#50 Eye Problems, illnesses and injuries

Rather than go to a family medical doctor or emergency room for any condition involving the eyes, go to an eye doctor. They charge much less for a visit and are likely to get the diagnosis and treatment right the first time, since eyes are their specialty. They can prescribe just like your family doctor can. They can tell you if it is allergies, pink eye, a scratched lens or anything else.

Some box stores have eye doctors on staff and they can see you that day. Eye doctors can do a lot more than sell eye glasses and contacs.

#49 Insurance

When it comes to the various types of insurance, shop around. Prices will vary greatly from place to place.

Car insurance companies give discounts for things like not smoking, driver's ed, no accidents and other things. If your car is older, you might want to consider carrying just liability insurance. That means, if an accident is your fault, they pay for the other guy, but they do not pay for any damage to your car. Another way to save money is by carrying a higher deductible.

Health insurance is usually through an employer and there is little choice. If not check all the options. If you leave one job and either do not have another job or are just starting another job, check into extending your previous insurance through COBRA, especially if you have a medical condition. By law, you have the right to keep your insurance for a period of time, but you are responsible for all the premiums. If your former company was paying part of them for you, it will now be your responsibility. If you have a preexisiting condition, it is worth it.

Check with your employer to see if a cafeteria plan for health expenses is available. Cafeteria plans allow you to purchase health care needs and not pay taxes on them.

Some of the newer health insurance plans have wellness plans. If you follow their guidelines, you are eligible for health insurance discounts. These are through an employer and are worthwhile savings.

Homeowners insurance varies in price. There are also discounts available for many things such as smoke detectors and a home security system, a new roof, a relatively new furnace, etc. Ask.

Some insurance companies will give you a much better deal if you carry most, or all, of your insurance with them.

Since buying insurance means dealing with salespeople whose livelihood depends on making sales, this can be time intensive, but it can save you hundreds of dollars a year.

#48 Ride the Bus or Train or Subway

Public transportation is less expensive than private transportation. It takes some prior planning in communities where buses and trains may not come frequently but it is much less expensive than owning a car or driving it. In cities, it saves on the daily parking fee as well as the gas and the wear and tear on the car.

In areas where trains and subways are available, they cost much less than driving a car also.

#47 Ride a Bike

Bicycles are inexpensive to own and riding one to get to where you need to go saves money on gas and car expenses. It is also good for your heart and for your overall health when you ride, thus with the potential to save on medical expenses over time.

#46 Walk

Walking where you need to go, when possible saves money on gas and car expenses. It is also good for your health and will save, over time, on medical bills. Walking is also good for your mental health. For the super frugal, if you walk enough, you will come across pennies and other coins on the ground.

#45 Ceiling Fans

Use ceiling fans in both summer and winter to move the air. In winter, warm air rises and a fan will circulate the heat. In summer, reverse the blade direction and the air will be pulled away from the floor rather than pushed down to it.

#44 Space Heaters

With the price of gas going up, sometimes electricity is cheaper. To take advantage of this, use space heaters in the rooms where you are staying to help warm that room. You will be comfortable without using a lot of costly gas and those small space heaters heat up more than a person might realize.

#43 Crock pots

It is possible to cook a meal in a crock pot, which saves time and money. If you come home in the afternoon and are too tired or busy to cook, the crock pot is there and keep you from going out and buying more expensive meals.

In the winter, a crock pot can help warm your home for pennies. A hot crock pot full of anything, even just water, raises the temperature of the room. It could be a savings on the utility bill. The crock pot raises the temperature of whatever room it is in.

#42 Toaster Oven

On hot days, using a toaster oven to cook, rather than a large oven, will save on the cooling bill. A small toaster oven still cooks but it does not heat up the house as much as an oven.

#41 Get the Last Little Bit

When we get to the bottom of a mayonaise jar, ketchup bottle, dish soap bottle, shampoo bottle or anything else with a thick liquid, we do not have to throw out those last tablespoons. For food items, such as mayonaise, use a spatula to get the last of it.

For other food items in smaller bottles or soap based items, put a little bit of warm water in the bottle then swirl it around until the remaining liquid becomes thinner and can be poured out. Some things, like the ketchup, may be thin and best used in sauces. Thinner non foods, such as soaps, work well when thinned but you might have to use more. The savings aren't much, maybe ten cents or more per bottle but little bits add up over time. If we finish off 20 bottles a month, that's $2 and about $24 a year. Why not keep the $24 for something you like instead of throwing it in the trash?

#40 Drink lots of tap water

Why? It will keep you in much better health. All that soda pop is going to pickle your innards and put calcium and other deposits in your veins and arteries. It hasn't been proven yet, but that stuff is made up of chemicals that we have no idea what they can cause over the long run.

Water is healthy. Most of us are suffering from chronic dehydration according to some experts. That means more aches and pains, particularly in the joints of the body, more headaches, more acid reflux, worse digestion and much more. Enough water helps your body flush out all the unhealthy stuff that needs to go. You might even feel perky if you aren't getting enough water and you start getting what your body needs.

Tap water is very inexpensive. Bottled water costs quite a bit more and, over time, many of the chemicals in the plastic bottle leach into the water. Some of those chemicals aren't too healthy.

Bad health costs money. Medicines cost money. Water can help many people, at least some. And out of the tap it is cheap.

#39 Spend Cash

Notice that debit cards are raising their fees and several other banking fees are going up. There is no service charge of any kind for cash.