With the fluctuating economy and raising costs of living is it any wonder that lots of people are looking for ways to save money? In order to truly do this, however, you need to make a real effort to change your habits as those currently have you living beyond your means. Here are some quick and easy methods that you can use to save money.
You may be able to cut another bill substantially by switching to another company or service. If you apply a few money saving principles to your own life, you’ll be surprised at how effective they can be.
Putting a percentage of your income into a savings account is one simple and very effective method of saving money that many people overlook these days. Whether you cash or deposit your paycheck, the temptation is still there to spend all of it. It’s really easy to spend money, what with bills and everyday items that you purchase impulsively.
It is amazing the amount of money you can save by “brown bagging” your lunch every day. Even the ingredients for sandwiches every day or making a little bit extra at dinner to be taken in at lunch will cost less than you would spend buying lunch at a restaurant or even a super cheap drive through every day. You can also make healthier foods for yourself, as most fast foods are high in calories, salt and unhealthy fats. Eating out will often make tight schedules feel even tighter. Making lunch is an easy method for saving money and as time goes on the savings can be quite substantial.
If you can find them, buying items used is a wonderful way to save money. Buying things used like clothes and machines may make some people feel poor (and a little bit uncomfortable) but that is merely a state of mind. Just think of it as recycling. As long as you buy things that are in good condition why not save money by buying them used? When you need to get a new vehicle, look for a good used one so that you don’t have to make car payments. Lots of music stores are now selling used CDs and buying those can be a good way to build your music collection cheaply. Buying good quality used items can help you save lots of money.
Think about your phone bill, you can probably save some money here too. Is your phone bill out offline, do you have a cell phone and a home phone too or an internet phone, can you save some cash here? If you can cut your phone bill down to just one of the three you might be surprised how much you’ll save. A pay as you go plan is usually the best cell phone idea that you should consider. With this method you keep from paying for minutes you don’t use. Get away from texting too as this is a major contributor to cell phone bills except if you are on a plan that’s unlimited. It is often cheaper to text from the internet rather than from your phone.
If you pay for cable TV think about canceling it and finding other forms of entertainment. Many people pay for hundreds of cable channels they seldom watch. You can save money, particularly if you like movies, by simply renting DVDs or renting movies or television online. You can even watch lots of your favorite shows on the internet or even by renting them. It’s easy to find free videos online these days. You can also find something else to do that is not watching TV. Getting rid of your cable TV can save you many hundreds of dollars every year.
If you are like many you probably spend a lot more than you need to on hair care items. You can save a lot by changing where you get your hair done for instance to a salon that is less expensive for the same services. One way to save in this area is to visit your local beauty school where the students charge far less for the same services so they can get some practice. An even cheaper option is to learn to cut your own hair. Once you’ve learned how to do it you can save a bundle on family hair cuts if you are the household stylist. Finally, don’t buy the most expensive brands of hair care products, as you can get the same quality with generic brands.
You can save lots of money–that is obvious. While each of these tips alone might seem trivial, if you use them all they can result in big savings. All of the tips in this article can be used to save money every day. After a few months of this, you’ll realize what a difference such changes can make.
Learning how to save money in everyday life is definitely worth the effort. Spending more money than you have might feel good at first but in the end it just makes life more stressful and anxious when it comes time to pay the bills. These suggestions for saving money are good but they are just the beginning. Build a budget and, for every cent you want to spend ask yourself if there is a cheaper alternative.
The writer is a local Minnesota writer who likes writing about money topics for webpages which include Twin Cities Accountant.