In the business world, there are a lot of requirements — keeping up your appearance, networking, etc., etc. — which in my experience can often get a little expensive!

As someone who’s saving for a wedding, trying to get out of credit card debt, make a mortgage payment and student loan payments, I’ve found easy ways to keep a little more money in my bank account.

1. Eat in the office.

It’s easy to get caught up in going out to lunch everyday during business hours. However, this can often end up costing $50 a week or more! A good way to save money is to eat in the office, at a nearby park, or to run home if you’re close enough.

Where to get the food from? I generally opt for leftovers from the dinner before. OR I hit up the nearby Kroger to find something good to make. The best way to save money here is to check the circular online before you go and scope out what’s on sale. Then, I visit some online coupon sites (such as Coupons.com, CellFire, Shortcuts and SmartSource) to see which coupons are available. I generally base my lunch choice on what deals I can get. Yesterday, my lunch (delicious tortellini from Marie Calendars) cost me about $1.15 after a store discount and a coupon!

2. Dress with basics.

Keeping a professional wardrobe can also get expensive, and dressing presentably five days a week can often do a number on your wallet. However, I’ve found that keeping a closet full of solid-colored basics is the best way to go. The reason I love basics is that you can mix and match them to create numerous outfits with just a few items. Plus, they tend to be a little easier to care for. (Don’t you just hate when things are “dry clean only”?)

Some great stores for these items include Express and H&M. While Express generally has some larger  price tags compared to H&M, you can sign up to receive Express discounts, which can often cut half the price off! Plus, if you catch Express’ “Shop the Box” sale, you can get basics for mere dollars!

3. Find alternate modes of transportation.

This is the more obvious of the three I have on this list. And I must admit, this is one I actually don’t do. Living in Knoxville, our options are a little limited in terms of transportation — especially being that I live 30 minutes from the office. However, for those of you in bigger cities or who live/work in downtown areas, this is a definitely viable option that can save you money!

Carpool with a coworker or try public transportation. Gas is still expensive, and cutting down on how much you need will definitely keep a little extra money in your wallet.

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So there you have it — 3 ways to save money in the business world. How else do you save?

This post originally appeared on the ReadPyxl blog. However, in an attempt to get more Knoxville businesses involved with Foursquare, I’m re-posting it here.

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As of last week, Foursquare opened its doors to all cities and towns globally.

In the past few months, Foursquare had been growing rapidly in larger metros around the world…and now we’ll be able to experience the phenomenon in Knoxville.

But what is Foursquare?

Essentially, Foursquare is a location-based, game-like social network. Users visit locations (restaurants, coffee shops, bars, parks, gyms, offices, etc.) and “check-in” via a phone app (which is then often broadcast to their Twitter followers & Facebook friends). The user earns points for checking in, unlocking new spots, visiting new venues, hitting multiple locations in one night, and leaving “tips” for other users. These tips can include things like:

• “Half-price sushi at Nama on Monday and Thursday”
• “Make sure you try the lobster mac & cheese at Cafe 4″
• “Wine is half-price at Sunspot on Wednesday night”

Users can also become the “mayor” of a certain spot by checking in at the same location a few times. From what I’ve seen in other cities, businesses often offer special incentives to the mayor. For instance, some restaurants have hung signs declaring, “Free drinks for the mayor!” Sometimes, even basic check-ins are given discounts that non-Foursquare users would not receive.

So what does this mean for Knoxville businesses?

Foursquare can tell a business how many times a customer frequents their spot, which is allowing venues to use this data to reward their most loyal customers.

Offering mayor-only deals can potentially create friendly competition among patrons of a spot, thus promising more check-ins and free online publicity.

Additionally, as users add tips about a venue, they’re shared with that person’s friends and possibly the general public, thus creating buzz about a spot’s specials, must-try’s and more. This will also often encourage more people to visit a certain location.

It’s almost like a frequent buyer card only very public. Thus, Foursquare can easily become an extra element of a spot’s marketing campaign through its intrinsic, viral word-of-mouth components.

Let’s think about it – a Foursquare user is down the street from your venue when they get an alert to their phone that your spot gives special treatment to Foursquare users. It’s then more likely that they’ll stop in and see you…don’t you think?

So where are we at now?

Of course, Foursquare has only been open to Knoxville for about a week, so I haven’t seen many venues pick up on it yet (the Healthy Living Expo was the first and only I’ve seen so far). However, I’m hoping it catches on just as it has in other cities. After all, numerous spots nationwide have found success with Foursquare. Hopefully some Knoxville spots will as well.

I really think this is a business opportunity not to be missed. What do you think?

Any Knoxville businesses thinking of jumping on board?