Four Dozen Money Saving Tips

(Potential savings from this article: at
least several hundred dollars per year)
Okay, some might say we already
know these tips, right? But do
you do them? Head knowledge saves
you nothing until it is put into practice.
Reviewing money saving tips over and
over will help you put them into practice.
1) Invest your next pay raise, instead
of spending it.
2) Shop with a list and stick to it.
3) Pay yourself fi rst by setting aside
fi ve dollars a day.
4) Plan your cash purchases to avoid
ATM fees
5) Don’t gamble. The odds are
always stacked against you.
6) Move your banking to a no-fee
account.
7) Don’t pay for car rental insurance.
It should be covered by your credit
card. Check and make sure.
8) Pay off the credit cards each
month to avoid high interest rates.
9) If you must carry a credit card
balance, move it to a low interest
card. Many banks offer low
interest for new account balances
being transferred in.
10) Check the weather stripping on
your windows and doors to see if
you can save money by keeping
the heat in during the winter and
the cool in during the summer.
11) Shop around for lower rates on
your insurance policies.
12) Don’t run a half full dishwasher.
13) Take a shower. Showers take a
fraction of the water a bath does.
Use water saving showerheads to
save even more.
14) Lower your insurance premiums
by taking a higher deductible.
15) An Internet or mail order
company may give you a lower
cost on prescription drugs.
16) Don’t turn the heat up, put on a
sweater instead.
17) Rent instead of buying things that
you’ll only use a few times.
18) Have a yard sale to get rid of
your extra junk.
19) If you don’t watch much TV,
consider canceling your cable or
satellite TV.
20) Don’t buy extended warranties.
They usually are not worth it.
(Automobiles may be the exception,
but even there shop around and
don’t buy it from the dealer.)
21) Look for a better long distance
telephone carrier with better rates.
22) Drop the telephone services you
don’t use, like call waiting.
23) Avoid dealer garages for anything
except warranty work on your
vehicle.
24) Use e-mail instead of a long
distance telephone call.
25) Rent a video instead of going out
to a movie.
26) If you do go out to a movie, don’t
buy any food there! It’s vastly
overpriced.
27) Wash your own car - don’t pay a
car wash.
28) Shop around for the cheapest
gas, and don’t use premium if you
don’t need it.
29) Eat in instead of dining out.
30) Bring a lunch to work instead of
buying it.
31) Comparison shop online for the
best prices.
32) Use eBay to fi nd good deals on
name brand products.
33) Buy in bulk items that you use
frequently.
34) Avoid expensive specialty or gift
shops.
35) Use the library to save on book
purchases. This is especially good
for fi ction books that you usually
only read once.
36) Cancel subscriptions to
magazines that you don’t read.
37) Examine receipts carefully…
mistakes do happen.
38) Avoid convenience foods. Make
your food from scratch to save
your money and your health.
39) Join a warehouse club to get
better prices. But beware of the
fl ashy extras they offer. Go to the
warehouse with a list and don’t
buy anything else!
40) Find free entertainment like
hiking, a walk in the woods, a
picnic, watching a parade or
playing a game.
41) Carpool to work.
42) Use a bus instead of a cab.
43) Walk or take a bike instead of
taking the bus.
44) Buy generic consumables instead
of name brand ones.
45) Save coupons for things you use,
not for items that you probably
won’t.
46) Buy airline tickets in advance
and stay over a weekend to save
money.
47) Fly on discount airlines.
48) Use cloth rags instead of
expensive paper towels.

Scrooge