Everyday Ways to Save Moneyby Robert C Ashton 7/24/2009 • If you have children at home, especially younger ones, they can be entertained very easily. Don’t buy very expensive gifts for them. Test their creativity and let them run wild with even bits of colored paper or newspapers. Small games like tossing marbles or pennies into a jar or cutting papers and straws will give them great pleasure. You too have to get involved in their activity, and you will realize that kids do not want expensive stuff, but a bit of your valuable time. • Some tips to save money include buying puzzles and other games for your older children which can be played over and over again. Buy rechargeable batteries because although you will have to pay a huge price in the beginning, the batteries can be recharged and reused in toys and appliances. You can save the environment too because batteries are harmful to the environment. Rechargeable batteries can be used for several years if handled carefully. • Drink water to your hearts content. This is surely one of the best ... |
How to Save Money When You Are Brokeby Shannon Tani 7/24/2009 Whether you want to save money to make a large purchase, pay off our debts, or simply add to your retirement fund, it is possible to save money when you are broke. The first step is to find out where this money is going to come from. It may be hard to imagine squeezing any extra money from your paycheck, but with a few simple modifications to your habits, you will be stocking your piggy bank in no time at all. Your money for savings needs to come from either reducing your expenses or increasing your income. Cut Expenses to Save Money This is often the easiest way for people to start saving money. But it takes some knowledge about how you are currently spending your money in order to see where you can save money. For at least one week, track your spending habits so that you can see where your money is going. For most people, this is going to be a big shock, especially when you see just how much money you spend on certain things. Then start looking for places that you can cut your costs. For most people, the best place to start is with their food expenses. It’s usually much cheaper to eat at home, so if you find that you eat out a lot, then start by eating all of your meals at home. You’ll also find that you can save ... |
25 Ways To Save Moneyby Amanda Milne 7/24/2009 Ways to save money... 1. Be a power saver. Anything that has a plug can use energy, even when it is off. I unplug anything non-essential and turn off power bars when not in use. Also consider motion sensor switches, CFL bulbs, and programmable thermostats. 2. Shop the flyers and make a plan (see my article on 10 Ways to Save on Groceries for more details). Plan your meals for the week or month based on what is in your cupboards, fridge, freezer, and what is on sale that week. When staples, condiments, or household products are on sale, buy them: This saves a lot of money compared to running out and having to pay a couple of dollars more to buy them in a pinch. I try to spread things out and buy a couple of these items a week. 3. Cooking at home instead of eating out. We used to eat ... |
Ten Tips On How To Save Moneyby Steven Gillman 7/24/2009 1. Save money on air conditioning. If there are only a few weeks of hot weather in your area, you may get by with just fans. You can have one blow cooler air up the stairs from the basement. You can also put a box fan in the windows on the shaded side of the house. 2. Save money on airfare. Use a drive/fly combo. It might take two hours to drive to a larger airport, but it could save you hundreds of dollars on the connecting flight. 3. Save on appliances. Buy store returns. Sometimes you can get store returns that still have a guarantee. I once bought a $400 clothes dryer for $99 this way. It had been use for a couple weeks, but still came with a full warrantee. 4. Save on boats. Consider renting instead of buying. Add all costs for a year (insurance, licenses, gas, maintenance, equipment, repairs, dock fees, storage fees, depreciation, trailer, trailer hitch, etc). Divide this by the number of times you are likely to use the boat. This gives you your cost-per-use. Now double this, because you’ll never use it as often as you think. If this figure is more than the cost of a daily rental, just rent. 5. Save money on carpet cleaning. Ask your carpet cleaner if he will discount the price for just doing the "traffic" areas. This means he won’t move anything, but just clean ... |
Ways to Save Money - 5 Steps to Saving NOW!by Paul J Smith 7/24/2009 Saving money is TOUGH! You know what I’m talking about. How can anyone save money when there’s so many bills to pay! There are many ways to save money though. I mean, when it comes down to it, you could just stick some cash in a sock right? It can get as simple as that. But how do you start? How do you save big? To answer these questions, I’ve got 5 simple steps to save money that you can start implementing as soon as you’re done reading this. --- Step 1: Make up your mind to do it --- Just decide that you are going to and that nothing is going to get in your way, okay? I’m serious here! Get rowdy, go crazy, you are going to start saving! Just like debt elimination, the way to save more money is to DECIDE you’re going to. --- Step 2: Set a goal and a reason --- Decide how much you are going to save and WHY you are going to save and write these things down on paper. If you want $100, make a goal for $100. Determine why you are wanting to save this amount. You need a reason. If you want to save a lot then you MUST have a goal and reason. --- Step 3: Decide on a date for completion --- Do you need tires for the car in 3 months? Got a birthday or holiday coming up? Whatever the reason is for saving, when do you need it by? Either the date when you need it ... |
What To Do With Your Raiseby Ryan J. Taylor 3/23/2008 If you recently received a raise and dreaming about how much extra cash you will have to burn, stop dreaming. Raises have an odd way of not really changing people’s financial situation at all. If you’re a saver, you will save a little more than you used to with your raise. If you typically allow your income to determine your budget, you will probably continue to waste money without tracking where it really all goes. Your money management habits, or lack of, will generally stay the same regardless of income. Let’s look at a hypothetical situation. Steve is an employee that currently makes $50,000 and counts on his annual 5% raise. Rather than planning what to do with his raise, Steve spends his money until his check is gone. He doesn’t really know where the money goes and doesn’t feel like his pay increase helps him become wealthier. If, however, Steve continued to live as if he were still making $50,000, things could be different. By planning to invest his entire 5% raise in a fund that returns 10%, here is what he could experience: Year 1: $2,750 Year 2: $8,663 Year 3: $18,198 Year 4: $31,870 Year 5: $50,252 In just five years, Steve would actually able to accumulate $50,000. Note that this does not take taxes or fees into consideration. Those fees can be achieved if you deposit funds into a retirement account, such as a 401(k). Don’t let your hard-earned raise not really feel like a pay increase because of your poor money habits. Put the ... |
Budget? What budget?by Rhonda Nails 3/23/2008 -Call credit cards companies and ask for a rate reduction. During these times, credit card companies want your business, even if you’re paying the minimum. Call to let them know that you received a better offer on another card and want to know if they can match it. They will usually match it or get you a lower rate. It never hurts to ask. -Shop with a list (and stick to it) Every one knows what an impulse buy is but do we take heed to steer clear of it? Be warned, stores spend a small fortune studying ways of making us part with more of our money than we would otherwise intend to. Have you ever wondered why your favorite song is ... |
Budgeting For a Better Futureby Ken Chapman 3/23/2008 Have you had credit problems in the past? Do you have a poor credit score? If so there are some great products available to rectify that situation, however what about afterwards? There is no point in fixing your credit score only to go and lose it again. There is one way to protect your credit score and credit files from damage and that is efficient budgeting. Nearly all credit problems can be traced to lack of budgeting skills, people on all income levels get behind in their credit agreement and lose their good credit score, the reason why some people with large incomes have the same financial problems as people with much lower incomes is down to an inability to budget. Budgeting your monthly expenses allows you the opportunity control what happens to your credit score, it gives you the ability to make instant decisions about whether you can afford that new credit facility or not. When we don’t budget correctly it leads to us making bad decisions, most of us have to make an instant decision on spending and we do so with a quick calculation in our heads that invariably leads to problems later. This eventually filter through the credit reporting system into your credit history and is reflected in our credit score becoming poor. Budgeting is not actually that difficult, it does require that we take a hard look at our finances and face the truth about our current position. Even just doing this can bring huge relief if you are struggling financially, ... |
Simple Money Saving Tipsby Susanne Myers 3/23/2008 Saving money in the household budget can be challenging. The rising cost of almost everything has many of us struggling and pinching pennies. There are several simple things, which almost anyone can do to save money in the family budget. Many of us just need to get into the mindset that we are going to save money. We have to make up our minds that it is a priority and then stick with our goal. One of the first things anyone can do is to begin to question their wants versus their needs. Anytime you go to make a purchase question, whether or not you want the item or you really need the item. Taking the time to ask yourself that simple question could mean the difference in spending $5, $10 even $100, or more that you could have saved. Most people have four basic needs: food, shelter, transportation and clothing. If the item that you are about to purchase does not fit into one of those categories than it is most likely not a need. In fact, a need is truly something that is required to sustain you, whereas on the other hand, a want is something that can help to enhance or improve your style of living. For many people wants and needs are easy to confuse. Another thing to consider is the old saying that "Less is better." As a society we have all gotten into the habit of believing we need more and more in order to live a ... |
Saving for Your Futureby Martin Lukac 1/1/2007 We all know that we should save money. But something so easy to say can be quite difficult to actually do. Saving money is the basis of building your financial future. However, many consumers are putting it off one more day. Those days turn quickly into years of lost money. Without savings, the chances of meeting long-term financial goals and achieving financial security are quite miniscule. In order to save money, you have to control your finances. Saving has nothing to do with how much you make. It has everything to do with how you control your money. If you have lots of credit card debt and live paycheck to paycheck, you are not in control of your money. And you aren’t saving for the future either. You have to spend less and save more. The two are tied together. In order to save, you have to start spending less. And it all really isn’t that difficult if you just start doing it. First, sit down and write down your financial goals. Just ask yourself what you want from your money. Perhaps you would like to have a downpayment for your first home. Maybe you need a new car. Make long-term goals, such as retirement, and short-term goals, such as new living room furniture. Give each goal a dollar amount and a time frame. In order to save, you have to know what you are saving for. You have to have a reason to put your money aside. You will need to set up a seperate savings ... |
Creating a Financial Planby Martin Lukac 1/1/2007 Having a financial plan is essential. It can help you eliminate your debt, save for the things you truly want and prepare for a comfortable retirement. If you are tired of living from paycheck to paycheck, perhaps it is time to start following a balanced financial plan. There are three main aspects to financial planning: Budgeting and saving; investing; and retirement and estate planning. You must work on all three in order to have a balanced financial picture. There is no way around it. No matter how much you dislike the idea, budgeting is one of the main requirements of successfully managing your finances. It isn’t the negative task that many people assume it to be. It isn’t a financial diet and it isn’t something that deprives you of the things you want. Budgeting simply helps you to see how and where you spend your money. It also can provide you with a guideline on how to spend your money in order to get the things you really want. It can help you to plan your debt elimination and start saving for the future. When you take the steps to budget, you are laying out the plan for your financial future. You are deciding what you need to save for and how you will do it. With a budget in place you can start a savings plan that will help you to meet your long-term financial goals. With a budget, you are able to recognize the areas in which you can save money. You have ... |
How To Improve Your Finances In 10 Easy Stepsby Raymond Heng 1/1/2007 1. Know your current financial standing. Before you can make any plans to save for any activity, be it for your children’s education, retirement or buy that dream home, you need to know where you stand financially today. You may need to take the trouble of getting a financial planner if you do not know how to create a financial plan. If you do know how to create a financial plan then you can save a fair bit of money in engaging a financial planner. 2. Save regularly. Getting into the habit of saving is a good virtue. You will never know when you are in dire need of that extra cash when unforeseen events happen like job retrenchment or a loved one becomes ill which requires a lot of medical attention incurring high medical costs. As a guide it is a must for you to have set aside 3-6 months of your current salary to meet emergency needs. 3. Control your cash flow. No matter how rich you are, you must be able to control your cash flow. The simple rule is what comes into your pocket needs to be more than what goes out of your pocket. You need to be aware which item is giving you income and what is causing you to spend. 4. Reduce your expenses Start by keeping track of your daily, weekly then monthly expenses. Find those expenses that are not a necessity and eliminate them. A good example of this is paying for magazine subscriptions which you do not ... |
Money Management: A List of Quick Tipsby Brad Homer 1/1/2007 Effectively managing your money is one of the most important skills you must learn to become a successful adult. If you’re like most people, you struggle a bit to control the financial side of your life. The following list of tips gives a quick list of tips that may help: 1. Long term mastery of your money requires discipline. There is no short cut to acquiring self-discipline, except making the decision to do it. 2. You alone are responsible for your current financial state. This is a hard one for a lot of people. Accept responsibility for where you are now and move forward. Learn from the past and then let it go. Worrying or complaining about other’s actions saps your power - take control of your own life and let others worry about their’s. If you’re married, treat your spouse as your other half; you both need to get on the same page with accepting responsibility and manage your money as a team. 3. Create a budget. Any budget is better than no budget! If you think you don’t have the time to do it - that’s just fear talking. Five minutes twice a month can easily grow a rudimentary but effective budget. 4. Stop using your credit cards and get out of debt. The idea is to keep money in your pocket and not give it away to credit card companies – their profit margins exceed all other industries for a reason. 5. Use cash for small, regular daily expenditures to become more ... |
5 Ways to Save Money in Collegeby Lynn Haehl 8/2/2006 College is expensive in itself, and that’s not even including all of the other expenses that college students have. Many students have it easy -- they have a scholarship that pays for everything they need while they’re in school. However, those of us who aren’t so lucky have to learn tricks on how to survive with all of our new expenses. Read this article for tips on how to save money in college: Buy Schoolbooks Online The cost of schoolbooks is outrageous. Even worse, 95% of the time you’re going to take your books back at the end of the semester, and the bookstore is going to refuse to buy it back. So, while you might feel better at the beginning of the semester with a shiny new textbook, you’re going to regret passing over the ratty used textbook at the end of the semester when you’re trying to raise money for next year’s books. The solution, buy your books online. If they have all of the pages, they’ll do. If it’s 90% cheaper, you’ll have a good story to tell other students when they notice your ratty book. Decline Credit Card Offers When you’re struggling for money, those credit card offers are going to look pretty tempting. Credit card companies know this, so they target college students. The problem is that you’re actually spending more money when you buy on a credit card, and, if you’re already struggling with finances, interest charges on food aren’t going to help. And creditors calling you aren’t ... |
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