1. Get a piggy bank! One of the easiest and most effective ways to save is to save your change. You would be surprised how much change you can save over time. I know on several occasions I saved 200+ dollars in 6 months. Depending how often you use cash you could save enough to build a pretty nice savings. I also have heard of some people savings all of a certain bill they get. Some save fives others twenties; it all depends on your budget and how hard you want to save.

2. Get rid of one service or subscription. We all have one. Cable, land phone line, magazine subscription, if you look hard enough I am sure there is one you don't need. There are many ways to avoid having cable. For me I visit Hulu.com. There are a lot of shows on there. Most of the big name ones shows up a day or two after they air. You won't be up to date on your shows right away but you will save money.

3. Movies. Check your library, believe it or not they probably have a decent movie selection.  Another choice is netflix; we get one DVD at a time for about 8 dollars a month. That is about the price of seeing a movie these days. Lastly if you have a series or can watch a few movies over and over, go on ebay and buy them used. I am building a decent collection for about six dollars a DVD shipped to me. 

4. Take a look at your phone bill. Most people have already made this leap. Often it is cheaper and easier to just have a cell phone. When getting a cell phone or changing your plan. Look into prepaid. Prepaid is by far the cheapest. Most plans have unlimited use during certain hours. If you can wait till then to call long distance it will be free and won't count against your minutes.

5. Pay bills on time. Paying bills on time will keep you from endearing late fees and unnecessary charges. If I have several bills due all at once I try to pay a little on each one ahead of time. Reducing each one when I have the money helps when they are due, thus leaving me fewer large one-time payments. Or try the envelope system. Place a set amount from each check in envelopes of different categories. Putting a little in each time you get paid makes those payments easier.

Another thing to do look at is any interest bearing account you can pay online. Often credit card companies will let you pay as little as a dollar online. So if you find yourself with an extra 10 dollars, shove it at those credit cards or any other account you can. Online is less personal so you don’t feel as odd just paying a few dollars here and there. You would be surprised how paying the minimum plus making a few extra little payments through the month will help.

6. Shop with a list and leave the kids (or in our case me) at home.  When your shopping for food take a list and buy only what is on your list. Even better, look for coupons they are normally timed with stores sales and plan your meals around that. Don’t forget to shop at places like Aldis for your basic can goods, pastas, condiments, and other similar items. Even with coupons often you can’t beat Aldis prices.

Leave the kids, husband, or me at home. Kids want, want, want and often you will give in. Husbands and me, we like the junk. Most of the time we don’t shop for what’s needed we shop for what we want. Normally what we want is costly and we will beg and or try to sneak it in any way, so leave us home and save the money.

8. Take a look at your current living situation. With the current market a lot of places are coming up for rent. Landlords are increasingly acknowledging the value of good tenants as they struggle to keep apartments filled.  They are willing to work with good tenants, be a good one and monetary rewards will come. If you have a proven track record schedule a meeting with your landlord and negotiate.  Ask for a reduced pet fee, reduced rent or other services that will not affect the landlord’s bottom line but will make you a happier tenant.  Consider when moving into a new living situation with a proven track record the option of a 2 for 1 deal.  If you sign a two-year lease with the company they might knock $50 a month off and reduce your initial deposits.  Get creative!  In our building, there are 30 apartments. In the last several months, we have seen at least 3 evictions and a few more move because of financial situations. We recently moved up to the next floor and got $25 knocked off our rent. We moved from a half underground apartment to the 1st floor just because we asked and were flexible.

9. Now may be the time to refinance. Check out your rates on your mortgage and check out your credit. If your credit is decent or you recently have been working on your credit score ask for a reevaluation.  Also look into setting up a few assets that the bank can actually count on like cash in CDs in their banks.  More and more banks are not valuing tangible assets like they used to due to the fact that they have been left with properties and equipment that they can neither sell for the value they loaned or get rid of without more cost to them.  By tying up a few thousands dollars in a CD you can help loosen the strict loan issues we face today.  Remember you have to honestly look at your history and lifestyle and make yourself a good investment for the bank.  They are in business to stay in business and they owe you nothing.

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11. Drive that beater car or keep your car longer. You should always know that the second you drive off the lot with a new car the value drops by about 20%. Take care of your car, make sure you do the tune ups and inspections. Personally I have been through 5 cars and I have not even broke 6000 dollars total. Most people spend that on a used car. The cars may not always be pretty, but it gets me around and to work.

 

12. Don’t waste money on simple repairs like windshield wipers or air filters. Go to some place like AutoZone, if you can’t do it yourself and ask for a hand. Normally they are glad to help with simple things like this. I am pretty sure that is part of their service. If not go on a slow day and ask, most of the guys and gals there are just looking to be helpful.

 

13. Shop for oil changes. Recently went for an oil change that cost me 16.46 with my snack. Normally I would do an oil change my self but that is about what it cost for me to buy the stuff and it is pretty hard to compensate time, so when you find deals take advantage. Remember you don’t have to be a loyal customer to one garage or shop. My loyalty goes to who does the best job for the least money. When getting an oil change don’t get up sold on things you don’t need. See above on simple repair.

 

14. Don’t let the little things become the big things. Have a break squeak; get it taken care of before it becomes a problem. Before you know it you have metal to metal carving grooves into your rotors, soon enough that simple squeak is a grinding   noise on your car and in your wallet. Also apply this in your home to keep it's value and save you headaches later.

 

15. Compare car insurance. With the ease of online shopping you can get some pretty sweet deals. If you really want to save look around and compare every few months. As your driving record goes longer with out incidents the better rates you can get.
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