16. Carry cash. This is one I have been working on.
Leave the cards at home, be they debit, credit, or even your checkbook. When you carry cash I think it’s harder to
spend, that feeling of giving your money to some one else just does not sit
well on your brain when you’re trying to save. 17. Plan for the seasons. Planning or the seasons can save a lot of money. If it’s the cold season keep the temperature in your house at a comfortable level with a digital thermostat. Find a good temperature and then put on a hoodie and other warm clothes. You may notice you can turn the temperature you thought was good down a little. Also look into small electric heaters. When I sit the living room I can turn our little heater on for a few minutes and let it warm my feet. I almost have to adjust the room temperature that way. In the summer open the windows when you can and wear clothes that don’t hold heat. Ever day you don’t have to run the air conditioner saves you money. If you have ceilings fans in a room run them while your in there and turn them off when your not.
Always look for ways to control your comfort
temperatures and you will save money. 18. Gas shop. One of the most draining expenditures on the budget if you have to drive to work, school, or even be the family taxi service. Remember there is always a gas station that is cheaper in town. It may only be a penny or a few cents but over time this all adds up.
In the town I live in gas varies from each side of
town. I find myself getting gas at one location mainly though. I plan my
errands so I can get gas at the cheapest possible price. The real nice thing is
they offer a five-cent discount per gallon if you pay cash. That is a huge
savings, also remember Kroger offers a gas discount program with the Kroger card. 19. Efficient appliances. Don’t run out and buy all new appliances but when
you need new ones buy energy- efficient appliances. Using energy-efficient
appliances, gives you a chance to save up to $400 per year on utility bills. Not to mention
you will be helping the environment. Take a look at this site http://www.eartheasy.com/live_energyeffic_appl.htm
it has a lot of good information on this subject. 20.Share with friends and family. If your family or friends buy a lot of the same products you do, why not buy in bulk and share the cost. Maybe even have one person join a wholesale club and every one split the cost. There is a ton of ways to do it, just be smart about it. Everyone knows how family and friends can be when dealing with money. 21. Thrift and good will. When you have growing kids thrift and good will can be a huge cost cutter. When you live in a decent size city there can be a lot of great deals. Kids out grow clothes and people donate them, often the can look like new. If you feel like you wouldn’t be caught dead in a thrift or good will, wait till you go to visit family in another town or city. At least give it a chance once, you never know what you may find. 22. Garage sales. One of my favorite things to do is search for hidden gems at garage sales. As a younger person with roommates I bought a decent amount of furniture from garage sales. I would spend a few bucks on the item and paint it. Then if some one else ruined it, it wouldn’t be a big deal. It saved me money and kept me out of a few fights. Think about if you have kids, save the money until they are older and will know better. |
23. Friends who spend. This one can be a real budget breaker if you
don’t watch it. If you’re with people who are spending lots of money you feel
the need to keep pace. As a human being you feel as though if you don’t spend
you will be left out. If this is your budget breaker ask your friends if they
would consider some other activities that are not so draining on the wallet. If
they don’t it is time to shop…. shop for some new friends and get your spending
under control. Money can and will be something to cause stress on any relationship. Even if you are wealthy you will fight about money one way or another. So watch who you associate with and try to avoid these issues early on. 24. Turn things off. Simple as it can be. When you
leave, sleep, or walk out of a room turn things off. You would be surprised at
the savings. Also consider unplugging things when you leave for a few days.
Every bit helps. 25.Buy off brand. Growing up on certain things can make you a brand whore. Yeah I said it, a brand whore. You have to have that certain fabric softener, bread, or soda when in reality you really doesn’t. At least give off brand a chance, or cut the item all together. I am working on cutting out soda. If I can kick the stuff I we will save about 30-80 a month. The savings include no more trips to the vending machine at work. 26. Pre paid phone. In a few weeks I will be
converting over to a pre paid plan. The plan is half the cost of my plan now.
The next time you get your bill look at it and see what you don’t use. I
realized I don’t make near enough calls so why not down grade. This is the second
time I lowered my phone bill. Once by dropping the smart phone and then
dropping my plan to go pre paid. 27. Home haircuts and beauty. Going and paying some
one ten bucks a pop to cut your kids hair can be a joke. Unless they have a
certain style they MUST have, you can buy a pair of ten dollar clippers and do
it at home. My younger brother loved the mo hawk and short clean look, so every
few weeks when he comes to visit I give him a hair cut myself and he is happy. Ten bucks saved times the number of hair cuts
a year really adds up. 28. Coupons. If you remember them they can save you a decent junk of change. If you match the coupons to the sales ads you can save even more. The best deals are when the stores double or triple the coupons. The hard part is remembering them and also clipping them out. Keep a eye out, even your favorite restaurants may put out coupons every now and then and every dollar you can save the better. |
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