We would all like to save money on our grocery bill every week, but many of us have full schedules and we do not have much time to think about just what we can do to spend less money. The smallest actions can really add up over the long haul.
I know we all hate the idea of clipping coupons to save money, but they can actually help a lot as long as you know which ones are worth clipping. Do not bother clipping coupons you are not likely to use or those that have expiration dates that are sooner than you will be going back to the store. If you have the time and the energy, you can even double your savings with coupons if you keep track of when your store is going to have the items that you have coupons for on sale. Try not to use your coupons unless the item is on sale to get the maximum savings, but when you use them is up to you.
Cut out the cigarettes. We all know that cigarette smoke is bad for us and the people around us, but think about just how much money you spend every month on the habit. Sheesh! A pack of cigarettes costs on average around $4.50, including the taxes. If you smoke a pack a day, then you will spend around $30 per week or close to $1,600 per year! That is a lot of money that you are basically rolling up and setting on fire each year. Not only that, but if you smoke while driving or even inside your own home, you are ruining its interior. Selling either your vehicle or home later will cost you extra in cleaning fees. Do your budget a favor and kick the habit.
Do yourself a favor and leave the kids at home when you go grocery shopping. Kids are pretty persuasive, especially when they are misbehaving in the store, so they may try to get you to buy them things in exchange for being quiet. If you have to, make a list of things the kids want before you go so they will get what they want without having to argue with you over it in the store. Let each child pick one item and if they can't think of anything they want before you leave, then there is nothing they need.
Create a grocery budget every month. Go back and look at what you have spent on groceries the past 3 months and see how much you have spent on average. Determine how much you want to shave off that bill and shoot for it. The only way to know how much you are saving is to know how much you were spending before.
Need To Save Money In College?
When starting out in college, most of us do not have a whole lot of money to spend or save, so what little we do have has to go pretty far. Between books, tuition, basic living expenses, and a little spending money, most of us do not have a lot left over. How can you maximize the amount of money you have while you are going to college? Here are a few ideas.
When it comes to checking and savings accounts, do your best to find a free one of both. A lot of checking and savings accounts will charge you money to use them and these amounts can be anywhere from $3 to $10 and up per month.
If you have to have a credit card, make sure you get one that offers you some kind of reward for using it. Depending on what you like to spend money on the most, you may want to get one card over another. Choose wisely and never be late on your payments.
Like to use your debit card instead? Be careful with these, too, since most debit cards these days will continue to work even after you have become overdrawn at the bank. Overdraft fees can really start to add up, so if you have a problem keeping track of how much money you are spending from day to day, use cash instead.
Take the change that you have left over when you do use cash and put it into a container of some kind in your room. You can get free coin rollers at the bank and if you count and roll the change yourself instead of using those machines at grocery stores, you can save a lot, since these machines will charge you a fee. That is why they are there.
If you do not need one of your textbooks anymore, the best thing for you to do with it is sell it to another student for a little less than you paid for it. At least when you do this, you will get most of your money back.
When it comes to eating cheap, try not to eat too much fast food or ramen noodles. Ramen noodles are really, really cheap, but they're also really, really bad for you. Try not to waste the food that you do purchase by making solid use of Ziploc bags.
When it comes to checking and savings accounts, do your best to find a free one of both. A lot of checking and savings accounts will charge you money to use them and these amounts can be anywhere from $3 to $10 and up per month.
If you have to have a credit card, make sure you get one that offers you some kind of reward for using it. Depending on what you like to spend money on the most, you may want to get one card over another. Choose wisely and never be late on your payments.
Like to use your debit card instead? Be careful with these, too, since most debit cards these days will continue to work even after you have become overdrawn at the bank. Overdraft fees can really start to add up, so if you have a problem keeping track of how much money you are spending from day to day, use cash instead.
Take the change that you have left over when you do use cash and put it into a container of some kind in your room. You can get free coin rollers at the bank and if you count and roll the change yourself instead of using those machines at grocery stores, you can save a lot, since these machines will charge you a fee. That is why they are there.
If you do not need one of your textbooks anymore, the best thing for you to do with it is sell it to another student for a little less than you paid for it. At least when you do this, you will get most of your money back.
When it comes to eating cheap, try not to eat too much fast food or ramen noodles. Ramen noodles are really, really cheap, but they're also really, really bad for you. Try not to waste the food that you do purchase by making solid use of Ziploc bags.
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