I love a good “how to” list, don’t you? Here’s a list of seven simple ways to save money and come out financially ahead during these challenging economic times. Who doesn’t enjoy saving money?
1. Eat at home more often – This is something I’ve personally begun doing. Every Saturday my husband and I sit down and plan a menu for the week. We’ve been faithfully doing this for a few months now and our food budget has gone way down. It’s amazing how much money you spend picking up a pizza here, a burger there and a sub sandwich on the way home. And, I’ve found that after eating a good home cooked meal, I don’t snack nearly as much as I did before.
2. Put all your loose change in a piggy bank or a loose change jar – If you’ve read my articles before, you know I believe this a great way to save money or develop a “fun” fund. We have a “fun” fund of loose change and every couple of months take all the loose change to a change machine. Usually we come home with $80 to $100. Those nickels, dimes and quarters begin to add up! It becomes a habit – not spending the change and every evening placing the loose change in the piggy.
3. Call me crazy but I believe in refilling printer ink cartridges myself - The service is available at drug stores, office supply stores and there is even a store that opened in our neighborhood that just refills ink cartridges. Have you priced new cartridges lately? If you go through cartridges the way we do, the savings begins to add up.
4. Read the various “how tos” that you'll find on the web and in magazines - We can learn so much from others who’ve discovered new and better ways for doing day-to-day tasks. One tip here and another there has the potential of saving many dollars over the long haul.
5. Decide what is important and what’s not - To save some extra money each month, which habits could your family change? Turn off lights when no one is in the room, turn the thermostat up a degree or two in the summer and down in the winter, eat out less, limit snack foods in the house, change shopping habits? When it comes to saving money, the little things can begin to add up quickly.
6. Instead of going out to the movies have a family movie night once a week or a couple of times a month - Rent a DVD or begin a DVD exchange with neighbors or family. You can buy a whole lot of popcorn for family movie night with the money saved by staying home. Plus, it’s great family time.
7. Stay healthy - Take good care of your health. Eat properly. Go on walks. Laugh more often. Spend quality time with those you love. Good health is a great money saver!
Look at your day-to-day routine around the house and see what other money saving tips you can come up with. When you have a few minutes, please go on the Abundance and Wealth forum and share some of your favorite money saving tips with us.
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Please take a few minutes to visit my website www.SharonMichaels.com for more empowering suggestions, tools and tips and to sign up for my "Unlimited Success" free monthly newsletter and tele-conferences.
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