This post originally appeared on Three Thrifty Guys in 2010. Thought it was worth republishing again in 2015, in case you missed it.
One of your best ally’s in saving more money could be right next door to your cubicle: your employer. While every company is different, a majority of employers offer various perks to keep their people happy. Taking advantage of these could save you some decent change!
See if your workplace participates in any of the following:
- Travel discounts. Many agencies will offer group discounts to folks traveling. Your company may also have a travel agent you can go through to arrange your next getaway.
- Rental car discounts. Your company probably has some agreement with a rental company for your sales and marketing folks. Even if you aren’t a part of this department, you may be able to get some sort of deal.
- Entertainment/recreation discounts. Our company is associated with MERSC (Minnesota Employee Recreation and Services Council). This group is dedicated to sponsoring/helping companies find deals and discounts on recreational activities and events.
- Term life insurance. Many companies offer this free-of-charge with your benefits package. This can save you as much as $25-30/mo. depending on your situation if you were to get it yourself.
- Financial planning. Your workplace probably has a 401k set in place. And, there is likely a contact outside your company who helps oversee that fund. See if you can meet one-on-one with that individual to get ideas about how much you’ll need to retire, financial goals and other tips. (Also, if you’re company does matching on a 401k, this is more money in your pocket).
- Microsoft® Home Use Program. Here's a great deal – but you’ll need a special code from your company to access. You can get the whole Office suite for about $10.
- Local business discounts. Many stores, restaurants and businesses depend on local traffic. So much so, they’ll offer group discounts for companies in their area. At my workplace, one nearby car wash gives us a percentage off for patronizing them.
See if your human resources representative has any other incentives.
Have you been able to save in other ways through your employer?
9 Comments
It’s so true. Many people don’t know how much money they could be saving through thier employment. Very often overlooked. I got a free 30 minute consultation with a financial advisor. Got some good information. Great post.
I just recently found your blog. I realize this is an older article, but in case someone comes across it like I did, I thought I would add cell phone service. Two different companies that I’ve worked for have offered a large discount at the cell phone provider that I use. Great benefit.
Hi Carnette! Welcome to the site. This is a great idea – cell service!
A whole Office suite for about $10?! I think it’s really worth looking into. Thanks for that!
If your employer doesn’t offer the specific discount that you’re looking for like savings to a gym or with a wireless carrier, you can always ask the HR department if they will consider looking in to it. I got a positive response from my first employer when I approached the human resources manager about getting a deal for employees at a local health club. After finding at least 10 employees who would be interested in taking advantage in this type of offer, the HR team began the process and ended up saving us each $20 per month off the membership fee!
Great idea Andrea. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for letting us know about the Microsoft Home Use Program, I had never heard of it before!
Also some companies offer discounts on buying new cars. In 2005, we bought a brand new Ford Escape and saved $4,500 through employer discounts. The price was equal to a 2 year old Escape with 40,000 miles. Made sense to buy new as opposed to used in this instance thanks to my employer discounts!