EASY WAYS TO SAVE MONEY

In a tough economy, everybody is looking for ways to save money. While everyone’s situation is different, there are some basic tips that anyone can benefit from. Here are a few things that I have learned. I hope they help.

The best way I’ve ever heard of, to save money, is the pay yourself first idea. When you get your check, before you pay anyone else take some amount out and stash it away. This is the money that you owe yourself, so pay yourself first for all your efforts. Then you can go about paying your bills and buying groceries, etcetera.

When it comes to buying groceries, make a list. Since a big chunk of money now seems to go for groceries, plan the whole week out in advance. Sure you can still throw in a few ‘treats’, but basically, stick to your list. This way you can control your health as well as your pocket book. You can also plan to brown bag your lunch too. Ordering lunch out at the office gets expensive. Another big expense seems to be the latté, why not make your own coffee? Over the course of a week, the savings will add up.

If you’re like me, you don’t enjoy having the same meal the next night. Unless you really have a taste for something, or plan to take it for lunch, you might not enjoy leftovers. I say freeze it, that way, when you in a rush sometime, you can have a quick meal. This works well with things like lasagna or chili.

Learn to be independent, and fix things yourself. When you live alone, you learn to do many things yourself. You can learn almost anything online these days. If you still don’t understand, there are places like, ‘the helpful hardware man’ that can help you. You would be surprised how helpful auto part stores can be found, or even your local library. This is all free advice.

Speaking of the library, save money on book and magazines by using your library card. You can also borrow DVD’s or CD’s for entertainment. They may not have the latest titles but they do carry many classics, and the price is right.

Another way to save money is the credit card reward program. If you pay you bill off each month, besides not paying any interest, you can also get cash back or other perks. I have a credit card that has been accumulating reward points that will soon give me $50 back. Since I have never paid any interest on it, I will actually make money on that card.

You can also save quite a bit of money shopping at consignment stores, flea markets and yard sales. If you’re a collector you may even discover some great finds. Some folks even make this a part time job. It’s fun and you can bump into some real bargains.

There is many more money saving ideas too, like avoiding the ATM, repairing your old car and consolidating debt; some money pits are obvious. For most people the money we spend comes out of our pockets in drizzles, hardly noticeable, until the end of the month. I would recommend keeping a journal of what you spend your money on everyday. Then you will know for sure, exactly who is getting your money, instead of you.



By  Renee Rotto