-By Cara Weissman, Contributing Writer, Reality Show Casting Goddess and Founder of My Unemployment

Since Viacom still has yet to approve my Cobra subsidy (don’t get me started), I’ve had to seriously buckle down on my spending. To start, I’ve been returning everything I’ve recently bought but don’t need.

First to go was an impulse buy from The Body Shop. The saleslady gave me her best pitch for a few minutes on why I should keep the shimmering body bronzer until finally I told her I needed to put that $18.50 towards my health insurance - because I had been laid off. She quickly hushed up and proceeded with the refund.

I’m also trying to avoid convenience fees and fines that add up and could have been avoided by keeping a calendar of when things are due. But sometimes, thoughtless mistakes happen.

I realized a dvd case I had returned to the library ahead of it’s due date was actually empty - 2 days too late on a holiday weekend. Ironically, the movie still in a player in my apartment was Volver (Espanol for return). By the time I noticed my mistake it had amounted to $12 ($3 for every day). In front of several preschoolers reading Dr. Seuss, I had to convince the head librarian to be absolved of my fine.

Unfortunately, there are some fees and wasted cash I will never be able to get back in life. And the longer I remain on unemployment the harder it is to let these little costs go.

To even things out a bit, I keep my eyes peeled for ways to save or even gain cash. A few examples:

*I count my spare change and take it to a penny arcade at TD Bank knowing exactly how much it is. For “guessing” correctly how much money is deposited, you win $3.

*Instead of paying a shipping fee for Snapfish pictures being delivered to my apartment, I had them sent to a local Walgreens and picked them up instead.  $11 saved on my last order!

*Picking up photos aside, the only drugstore I’m shopping at is Duane Reade.  Their marketing team retained my customer loyalty with their June Power Points gimmick.  Based on accumulated spending from 5/30-6/26/ with a Dollar Rewards Card, you can get up to 100% more points.  Unfortunately, prescriptions aren’t included in the deal.  Make sure you save even more by using coupons - especially on their frozen meals, which tend to be more expensive than ones from grocery stores.

*This past weekend, the free shuttle from the Princeton Junction train station to a nearby Hyatt was m.i.a.. Rather than pay for a $10 cab to the hotel where my friend’s bridal shower was being held, I hitched a ride with a nice elderly Swedish couple.

Ok, so that last money saver was kind of risky. Next time I’ll use better sense.  But if the universe throws some unexpected expenses at you try to let it go. Be proactive and find ways to save cash for the more important things in life. Like Phillies/Mets tickets.