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You'll Never Walk ALone
You may be way ahead of these 10 tips. Good. Get a piece of paper or a cheap notebook and make a list for 20 ways to save money. If tip 1 gets you thinking of 3 other approaches write them down. Ditto for all these tips. Then pick 10 of your ideas and set them into practise. Make notes at least once a week and grade your self. Reward yourself each time you win. Your new habits could change your life!
Ex: You may not be able to pay your credit card bill each month. Try for 100% of new charges. Focus on one card to pay off faster. When it is paid off do the same for the next. Retire 2 cards, no new charges, just pay it down. Try to pay 10% more of minimum payment plus this month’s interest. REad on.
Ten Practical Tips That Save Money
Saving money is not as hard as it seems. Here are ten practical tips that you can do to begin saving money, without changing your lifestyle.
1. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs. CFL bulbs consume 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs, but give the same illumination. Make sure to buy only lamps and bulbs that have the Energy Star rating to ensure quality compliance.
2. Make a list when going to the grocery and stick to it! Anything that is not on the list is not a “need”, but merely a “want” so avoid busting your pockets for unnecessary items. Buy non-perishable consumables in bulk to benefit from bulk discounts.
3. Use coupons when available. Take the time and have the patience to clip and organize grocery coupons. When added together, savings from using all coupons in one grocery trip can be as much as $20-$30. Purchase dining and shopping coupons online and print them at home. Doing so can save you at least 50% on the face value of the coupons.
4. Buy online, whenever possible. Online stores pass their savings from rental costs and warehousing to the online consumer, thus they can afford as much as 70% off their rack price. When buying items online, Google it first together with the word, “discount code”. This can give you further reductions on the item you want to purchase. Try also online bidding: they offer at least 75% off the original purchase price, for practically new (slightly used!) items.
5. Take lunch to work. Buy potato chips and soda from the grocery and make a homemade sandwich and pack them in a brown bag.
6. Eat homemade dinners as often as possible. Plan menus that are practical and easy-to-cook to encourage eating at home. Save money by dining out only on special occasions.
7. Use everyday pantry items for skin and body care. Cucumbers, honey, milk, lemon, salt and baking soda are some items in your home that can also be used to take care of your skin.
8. Avoid shopping to de-stress. Try walking around the park or watching a movie instead.
9. Bring your own sodas and snacks when watching a movie. The cost of sodas and snacks are at least 25% higher in movie houses. Plus, homemade popcorn tastes much better: you can put on all the salt and butter you want!
10. Pay off your credit card balances each month and avoid finance charges. Better yet, use cash as much as possible, unless using plastic will give you a better deal (0% interest on appliance purchases, or cash rebates).
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