Practical Ways to Save a Little AND Live a Little

Monday 10 October 2011 - Filed under General

Looking For Some Good Ways to Live More and Save More?

Below there are 7 different was to help you save a little bit extra for yourself and your family

1. Only go grocery shopping on a full stomach!

   (Remember if you shop while you [or perhaps your spouse who is right beside you] then there are sooo many frivolous snacks that will end up being bought.)

2. When you spend use it to the best of your advantage!

   The truth is that with the plethora of bank and credit card deals available today you can save a little just by making those daily purchases in a smarter way. Now credit cards and the such are not perfect for every person in every situation. It is still a good idea to see the options available to you.

   Best Reward Credit Cards

3. Make sure that you track expenses.

   If you don’t know where your money is going then how are you supposed to know how to stop it from going to the places that you don’t want it to go?

4. Make an effort to save money AND time.

   Sure, you could try and use 34.3 coupons every week but if you spend more time searching walmart for that 24th bottle of toothpaste to max out your savings than you do having that quality time without your loved one(s) then you might be short changing yourself in the big picture.

5. Make sure you track how you use your time!

   [If you can't save money without tracking it, then how could you save time without tracking it as well?]. Now, you don’t have to tracking your time usage exactly but you need to have a rough idea of what you are doing with your days.

6. Start to shop with a plan!

   For example, if you can start to plan what your wardrobe needs will be for the coming 6 months then whenever you see something that is really cute and a good deal you will be able to know if you should pay for it now [because you really will wear it soon] or if you should wait [because you really need to buy for the current or the next season, not 3 or 4 seasons down the road]. Remember, this isn’t saying that you should remove all creativity or become more ridged than Edward Scissor Hands; just that have a good view of your practical needs will help you to make better decisions.

7. Try and reduce those bank fees.

   With increased regulation banks are being forced to look for new ways to make money. Many times this ends coming down us consumers as increased fees and charges. You can always close an unused savings account or open a savings account with an internet bank that has much lower fees than your main bank. Another thing to look at are your credit cards fees. Are you paying extra for insurance protection with your credit for something that your normal insurance always covers? The truth is that many of the extra products that we buy related to financial products are not that necessary. Credit card companies love to show a good introductory teaser rate but then charge you alot in fees and hassle when you start to use the card.

8. If you have kids that need to be entertained try and do actives with recyclable materials.

   If you have young kids there is always a need for creative ways to pass the time. If you can figure out how to make games out of recyclable materials then you can some money [ie by not having to go out and buy as much paper] and the environment at the same time

9. Remember! at the end of the day money doesn’t buy happiness, money buys options!

   Maybe you are looking for ways to save money when really you are looking for greater flexibly in your life. If this is true then you might want to focus on how you can change your schedule around to do that which is most important to you [instead of just looking at ways to spend that next $1.43]

[If you are interesting in a few more ways to save check out our quick thoughts about how to enjoy fall without breaking the bank.]

2011-10-10  »  Juan