Friday, October 24, 2008

Save money on batteries

Constant flipping of channels with the remote for your TV waste the batteries much faster. If you do use a lot of batteries, try buying them in bulk to save more money rather than buying them with just two in a pack.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Stock up when food is on sale

If a certain food item is on sale at the store, see how long you can keep them before they expire. Food like rice usually last a very long time. When it goes on sale, just stock up on many boxes of it. This can save you a lot of money over time.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Yearly memberships

Some places like zoos are cheaper if you purchase a yearly or season pass. If you go often, see if you will save more money this way.

Pay cash when shopping

Most people will spend more if they are shopping with a credit card rather than a fixed limit of cash they have.

Buy your own gym equipment

You can save a lot of money this way. You also find some used at garage sales or online.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Use coupons for car repairs

Many local papers may have coupons for bringing your car in for oil changes and other repairs at local shops. Visit the websites also for any current discounts offered on car work.

Don't accelerate or brake too hard

If you accelerate too fast or brake too hard you will use more gas. Steady even acceleration is best. Braking slowly is better rather than slamming on the brakes.

Shop food stores for best prices

Check the prices of the same food items at different local stores near you. They may only be a few cents cheaper, but the money can add up to big savings over the year on multiple items.

Keep just one credit card

By keeping just one credit card rather than several, you can save money on the $25 annual fee for having it. Five credit cards with a $25 annual fee is $100 a year in fees.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Don't shop when you are hungry

If you go food shopping on an empty stomach, you may buy more food. I know I usually buy bigger portions of meals if I am more hungry.

Don't wear shoes in house

Besides making the carpets more dirty, you will have to spend more time to clean them more often. Carpets also wear out faster if you walk on them with your shoes on all the time.

Fly during off season

If you fly during the summer when everyone else usually travels, you will probably pay more money for the tickets. Flying during the off season is usually cheaper.

Public school is cheaper

Private schools usually cost more money than a public college. Find out ahead of time and compare each school and see the cost you will save.

Eat less meat

Meat is expensive. Eating less can save you a lot of money each month especially if you have a big family.

Clean refrigerator often

This can save some money. A dusty and dirty refrigerator does not operate as efficiently.

Make your own decorations

Some decorations you can make yourself or print out for the holidays. This can save you some money if you usually buy many.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Buy less newspapers

How many newspapers do you buy each day or week? Save money by buying them just on weekends or a few times a week rather than every day. You can also subscribe to them and save more money rather than buying them off the newsstand.

Use coupons for shopping

You can save a lot of money by using coupons for your food shopping. The amount of savings can be in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on how much food that you usually buy. You can save at least $1.00 a week using coupons, probably much more than that. That would be a $1,040 savings after 20 years. This is a big money saving tip that.

Get rid of one of your cars

If you can, make do with just one car in the family. How much money does it cost every 10 years on gas and car insurance for each car you own?

Save money on Internet

Check into how much you may save if you combine your phone, Internet, and cable all in one package deal. It may save money if you get a all 3-in-one deal.

Play board games

If you have kids, you can save money once in awhile by playing board games indoors rather than going out all the time. I still play them and they are a lot of fun.

Fuel efficient cars

Make sure you shop around and see what car gets the most gas mileage if you buying a new one. With the high gas prices we have now a more fuel efficient can save you a lot of money if you travel a lot.

Check car repair history

Make sure if you buy a new or used car that it is reliable. Check the repair history for it online. If you will spend a fortune fixing a car, you will be wasting a lot of money in the future repairing it.

Park car in shade

Parking your car in the shade in the summer will keep the inside of the car cooler. You won't have to blast the a/c when you first start the car up because it is 120 degrees inside. This will save money on gas.

Don't wash clothes often

Wait until you have a full load of clothes before you wash them. This will save water and electricity and wear and tear on your washing machine.

Rebates

Be sure to send in rebate forms when you buy something. Many don't fill them out and lose out on getting money back on something they just bought.

Cut extended warranties

Most extended warranties are never really used. Look into before buying them. Most products that break you may find cheaper to just throw out rather than paying for extended warranties on them. It may save you money by not buying them.

Pets

Be sure before you buy a pet that you will have money to keep up with the cost of owning one. It is good to find out ahead of time how much per year you will need to spend on them.

Cancel phone features

Get rid of any features on your house phone or cell phone that you do not need. This can add a lot of money to your monthly phone bills.

Join movie programs

Ask if your local movie theater has a program where you can save money on tickets if you join. The programs are usually free to join and you can sign up online for them. This can save you money if you go a lot.

Use Internet at library

You can save a lot of money each year if you use the Internet at your school or library. It does not cost anything this way.

Text messages

You can save money on cell phones by not buying extra features like text messaging. You it less if you already have it.

Halloween costumes

You might be able to make your own Halloween costume from things already in your house. If you already have store bought costumes, share them with your other kids when the older ones outgrow them.

Rent video games

You can save money if you rent the games rather than buying them. This is a good money saving tip if you buy a lot of games. Some new games can cost near $45 when they come out.

Clean your own carpets

You can save a lot of money by cleaning your own carpets. You can buy your own machine and save a lot of money in the long run.

Dry cleaning

Cut back on clothes that require dry cleaning. You can save money in the long run this way.

Rotate tires

You can save money from having to replace tires if you rotate your tires often so they wear out evenly.

Energy saving windows

Installing energy saving windows can save money in the long run even if they cost more. If your windows are old and you are going to replace them, look into getting new windows that are more energy efficient.

Skip desserts

You can save money by skipping desserts if you eat out all the time.

Idle cars

Don't warm up your car too long. It uses a lot of excess gas.

Reduce car weight

Be sure not to carry excess weight in your car. A lot of people store things in their trunk. The more weight you add to your car, the more gas you will use when driving.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Buy reliable name appliances

Buy name appliances that are known to have better repair records than other brands. They usually last longer and have fewer repairs.

Keep lights off

You can save a lot of money on electricity by not leaving lights on in rooms when nobody is in them. Don't forget to turn them off during the day also if the room is already bright enough.

Clean entire house

Clean every room in the house and have a garage sale for items you no longer use.

Switch cars to save gas

A good tip to save money on gas if you have more than one car is to use the car that gets the most mileage on the longer trips, and the car that gets the lowest mileage on the shorter trips.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Grocery shopping

Set a limit on how much money you will spend at the supermarket before you go. If you are strict and never go over this amount, you won't keep adding extras to the shopping all the time and making the bill higher.