Top Ten Ways to Save Money
Saving money is never easy… It’s like you can never have enough. And when I attempt to put some money aside, I always find a way to use it. Maybe not today, but eventually I am back to where I started.
At least that’s how it used to be before I started to practice the following tips. You may not be able to buy your private charter plane with your ‘piggy bank’ money, but at least you’ll have a little something when in need.
1. PAY YOURSELF FIRST ON PAY DAY : One of the best things to do on pay day is to pay yourself. No, this doesn’t mean in the form of new shoes, or even a night out. It means, take a chunk of your check and deposit into your savings. If you run across unexpected money, or if you get a bonus at work…. put it into your savings. I know it’s tempting to spend it on a night out, or a ‘reward’ for your hard work …. but putting it away will result in more return. Putting away your money into a separate account will make it harder for you to use that money. (Try to deposit into an account you don’t have a debit card for.)
2.STOP BUYING MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, MOVIES, BOOKS: I don’t know about you but the amount of money I spend on weekly tabloids is a bit excessive. Ok, so $4 doesn’t sound like a lot for a week’s worth of celebrity gossip…. but $4 per week adds up. Instead of buying magazines opt for the e-zine (check out the top ten Celebrity blog sites for more info). Rent movies, rather than purchasing them. Go to the library to borrow books rather buying a book you may or may not finish.
3.CUT DOWN ON EATING OUT AND ORDERING IN:It may be less convenient, but it’s a lot healthier, and money savvy. You’ll save lots of money on food, and drinks.
4.USE YOUR PIGGY BANK- SAVE YOUR COINS: The change in your purse may not seem like a lot… but if you put it all into a piggy bank, you’ll be surprised at how fast it can add up!
5.COUPONS ARE A MONEY SAVER’S BEST FRIEND:Whether it be groceries, shopping, restaurants there are coupons available every where! Look online for deals, sales, specials. You can definitely save a lot of money doing this one!
6.CHECK YOUR CELL PHONE PLAN: If you are like me and my friends land lines are a rarity. Ask around and see what carrier your friends, family have. If you notice a trend, see how much it would cost to get unlimited mobile to mobile calls / texts. You and your friends should have the same service provider, it save us a lot of money!
7.RECORD ALL YOUR EXPENSES: You may not be able to record all your expenses all the time. However, try to commit to expense recording for one week. This way you can see where your money goes, and see some ways to cut out or budget your luxury items.
8. ”SALE” DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN A GOOD DEAL:Make a list before you go shopping. Don’t buy unnecessary items. Yes, this sounds easy enough, but you’d be surprised at how many miscellaneous items I end up with. Just because something is on sale - don’t grab for it. Make sure it’s something you need. Honestly, if you don’t need it… wait …. it’ll most likely be on sale when you need it.
9. PAY YOUR BILLS ONLINE OR IN PERSON:41 cents doesn’t seem like a lot of money, but add up all those bills. Take some time to pay your bills online, or in person and you’ll be able to make sure you get your payment in on time.
10. TRY TO PAY WITH CASH: If you pay with cash, you’ll know when you are out of money. This is the best way to budget your expenses. Try to get rid of your credit cards, and pay with cash. You won’t have to worry about paying your bill on time, and / or interest. It’s the easiest way see how much you have to work with.
The above tips should help you save money — one penny at a time.
Any other tips on saving money? Let us know!
Saving money is never easy… It’s like you can never have enough. And when I attempt to put some money aside, I always find a way to use it. Maybe not today, but eventually I am back to where I started.
At least that’s how it used to be before I started to practice the following tips. You may not be able to buy your private charter plane with your ‘piggy bank’ money, but at least you’ll have a little something when in need.
1. PAY YOURSELF FIRST ON PAY DAY : One of the best things to do on pay day is to pay yourself. No, this doesn’t mean in the form of new shoes, or even a night out. It means, take a chunk of your check and deposit into your savings. If you run across unexpected money, or if you get a bonus at work…. put it into your savings. I know it’s tempting to spend it on a night out, or a ‘reward’ for your hard work …. but putting it away will result in more return. Putting away your money into a separate account will make it harder for you to use that money. (Try to deposit into an account you don’t have a debit card for.)
2.STOP BUYING MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, MOVIES, BOOKS: I don’t know about you but the amount of money I spend on weekly tabloids is a bit excessive. Ok, so $4 doesn’t sound like a lot for a week’s worth of celebrity gossip…. but $4 per week adds up. Instead of buying magazines opt for the e-zine (check out the top ten Celebrity blog sites for more info). Rent movies, rather than purchasing them. Go to the library to borrow books rather buying a book you may or may not finish.
3.CUT DOWN ON EATING OUT AND ORDERING IN:It may be less convenient, but it’s a lot healthier, and money savvy. You’ll save lots of money on food, and drinks.
4.USE YOUR PIGGY BANK- SAVE YOUR COINS: The change in your purse may not seem like a lot… but if you put it all into a piggy bank, you’ll be surprised at how fast it can add up!
5.COUPONS ARE A MONEY SAVER’S BEST FRIEND:Whether it be groceries, shopping, restaurants there are coupons available every where! Look online for deals, sales, specials. You can definitely save a lot of money doing this one!
6.CHECK YOUR CELL PHONE PLAN: If you are like me and my friends land lines are a rarity. Ask around and see what carrier your friends, family have. If you notice a trend, see how much it would cost to get unlimited mobile to mobile calls / texts. You and your friends should have the same service provider, it save us a lot of money!
7.RECORD ALL YOUR EXPENSES: You may not be able to record all your expenses all the time. However, try to commit to expense recording for one week. This way you can see where your money goes, and see some ways to cut out or budget your luxury items.
8. ”SALE” DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN A GOOD DEAL:Make a list before you go shopping. Don’t buy unnecessary items. Yes, this sounds easy enough, but you’d be surprised at how many miscellaneous items I end up with. Just because something is on sale - don’t grab for it. Make sure it’s something you need. Honestly, if you don’t need it… wait …. it’ll most likely be on sale when you need it.
9. PAY YOUR BILLS ONLINE OR IN PERSON:41 cents doesn’t seem like a lot of money, but add up all those bills. Take some time to pay your bills online, or in person and you’ll be able to make sure you get your payment in on time.
10. TRY TO PAY WITH CASH: If you pay with cash, you’ll know when you are out of money. This is the best way to budget your expenses. Try to get rid of your credit cards, and pay with cash. You won’t have to worry about paying your bill on time, and / or interest. It’s the easiest way see how much you have to work with.
The above tips should help you save money — one penny at a time.
Any other tips on saving money? Let us know!
Dave Ramsey Fan also.
6 comments:
I guess your financial IQ score is pretty high. You pretty much summed up my financial life in a nutshell. Randy and I have decided that we are going to tighten our budget up again for the things we need to save for. It is kinda hard to tighten up what is already pretty tight, but I'm sure we will find some more ways to "cut back"
The only other tip I can think of is to walk instead of driving if it is at all possible.
YEA! We walked all summer everywhere. I am looking forward to another gas free summer. I am tighting up and it is difficult to squeeze much more out of our stone life. But, I am saving for Iceland. Now we need updated passports.
I think that the great thing about saving and cutting back is that each family can tailor their budget to their own family. Hey- I know that by walking everywhere this summer with all four of the kids was a pain, but my legs looked pretty good by August and I saved a BUNCH on gas! Keep the tips coming!
We are all about saving in our hosue because man it felt good to pay cash for Roxie when we left the hospital (around $4,000.oo)and pay cash for Christmas and still have money left over!!
be a borrower and a lender. of course only of things you feel comfortable borrowing/lending, but books, not expensive tools, little used big/bulky items etc really makes sense. I remember reading that every neighborhood (or group of friends) really only needs 1 chainsaw, 1 ladder, 1 night maternity dress (not so true for us lol), 1 wheel barrow, and 1 truck/trailer between them. So, out what your circle has between you and sharewhat you can.
Oh, another favorite (I did this in college and loved it.) is get a group of friends together and each subscribe to 1 magazine. Then, after you've read it, everyone switches until you've seen them all. You get to read 4 (or 12) magazines each month and only pay for one. It's not free like the library, but you get to read current issues in your own home.
nice maternity dress :)
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