thought this was a pretty good artical I came across
How To Save Money and Get Out of Debt
Some may call it frugal living, others may call it living wisely. Either way, there are a ton of opportunities out there to save money. Often times we just throw money away for no good reason. Sure convenience isn’t free, but with a few conscious decisions, you can save some serious money.
If you’re in debt, or even a more serious financial situation, you can take a series of different measures to organically start picking yourself up off the ground.
Below is an ongoing and never-ending list of ways to save money on a daily basis. I’ve used many of these techniques myself when I needed to save money in the past, and I’ve also been guilty of many money squandering activities such as eating out frequently, buying coffee, and buying things I really didn’t need or ultimately use. I know that only some of these money-saving techniques will work for you.
Obviously you can’t apply them all or you’d live a very lackluster life. But take what you can from the tips below. Even applying just one money-saving can benefit your financial situation more than you’d think.
Check out some money saving strategies and easy ways to save money:
- Shop around for your mortgage!
- Refinance your mortgage if it makes sense financially
- Shop around for homeowners insurance
- Negotiate a lower sales price
- Get credit help
- Do not buy stuff you can’t afford, especially if you have debt
- Invest in the stock market (dividend stocks)
- Balance transfer high-interest rate credit cards to 0% APR credit cards
- Do not pay annual fees or any fees for that matter on credit cards
- Get reward programs on your credit cards as long as they are free
- Set up an ING savings account and start an automatic savings plan, instead of buying coffee, add $3.50 a day to your savings account!
Open a savings account in under five minutes with no fees, no minimums and FDIC insurance
- Do not pay for a checking account (it should always be free)
- Do not use ATMs from banks aside from your own
- Bring a lunch from home
- Carpool a few days a week if possible
- Don’t buy coffee/smoothies in the morning
- Cancel magazine subscriptions
- Sell old clothing at thrift stores or on Ebay
- Sell anything you don’t need or use on Ebay
- Check out books from a library
- Don’t smoke
- Get a home energy audit to determine ways to cut-down energy costs
- Open windows during summer to stay cool
- Close windows during the winter to stay warm
- Stop buying things you don’t need just because they’re on sale
- Use club cards wherever you shop for groceries or anything else
- Use frequent visitor cards for places you frequent
- Use Internet coupons for things such as pizza delivery, lunch specials, and more
- Walk instead of using the valet (It’s romantic…)
- Use a Brita filter instead of bottled water
- Call your cell phone company and get a discount for being a long-time member
- Reduce cell phone services you don’t need
- Don’t keep upgrading a perfectly reliable cell phone
- Don’t carry a PDA if you don’t need one
- Call long distance using your cell phone
- Get rid of your landline
- Shop during big sales such as holiday sales and out of season
- Save leftovers and eat them for lunch or breakfast
- Eat the food your company provides, and drink the company coffee
- Avoid alcohol at restaurants (This will slice your bill in half.)
- Order tap water at restaurants.
- Comparison shop online using the plethora of available services
- Buy used items you need on Ebay
- Use smaller quantities of items such as soap, shampoo, etc
- Bring snacks to work if you are prone to buying snacks during the day
- Buy in bulk if you use a lot and the food or drink won’t go bad
- Use generic prescription drugs
- Buy generic over-the-counter drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen
- Look for cheap travel at sites like Hotwire.com
- Consider a no fee balance transfer if you’re paying finance charges.
- Check the air pressure in your tires to reduce gas consumption
- Search for cheaper gas stations
- Use cheaper car insurance companies that offer the same benefits as the big boys
- Cut up your credit cards and start paying them off
- Take your spare change to a supermarket and exchange it for a cash voucher
- Don’t gamble
- Book ahead for travel and accommodations
- Use low-cost carriers such as Southwest or Jet Blue
- Lease a car to avoid maintenance costs
- Drive a hybrid to save on gas costs
- Consolidate student debt if it makes sense for your situation
- Pay all credit cards on time
- Get overdraft protection on your checking account to avoid extra fees
- Use Skype for long distance and international calls
- Eat less and exercise more (Exercise is free you know…)
- Eat during happy hour
- Take advantage of matinee and off-peak pricing
- Sell your old cell phone
- Make a grocery list so you buy only what you need
- Stock up on sale items that you know you’ll use
- Buy clothes you know you can wear more than once (avoid trends)
- Hang-dry your clothing
- Avoid running the dishwasher unless it is full
- Stop at garage sales and sidewalk sales
- Buy clothes at thrift stores
- Stop at second-hand stores such as Marshalls or Nordstrom Rack
- Buy shoes at stores such as DSW and Shoe Carnival
- Don’t buy software if you download it for free online
- Turn off lights and other appliances when you leave
- Make sure you use your computer energy saving options
- Don’t get car rental insurance
- Walk instead of drive if you’re traveling somewhere close by
- Choose hobbies that don’t require you to keep upgrading or buying more accessories
- Sell old or unused items on Craisglist.org (it is free to list and sell)
- Work harder if you have a commission-based salary
- Get to work on time if you get paid hourly
- Don’t buy office supplies your company already offers for free
- Cancel a newspaper subscription if you rarely read it
- Shop around for the cheapest internet service provider
- Save holiday decorations for next year
- Skip dessert, for your wallet and your health
- Make homemade greeting cards for holidays and birthdays
- Wrap gifts in newspaper or magazines
- Skip one night out a month and do something creative.
- If you’re paying credit card finance charges, look into no fee balance transfer credit cards.