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8 Tips for Saving Money

March 3, 2011 By plpal200 2 Comments

Article by Charlie Gibson

With the financial crunch that we’re all feeling, saving money has become more important that ever before. And while saving money may not always be easy… it’s not as hard as you make think either. Below are some tips for saving money that should help you get ahead.

1. Get a Saving Account.

While this is pretty basic… many people want to save money and they don’t even have a SAVINGS account. While you can save money in a checking account, the money is to easy to get to. So my first tip, get a savings account. Do it today. Many accounts don’t require a minimum deposit and it will get you on your way to saving.

2. Make It a Game.

Once you have your savings account set up, play a game with yourself to see how much you can save up. It’s addictive. Your first goal may be to have 0 in the account. Then 0. Then 00. And once you reach a certain level, or certain accomplishment… you’ll find you don’t want to fall below that level. Start small and build. I now wish not to fall below 0k. The goal is to double that this year. Which leads to my next point.

3. Have Goals.

You have to know where you want to go. So you’ve saved 00 dollars. Is that good? It is if your goal was to save 0. However, if your goal is to save ,000, then you still have a little work ahead of you. And make your goal realistic, too. On that same note, don’t be afraid to push yourself. While the goal should be attainable, you don’t want it to be too easy, either. Someone once told me that if others didn’t laugh at your goals, then you weren’t shooting high enough. For instance… which is better – to have a goal of ,000 and hit it; or have a goal of ,000 and only reach ,000. While the second one I didn’t hit my goal, I saved more money. See my point?

3. Don’t Spend on Stupid Things.

You all know what I’m talking about. The extras that you don’t really need. That’s why they’re called “extras”. Something that’s always helped me when I look to purchase ANYTHING… I simply ask myself if I “need” the object, or if I “want” the object. If I need the object then I better buy it (toilet paper!!!). If I “want” the object, then I very well may not purchase it (video game). While the video game would be nice to have, I would rather have the in my savings account working toward my goal.

4. Don’t Have Easy Access to Your Money.

If you have 0 in your pocket, how long before it’s gone? How easy is it to swipe a debit card? How easy is it to swipe a credit card? If you have a limited amount of access to your money, it helps you think over those purchases that you might just be buying “because you can”. If on the other hand, you had to go to the bank, pull the money out, then go back to the store… you will find that 9 times out of 10, it’s not worth the effort. When you go to the store, just bring the money that you need for the particular purchase. That way you don’t get caught going to Wal-mart for a loaf of bread that cost , and leaving with 0 worth of “stuff” that you may or may not need. I can’t tell you the importance of this one enough!

5. Name Brand? What’s That?

Don’t waste your money on name brand stuff. If you’re reading this article, then money is probably a little tight. If money is a little tight, you shouldn’t be spending money where you don’t have to. Name brand foods, name brand clothes… all cost more because of the “name”. Most of the time it’s not any better. At the store, I could buy Mountain Dew… which I like a lot. But I don’t. Why would I? It sounds funny, but “Mountain Lightening” is SAME thing. Just a different name. About half the price. I don’t care about the name on the can… I care about the amount of money in my savings account!

6. Cut Out the Fluff.

Look at your regular payments each month. Do they need to be that high? Cable bill. Do you have to have cable? And if so, do you need that expensive package? Probably not. Look at how much time television takes out of your life that you could be doing something productive. Cell phone bill. I bet you’re paying for a bunch of extra crap each month that don’t have to. Extra minutes, texting, email on your phone… even if you save each month – that’s 0/yr. Depending on your plan, you could probably save more. Electric bill. Do you keep the lights on throughout the house? Do you keep the TV on when no one is watching? What temperature do you keep the house? Car Payments. Lower the interest rate. And by all means, don’t get another car with higher payments. Get something that works and pay it off ASAP. I could go on, but you get the point.

7. Eating Out.

Are you stupid? It’s easy to spend – when you go out; probably more. How many groceries could you buy with that money? A ton. If you spend on average when you eat out… and you do that 6 times out of the 21 meals in a week… you just spent . Almost 0/wk. That’s 0/mo! That’s a lot of peoples’ car payment. I say don’t eat out… if you’re still going to, at least cut back!

8. Going to the Bars

HAHAHA! Spending money on drinks at a bar is crazy. When I can go to the liquor store and buy a handle for the same price as a couple of drinks… it just doesn’t add up. And several dollars for a beer. You’re kidding, right? “At the bar you’re paying for the atmosphere.” Blah, blah, blah. I go out, but I’m not buying the drinks at the bar. I’ll pre-game if anything. Again, a bar tab, or in my savings account toward my goal? It’s all about choices. 0k in the bank, or living paycheck to paycheck?

So these are just some of my tips for saving money. Some are obvious, some might not be. You’ll agree with some, and maybe not with others. But if you go without a few things now, you’ll be able to do a lot more later. One of the guys that sells all those programs on how to save money (which I never read or saw… the stuff I’ve heard sounds somewhat obvious) once said, “Live today like others won’t, so you can live tomorrow like others can’t.”

Best of luck to you. For more information visit my website.

About the Author

I love staying at home with my wife and son. We also love to travel. Working from home has allowed me this freedom. If you’d like more information go to:
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25 ways to save money

March 3, 2011 By plpal200 Leave a Comment

Article by Okey Chibo

There are better ways of handling money to prevent unscrupulous spending habits. Most people usually tend to ignore these ways because they are so consumed to their usual spending habit even at the height of global recession the question remains why? Well it turns out that some factors are responsible for these. First of all ignorance plays a major factor most people lack financial guide and intelligence in personal cash management. Also, financial management is not inculcated in our school systems thereby preventing a repeated occurrence in our future generations. Once you learn the information presented in this article then you will understand the steps carefully outlined to stop this trend of wastefulness.
First before we discuss some of the specific benefits of saving cash let us take an in depth look at what saving entails and the categories of people that really need help in these areas.If we look closely we would discover that savings outweighs most theories based on spending frivolously and reduces wastage of any form.For some people it goes as far as unwanted goods lying in the house gathering dust,lack of budgeting, excessive makeups and lots more that would be mentioned as well.
These benefits includes the following:
1. Budget

The first way to save money is to identify what you have to spend and what your weekly costs are. Budgets aren’t boring, saving hard earn cash can be exciting when you have a long term plan.
Budgeting your money and controlling your spending is the first step towards saving more money.

2. Eat At Home
Stop eating out and start eating at home you will save a lot this way and you will know what is in the food. Help save money by preparing your food at home and creating fresh food.

3. Haggle Existing Loans
Threaten to take your business elsewhere and you’d be surprised how flexible lending institutes can be.

4. Repair Things
Repair your goods before they become very expensive to replace. Wait too long and it may cost you dearly.

5. Quit Vices
Quit smoking and other vices that not only hurt your health, but they also cost your a lot of cash in the long run.

6. Leave Your Money At Home
Don’t take your wallet or purse with you when you go window shopping. At worst take a few dollars with you but leave the plastic at home.
7. Buy Generic
Often generic brands are equal in quality to their higher priced competition. Buy Generic and save cash. One of the classic strategies to save money

8. Bake A Cake
Actually, bake anything you want – The more the better – cakes, bread and cookies they taste better too.

9. Evaluate Grocery Items
Are the items you buy useful? Don’t just buy from habit, make educated product comparisons and you will save money in the long run.

10. Make Large Meals And Freeze leftovers
By making extra you can save on waste and avoid extra electricity costs.

11. Pack Your Own Lunch
Don’t buy lunch every day or you’ll rack up the costs when you could save money by making lunch yourself.

12. Buy A Slow Cooker
Having a slow cooker means you can use cheaper cuts of meat and still have tender, delicious meals.

13. Home Brew
Make your own beer it’s fun and you will save a lot of money.

14. Use Power Saving Appliances
Keep your power bills down by using energy saving appliances.

15. Buy Goods In Bulk
Bulk buy stores are great just don’t buy too much or you may just end up throwing food away.

16. Pay Bills Online
Why drive to the store to pay bills when you can save fuel and pay online.

17. Buy A Home Gym
You will save money on gym fees in no time.

18. Rent Library Books
Why pay for a book you will only read once? – Rent books from the library and save money.

19. Use A Cheaper Razor
Expensive razors don’t necessarily do a better job than the far less expensive kind.

20. Consolidate Your Debt
If you can consolidate your debt to save money then you should do so immediately.

21. Carpool
Save money on fuel and save the environment by carpooling with colleagues.

22. Grow Your Own
If you can grow your own fruit and vegetables then you should give it a try because you can benefit from delicious organic produce and save money. Many people start out using this as one of their favorite strategies to save money. Maybe you will too?

23. Use The Internet
Find instructions off the internet and make as many repairs as you possibly can and you’ll avoid having to hire costly experts.

24. Read Junk mail
If you can handle the temptation then look through your advertising mail for specials and coupons that can save you.

25. Stay Healthy
Exercise and eat right because healthier people have lower medical expenses – It must be true then that healthier = wealthier…..Maybe?

26. Use Less Make Up
Don’t use make up at least two days a week and you will save over 25% on make up costs.

In conclusion you have to keep these main points in mind and have to decide if the savings tips would be of benefit to you. This can be done by evaluating the points mentioned above and give it some thoughts. Good luck and i wish you the best.

About the Author

Runs a blog called personalcashmanagement.com and speaks extensively on cash management

In order to save money and stop spending uncontrollably, a person needs to set up a budget so he can gain a better understanding of how much money they have to spend. Gain a better understanding of where an individual’s income is going with help from a financial services specialist in this free video on saving money. Expert: William Rae Contact: www.hbwfl.com Bio: William Rae has been licensed in the insurance and financial fields for over 30 years. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz
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Some Great Tips On How To Save Money Part 1

March 3, 2011 By plpal200 1 Comment

Article by Dave Clark

1. Gift Wrapping Papers

Why buy expensive gift wrapping papers from the market, if you can make them at home? Plain brown grocery paper bags are what you can begin with. Take out your painting brush and craft paints. Give your imagination a free run. Remember that the sky is the limit, so far as your creativity and imagination go. Paint any design and rest assured that your effort would be well appreciated by those who receive your gift. You can paint flowers, trees, butterflies, bees, birds or whatever fancies you.

2. Saving on Gifts

Everyone loves receiving and giving gifts. If you have a large family, you may end up spending a lot of money buying gifts for each member, and receiving gifts you may have no need for. You may talk to your family members and come to an understanding to limit the giving of gifts to children only. This way you keep the children, who love to receive gifts, happy, and save a substantial amount of money too.

3. Homemade Gifts

Everyone loves receiving gifts. A homemade gift is any day more appreciated than gifts purchased from the market. One can actually feel the warmth that is associated with homemade gifts. If you have time on hand then there is no dearth of opportunities to exhibit your skills. You can make gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, Christmas gifts, babies and more.

You can knit a sweater or a pair of booties for a little baby; make cakes for occasions, or weave baskets. There is no end to what you can create at home. Wrap your gifts with homemade packaging and tie it with a bow.

4. Movie Shows

If you are a movie buff, you must know that matinee and late afternoon shows are cheaper than nighttime or late night shows. If you are planning to treat your family to a movie, take them during the day. The savings could well be more than half of what you normally spend. It is as good as seeing two movies at the cost of one nighttime movie.

Eateries inside the movie theater offer food at prices that can burn a big hole in your pocket. It would be a great idea if you carry some homemade popcorns, and candies along with you to munch inside while watching the movie. Some movie tickets come at discounted prices. Check online and you will get to save money on that account too. So, you know now how to save good money while taking your family out to see a movie.

5. Saving at Home

Make everyone in your family participate in making savings wherever they can. Inculcate a habit of turning off the lights when leaving the room. Initially, you or your kids may forget to do so. Fix a fun-punishment for those who break this rule. Water heaters may be run on low settings, if warm water is the need. Higher settings consume more power. If the air outside is cooler, you may open the windows to let in fresh and cool air. This way you can save significantly on your air conditioning. All these little things done consciously can make a huge contribution to your saving.

6. Reward Scheme

Start a reward scheme at home encouraging all your family members to become conscientious savers. Achievers may be rewarded with stuff they want. If you want to avoid expenses on taxis, encourage them to use public transport. The savings that are made on this account can be used to finance different needs of individuals in the family. You may also spend the amount saved on a family outing.

7. Right Attitude

It is important to develop the right attitude towards saving. In fact, the entire family needs to have a healthy view on saving. You need to develop a habit of not wasting resources and being aware of the need of saving. Do not think that you cannot save, because if you make a conscious effort, you certainly can.

8. Not All Unused Stuff is Useless

Teach your children the concept and importance of saving. Tell them not to throw away things they do not need. It is often seen that teenagers throw away things that are of no need to them without realizing that what is not good for them may be good for some other family member. You may check a few times with your children the stuff that they consider of no use to them, and make them realize how important it may be for someone in the house. Unused gum tubes, make up, clothes, accessories etc. may come in handy. So, these should not be thrown away.

9. Family Saving Plan

Get your family together and let them participate in the family saving plan. Ask for their ideas on how to make savings. Let your teenaged kids come forward and suggest ways to save on the telephone bill. If you give them responsibility, they will act consciously. Discuss other saving matters with them, making them aware of what needs to be done, and how wasteful expenditure can be curtailed.

10. Buffets and Money Saving

When you are on an outing with your family, you can have your lunch or dinner in a restaurant that offers buffet.

11. Vacationing

Plan your vacations in advance, and plan them for the off-season. Prices all-round are considerably lower during the off-season. You will find hotel accommodation, cars and airfare at heavily discounted prices. That is a lot in terms of saving when you are traveling with your family.

If you happen to be the kind that loves solitude and peace, then there is nothing like an off-season holiday. You may also plan to book your hotel accommodation just one day in advance to the start of the holiday season. This one day translates into substantial saving for you.You can save a lot of money that way. If your child is young, you can share your meals. Moreover, buffets offer a wide range of menus to select from. Buffets are a win-win situation from the point of view of food and saving.

12. Networking

If you have two computers in different rooms in your house, it is best to have them networked. There is no point paying twice over and have two high-speed cable connections for both the computers. Arrange your computers in such a way that one of them acts as a primary computer and the other as the backup. Under such an arrangement, you can have a single high-speed internet cable connection and pay a nominal amount extra for the second computer. That is a lot of saving.

13. Economy Haircuts

Many haircutting saloons offer economy haircut packages for families. These work out to be cheaper than going for individual haircuts.

Some families normally do haircuts for kids at home, and make good savings on that account. The money saved can be utilized for other purposes.

14. Recycling Stuff at Home

When we talk of recycling, the first thing that strikes us is utilization of the waste. You can actually save money by applying recycling in your life. For instance, you can create a nice gift for your friend with the things around you. Avoid buying expensive showpieces or gifts, and go for things around you and try to create something innovative. See the smile on your friend’s face.

15. Managing Your Utilities

Always take care that the rooms you are not using should be closed. If you are heating or cooling the entire house then you are simply wasting money. Thus, close all the unused rooms or garage, as there is no need of any kinds of utilities there. This act can save a lot of your money.

16. Check Your Bills

Always keep in mind to check the details of your bills. It could be credit card statements, bank statement, telephone or electricity bills or even the receipt of grocery. If you pay attention to them and go through the details minutely, you may find some errors, which might be huge. These errors can be immediately corrected. After the correction, a statement for the right amount be generated. Thus, your presence of mind can save you money.

17. Time Costs Money

Always try to pay your bills or any other payments on time. All of us know that not paying a bill on time means paying penalty for late payment. This unnecessary wastage of money is because of our laziness and negligence. So, make it a point to pay your bills on time and avoid wastage of money.

18. Discipline

Discipline makes a person perfect. Maintaining discipline in your life means organizing your life completely. If your life is organized that means you are saving a lot of money. Is it possible? Yes! Suppose, you are paying all your bills on their due date that means you are saving a lot of money. Thus, you can save your hard-earned money all through proper organization. All it demands is a little discipline and your money will be safe in your pocket.

19. Spend on Needs

It is very necessary to differentiate between wants and needs. There is a small degree of difference between the two.

Make all your purchases need-based, occasionally making allowance for want-based shopping. If you base your purchasing on needs, you will see that you can cut down on a whole lot of needless purchasing. And save a substantial amount.

20. Save gas

If you act a little responsibly then you can save a lot of money. For instance, try to stay in such an area where all the essentials are in the same local area. This kind of organization can help you in saving a lot of gas. Once in a week go for a small drive, and complete all your errands.

21. Maintaining Your Garden

If you are looking to add more plants to your garden, you will find that buying plants can be quite expensive. Look around your garden and see if you can split some existing plants and use them where you want them. You may even ask your friends or neighbors, if they can spare some surplus plants or split them for you.

If you are planning to buy a lawnmower, buy one that mulches leaves. This will save you money in terms of buying mulch for your plants and flowerbeds.

22. Sharing a Ride

All of us want to live in an environment friendly atmosphere. But, there are so many vehicles that are causing air pollution. We are inhaling a lot of poisonous smoke and killing ourselves gradually. Thus, we should think about this growing danger and go for carpool. Carpool is not only useful in reducing pollution, but also saves a lot of money. So, look out for the neighbors, who share the same route or any of your co-workers and enjoy the ride together. By opting for carpool, you are acting as a responsible citizen and incrementing your savings.

23. Minimize the Subscriptions

Receiving your favorite storybooks or monthly magazines through mail is really fun. However, subscribing to several magazines at a time is nothing but wastage. Thus, act intelligently and cancel most of the subscriptions. Select one or two of your favorite magazines and continue their subscriptions. Thus, you can enjoy the magazines and will be able to save money also.

24. Fashion and Accessories

Most of us want to be with the trend and look fashionable. To acquire these fashionable clothes we spent a lot of money. Is it reasonable? You can act intelligently by dressing casually, i.e. in your normal clothes and you can enhance the looks of these normal clothes by adding trendy accessories to it. This act will serve your purpose of being trendy. Moreover, you will be able to save money.

25. Herbal Remedies

One can save a lot of money by using certain home remedies while facing some health problems. There is no need of rushing to the doctor for a sore throat. Instead of paying for his consultation and medicines, make a paste of butter mixed with ginger and sugar and take it.

Hot teddy is a sure treatment for severe colds. Take it before going to bed. These small tricks or herbs can prove to be quite beneficial in saving your money. Try to gather maximum information about these home remedies and save money.

26. Proper Insulation at Home

Due to improper insulation, an average home is wasting hundreds of dollars of their hard-earned money. Just, take few steps and you can prevent this wastage. Take care that there should not be any entry of drafts through windows, doors or the fireplace. Your house needs perfect insulation. Once insulation of your house is in order, you will see a considerable deduction in your utility bill.

27. Hobbies Can Become a Profession

All of us have some hidden skills. It could be singing, dancing, knitting, cooking, painting, woodworking or anything. You can enjoy your hobby and at the same time earn from it. For Instance, if your hobby is knitting you can sell your knitted goods and earn from it. If you have skills in dancing, singing, or an expertise in any language then you can also earn by taking classes in the local community college. It is a nice way of earning money, as you are enjoying what you are doing while earning.

About the Author

Dave Clark is a experienced article writer and has been in the industry for many years, he has written many books and is very knowledgeable in various fields, Dave also works for Cushy Sofa a supplier of Memory Foam Sofas, Memory Foam Mattresses, Memory Foam Toppers, Memory Foam Pillows and Divans

Expand the description and view the text of the steps for this how-to video. Check out Howcast for other do-it-yourself videos from BARKBARK and more videos in the General Personal Finance category. You can contribute too! Create your own DIY guide at www.howcast.com or produce your own Howcast spots with the Howcast Filmmakers Program at www.howcast.com Check out these relatively painless ways to cut back on your expenses. To complete this How-To you will need: Self-discipline Sacrifice Open-mindedness Step 1: Ditch the paper Stop buying unnecessary paper products. Use cloth napkins, mop up spills with dishcloths and rags, write shopping lists on the back of junk-mail envelopes, (and stick your coupons inside). Step 2: Give up bottled water Give up bottled water; almost 40 percent of it comes out of the tap anyway. If you don’t like the taste of your local water, use a filter. Step 3: Buy less food Buy less food. The average American throws out 25 percent of the food they buy. Start monitoring what you’re trashing so you can make better choices when you shop, and make an effort to eat food before it goes bad. Step 4: Cut the phone line Get rid of your home phone if you have a cell phone. Step 5: Cancel your gym membership Cancel your gym membership. Jogging, stair-climbing, jump-roping, hula-hooping, and dancing are all free, and that’s just a partial list of what you can do to stay fit. Tip: Canned goods and old milk jugs or detergent bottles filled with water all make …
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