Since starting the new job I've been trying to find out every little way I can save money by using discounts through the company I work with. I usually work within the telecommunication industry and with that I receive whatever item they sell for free or at a greatly reduced price. Additionally, they have connections with other companies that provide discounts for computers, car rentals, hotels and other telecommunications.
After speaking with some other employees I found out that Costco had a deal going with the gym I go to. Currently I pay $30 a month, but with a membership at Costco, I could pay $300 up front for a two year membership to the gym. I don't have a membership to Costco yet, so that initial investment would be $350, still a savings of $370 over the course of 2 years. That works out to 14.58 a month instead of the $30 (no contract) I pay now.
And while looking to see if my company has any deals with Costco I found the following: Buy an initial membership and receive free - Rotisserie chicken, 2-lb bag of coffee, 35/16.9oz of Costco brand water. The coffee and chicken sound good and since I hope to purchase a bike and ride to work to save even more money, the water bottles would be handy as I ride.
The initial investment in the bike will be hard to handover but I have to remember that after crunching numbers, it will pay off after 6 months based solely on gas prices at 3.20 a gallon and minor upkeep on the car(s). And who knows how much more I may bike ride for errands and general exercise. But I'm still going to hang onto my gym, I've found I like to workout around people to keep me motivated.
Can redemptions: Here in Colorado we don't have can redemptions like in Iowa, where I grew up and you got back 5¢ for each can, after paying for the deposit on the front end. Surprisingly, I see that the cans here in Colorado have the redemption labeling on them, which is a necessity to get your money back in Iowa. Now this is what I'm thinking and I want your help in determining if I'm being unethical.
I was going to save up all the cans I come across and then bring them home to Iowa and get the 5¢ a can for them since I was already in Iowa, even though I didn't pay the deposit upfront. I would easily get more money from the cans than if I took them to a recycler locally (which is 45 min away) It probably won't be more than a few dollars, but the amount shouldn't matter in the course of the discussion.