Ways To Save Money 

Before you begin to think of all the various ways to save money, think about how you spend it poorly. The most common ways that people waste money are things that make life more "convenient." Coinstar (a machine in grocery stores that turns your coins into cash), for example, will take a percentage of the coins that you put into it. It's really not that hard to go to a bank and get paper rolls for your coins and do it yourself. 

Dumpstering

It's undeniable that dumpstering has become a bit of a phenomenon and the media and press are doing all sorts of spots about it, from the NY Times to Newsweek to local news outlets. If done properly, it's a safe and fun activity that can save you money on food, furniture, clothing, and who knows what else. That's the beauty of it! If you're looking for something specific, just look in the dumpster of a manufacturer or distributor that makes or sells what you want, and check back often. If you want more information, do an Internet search on "freeganism."

Urban Gardening

The Northwest has fertile land, and there are plants that thrive in the cool dampness of our climate. Urban gardening doesn't take as much effort as you might think, and there's a number of resources to help you get started (Seattle Tilth, for example! seattletilth.org). You most likely won't be able to completely sustain yourself via urban gardening, but it can certainly save you some money, and fresh grown vegetables are delicious.

Keeping Chickens

Chickens are beautiful little animals, and it's legal to keep them in the city, provided you have enough space. They can live off of your kitchen scraps plus some cheap feed, and you'll get a nice small production of eggs coming your way. Remember: Treat them well and they'll treat you well.

Bulk foods/Making Soymilk/Investing in appliances like dehydrators

A good way to cut down on the amount that you spend on food is to buy in bulk. You can buy dried beans, soak them overnight, and make a big pot of chili that will feed a ton of people. Soak soybeans, blend, cook, and strain to make soymilk by hand (do an internet search for more details). You can usually find cheap dehydrators at thrift stores, and with all those dumpstered apples you can dry them for apple chips.

Krishna Feeds/Food Not Bombs

A lot of cities have free food programs that are open to everyone. Seattle's Food Not Bombs, which cooks vegetarian meals every Sunday afternoon and serves Sunday evenings at Occidental Park, and they also have a free market at Yesler Terrace Community Center on Saturdays, and at Cascade People's Center on Sundays. Check seattlediy.com for the schedule. Also, My Sweet Lord is a vegetarian Krishna restaurant that serves food four days a week, accepting donations in exchange for meals. They're open 7:30-11 p.m Wednesday-Saturday, and located at 5521 University Way. Beware, you'll have to tolerate some religious chants and conversations there, though. If you want to find other free meal programs, look on crisisclinic.org or call 211

Cut Your Own Hair

Seriously, it's not that hard, and it looks rad!

Use the Library

They have books, movies, CDs, newspapers from all over the world, and the downtown location is a really fun place to hang out. If you go to spl.org, you can find the nearest Seattle Public Library near you, or also look up the King County Libraries at kcls.org

Foraging/Wild Harvesting/Alleyway Fruit Trees

There's healthy and edible food all around us, it's just a matter of identifying it. Things like burdock root or chickweed are plentiful and are generally considered weeds, making it easy to make them regular parts of your diet. In Duvall there's a Wilderness Awareness School (wildernessawareness.org) that can teach you a lot of these things, or you can find a book to learn it yourself at wildfoodadventures.com. Additionally, fruit is plentiful in this area, and you can find fruit growing on trees in alleyways all over the city. A popular spot is the Burke-Gilman trail when the blackberries start to fruit.

Homebrew/Brew Your Own Beer

It's not too difficult to make your own alcohol at home, especially with dumpstered fruit. Do some research on the process and how to do it safely, and begin experimenting. There's a pretty large community of people interested in homebrew in Seattle, so if you do a little looking you can find a lot of really good help.

Roll Your Own or Quit

Ciggarettes are super expensive. If you refuse to give it up, start rolling your own. You can even buy filters and little contraptions that help you roll perfect cigarettes.

Going to Community Clinics/Free STD Checkups/Planned Parenthood/211

A lot of us don't have health insurance, but thankfully there's a few clinics that offer limited services for our medical needs. The Country Doctor Community Health Clinic is a great one, as is the 45th St Clinic in Wallingford. There's also a few places in town that offer free STD screenings. WA State also has a program for residents called Take Charge that offers completely free reproductive health care for a year, which means you can get a free vasectomy or tubal ligation! For more info about clinics, go to crisisclinic.org for more info, or call 211.

Cook at Home, Share Meals, Have a Potluck

Not only is eating out expensive, the food you get is usually not as healthy as a home cooked meal. Most restaurants use a lot more sugar and oil than you would with home cooking. If you cook at home you can have roommates or friends contribute to the meal, and sharing the cost will make it way cheaper than eating out.

Ride a Bike, Take a Bus

There are a few places in Seattle to get a cheap bike, like Bike Works (bikeworks.org), who have ridiculously cheap bikes and really amazing and helpful staff. The King County Metro bus system is pretty good, and they have a convenient website that can help you get pretty much anywhere you want to go. http://transit.metrokc.gov

Food Banks

There are food banks in every neighborhood, and generally all you need is to give them an ID and proof that you live in that neighborhood and you'll get a bunch of produce and packaged foods. The food banks are also really great places to volunteer! Again, go to crisisclinic.org for more info, or call 211.

Buffet To-Go! Post-Buffet Clean Up