With the rise in gas prices and consumer goods many people are looking to squeeze every ounce of buying power they can from their money. Here are a few more tips on how you can save money. Saving a little here and there can really add up.
Make your home more energy efficient:
Most public utilities offer free home inspections or information for improving the energy efficiency of a home. Many offer discounts for making changes or buying ‘green power’.
Make an extra payment:
Making a small, extra payment on your bills will begin to reduce debt and the amount you’re paying on interest.
Cook your food yourself:
Not only will this save money eating out, but prepackaged food is more expensive and not as good for your health. Look for “cheap meal” recipes online.
Pay for what you use:
Eliminate the features from your cell phone, home phone and cable services that you don’t use. Features like text messaging and extra channels are prime targets for saving money.
Laundry day:
Only do full loads. You may also want to consider using a clothes line for drying clothes or drying racks. It’s more work, but can really save money on electricity.
Buy ahead:
Every time you shop, buy a little extra food. Groceries are getting more expensive every day. When you buy a little extra, you may not pay as much for that item the next time you go shopping.
Use a towel:
Dry dishes by hand or in a dish drain. This will save the electricity you’d use with the dishwasher drying.
Change the bulb:
Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. It may sound trivial, but these bulbs use up to 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs.
Go generic:
Instead of paying brand name prices for personal items, food or medicine, buy the generic or store brands. Many times the products you buy generic are identical to name brands, just in different packages.
Shop online:
Not only can you find some really good deals online, but if you buy more than one item at one time, you can often times save money on shipping. Since gas prices keep going up, you might just come out ahead.
Anne, thanks for such great tips! About the cell phone ideas, I totally agree, paying for what you really use is a perfect way to start saving money on cellphone usage. Not all companies allow you to do that, so my advice is to go prepaid first, that will asure you paying only for your usage. For seniors many companies have special plans and phones, like for example Tracfone has a senior cell phone called SVC that starts at only $7 a month and has basic features.