoes on and jog home!

    Reply
  51. Kevin August 19, 2015 at 8:29 AM

    Moved from Verizon Wireless to Total Wireless for a savings of $50/mo.

    Reply
  52. Tru August 19, 2015 at 8:39 AM

    I’m currently doing the Challenge Everything challenge, up next was my internet/tv/phone package to reconsider, I realized I don’t watch cable, instead I watch a lot of Netflix, so I cut cable. I’m now saving $75/mo., which is going towards paying down other bills.

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:39 PM

      GOOD FOR YOU!!! Way to take action!

      Reply
  53. jodi August 19, 2015 at 8:48 AM

    i work at whole foods and we have this thing for the “team members” called spotlight coupons. it gives you an extra 20% off of your regular discount of 20%. i saved $25 this week on groceries!- and at whole foods no less!

    Reply
  54. Savvy Shopper August 19, 2015 at 8:49 AM

    Your post on Monday pushed me to sign up with Billcutterz (hope they can do some magic!) which was my last active money-saving activity.

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:40 PM

      I hope so too! let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  55. Kristin V August 19, 2015 at 8:53 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was sticking to my grocery list and remembering to use all of my register rewards, rebates, and a gift card that my hubby won for being ’employee of the month.’ I saved $50 on that shopping trip!

    The next thing I plan to do to save money is switch cell phone carriers. My contract is up on September 15th. NO MORE CONTRACTS ;)

    Reply
  56. Toots August 19, 2015 at 9:00 AM

    Hey, this plan and phone look great! I’m using PTel right now, which is $20/mth but doesn’t have a lot of data and is kind of unreliable. Would love to switch to RW.
    And the last thing I did to save money was amass enough points by searching on Bing to get $15 in Amazon gift cards, which I’ll use to buy an under-sink trash thing I’ve wanted for a while for practically nothing. Thanks, Bing, and thanks budgetsaresexy.com! :)

    Reply
  57. Harris August 19, 2015 at 9:00 AM

    I most recently sold an unused cell signal booster on eBay. This is the same cell signal booster that I negotiated to get for free from AT&T when I wanted to keep my service with them.

    Reply
  58. Mason August 19, 2015 at 9:03 AM

    Last thing we did to save money was cancel Directv, and now use the Amazon fire stick to take advantage of netflix and amazon prime movies and tv shows.

    Reply
  59. Vanessa August 19, 2015 at 9:04 AM

    Last thing I did to save money was buy used textbooks and case studies for college.

    Reply
  60. Steve Miller August 19, 2015 at 9:04 AM

    Awesome, I’ve been wanting to try RW, so this is great!

    The last thing I did to save money is to enroll in the Capital One Venture card. I get 2 miles for every dollar I spend. We put almost EVERYTHING on the Capital One card. Groceries, TV, Phone, travel, etc. I pay the bill off weekly to ensure I don’t have a balance. Last month I cashed in over $300 in rewards!

    Reply
  61. Vicky Cooling August 19, 2015 at 9:07 AM

    Picked apples from my sister’s tree and from my crabapple tree to make lots of applesauce and applebutter for gifts this Christmas

    Reply
  62. Laura August 19, 2015 at 9:09 AM

    The last thing I did was cut cable out. I realized we never really watched tv anymore and it was just background noise. No need for that!

    Reply
  63. Jin August 19, 2015 at 9:11 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was cutting out cable.

    Reply
  64. Shannon August 19, 2015 at 9:12 AM

    I love RW! I have no idea how people still pay $200/month for phone/data service when this exists (unless they are no where near a Sprint tower).

    What was the last thing I did to save money? I’ve been going the dried bean route. I soak the beans overnight in a crockpot. In the morning, dump out the water, add fresh cold water, then cook them for 8-9 hours on low in a crockpot while at work. Black beans, chick peas (these expand the most I’ve discovered, best $/cup, but take about 15 hours to cook), white beans. Canned organic black beans are $1.66/cup while dried organic beans are $0.92/cup. Wahoo. Early retirement hear I come! LOL

    Reply
  65. Miriam August 19, 2015 at 9:13 AM

    I had a belated birthday dinner at a place that has a military discount on a specific day rather than celebrating on my birthday. I saved about 20 bucks by doing it this way.

    Reply
  66. Kelli August 19, 2015 at 9:14 AM

    Last thing I did was spend extra time helping my daughter buy her college textbooks. Through scouring many websites, buying used and renting, we got all of her books for the price of one from the college bookstore.

    Reply
  67. Steve August 19, 2015 at 9:16 AM

    Not a US Resident (yet) so I can’t win this for my wife but still commenting.
    Moving to the US as soon as immigration paperwork comes through. Already signed up for RW on their $5 Wi-Fi only phone as I can start using it in Canada already. I’ll pick it up from my US in-laws this week. Changing to no land-line will save lots of money.
    Most recent saving was booking hotels on-line and more than a week in advance and choosing the non-cancellable rate – saved at least $20 / night for the four nights we were travelling.

    Reply
  68. andy August 19, 2015 at 9:17 AM

    the last thing i did to save money? got a deal on an engagement ring! was referred by a friend, so since she referred me the place gave me a price break, and also got a break by paying cash — i told him my credit card would give me 2% cash back, so he gave me a greater than 2% discount on the price.

    Reply
  69. Jenna August 19, 2015 at 9:22 AM

    I figured out how to hook up the library’s Overdrive app to my phone and Kindle. So awesome! I buy way too many books.

    Reply
  70. Tara August 19, 2015 at 9:24 AM

    I’ve been considering the switch to RW for some time…. I am nervous about giving up my IPhone. :(

    LAST thing I did to save money was use the app Honey to find a discount code for some back to school supplies.

    The BEST thing I did was call up my car insurance and bring it down to the lowest possible monthly payout. My car is old and does not require white glove protection! Savings of over $75 a month!

    Reply
  71. Erin Ellis August 19, 2015 at 9:24 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was clip coupons out of the Sunday Paper. Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
    Erin
    ErinLoves2Run at gmail dot com

    Reply
  72. Michael Smith August 19, 2015 at 9:26 AM

    The last suggestion from you that I used to save money is the incredible digit app. Great way to ramp up the savings quickly and painlessly. Already over the $500 mark. Also use coupons often at CVS. For those who don’t know, you can stack store coupons, manufacturer coupons and sale prices all together for some rock bottom prices.

    Have debated making the switch to Republic. 3 months free would be a good trial period to test drive their services.

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:43 PM

      Yes! Bad ass – way to go man!

      Reply
  73. Will August 19, 2015 at 9:28 AM

    The last thing I did to save money and how much I saved…

    I cleaned the interior of my car myself. I went all out. I removed the seats, seat belts, carpet, center console, door panels, etc. etc. I like my car ccllllleeeeaaaan. I hadn’t done a thorough cleaning since I bought the car. Definitely glad I did! This saved me about $200 from having it professionally done. Boo to that noise. :)

    Reply
  74. AJ August 19, 2015 at 9:29 AM

    Psyched for this chance to possibly try out Republic Wireless! The last thing I saved money on was contest a charge on my credit card – the bank reversed it. Glad I checked my statement carefully!

    Reply
  75. fred rue August 19, 2015 at 9:31 AM

    Last thing i did to save money was by a defy republic wireless phone off ebay and have it activated on 19.00 plan on republic wireless love ther service

    Reply
  76. Ashley August 19, 2015 at 9:39 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was stock up on diapers and formula that were on sale at target while using a registry completion discount + used ebates for cash back. I saved $45.

    Thanks for the giveaway. We us Ting right now with two busted old iPhones. I would so give them up at this point. It sounds like RW has a great plan.

    Reply
  77. poolpah August 19, 2015 at 9:41 AM

    The last thing I did to save was use Bing Rewards points to get a free month of Hulu Plus. It’s only $9 or whatever, but at least I can continue to watch Hulu Plus for free! Cheaper than a DVR.

    Reply
  78. Kim August 19, 2015 at 9:43 AM

    Great! I’ve been wanting to try RW since you switched over, but have not been able to convince my husband.

    The last thing I did to save money was — I convinced my kids to re-use their backpacks from last school year until it breaks, this probably saved me about $100!

    Reply
  79. Tina hallberg August 19, 2015 at 9:49 AM

    What was the last thing you did to save money? (How much did you save?)
    The last thing I did to save money was use some chicken coupons for up to $4.50 off golden plump chicken.. These coupons had no expiration date on them and were from the manufacturer.. I found two of them tucked inside a book of healthy eating at a thrift store along with a receipt for the book that showed it was purchased 8yrs ago. Saved us $9 and that equaled dinner and lunch the next day!

    Reply
  80. Kati August 19, 2015 at 9:51 AM

    Well this would be SWEET!
    The last thing I did to save money was split gas and groceries four ways for a weekend girls trip. A four hour drive only cost me $20 in gas, wine, and food! Wohoo! Gas all by myself would have added $30… plus going to the beach all by myself would have been crazy costly, but we stayed in my friend’s dad’s house ON THE BEACH… for xero bones!! Hollah!

    crossing my money-saving-fingers..

    Reply
  81. Chris August 19, 2015 at 9:53 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was to use my new credit card when I went to town. We had a two week vacation almost free from credit card rewards.

    Reply
  82. JJ August 19, 2015 at 9:55 AM

    I filled out a survey to get a $10 coupon. Not bad for a 2 minute job!

    Hoping to get the kiddo a first phone :)

    Reply
  83. Adriana August 19, 2015 at 9:57 AM

    I can’t actually remember the last thing i did to save money…. Maybe not get those workout leggings that I DID NOT need. However, I know what my next move is.

    I walked into a T-mobile store this past December and left with an Iphone 6 that cost me $600 and a plan with unlimited everything for $120/month. INSANE RIGHT??

    I have decided to sell my Iphone (Around $500 now left to pay) and get a slightly used Iphone 5c for $130. Then join Metro PCS or Verizon for $40-$60 a month. I will be saving $720 a year or possibly more.

    of course, if I win your give-away contest the process will be less painful to my wallet :)

    Really enjoy reading your blog, keep it up!!

    –AM

    Reply
  84. Kathy August 19, 2015 at 10:01 AM

    My son and daughter both have Republic Wireless and I have been wanting to make the leap too.
    The last thing I did to save money was to shop around for car insurance. I ended up saving $159 on the six month premium. Not bad for a few minutes of work.

    Reply
  85. Anne Marie August 19, 2015 at 10:01 AM

    Last major thing I did to save extra $ was to sign up for Digit. Since April, it’s saved $422 for me!

    I plan to switch to Republic when my AT&T 2 yr contract expires. I can’t wait!

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:45 PM

      Yeah fellow Digit’er!

      Reply
  86. David Hunter August 19, 2015 at 10:01 AM

    I pretty much stopped going out to eat. Around $400 every month in savings. But, it always seems like something comes up like… my dog just cost me $600 in vet bills last month. Still ahead though!

    Reply
  87. Kyle August 19, 2015 at 10:11 AM

    What I did was started cooking more at home. Save about $350

    Reply
  88. Maggie @ Northern Expenditure August 19, 2015 at 10:12 AM

    WHY NOT ALASKA, Republic?! :) The last thing I did was not go shopping this week. Saved myself potentially hundreds! If I stop leaving the house, I’ll be rich in no time!

    Reply
  89. Jordan August 19, 2015 at 10:13 AM

    We just cut the cord a few weeks ago! Finally! It took a while to convince my wife to drop our satellite package, but it was worth it. We did a month trial run with a few devices so that I could prove to her that we would be fine.

    Before, we were paying ~$70/month for Dish Network, and $55/month for slow AT&T DSL.

    Now, we have Sling TV ($20/month) and a Tablo OTA DVR ($5/month for TV guide data), and much faster Comcast internet ($25/month promo, but will try to get a discount after a year).

    So we went from $125 to $50 for a monthly savings of $75.

    The only thing was we invested upfront in a cable modem (to avoid the Comcast rental fee – this will actually save us money after a year worth of use), a new router to handle all of the internet traffic, the Tablo DVR, external hard drive, and a discounted Roku through Sling’s “pay for 3 months” deal. That was a little bit of change but we will make up for it after a few months, and then we have some cool little devices that we can continue to use.

    Reply
  90. Adelle F. August 19, 2015 at 10:20 AM

    Just used a $5 coupon to take the family for frozen yogurt last night! Would love to get a Republic Wireless phone and plan for my husband!

    Reply
  91. Danell August 19, 2015 at 10:34 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was research dental discount plans. I’m losing my dental insurance at the end of the month, so looking to see if the cost of the discount plans would be worth it.
    I switched to RW a month ago and love it. My first bill I got a refund so only paid $14 and some change! Amazing. I plan to get my kids switched to RW as well as soon as they run out of minutes on their pay as you go phones.

    Reply
  92. Trenton August 19, 2015 at 10:34 AM

    How about unplugging all devices from the wall when not in use? Saves $20-$30/month for just a little effort!

    Reply
  93. Rick August 19, 2015 at 10:40 AM

    What was the last thing you did to save money? (How much did you save?)

    I set up an automatic debit of $125 from my checking account to my savings account that hits every 2 weeks when I get paid. It is automatic (which is awesome) buuutttt I have been guilty of touching it for expenses that may not be considered “emergencies”. I will keep saving it up though and let the emergency fund actually grow big enough for real emergencies!

    Reply
  94. Carson August 19, 2015 at 10:41 AM

    We cut cable and replaced with a TiVo/OTA antenna and saved $100/month!

    Reply
  95. Justin August 19, 2015 at 10:43 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was to sign up for Amazon Student for free (6 months free) and use it to get free 2 day shipping. I then used Amazon to rent a textbook for an upcoming class. The cost to buy was about $130 and I was able to rent it for the semester for around $30. Excited to keep my textbook costs low with book rentals (knowing full well I most likely won’t be re-reading any of the books for class!).

    Reply
  96. RW August 19, 2015 at 10:48 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was opt to walk further to the baseball game instead of paying $30 for parking.

    Reply
  97. Leah August 19, 2015 at 10:49 AM

    Skipped a morning coffee stop when I left home without my travel mug and drank the coffee at work instead. :(

    Reply
  98. Jaime August 19, 2015 at 10:50 AM

    The last thing that I did was sign up for Paribus, I’ve saved $10 this month on cat food and flonase.

    Reply
  99. Journey To Wealth August 19, 2015 at 10:52 AM

    What’s up J$!

    My wife’s such a T-Mobile fan for some reason, so I’ve been trying to get her to switch over to RW. Hopefully this post will convice her.

    Last thing I really saved money on was on my internet with Time Warner. We were paying for the fastest packaged they had ($70/mo), only to find out we weren’t getting the speeds we paid for. They ended up giving me 3 month’s worth of credit ($210). I then reduced my internet to the $40/mo package and extended my credit almost 5 months.

    Reply
  100. Tonya@Budget and the Beach August 19, 2015 at 11:00 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was…um, maybe somewhat questionable. :) I went to a (free) AVP (beach volleyball) tournament and Quest nutrition bars were giving out free samples. They cost about $2.79 per bar which is really expensive, so I kept going back and trying to sneak more samples. I even got friends to get samples for me. I ended up with TONS of bars. :) So there ya go!

    Reply
  101. KK August 19, 2015 at 11:02 AM

    I’m SO thrilled with your blog have done many of your suggestions from cleaning out the microwave/junk drawer to cutting cable!! THANK YOU…. How do I enter this drawing for RW??

    Reply
  102. MW August 19, 2015 at 11:04 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was make dinner even though I was totally exhausted and wanted to just order delivery. :)

    Reply
  103. Terri August 19, 2015 at 11:06 AM

    I switched my car insurance recently and am saving close to $40 a month. I also changed my time of use through my electric company and am not using any appliances or cranking the a/c down until after 6pm. And I’m now using Offer Up to sell I bunch of items in my shed that we no longer use. A bike – $30, car jack set – $40, bookcase – $45, acoustic foam – $50. It feels great!

    Reply
  104. Mrs. Crackin' the Whip August 19, 2015 at 11:09 AM

    We finally cancelled our gym membership this week. Savings = $82.50 per month!

    Reply
  105. T Koyama August 19, 2015 at 11:14 AM

    I bought a lawnmower, edger/weed whacker, and a leaf blower, and cancelled our gardener. The equipment cost about $400 but we are saving $60/month so starting in month 7 we will be ahead.

    I also downgraded to the $30/month cell phone plan at Metro PCS, which saves me $10/month. My wife’s AT&T contract expires in a month-and-a-half so we will be saving a lot there, too. Would love to give Republic a try.

    Thank you!

    Reply
  106. Wendy August 19, 2015 at 11:17 AM

    Packing my lunch for today was the last thing I did to save money!

    Reply
  107. Aaron August 19, 2015 at 11:20 AM

    Our refrigerator was showing signs of failing, and as “luck” would have it, our state was going to have a sales tax holiday. I did my research, and once we figured out the refrigerator we wanted, it was time to scope out prices. It seemed like online and brick-and-mortar retailers alike had the refrigerator on sale, but of course, the sales were all scheduled to end a few days before the sales tax holiday. I ended up saving $35 by buying the refrigerator before the sales tax holiday, and instead of paying $15 for them to remove the old refrigerator, I’ll be getting $50 back for handing it over to a recycling program.

    Reply
  108. Carol in Mpls August 19, 2015 at 11:20 AM

    Being in a car accident with an 18-wheeler was the last thing I did that “un-intentionally” saved me money. I’m fine, USAA paid me off for the salvage value of my car (in the bank, waiting for the next car purchase), and I’m still driving it.

    After all was said and done, the car insurance portion of my policy (since it’s basically all one policy), went down about $40/month. So, I upped my monthly transfer to savings, again, saving for the next vehicle.

    Definitely would consider Republic Wireless. Just spoke to my brother yesterday on his work-issued iPhone. Could barely hear him. He’s not a happy camper. I think he wants his Blackberry back.

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:48 PM

      Ouch! So glad you’re safe (and same w/ your wallet!))

      Reply
  109. Matt August 19, 2015 at 11:23 AM

    Hi J$,
    I opened up an Amazon seller account and sold some gently used electronics. An older garmin watch $50, HD webcam $50, and a part for a Nikon camera I never used $20. It’s great to have access to the large market place of Amazon for a relatively small fee. Total saved about $120!!

    Reply
  110. Denise August 19, 2015 at 11:25 AM

    I was literally going to switch to Republic Wireless today, but now I’ll wait and see if I win. :)

    The last thing I did to save money was to start buying a lot of my groceries at Aldi. It save saves me at least $100 a month.

    Reply
  111. Shane M August 19, 2015 at 11:28 AM

    Hey J!

    I did two things recently to save money.

    First, I purchased the Moto E 2nd Gen on Republic for my father shortly after its launch so he could finally get rid of his ancient flip phone on the big red carrier. I just got his first monthly bill and after the Republic Refund it was a whopping $13! That’s less for a shiny new smartphone that his old dinosaur on VZW. Now that I have my wife, father, and best friend on Republic, I just need to move myself over after my VZW contract expires in 2 months!

    Secondly, I biked to one of my many local running clubs last night. Rather than purchasing a pizza slice & a beer after the hot, WA-wildfire-smoke-smothering run as is often my routine, I resisted the urge to splurge & biked home for dinner and a beer at my own place. What better way to save $$$ than to not spend it in the first place?!

    -Smoky in Spokane
    First time commenter

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:50 PM

      Love it! And thanks for commenting for first time – love hearing from new people :)

      Reply
  112. Jay August 19, 2015 at 11:33 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was barter labor for labor. We had a deck built out of composite material which can be costly. I bought the materials and our contractor neighbor helped build the deck with me. In return, I helped demo a house he is flipping in the fall. I saved over $1500 on labor and $500 on materials (we used his military discount). Seems to be a win win for the both of us :)

    Reply
    1. Dude on a Mission August 20, 2015 at 12:31 PM

      Do you know that the IRS treats that as taxable income? In reality no one actually claims those type of things, but if you trade services it’s technically taxable. Just be careful who you’re sharing that info with, haha.

      Reply
  113. Brian L August 19, 2015 at 11:33 AM

    We needed a new bed for my youngest son, who was getting too big for his crib. My wife found a loft bed system that she loved in a rather posh store. Rather than plunk down $2,750 for the bed, plus an additional $175 shipping surcharge, we decided to build it ourselves. It is not quite finished yet, but by next weekend it should be complete. I have invested just under $450 for tools and materials, so our total savings will be close to $2,500. Had I decided not to buy a new paint sprayer, I could have saved another $200, but it turned out to be a good decision.

    Reply
  114. J Reed August 19, 2015 at 11:33 AM

    Just called Sirius XM to have them continue our promotional rate on our satellite radio. They charge $200/yr for a renewal, but the promotional rate is $99/yr. We call this time every year and tell them we want the promotional rate to continue.

    Reply
  115. Travis Rojakovick August 19, 2015 at 11:39 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was start using the library for DVDs instead of buying them. Not a huge deal, but baby steps…

    Reply
  116. Lizzie August 19, 2015 at 11:51 AM

    Hi J. Money,

    I cancelled my cable. $150/month saved!!!

    Reply
  117. Mike August 19, 2015 at 11:59 AM

    I started picking up change…even pennies!

    Reply
  118. Jon Brown August 19, 2015 at 11:59 AM

    I signed up for Digit (from J. Money’s post the other day), currently saved about $20 without doing anything. I really like it so far

    Reply
  119. Mike Costlow August 19, 2015 at 12:01 PM

    I’m not on RW yet (still stuck on a contract with Big Red! grrrrr…..) but plan to switch as soon as I won’t get raked over the coals with early-termination domination.

    I’d love to win, though! ;)

    Last thing I did to save $$$ was stopped using our “financial advisor” who was not only taking 1% of our retirement funds each year, but was losing us money, and am moving to Vanguard! #budgetsaresexy

    Reply
  120. Doan Duong August 19, 2015 at 12:01 PM

    Paid off my car and switch from full coverage to just the minimum require. My conservative estimate is a 100 bucks a month.

    Reply
  121. JR August 19, 2015 at 12:05 PM

    I want to save money on vacation.

    Reply
  122. Jessica August 19, 2015 at 12:06 PM

    My husband quit drinking and I joined him! We’ve saved about $150/month so far. Man that stuff’s expensive.

    Reply
  123. Jo August 19, 2015 at 12:10 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was start planning meals and have an _exact_ shopping list before going to the grocery store. I’ve been meaning to do this, as I’ve done the other big savers (cord-cutting, consolidating insurance, etc.), but was pushed to do it now because my refrigerator recently died, so I had some “rare” purchases like condiments to replace along with the usual weekly fare…and I realized I just had too much in there (frozen chicken breasts I never got around to eating), and spend more than I need to at the grocery store & farmers markets.

    I estimate I saved $65 just this trip–and will continue to stick to it, saving less on “normal” trips but saving nonetheless. Not to mention if the fridge/freezer ever dies again, it won’t have so much lost!

    One of the remaining items on my list is to switch to cheaper cell service. Your giveaway would make that SO much easier! ;)

    Reply
  124. Donna August 19, 2015 at 12:12 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was to take advantage of Best Buy’s price match. Saved me 25%!

    Reply
  125. Kate Whitman August 19, 2015 at 12:17 PM

    All sorts of money savers in our household! I’m pregnant, and need a bunch of dressy maternity clothes for a work environment… took a bunch of old clothes in my closet (and my mother’s) and added an elastic panel to the waist to make them work without having to buy anything new!

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:52 PM

      Congrats on the wee one!

      Reply
  126. Bianca N August 19, 2015 at 12:17 PM

    Last thing I did to save money is an on-going experiment. Put myself on a Fiscal Fast for August. So far it has allowed me to start investing 10% of my income and, thanks to a combination of no spending, side hustles, and cash gifts, pay a hefty chunk to my embarrassing debt.

    Reply
  127. Vonn August 19, 2015 at 12:19 PM

    My boyfriend and I wanted to go on a vacation near the beach for less than $75 per night. We waited until the day of to book a room with good reviews for $56 per night! There was also free breakfast and we brought groceries for the other meals.

    Reply
  128. Chris August 19, 2015 at 12:20 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was cut my cable and phone service. I’m on cable internet only now, saving $100/month.

    Reply
  129. Chung August 19, 2015 at 12:21 PM

    The last thing I did to save money is to use my company shopping portal. They have cash back and discounts for almost everything. I bought some Amazon gift cards at 5% off.

    Reply
  130. Becky August 19, 2015 at 12:22 PM

    The last thing we did to save money was to actually plan out the meals we would eat each week. Usually I buy stuff I just know that we will eat, but last week, I looked at what we had and planned meals using those things, and only a small amount of shopping. If I stick to it the rest of the month we are on par to spend $50-$100 less than we normally spend grocery shopping. (And I thought our grocery budget was already tiny!) Also, by planning meals, I hope to eat out a bit less, saving possibly another $100 a month.

    Reply
  131. Patrick Shearer August 19, 2015 at 12:27 PM

    I am always looking for ways to save. The last major thing I did to save was something to buy a big ticket item-a house. I opened a IDA savings account and got a second job to save for down payment. Instead of going out to have a social life I got a job that allowed me to be social and make money. Plus instead of buying food I take the left overs home from the catering job to eat! I also hope to get this new phone so I can cut back on my current bill!:) Now that I am finally in a house I am trying to learn even more ways to save! (I also contacted energy trust of Oregon and got a free energy savings kit which included 8 free LED bulbs. Major score!)
    Best,

    Reply
  132. Michelle August 19, 2015 at 12:28 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was to camp for free! :)

    Reply
  133. Kate T August 19, 2015 at 12:29 PM

    The last thing I started doing to save money was going online with Coke codes from all coke products. I entered them and started gathering points. I plan on using the points at Christmas time for holiday gifts – hence saving money. You can buy magazine subscriptions, giftcards, and photo projects. Love it. Saved quite a bit!

    Reply
  134. Kent August 19, 2015 at 12:34 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was to get solar panels installed at my house.

    Reply
  135. Logan Maloy August 19, 2015 at 12:42 PM

    Our last money saving attempt was to start using RichmondSavers.com’s help to prepare for a trip to Kilimanjaro that my in-laws are planning. I’m expecting to save almost $2,000 by getting the flights for free.

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:53 PM

      Rock on – Brad’s awesome, isn’t he?

      Reply
  136. Bob Horvath August 19, 2015 at 12:46 PM

    The latest thing I have been doing to save, and make money, is selling items on craigslist. This has been very motivating knowing that I minimized my storage needs (monthly money saved), it is less clutter (less stress), and the items have been put back to use by someone else.

    Reply
  137. ALVARO TRUJILLO August 19, 2015 at 12:47 PM

    Last thing i did to save money was donate blood at my local blood mobile that parks outside of the Soupplantation. They give you a voucher for a free meal and since i donated double blood they gave me two vouchers. Thats a dinner with the wife for free!!

    Reply
  138. BJ Marley August 19, 2015 at 12:49 PM

    The last thing I did to save money is recycle the ad from my favorite department store without perusing it and convincing myself that I needed to buy what they have on sale.

    Reply
  139. Jenna August 19, 2015 at 1:07 PM

    Due diligence tire shopping. Called around for good faith estimates, looked at rebates and promotions. Saved $275 on same brand/mileage tires – between two shops that were within the same market area.

    Reply
  140. Sam August 19, 2015 at 1:07 PM

    We just saved money by selling a bed that we were not using on Craigslist.

    Reply
  141. AlSwinson August 19, 2015 at 1:12 PM

    J. Money I enjoy reading your blogs thanks for great advice. My last venture would have to be setting a budget and using cash only through the envelope system

    Reply
  142. Draven August 19, 2015 at 1:18 PM

    Went on Republic earlier this Spring from AT&T and love it, now waiting to convince the hubster to switch once his year’s prepaid of Straight Talk runs out. Winning this would certainly help seal the deal. ;)

    This past month I’ve been successfully selling several items on craigslist and FB, and have been mowing lawns for some extra cash. As for saving money, been using my Ibotta grocery app like crazy, and the Honey extension you recommended has helped already (Thanks!).

    Reply
  143. Carolyn August 19, 2015 at 1:28 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was open an account with Vanguard. After following your blog and reading about Vanguard, I opened a VTSAX account last week. In one week, I have $74.36 more in my account! That beats the heck out of the 1% I was earning when the cash was in a money market acct!

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:56 PM

      Just remember to not get too scared off when the market crashes like it’s currently doing. It’s $$ for the long haul so when it’s low you scoop up even more! :)

      Reply
  144. Susan August 19, 2015 at 1:29 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was search cashback sites before making a big purchase. I ended up finding a site offering 15% cash back, saving me about $20.

    Reply
  145. Jake McLean August 19, 2015 at 1:41 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was sign up for my 457 savings plan through work. Saving 1500 per month!

    Reply
  146. Suzanne August 19, 2015 at 1:42 PM

    Hey there! I’m taking a break to write this from the newest way I’m saving money: building a BUDGET with the YouNeedABudget software. My husband and I are both stoked to get our financial house in order.

    To get even more of a head start, last week we did a yard sale and made over $200 just by getting rid of stuff we didn’t use, need, or want anymore out of our house. Score!

    I’ve been hesitant to jump on Republic Wireless just because my husband and I already HAVE the Moto G phones (we went off-contract with AT&T, to save money) just last year. I called Republic Wireless and asked if our phones would work, but they won’t :-( So it would mean purchasing phones all over again. It would be sweet to win one, that would certainly make the decision for us!

    Reply
  147. Andrea August 19, 2015 at 1:43 PM

    The last thing I tried to do to save money was to combine my cell plan with my mom. It ended saving us nothing to merge our plans at Sprint. I’m counting the days until I can leave Sprint for good! Total fail but now I know.

    Reply
  148. Shane C August 19, 2015 at 1:46 PM

    I recently paid up my rent for the remainder of summer and for the fall and winter months ahead. Then I plan on taking the funds that I would of been using toward rent to apply toward other bills I can pay off before I’m due to pay rent again. I look at It as an early B-Day and Xmas present for myself. :P

    Thanks for the giveaway! Have never tried RW, but am curious nonetheless.

    Reply
  149. shaunie August 19, 2015 at 1:53 PM

    I bought seafood at my local grocer (stocked up). Saved about 12 dollars

    Reply
  150. Sandy August 19, 2015 at 1:59 PM

    Last thing we did to save money is cut the cord! We had Dish which was 70 bucks a month and now have sling TV that costs 20 bucks a month….so a savings of 50 bucks a month…600 a year!

    Reply
  151. Rebecca August 19, 2015 at 2:10 PM

    I called Directv & haggled with them for a better rate, since hubby can’t give up his NFL Sunday Ticket….which I also got for free!

    Reply
  152. Christine Lamitina August 19, 2015 at 2:24 PM

    Inspired by Budgets are Sexy, I went through all my regular bills and made calls to all my service companies asking for a better rate. I’ve been using those “savings” to help pay off my credit card debt. And finally, I signed up for a personal loan through Prosper to pay off those balances and reduce the interest I’m paying by half.

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:58 PM

      Woo! You are on fire!

      Reply
  153. Heather Evans August 19, 2015 at 2:26 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was to shop around for my homeowners insurance renewal. I found the exact same coverage I already had for $1900 less! Why didn’t I do this earlier?!?

    I have RW for myself and my two teen sons. My bill for all the phones is a few cents less than $38 a month! I am going to try out the new refund plan next month and if it saves me money we’ll update all the phones to the new plan!

    Reply
  154. Vic @ Dad Is Cheap August 19, 2015 at 2:29 PM

    I’m that guy driving holding up traffic by sticking to the speed limit and use cruise control as much as I can. Not sure exactly how much that saves, but I do know my gas lasts a little longer!

    I also gas up weekly at Costco for two cars which I estimate I save $6-$8 each week vs. going to a regular gas station. Those pennies add up!

    Reply
    1. Dude on a Mission August 20, 2015 at 12:32 PM

      And I’m the guy behind you going, “Seriously man? It’s the pedal on the right!”

      Reply
  155. Tracy August 19, 2015 at 2:36 PM

    Started making lattes at home instead of buying them out every day. Still a work in progress, but I’m committed!

    Reply
  156. Stacey August 19, 2015 at 2:36 PM

    I just used coupons at the drugstore to get $20 of toiletries for free. What we don’t use, I donate.

    Thanks for setting up the giveaway!

    Reply
  157. Krystle August 19, 2015 at 2:53 PM

    I signed up for Digit last week. So far it’s saved me over thirty dollars that I haven’t even missed from my account.

    Reply
  158. JC August 19, 2015 at 2:54 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was have my health insurance company do an audit on my bills. Turns out they were overcharging me for my deductible. Saved over $1000 dollars after everything was adjusted.

    I also moved closer to work. Saving $10 a day round trip on metro fare.

    Reply
  159. Jeff August 19, 2015 at 3:05 PM

    Savings:
    I cut the cord on cable (mostly)
    Switched to Ooma Phone
    2 Rokus and a basic cable box saves me $120/month!

    Reply
  160. Dee August 19, 2015 at 3:07 PM

    Hey JMoney!!!! Been stalking RW for months now but nervous to pull the trigger. Curious about the service in my area. The hubbs switched to TMobile and I dislike it very much!!!

    Would absolutely love to try the new phone and service plan. Fingers crossed!

    The last thing I did to save money was travel hacking! Newbie at it but I love vacation and feel that it is a neccessary item (would rather travel than get new clothes or gadgets… ect…) Also not buying any new clothes or gadgets. Gotta have those priorities! (*ahem… caribbean…;)

    Reply
  161. Stephen R August 19, 2015 at 3:07 PM

    Last thing I did to save money was finally combine my auto and home insurance. It saved me $400 a month (yearly savings of $4800!). Republic Wireless sounds like a winner. I would love to try out their phone and service!

    Reply
  162. Sharon August 19, 2015 at 3:13 PM

    I harvested tomtoes, chard, carrots, potatoes, and cucumbers from my garden.

    Reply
  163. Jim August 19, 2015 at 3:13 PM

    I resisted temptation and didn’t buy any junk food at the convenience store after filling my tank with gas.

    Reply
  164. Jennie August 19, 2015 at 3:16 PM

    Looking to switch to Republic when my current contract is up in October, so perfect timing!!

    One of the last things I did to save money was wash my daughter’s cloth diapers! We decided to try them out a year ago when she was born, and since then I estimate we’ve saved close to $1,000 versus disposable diapers.

    Not that I have a thing against disposables diapers. Man, do I love me some disposables. But my bank account certainly loves cloth!

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 2:59 PM

      You’re a better saver than I! We didn’t even try it out as my wife said “no wayyyyy” haha… Now I’ll forever be curious :)

      Reply
  165. Lexi August 19, 2015 at 3:17 PM

    I saved money by making a watchband rather than buying one!

    Reply
  166. Emily Donley August 19, 2015 at 3:18 PM

    Cool! I use Republic but we haven’t switched my husband over yet.

    The last thing we did to save money was to buy used furniture from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore rather than new! It would’ve cost us $1,000 to buy a new couch/loveseat but instead we were patient looking for something used that was nice and we found a great couch for $50 and another one for free!

    Reply
  167. kellyn westra August 19, 2015 at 3:23 PM

    I stopped going out to eat as much and bring my lunch and stopped using vending machines at work for my coca cola addiction and went back to homemade coffee. Also, planning on switching to RW when I’ve paid off my current phone.

    Reply
  168. Brittany August 19, 2015 at 3:25 PM

    I started actually using the coupons I receive. I don’t generally seek them out, but I have started using the ones I receive in the mail (mostly from my BJ’s membership) and the ones you get at the register for your current purchases. By combining them, I often save 25-30% on my trips. Since I already save a lot by shopping at BJs, this is great. Even better when I can combine it with bonus rewards for groceries (shoprite, stop & shop) on my credit card to essentially get more back. Those rewards go are what I get to use for Christmas shopping!

    Reply
  169. Lisa August 19, 2015 at 3:25 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was use coupons at the grocery store. It generally saves me 10-13 bucks a trip. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you are raising two teenage boys by yourself, one of which eats like a horse, it helps! Lisa

    Reply
  170. Tracy August 19, 2015 at 3:27 PM

    We did a eat from fridge and panty challenge and only spent ~$20 on vegetables from the farmers market. Did 2 weeks before a vacation to limit food waste and save money.

    Reply
  171. Zalo Crivelli August 19, 2015 at 3:31 PM

    Last thing I did is pair down all of my possessions to a suit case and to rent one room sans kitchen to live in. I created a kitchen using two hot plates, shelving as a pantry, a relatively large mini-fridge as perishable storage, two washing basins and a bucket for cookware cleaning, and one of those sports water coolers hooked up to a faucet as water storage and use. I also bought two bicycles and a bicycle trailer off Craigslist to use as transportation, for grocery runs, and for hauling cargo (e.g. moving).

    I pay less than $500 per month for all of my expenses. The difference between my expenses and low college student income has allowed me to save and invest $20,000 in my first two years of college. (:

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 3:00 PM

      holy crap – you are amazing!!

      Reply
  172. Julie August 19, 2015 at 3:32 PM

    I switched insurance carriers for auto and home, also dropping autos to liability only. Saved over 850/year!

    We’ve been wanting to try RW, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet. This may be the push we need!

    Reply
  173. Jaimie August 19, 2015 at 3:39 PM

    We switched insurance carriers – a savings of $1200 a year!

    Reply
  174. Hillary August 19, 2015 at 3:39 PM

    Stopped using the dishwasher!

    I want to try RW

    Reply
  175. Sheila Chadman August 19, 2015 at 3:40 PM

    When I lived alone and was paying off my student loans, I stopped paying for cable or internet. I was able to pay off my loans 6 years early!

    Reply
  176. Mrs Spock August 19, 2015 at 3:53 PM

    I baked a loaf of bread this morning. Bread free of our allergens costs about $4.99 from a specialty shop around here. It costs me $0.75 for me to bake it myself. I bake about 2 loaves per week, saving us about $441 per year.

    Reply
  177. Lea August 19, 2015 at 3:57 PM

    The last thing I did to save money is stop buying food that I won’t finish eating by next grocery cycle.

    Reply
  178. Jay August 19, 2015 at 4:04 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was shop my car insurance.

    Reply
  179. Jeep August 19, 2015 at 4:10 PM

    It’s definitely one of the small things, but I switched to eating soup at lunchtime recently to save money. It saves me around $2 a day compared with the salad I used to eat. But that adds up to about $40 a month, or almost $500 a year. All from just eating tasty soup!

    Reply
  180. Rhiannon August 19, 2015 at 4:15 PM

    I was going to buy a double stroller to haul my toddler and baby around in, but decided to check the thrift store instead. Found one that’s just perfect for us for $12 – so cheap because the folks there hadn’t been able to figure out the mechanism for collapsing it. Saved at least $100 there, probably more!

    Reply
  181. kristin August 19, 2015 at 4:17 PM

    just re-financed to a 15 year mortgage to save a whole lot on interest!

    Reply
  182. Caleb August 19, 2015 at 4:24 PM

    Just last night I walked to a local pub (about a mile) instead of calling a cab. Saved at least $7.

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 3:02 PM

      Oh how I miss pubs…. or even the excitement of walking to one!

      Reply
  183. Teresa August 19, 2015 at 4:52 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was not mailing 3 letters to family members that we’ll be seeing this weekend for a last min get together. But the things that have been putting/keeping money in my pocket is avoiding the new clothes temptation and selling stuff that is laying around our house.

    Reply
  184. Kris August 19, 2015 at 4:54 PM

    The last major thing I did to save money was shopping around for more reasonable (and hopefully better) car insurance. I found it with Allstate and saved about $600 a year. But I also do money-savings things all the time, including just not spending money at all. It saves tons every year.

    Reply
  185. Marc August 19, 2015 at 5:08 PM

    We cut back on our cable and got rid of Pandora Radio so that’ll save us about $640 over the next year! It’s the little things that add up…

    Reply
  186. howell sharpe August 19, 2015 at 5:17 PM

    The last big thing we did to save money was to stop eating out.

    Reply
  187. James W August 19, 2015 at 5:17 PM

    6 months ago, ditched the cable for a savings of nearly $80/month, and started to walk to work, live less than a mile from there so that also saves on gas AND gym membership ;)

    Reply
  188. Liz August 19, 2015 at 5:24 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was switch my electric service. Ny rate went from 8 cents to 6 cents per kWh.

    Reply
  189. Tom August 19, 2015 at 5:30 PM

    I’m 17 and I recently went back to school shopping at my local mall, while there I used multiple coupons, one of which was a 20% coupon on a pair of shorts which saved me 12 dollars.

    Reply
  190. Chris G August 19, 2015 at 5:33 PM

    I had my eye on some cute Espadrilles at Target that were only $20 to start with but why pay regular price?! I just picked them up for $5!

    Reply
  191. Kris H August 19, 2015 at 5:54 PM

    I cancelled cable a couple months ago and bought a Tablo and a Roku. I will save about $80 each month

    Reply
  192. Paul August 19, 2015 at 5:57 PM

    A free RW phone and a few months of free service, sure, why not, I will give it a try…..
    This is a really small idea but I thought I would pass it along, who knows, it may get me a free phone!!!!!!!!!!
    Anyway, a few weeks ago I once again decided to rummage under the drivers seat and surrounding areas to pick up all the change that always falls out when I wear shorts (and in Reno that is a lot of days). After doing this for our 2 cars for about a month I counted the jar I set aside for this specifically and lo and behold, I have 29.66 dollars in there. It is a really a small “man purse” they call it and to give you an idea of the size or the pain to have 1 more item in your pocket, I have to feel the outside if my pocket to be sure I didn’t forget it. It works everywhere, driving in a friends car, a taxi, etc. Like I said, small but effective!
    Thanks for the opportunity to try and win a RW phone and service!
    Paul

    Reply
  193. Yana August 19, 2015 at 6:03 PM

    Yes, that phone looks like it could be an upgrade for me. Sounds good!

    Reply
  194. Yana August 19, 2015 at 6:06 PM

    Oops, the last thing I did to save money was to dismiss the idea of paying for a new email service – multiple “perks” included – and I saved over $100/yr.

    Reply
  195. Jason Lancy August 19, 2015 at 6:13 PM

    Last thing we did to save money was to make our own coffee instead of buying it!

    Reply
  196. Georgy August 19, 2015 at 6:16 PM

    My internet/phone bill kept going up into the stratosphere . . I changed companies, cable only and added a basic talk phone service – WOWZER!!! I went from $125. a month to $39. – now i see all of you manage to do even better – I STILL have a lot to learn.

    Reply
  197. Caroline August 19, 2015 at 6:33 PM

    I do all my shopping at Salvation Army and only go on Senoir’s Day

    Reply
  198. Tommy Seymour August 19, 2015 at 6:46 PM

    The last thing I did to save money is to start coming home for lunch. I save at least 6-8 dollars a day. As an added perk, if I have lunch already prepared and I eat quickly, I can get in a power nap as well.

    Reply
  199. Nicole Deloach August 19, 2015 at 6:58 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was I switched our car and homeowners insurance to USAA. It’s saving us about $500 a year.

    Reply
  200. Brentt August 19, 2015 at 7:54 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was making two large batches of homemade soups to eat for dinner throughout the rest of this month, instead of buying pre-made items. Saved probably $10 to $20 overall!

    Reply
  201. Scott August 19, 2015 at 8:12 PM

    Rode my bike to work!!!!

    Reply
  202. fsucap August 19, 2015 at 8:26 PM

    The last thing I did to save money (and time) was to make a weeks’ worth of dinners in one night!

    Reply
  203. Debbie August 19, 2015 at 8:57 PM

    The Last Thing I Did to Save Money was buying gift cards at discounts and then using them to shop online during sales at my favorite stores through ebates website and then getting money back from ebates. Even more savings if using a coupon code when placing order at the online store.

    Reply
  204. laurie Sharpe August 19, 2015 at 9:45 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was to stop shopping at department stores like Macys.

    Reply
  205. Laura August 19, 2015 at 10:12 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was to combine our auto insurance with our homeowner’s insurance. The bundling of both of them saved us about $120 per year.

    Right now I am saving money by picking fruit that people are not interested in for themselves. I have been able to get blueberries, currents, and some apples so far. Also right now in the Pacific Northwest there are millions of pounds of free blackberries just waiting to be picked!

    The next thing I will do to save money is to move most of my garden from my backyard to our city Community Garden. It costs $55 for a full year of garden use, including the water; compared to paying $25 per month extra for the city water to water at our home during the 6 month growing season from May to October! So I would probably save around $100 a year on our home-grown food…

    We are currently on Sprint’s Framily plan, paying $63.50 monthly for 2 phones with unlimited talk/text/data on wifi and 1 G data if we use the plan. Three of our kids and their spouses are also on our account, but each family gets their own bill–all together, we are literally saving hundreds of dollars per month (it is basically $25 per person plus the taxes & fees if you have at least 7 people signed up). I could drop out of the Framily plan without causing anyone’s plan to go up… I am very much a homebody, mostly use wifi, and have been eyeing Republic Wireless for a few years now; it would be great to try it out!

    Reply
  206. Callie August 19, 2015 at 10:48 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was order a garden shed through Google shopping and Ebates. I ended up saving over $150!

    Reply
  207. Yazmir August 19, 2015 at 10:59 PM

    How I saved money this week…

    The screen on my samsung galaxy s4 broke. To get the exact same phone, I had to cough up $300.00! I recently started to invest and begin an emergency fund! I DID NOT WANT to tap into any of that money. I just did not think that buying a new smart phone was an emergency. So I decided to get a flip phone for $65.00- a savings of $235.00! I don’t regret it. I wasn’t using my smart phone all that much anyway! The phone does the necessary function, text and call (I do get teased my friends and coworkers but I don’t care) and I’ll pay $50.00 a month. I want to pay less than that and would love to pay less than that!

    Thanks for tge opportunity, J Money!

    Reply
  208. Joan August 19, 2015 at 11:26 PM

    I changed my cabin air filter by watching YouTube. Dealer wanted $48. Cost me $10!

    Reply
  209. JF August 19, 2015 at 11:40 PM

    It’s late, but made my way to the kitchen, made some dinner to take to work tomorrow for lunch, and not eat out =]

    Reply
  210. janet August 19, 2015 at 11:44 PM

    Trying to sell my benz, I just want something from point A to point b

    Reply
  211. JR Lapointe August 19, 2015 at 11:44 PM

    The last thing I did to save money would be giving up my beauty to leave South Dakota. I have saved up $10,000 for 3 years from babysitting and other jobs to save up for a place to move into when we leave this state.

    Reply
  212. Andrea August 19, 2015 at 11:46 PM

    The last thing I used to save money was taking advantage of the special sale days I used in the circulars delivered to my house when I went grocery shopping. I then used the coupons I printed out from several coupon sites, and had many of my savings doubled! I saved $53.00 on my last grocery bill, and I was shocked, that’s the most I have ever saved in one grocery shopping trip, and it made my day!

    Reply
  213. Karrie August 20, 2015 at 1:13 AM

    I started cooking big one pot meals and freezing them to save on money and time..I cut back the grocery bill $300 a month

    Reply
  214. Krystal Nelson August 20, 2015 at 1:39 AM

    Last thing I did to save money is stop going out!

    Reply
  215. Chris @ Flipping a Dollar August 20, 2015 at 5:19 AM

    Hah. And I just dropped my Moto X 1st Gen and cracked the screen along the top of the black edge. Womp womp. My wife called comcast and was able to get our bill lowered back to $39.99 and got an upgrade to blast service (150 down instead of 25 MB down). Better service while also paying less? Thank you!

    And I’m a huge RW fan. My parents just went on a vacation out in the boonies and no ones phones worked.. except for my mom and brother who have RW and were able to use the VOIP calling with no issues!

    Reply
  216. Mimi August 20, 2015 at 7:37 AM

    The last thing I did was pick cucumbers and tomatoes from my garden, and then went to Aldi to shop for the rest of my fruits and veggies. This is my last grocery trip for the month since I’m going to be reducing my freezer and pantry stockpile.

    We spend $230/mo at AT&T for 6 people. Switching would be a tough sell for my hubs, who is a die-hard loyalist. I’d love to try out Republic and show him how we can save a pretty penny without sacrificing quality and coverage.

    Reply
  217. Kris g August 20, 2015 at 8:16 AM

    The latest thing I did to save money was actually for my elderly parents. After seeing how they were getting ripped off each month by their cable company, ($210/month!), I called to see what they could cut. I got it down $40 less by cancelling some add-ons that they didn’t even know they had. (“Do you use the DVR?” “What’s that?”) I could cut it by another $40 if they switched their home phone to this awesome RW phone! By the way, I switched my phone to RW a year ago after reading your review! My hubbie and son have swithced since then and love it!

    Reply
  218. Diane August 20, 2015 at 9:04 AM

    Hi there! Thanks for the great giveaway. The last thing I did to save money was learn about and complete a travel hacking plan that took my family of 4 to Europe and Iceland for nearly free… no airfare and lodging in London at a 4-star hotel for $80/night!

    Reply
  219. Daniel August 20, 2015 at 10:59 AM

    I just bought a townhouse instead of renting. It will save me money because I bought it with cash.
    Really enjoy your site and saving money!

    Reply
  220. Andrew Williams August 20, 2015 at 11:21 AM

    I have been using Digit for several months now and it’s the best way I have found lately to save. It puts money away that you really don’t even need! I love Digit. I am able to save for Christmas gifts, loan debt, etc.

    Reply
  221. The Professor August 20, 2015 at 11:22 AM

    The latest thing I did to try and save money was to sign up for this free contest by J$$..haha. Okay since I didn’t win yet I guess that technically means I didn’t save any money.
    The latest thing I did was to look at some of the offers offered on my AMEX blue card. You have to add them to your card to work. One that I added last month was with Smart and Final. If you bought $50 worth of groceries you would get $25 back. Not to mention the 6% I get back with the card. Wow…I thought. You could also repeat that offer up to three times in the time period. So I spaced it out and I saved $75 on groceries over that month. (plus the 6% back on the card). Awesome!

    Reply
  222. SavvyFinancialLatina August 20, 2015 at 11:27 AM

    We cancelled our hubby’s gym membership. $34 a month! He’s now working out with some friends for free. He wanted to switch to a new gym, but it’s been put a hold. Hoping he ends up not wanting a new gym membership.
    I’m pretty sure I’m going to switch our car insurance coverage down to liability + uninsured motorist coverage when our new plan starts in December. Hoping this yields lots of savings for 2016. I’ll take the savings and start a new car fund.

    Reply
  223. Dude on a Mission August 20, 2015 at 12:37 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was install a hand rail along the railing of my deck instead of paying someone else to do it. Yes, I had to install a hand rail…right along side of the already-installed railing that previously passed inspection when I bought the house. Selling a house with the associated inspections, requirements, etc. is a black hole of time and money!

    Reply
  224. Paul August 20, 2015 at 12:58 PM

    We’re doing cloth diapers with our newborn daughter and it has saved us tons already and will continue to save us! It’s easy once you get the hang of it!

    Reply
  225. Susan D August 20, 2015 at 1:10 PM

    I switched my electricity provider last week and selected a plan that will save me about $40 per month.

    Reply
  226. Josh Harrison August 20, 2015 at 1:39 PM

    A habit I’ve changed that seems to have intermittent benefits, is to complete all of the customer satisfaction survey. Now I always try to submit positive comments as well as complaints to restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores I frequent.

    Most recently I purchases a few snack items from a gas station. After arriving at home I noticed that the apple was nearly completely rotten and inedible. I submitted a complaint to their customer support email and quickly received a gift card to refund my purchase!

    Now I also said I would do this when I received especially good service, and this always happens at a local coffee chain. After submitting many positive comments about the front of house staff I received another gift card in the mail thanking me for taking the time out of my day to submit positive comments. How awesome is that?!

    Now this isn’t necessarily a cost saving measure like cutting cable and insurance bills will, but more than likely you’ll end up getting gift cards and coupons to stores you already were going to spend that money at anyway. Why not take the few minutes out of your day to fill out those customer satisfaction surveys, people do pay attention to those, and maybe they’ll reward you for your loyalty!

    Reply
  227. Nick Pavlidis August 20, 2015 at 1:46 PM

    Hey! Cool! Last thing I did to save money was google a coupon code to get a new notary kit. Saved me $5 on a $50 purchase. :)

    Good to see you’re still doing well J$$$$$$!

    Reply
  228. Luise August 20, 2015 at 3:18 PM

    I increased the deductibles on my car and homeowners insurance, which is saving me $150/yr. I also started using YNAB (which I won, so I didn’t have to pay for it,) and that is saving me countless dollars because I now know exactly where all of my money is going.

    Reply
  229. John August 20, 2015 at 3:39 PM

    What was the last thing you did to save money? (How much did you save?)

    I dropped comprehensive insurance coverage on an older car, and saved about $25 per month.

    Reply
  230. Debora August 20, 2015 at 5:37 PM

    Stop giving ::cough::, “loaning” money to family because I never get it back.

    Reply
  231. Kim P August 20, 2015 at 6:01 PM

    My dryer broke down and I have been air drying instead of replacing the dryer. I would guess that I am saving about $600 and I haven’t missed it yet!

    Reply
  232. Billy Brown August 20, 2015 at 9:10 PM

    Hummmm, the last thing I did to save money? I paid my home loan off way early to cut the overall price. I had sold a house elsewhere and was very tempted to purchase a couple new cars for the wife and I but having read your articles and a few others out there, it was clear what the smart thing to do was!
    Great web site you got here, keep preaching the liberating truth. Thanks for the good advise you publish.

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 3:05 PM

      Smooth move indeed, wow – congrats! Can’t even imagine what being mortgage-free feels like!

      Reply
  233. renalvoodoo August 20, 2015 at 9:25 PM

    I just switched insurance companies. after i raised all of my deductibles on my old company and saved about 400$ a year, they went ahead and raised my premiums for the next year by 400$. so I switched companies and nearly passed out when the new company offered me about 1500 less with the same coverage. insurance companies use credit scores when looking at new customers, so they were able to get me an awesome deal!!

    Reply
  234. Steve August 20, 2015 at 9:31 PM

    Last thing I did to save money was get a glass bottle to take to work and started making my own iced tea at $0.12 a bottle instead of getting $1.75 drinks from the vending machine or Starbucks. Saves me probably $20-$30 a month or so :).

    Reply
  235. Byron August 20, 2015 at 10:55 PM

    I”ve been finding gas coupons & filling up on Tuesdays at a couple stations that will double 10 cent coupons to 20 cents discount per gallon. It adds up quick. Saves me $20-30.00 a month.

    Reply
  236. Bambi August 20, 2015 at 11:25 PM

    I just bought new winter snow boots-name brand on Ebay for $38.00 shipped. These boots were $70-$100 last winter on Ebay or at a department store. Yes, I admit my daughter complained about pinched toes last winter for a couple snowfalls. This year she will be stylin’ in the snow ;-).

    Reply
  237. Shilpa August 21, 2015 at 12:24 AM

    Last thing I did to save money was eating leftovers for lunch

    Reply
  238. Jennie August 21, 2015 at 8:40 AM

    I do am using BillCutterz, based on your recommendation. They couldn’t do anything with our electric or water bills, but our Dish bill is $15 cheaper a month for six months and Time Warner internet is now the same price but with the ultra speed. So we pay $34.99/mo for 30mg. Since Time Warner wasn’t any money savings, BillCutterz didn’t take a portion! And they’ll negotiate when it’s time to talk again to Dish. Love this service!
    Since we’ve recently moved to a larger house (equals larger mortgage), I’ve been researching switching to RW. It sounds so tempting and much better than Sprint!

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 3:13 PM

      oh wow – so cool to hear!! Thanks so much for letting me know – I haven’t tried them yet but my guess is they’re better than I am at it, haha… so glad you’re saving :)

      Reply
  239. mary August 21, 2015 at 10:49 AM

    I recently combined our home and auto insurance with the same company. (Previously we had home with one company and auto with another.) With the discounts for multi car + home we are saving over $1K this year.

    Reply
  240. Daniel August 21, 2015 at 11:05 AM

    Several things I’ve done to save money: I thought about using billcutterz, but I’m a pro-negotiator myself and was able to lower the payment on my electric, gas, and internet bills on my own. Shouldn’t that count for double since I did it myself?

    Anyways, I just finished up an interest rate reduction on one of my rentals. I lowered the payment AND increased the overall rent. Saving AND making more money! (That should count for double, too).

    Oh yah, the organization I work for gave me a vehicle for my daily commute.

    Winning!

    Reply
  241. Stephonee August 21, 2015 at 11:09 AM

    Awesome! Been looking at Republic for my husband, who doesn’t have a smartphone yet because of the cost. I myself am trapped in a family Verizon plan contract, which if I left would cost me big bucks and kill the grandfathered plan for my mother, so I’m trying to figure that out for my own phone.

    As far as saving money, I’ve been hustling to make more! Picked up a new freelance gig doing some copywriting. Also installed the ibotta app to try it out, see if I can get some money back for things I’m already buying (groceries, mainly).

    Reply
  242. Hannah August 21, 2015 at 11:21 AM

    Working on saving for new baby! I quit paying extra on my car (sad, I know) and started putting that money in a baby savings account so we could pay for several months of daycare after she gets here!

    Reply
  243. JJ August 21, 2015 at 12:10 PM

    I took over managing the 8 family apartment complex where I live. The landlord is difficult to deal with but I get to cut grass and shovel snow, get 10 buck an hour for any maintenance calls. 325/month saved!

    Reply
  244. Alan August 21, 2015 at 12:14 PM

    Thanks for the article and the giveaway! The last thing we did to save money was downsize to a smaller apartment – less cleaning, lower electric bills, more efficient use of space and several thousands in savings over a year! Also, around the same time, got a bike to commute to work, so that does help in several other ways – less car maintenance / fuel costs, lower mileage, non-existent emissions and free exercise!

    Reply
  245. Susan L August 21, 2015 at 12:53 PM

    Had my son help me repaint some of the rooms in my house rather than hire a professional. Saved a bunch, but didn’t actually get a professional estimate, so I don’t know the exact amount.

    Reply
  246. Missy G. August 21, 2015 at 2:30 PM

    This post was the kick-in-the-butt that I needed to finally call my cable company about my high bill. They offered me a discount without any hassle or contract. 5 minutes of my time just saved me $40/month for the next year. Yay!

    Reply
  247. Revanche August 21, 2015 at 2:38 PM

    I was looking at Cricket but Republic is looking compelling! Our phones are trying to die so I’m on the lookout for good phones and good plans.
    I did one of my slow-churn cards and am pretty close to getting almost-free tickets for the family to take a spring vacation! With one more, I’ll snag $2400 worth of flights for $30. Woot!

    Reply
  248. Tabathia B August 21, 2015 at 6:59 PM

    I used kohls cash, with a $10 off $30 coupon and a percent off coupon at kohls to save almost $175 on clothing that cost only $160 and earned more kohls cash

    Reply
  249. Scott August 21, 2015 at 7:01 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was sharing a company parking tag with my wife instead of buying two of them (she works at the same place as me but on different days). This saved $75.

    Reply
  250. Lauren August 21, 2015 at 8:09 PM

    Hey! I’d love to try RW. :)

    I decided to change the cabin filter and engine filters on myself instead of going through my normal service center. Saved $70 ($85 – $15).

    Thanks!

    Reply
  251. Garrett August 21, 2015 at 9:13 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was to order some stuff using Amazon’s subscribe and save program.

    Reply
  252. Anna August 21, 2015 at 9:37 PM

    Last thing I did to save money was very apropos to this post….I decided not to upgrade my phone at the same time my husband was upgrading his, saving about $60!

    Reply
  253. Deana August 21, 2015 at 10:56 PM

    Would love to find out if RW would work in my area. Have been thinking about switching, but hard to buy the phone without knowing….fingers crossed!

    Last thing I did to save money was “rent” three new release blue rays from my local library. The best part, besides being free, of course? They aren’t due in a day or two, but two weeks!!

    Reply
  254. Kyra August 22, 2015 at 12:04 AM

    I shop at Aldi’s to save money on groceries.

    Reply
  255. Tina Phi August 22, 2015 at 12:08 AM

    I canceled cable subscription and subscribe to a few streaming services: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus. I save over $50 a month now.

    Reply
  256. Em August 22, 2015 at 2:20 AM

    Dropped our second vehicle. Well really when it was totaled in an accident (no one was hurt) we made the decision to not replace it and instead put the 3000 insurance gave us to pay down our main vehicle.

    This has saved us 30 in insurance and 75 in gas per month. That money is now going to the other car loan so it is paid off in a few months.

    Thanks for the opportunity for the phone! I was going to switch to republic soon so hopefully this is when I’ll be able to.

    Reply
  257. Erin M. August 22, 2015 at 9:42 AM

    Thank you for the opportunity!! The last thing I did to save money was use coupons at the supermarket. I saved $251!!!!

    Reply
  258. Kaitlin August 22, 2015 at 10:32 AM

    The last thing I did to save money was cancel cable and switch to Netflix. Saving over $50 a month!!

    Reply
  259. Liz August 22, 2015 at 11:58 AM

    My husband loves his RW phone and bill :) Time for me to get in on the action. Last money we saved was cutting out cable and going with netflix…only 7.99 per month! Woo Hoo!

    Reply
  260. Julia H August 22, 2015 at 12:38 PM

    I shop at the Farmers Market on Saturdays. Great food and fellowship :)

    Reply
  261. stacey August 22, 2015 at 1:15 PM

    I’ve been making my own coffee at home instead of buying at coffee shop. Saving at least $4.50 each time and calories.
    Either skipping eating out after golf league or if go not ordering a drink that saves $5-$6

    Reply
  262. crunchy August 22, 2015 at 3:12 PM

    I was in the hospital last week. TV and phone rental was $9/day. I brought my tablet, cell phone and an extension cord. Folks could call in to the room phone at no cost to me. I made all my outgoing calls on my cell and entertained myself with the tablet when I wasn’t sleeping. Saved $36 and was absolutely not inconvenienced in any way.

    Reply
  263. Sal Lopez August 22, 2015 at 3:46 PM

    Hey J Money,

    The last thing my wife and I did to save money was change our cable/internet package. The cable/internet package was under my name and we were paying $75 per month. I called and chatted with numerous customer service agents trying to get a lower price our price but it was unsuccessful. I spoke to a co-worker and he recommended walking in to their service center to see if talking to an agent in person would change their mind. We had the same problem with the agent until I asked if we could get a lower price if I cancelled my account and opened a new account under my wife’s name, these are so called promotional offers for new customers. My wife and I had discussed this tactic before hand and it worked. We did have to pay a one time installation fee of $12 but we are saving $45 a month. We intend to do the same thing in a year when our promotional offer ends.

    Reply
  264. Emery Smith August 22, 2015 at 5:09 PM

    We have been on skimpy commissions for two years, living VERY frugally. Recently I got a substantial commission that takes the pressure off for sixty plus days. I celebrated by taking my wife out to dinner at the restaurant of her choice. She chose and then brought a twofer coupon and we had a nice but modest dinner together. The next night, we were out later than normal together and she suggested it might be nice to take dinner home…again, she had another TWOFER coupon – two meals for two in two days that were on budget. I love my woman!

    Reply
  265. Jessica August 22, 2015 at 5:19 PM

    Got rid of Comcast cable and switched to Netfilx and HuluPlus

    Reply
  266. Court August 22, 2015 at 5:49 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was use Amazon to price check an item before buying in store

    Reply
  267. Marjorie Whitney August 22, 2015 at 7:28 PM

    In the works… researching best price on the exact shirt I need to volunteer at the local professional theater group. Each show I usher for saves me about $60. They also cover volunteer parties, and extra exposure to cast and crew. Along the same lines, bought a vintage coat today for $5 from their once every 3-4 years prop sale at a college warehouse. Saved at least $60 on that/

    Reply
  268. Paul August 22, 2015 at 8:48 PM

    I took bottles n cans in to recycling, picked up a dime!

    Reply
  269. Laura wyatt August 22, 2015 at 11:15 PM

    Buying stuff to make breakfasrs lunches instead of buying them. Between my husband and i, this will probably save us over $100

    Reply
  270. Alejandro Llauro August 22, 2015 at 11:25 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was start preparing food instead of buying pre-packaged foods. My overall monthly food budget is $150/month (just me) but by making more things myself I’m not at $90/Month that’s a $60/Month Savings :)

    So far so good!

    Reply
  271. joe gersch August 23, 2015 at 8:20 AM

    I went shopping at a Grocery outlet and save $50

    Reply
  272. Pearl August 23, 2015 at 9:16 AM

    Thanks for the giveaway! I saved money by bringing lunch to work – saving about $100 per month

    Reply
  273. Eoin Grosch August 23, 2015 at 11:30 AM

    Last thing I did to save money was to have my girlfriend and I move in with my sister and brother-in-law in their house. We had paid $1125 per month. Now we pay $550 (which is $225 per month each). Note: we also get along very well with my sister and brother-in-law.

    Looking forward to switching to Republic Wireless! Fingers crossed!!

    Reply
  274. Erin August 23, 2015 at 1:52 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was to consolidate my grocery shopping with my partner. We share a home, but yet we kept our shopping separate. We were both spending upwards to $100 each a week. Since we’ve consolidated our efforts, we’re eating better and we’re only spending $100 total a week ($50 each person). In June I spent almost $400 on groceries, I’m hoping that in August the bill will be around $200.

    Reply
  275. Elena August 23, 2015 at 5:27 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was using $10 off coupon when shopping for back to school clothes at Kohl’s. I saved $10.

    Reply
  276. MicheleStitches August 23, 2015 at 7:36 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was instead of going out to eat, I took some leftovers in our fridge and combined them to whip up something totally different for dinner. It tasted good and didn’t cost anything but a little time and creativity.

    Reply
  277. Kristin k August 23, 2015 at 7:49 PM

    The most recent thing I’ve done to save money is resolve to eat the majority of the food in the freezer/fridge and pantry before buying anything other than fresh produce. all those leftover meals and bulk foods have been eaten all week and it’s meant less cooking and no more than $10 in groceries; saving about $50/ week for us! Thanks for the promo opportunity- I’d love to try RW but the spouse is hesitant to switch from a major carrier; perhaps this will convince him!

    Reply
  278. Kathy Jacobs August 23, 2015 at 10:12 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was to buy this exact phone for my 15yo daughter to replace her Straight Talk phone for $30/mo! I got the talk and text only with 0gb data for $10/mo. I plan to replace a couple of other phones with this phone and plan, but have to do them one at a time since it ended up being about $150 out of pocket to make the switch. Her new phone should come in the mail on Tuesday.

    Reply
  279. Chasity Nicole August 23, 2015 at 10:28 PM

    The last thing I did to save money was the last few weeks I have made or brought salad or other healthy options for lunch for my boyfriend and I. Not only has this saved a bunch of money (assuming $7-$8 a meal 5x a week= probably $50 or so) ;)

    Reply
  280. Valerie August 23, 2015 at 11:22 PM

    i am constantly changing our data plan to save money but am seriously considering a new provider altogether to save even more. Most recently this save us $20/month. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  281. Sabrina August 24, 2015 at 7:08 AM

    Interesting, this would be a good way to test out the service. The last thing I did to save money was bring home work leftovers in Tupperware. Only spent $50 on food so far this month!

    Reply
  282. J. Money August 24, 2015 at 3:25 PM

    **GIVEAWAY NOW OVER**

    Congrats to Hannah Roehrick for winning! Thanks for participating y’all!

    Reply
  283. Darrell August 24, 2015 at 5:07 PM

    I have been on RW since you wrote about it last year. Great decision. 10/10…would do it again. I picked the most expensive phones. If I could go back in time, I would have picked the cheapest ones. What I have is overkill for my needs.

    Reply
    1. J. Money August 25, 2015 at 6:01 AM

      Love to hear it, man! Way to make the switch :)

      Reply
  284. Rachel E August 24, 2015 at 10:02 PM

    Does getting married count?! Lol, jk.

    But we officially combined our finances this month and started using YNAB. And even though we had some unexpectedly higher bills this month, we still are in the positive for money that will go for debt snowballing! Woohoo

    Reply

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