SofaCoins: get a money saving tip, save a buck. Why not?

I'll keep your change...

Hey, did you know that Bank of America has a deal called "Keep the Change," where every time you use your ATM card, they round the purchase up and put the "spare change" in your savings account, then they MATCH IT, UP TO $250 per year? 

Let me just say this--- anytime a bank is going to give you free money, I say take it.  Just sign up, let them round the change up, take the $250 at the end of the year, and put it in a higher-yield savings account (like the awesome ING Direct Orange Savings account, which I personally have three of).  The point is-- if there is free money out there, you take it!  Yes, there are some stipulations, like:  you have to have a checking AND a savings account at Bank of America, and you have to sign up for Keep the Change.  AND you have to leave the "Keep the Change" money in that savings account all year, or they won't match it.  AND it's going to take alot of transactions to add up to the $250.  So, it takes a little bit of setup.  But, you better believe that "little bit of setup" is going to feel really good after a year, when you've been doing what you do anyway (using your ATM card) and suddenly you have a spare $250.

Suze Orman is also offering a similar offer with her "Save Yourself" brokerage account, which I also signed up for to get the free money.  That is a little more complicated, and will be covered in a later post.  Bottom line:  if there is free money, figure out how to get it!

Does anyone else do this?

This might fall under the category of "That's totally weird, I would never do that," and if that's the case, that's cool.  Like I said at the beginning, if any of these things make you feel weird or cheap, definitely don't do them, because the bad energy won't be worth the money you're saving. 

Also, to do this you have to be absolutely not picky about the kind of shampoo you use.  My hair is just straight and low-maintenance, and it looks the exact same no matter what I wash it with.  So, a couple of years ago I was traveling all the time for business, and I started taking the shampoo, lotion, soap, and conditioner every day I was in the room, because they replace it every day as part of the housekeeping.  Now when my shampoo/ conditioner gets to about the middle, I grab some of the small bottles and fill it back up.  We can debate this if you like, but I guess I just figure that those products, however small, are included as part of what I'm paying to stay there, and I'll always use them later.   I have another friend who has a cool-looking metallic bucket from Pottery Barn in her guest bathroom, and it's totally full of hotel toiletries, in case her guests forgot something.  Also works if you have a vacation rental-type property and want to be courteous to the guests.

Like I said, they're not all going to make you a million bucks, but if you combine them, these strategies can help you at least put a dent in your credit card bill, little by little.   Did I mention I've been debt-free for a decade?  I'm not even saying that to brag-- I'm simply arguing that some of these strategies must work, even if they do seem wacky.