9 Ridiculously Easy Tips On How to Save Money in Denver
Denver is not a cheap city. In fact, it’s still surprising to me that so many people still believe that it is. Denver should be considered a high cost of living city, fortunately, there a ridiculous number of ways to save on events/resources/and activities in town. I won’t touch housing costs in this blog post (we’ll save that for another day). If you’ve been wondering how to save money in Denver-it’s not too hard. In fact, it’s possible to save money while living in Denver and I’m excited to show you some of the ways that I watch my money and still have a great time living in Denver.
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How to Stay Fit in Denver
Without going broke! There are an endless number of ways to stay fit in Denver and attend your favorite fitness classes without going broke. Here is a short-list of strategies that I use.
- Attend Civic Center Moves Classes! These are free classes held all year around in Civic Center Park. During the winter, they are held inside. Then, around the end of May/beginning of June, the classes move outdoors. Participants do have to fill out a waiver, but that’s to be expected. Classes include: yoga, yoga cross, and hip hop fitness. Also, The November Project hosts a workout every Wednesday morning in conjunction with Civic Center Moves.
- Use Classpass-I am obsessed with Classpass because I get bored with my workouts. How it works, users choose the subscription that works best for them. Then, they sign up for the different fitness classes they’re interested in. You can use Classpass across the United States. I love this because I travel pretty frequently. My current favorite class is a hip hop fitness class called Groov3 held at PassionForce studio in the Baker neighborhood. New users get $30 credited towards your new subscription when you sign up with my affiliate link.
- Run Clubs-These are hosted around the city and are typically based out of restaurants or bars. They are free and oftentimes have free refreshments after your run. Bring cash though, because you’ll most likely end up purchasing a drink.
Ibotta
Savings apps are all the rage. But, one of my favorites is Denver-based Ibotta. Users are able to save on the following:
- Groceries
- Booze
- Retail
- Amazon
And, every new user gets $10 towards their first $20 payout when they redeem their first savings within a few weeks of downloading the app.
How Ibotta works:
- Download the app Play Store (Android) or the Apple App Store for Iphone users.
- Check out the app and see which retailers are included. My favorites are: Safeway, Whole Foods, and Sprouts. Hey, I like to eat!
- Then, I begin checking out the savings for the store that I intend to shop at next. Typically, in order to access savings offers you will answer short questions, watch a SHORT video, or view an information page about a product.
- Once you go shopping make sure to check your app so that you don’t forget to pick up your items.
- Scan those items as you put them in your cart. There is bar at the top of the app that has a barcode icon on the left-hand side. When you touch that the “Scan Product Barcode” screen will open up. You want to do this so that you can make sure that you can redeem that savings, every once in awhile a savings can’t be redeemed. This is unusual, but, it just will save some aggravation for later.
- Either at the store, or right when you get home, upload your savings. Basically, this means scan your receipt and items that you saved on into the app. You want to do this as soon as you get home, or you’ll forget.
Free Days
Thanks to the SCFD (Scientific and Cultural Facilities District) that Denver voters approved for another 12 years until…2028. This is great because we’ve approved a tiny percentage of sales tax towards arts and culture. What does this mean? Denver (and surrounding counties) have money for the arts!
And, free days.
I love free days because they give access to museums, festivals, and other art focused events to all residents. Here is a short-list of free days to check out. Please note: you will need to show that you’re a resident of one of the counties upon admission.
- Denver Museum of Contemporary Art
- Denver Art Museum
- The Denver Zoo
- The Botanic Gardens (Chatfield and Denver)
- $10 tickets at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (basically, that’s free for theater)
Here’s a link to check out free days throughout the year.
South Pearl Street Farmer’s Market
My current favorite farmer’s market in Denver is the South Pearl Street location. I just love the atmosphere and the energy. It feels like there is something for everyone as you walk up and down the street.
My favorite stall to save offers a $10 all you can stuff bag of goodies. The only downside, the veggies and fruits at this stand are shipped in from all over, but if you’re looking to save-this is an incredible way to eat fresh throughout the summer. The best deals happen at the end of the year as the bulk of the harvest starts to come come in.
By the way, there is an ART to stuffing the bag.
Ego CarShare
I LOVE this non-profit! There are a ton of different car share programs that have a presence in the Denver/Boulder metro area. I decided to go with a locally based company because I felt like I wouldn’t get lost in the crowd.
The experience with Ego CarShare has been fantastic and it’s been super easy to use.
Why did I decide to go with a car share program? There were several reasons.
- To save money-In addition to running Square State, I also run a website about personal finance. Currently, I am paying off debt and using a car share gives me access to a car while reducing my transportation costs by thousands of dollars a year. Previously, I had a paid off car, but it still cost around $350 a month to own it after factoring in insurance, gas, maintenance, and random stuff.
- Reduce my carbon foot print-Yep, I think about stuff like that. But, I grew up in Boulder.
- Simplify my life-not owning a car has drastically simplified my life. I don’t worry about parking, maintenance, hail damage, etc.
- Public transit-I actually use it and am within walking distance of three light rail stops.
How to Use Ego Car Share
It’s actually super easy. Once you sign up, you will need to pick up a key fob from either downtown Denver or somewhere in Boulder (depending on where you live).
You will reserve your car either via the app or website (I use the website). The cool thing about the reservation system is that cars are placed throughout the city. Your key fob will unlock the doors and clock you in and out of the car.
I’m very fortunate in that I have a car that is parked within 6 blocks of my house. But, sometimes I will pick up a car in Boulder or other parts of Denver depending on what’s going on, the weather, and the type of car available.
I believe that all of the cars are hybrids.
It will be easiest to live car free in Denver if you live along the light rail line or closer to downtown.
Facebook Events
There are so many cool events happening in Denver that it’s hard to keep up with them all-especially during the summer. Different businesses throughout town host free and inexpensive events as a way to connect with citizens, let people know who they are, and to get people into their retail spaces.
Past events that I’ve signed up for and discovered (free or discounted)
- Denver Start Up Week
- Puppy Yoga for $5
- Yoga at Denver Milk Market
- Free Tequila tastings
- Concerts
- Fitness classes
The Financial Independence Retire Early Community: F.I.R.E.
Previously, I mentioned that I am a personal finance blogger. Well, there is a really fun community of personal finance bloggers focused on what’s called: F.I.R.E.
For some reason, Colorado, in particular the Denver/Boulder metro area has become a hot bed of people who are hyper-focused on living well, while spending less, investing more, and enjoying their lives.
Bloggers such as:
The great thing about hanging out with the F.I.R.E. community, no one will make you feel weird for wanting to save and stretch your dollars.
Meetup.com
If you’ve been sleeping on joining Meetup and live in Denver (or, are moving here) sign up STAT. They have a ton of amazing communities that you can join for every interest that you may have.
If you’re looking to hike, grow a business, connect with a certain interest group-then, you need to be on Meetup. It’s a great way to build community and connect with new people-even if you’ve lived in Denver for years.
Denver Public Library
And, the Library of Things. I cannot rave enough about the Denver Public Library. I still may be sketched out by the main branch, but I continue to obsessively visit local branches throughout the city and near my house.
The library has a ridiculous amount of programming, access to wifi, and even the opportunity to rent out a podcast studio at one of the local branches.
Programming includes (but, isn’t limited) to the following:
- A talk given by a forensic pathologist!
- Conversations about personal finance
- Play groups for kids (these are incredibly well attended)
- Technology classes
- Social Media Marketing
DPL does an incredible job of providing an endless amount of resources that enrich the lives of Denver citizens…and the services are basically free.
Now You Know How to Save Money In Denver!
You don’t have to go broke in Denver. Start using the above resources, strategies, and community spaces to begin saving money while living in Denver.
There are a number of other strategies and services that I didn’t share. Drop some of your favorite ways to save in the comments!
Want to Start a Blog?
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