Saving Money: Books by Elisabeth Leamy

Save BIG, Savvy Consumer Full of Money Saving Tips

 

“A big book with a big bang...”

Inman News

“Wonderful book! I have already passed it on to friends.”

Joy Sasser, Reader
 
Buy Save Big
 

Save BIG: Cut Your Top 5 Costs and Save Thousands. demonstrates a total of $1,176,916 in savings. Every money saving tip in the book has the potential to save you at least a thousand dollars. Anything smaller didn’t make the cut, because I like to save BIG money! I believe people are looking in the wrong places --like the bottoms of their latte cups-- in their search for savings. To SAVE BIG we need to focus on where we spend big, namely on our Housing, Cars, Credit, Groceries and Healthcare. SAVE BIG shows you quick, easy ways to save tens of thousands of dollars in these key areas. Read more...

 

“Boy do we all need this book now!”

Lea Thompson, Dateline NBC

“The Savvy Consumer provides.. critical information...”

Lon Anderson, AAA

The Savvy Consumer shows you how to spar with car salesmen and avoid paying crooked mechanics. It reveals how to keep movers from holding your belongings hostage and the single step that makes debt collectors go away. You’ll learn how to make telemarketers stop calling and junk mail stop coming. Want to find unclaimed money in your family’s name? Bid for exotic bargains at a government auction? The Savvy Consumer shows you how to snag the deals and sidestep the deceptions. Read more...

Both of my books are available to companies and charities at a bulk rate. Some companies have used Save BIG as a prize for valued customers. One nonprofit used The Savvy Consumer as a text book for a financial literacy course. Several meeting planners have arranged to make my books available to their attendees, either as a gift or at a discount. I am happy to do book signings in conjunction with my speeches. For bulk sales or signed copies, please reach out to me via the Contact page.

SAVE BIG is all about saving money —BIG money— by knowing the right places to look. The Savvy Consumer is more about keeping your money, rather than losing it to scams and rip-offs. People often ask me, “What’s the secret to saving money?” or “what are your top money saving tips?” The answers are contained in both of these books. When you’re thinking of strategies for saving money, you should be congratulated. Money saved is even better than money earned! Why? Because it’s tax free! Think on that for a minute. It’s absolutely true! Here are some money saving tips to get you excited about the possibilities:

  • Saving money #1: Can you refinance your mortgage at a lower rate?
  • Saving money #2: Can you negotiate for a lower rent?
  • Saving money #3: When you close on a home purchase or refinance, you can save by shopping around for title services and title insurance.
  • Saving money #4: Consider contesting your property tax assessment if your town’s estimates have not caught up with post-bubble reality.
  • Saving money #5: Just once in your life, can you buy or sell a home with realtor or negotiate a lower commission, to save thousands?
  • Saving money #6: Never buy a new car. Buy a 3-year-old used car and keep it as long as you can stand it.
  • Saving money #7: Shop around for car insurance every couple of years. Switching to another reputable company could save you $1,000 a year.
  • Saving money #8: If you’ve been in a wreck and it wasn’t your fault, pursue car.
  • Saving money #9: Did you know you can refinance a car loan? Especially at a credit union.
  • Saving money #10: Never lease a car. But if you do, haggle. Your monthly lease rate is based on the price you negotiate for the car even if you aren’t buying it.
  • Saving money #11: Protect and promote your credit score. The higher your score, the lower the interest rate you’ll get on loans.
  • Saving money #12: Keep identity thieves at bay by putting a security freeze on your credit reports. That prevents anybody from checking your credit without your permission, which prevents them from opening credit in your name.
  • Saving money #13: Never have a savings account and credit card debt at the same time. Use the low interest savings account to pay off the high interest credit card and you will save BIG money.
  • Saving money #14: Is an unflattering but INACCURATE record on your credit report dragging your score down? Undergo “rapid restoring,” available through your mortgage lender to fix it within 72 hours and get a better mortgage rate.
  • Saving money #15: Consider canceling cable. These days you can watch any show you want some other way.
  • Saving money #16: Never use a coupon by itself. Instead try for “Coupon combos” where you use a coupon on a sale item or use a store coupon along with a manufacturer’s coupon.
  • Saving money #17: Stockpile groceries when they are at their deepest discounts rather than when you need them.
  • Saving money #18: Learn guerrilla couponing to get things like toothbrushes, toilet paper and dish soap for free. Then spend the money on organic produce or other healthy foods if you like.
  • Saving money#19: Did you know that many companies make organic and non-organic versions of their products and that coupons for the conventional ones usually work on the organic ones?
  • Saving money #20: Try the couch potato method of grocery savings, where you see how long you can subsist on the foods in your frog and freezer instead of making your usual grocery trip.
  • Saving money #21: Raise the deductible on your health insurance plan as high as you can afford it and you could save thousands in premiums.
  • Saving money #22: If you pay a percentage of your health plan, called “coinsurance” analyze whether you are better off paying 20-30% when you DO go to the doctor, rather than high up front premiums for a plan where you pay 10% when you visit the doc.
  • Saving money #23: Negotiate with your doctor. Yes! Especially if you are having an elective procedure and can pay up front. They often do it!
  • Saving money #24: Negotiate with your hospital. Especially if there are many in your area. Often the best deal is to request a “package rate” for the entire procedure you need, rather than being nickeled and dimed for every single line item.
  • Saving money#25: Always ask your doctor if there is a less expensive prescription that will cure you. Older drugs that have gone generic are usually the best deals and often work just as well.

These are the kinds of money saving tips you will find in the pages of Save BIG, along with detailed instructions on how to pull them off. Every single one of my saving money tips has the potential to net you at least a thousand dollars. Or, you could skip your latte… and save 5 bucks. It’s up to you.