Save When You Shop

Millions are looking for ways to shave dollars and dimes from their daily expenses. To share your own tips, send us an e-mail telling us how you save. You can save money on everything, but here's how you can get started saving when you shop.

“Scratch and dent” stores sell groceries and appliances discounted by 50 percent or more. They buy up truckloads of items that are damaged, are near or beyond their sell-by dates or season (think Halloween in November), or just didn’t sell well. See a state-by-state list.

Save cellphone minutes by skipping long-winded voice-mail greetings and instructions. Press * when calling Verizon customers, the number 1 for Sprint users, or the # sign for AT&T and T-Mobile subscribers. If you’re not sure of the provider, try this order: 1, then *, then #. When you hear a beep, you’ve got the right one.

Trade in electronics like old cellphones and computers at wireflytradeins.com or tigerdirect.cexchange.com and get a charity write-off, cash or gift cards. Costco, Best Buy and Sears also have electronics trade-in programs.

To save on groceries, check out mygrocerydeals.com, where you can compare prices in supermarkets in your area by product, category or store. Another site is groceryguide.com. You must register to use the sites, but both are free.

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