Great Ways To Save Money Easily
Saving money is a good habit to get into, but some find it a hard habit to form. Here are some tips and easy ways to save money:
Negotiate a Lower Credit Card Interest Rate
Getting a lower interest rate on your credit cards can be as easy as calling up your credit card company and asking for it. It’s costly for a company to get new customers for their credit cards, so it is quite possible they will give you a lower interest rate if you have a good record with them and you ask for it. It is worth a try if you have several cards and currently have high interest rates on them.
Refinance Your Mortgage
If current mortgage interest rates are at least a half a percent lower than your current rate, it could be a good idea to look into refinancing your mortgage. This is especially true if you plan to remain in the home.
Combine Insurances, Shop For Best Deals
You can save on your insurance costs by putting all of your insurance needs with one supplier. This means getting life, home, auto, and other insurances with one company such as Geico or State Farm. This usually can be a discount by as much as 20 percent depending on the insurance company policy.
Plus, when buying any type of insurance, be sure to check the rates of several companies to see who has the best deal. You can go through an independent insurance agency that carries several companies or you can go online to check rates on various websites.
Save Money On Medications
If you need a prescription, check to see if there is a generic version of the drug you are prescribed to take. Many popular drugs have generic versions which is just as good as the name brand products, but cost much less. For instance, some of the large stores such as Walmart or Kmart offer several popular generic drugs for a couple dollars versus much more for their brand name products.
Always Look for Coupons, Discounts
Make it your motto to never pay full price for anything ever again. You can do this by always seeking some sort of coupon or discount code, especially if you are shopping online. There are many coupon sites online where you can put in the name of the store and find discounts that can be used both online, as well as printable coupons to use in stores. Plus, you can also find grocery coupons online and in your Sunday publications or some women’s magazines.
Save On Vacations
You can also save money on your annual vacation by going to travel websites like frommers.com or tripadvisor.com to get tips on how to get discounts at popular locations, get hotel discounts and read reviews on vacation destinations to see the best destinations for families, singles, couples, and more.
Shop At Thrift Stores
You can find a lot of things at thrift stores, plus feel good about helping out various organizations that sponsor them. If you need anything from clothes to furniture and everything in-between, go to the nearest thrift store and take a look. They have lots of useful and sometimes brand new items for sale at cheap prices. Many even have discount days for seniors, veterans and the money goes to places like children’s hospitals, churches, and other places.
Sell Things On Ebay
You can also make a few bucks by selling your unwanted items online at places like Ebay or Craigslist.
Stock Up During Sales
If there is a great sale on nonperishable products like paper goods, cleaning supplies, toiletries, or other items with a long shelf life, then it can be a great way to save if you stock up on them.
Save On Your Electric Bill
Utilities can take a lot of your income, so it’s a good idea to try to save some money by only turning on lights when needed, not leaving your computer or other electronics plugged in all the time, installing dimmer switches, using lower watt light bulbs or LED light bulbs or compact fluorescent bulbs to save energy.
Save On Heating Bills
If you set your thermostat even just a single degree lower, then you will save at least one percent on your bill. That may not seem like much, but if you can turn it down a couple degrees, it can add up to a few dollars a year.
Drink Tap Water
Bottled water may be convenient but it is not cheap. You can save a lot of money by buying a thermos or other kind of water bottle and using tap water. Tap water is much cheaper since it usually costs a couple of dollars for each bottle of water versus only a few dollars a month for most people’s water consumption bills in their home. If you are concerned about the taste or contaminants, then buy a filter that fits over your faucet, as they too are fairly cheap.
Set A Budget
Determine your monthly expenses and your monthly take home pay. Use this to create a budget and don’t go over that amount. This way you won’t go into debt and you will have less financial problems.
Carpool To Save On Gas
With gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, it is a good money saving idea to set up a carpool with friends or coworkers so that each person only has to drive once or twice a week.
Use A Pre-paid Phone
If you don’t need to use a cell phone much, then it can be much cheaper to use a pre-paid phone service vice a contract plan. Then, you will only have to pay for the minutes you use and can buy cards to refill the phone when you run out.
These are just a few of the things you can do to save money easily. If you can do even a couple of these tips you are bound to save a few dollars every year.
