“To Have - is To Spend” is the philosophy for most Americans. We often find ourselves too caught up in keeping up with the Jones’ to keep up with our finances. We get lost in having the perfect car, a large house or fancy dinners. In the end, that behavior may leave you with a depreciating, gas guzzling SUV, a home you can’t afford or less than perfect credit scores.
…But there are ways to get back on track. A great start is saving money with some of these easy tips:
Have a Monster Garage Sale Take a look inside your closets, see any junk back there? What about mom’s storage unit where you’ve kept junk for the past 5 years? If you haven’t used it in six months, consider collecting all the stuff you really don’t need and selling it. Remember, one person’s junk is another person’s treasure. Who knows, you could end up with $100, $1000 or maybe even more.
Drink Water Forget the soft drinks at lunch, and order water with lemon. You could save an average of $250-$350 each year and it’s healthier too - some studies show that drinking http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-10-24-water-diet_x.htm water can help you lose weight.
Leave the Car at Home If you can, try carpooling with a friend or ride public transportation to work. This saves on gas, maintenance and insurance costs, not to mention being able to relax a bit on the ride home.
Buy Used Items such as clothing can be purchased at consignment shops with slightly used and name-brand items. Depending on where you live, you might be able to find some incredible deals on quality brands, at less than half the price. Over the course of a year, you could save half the money you spend on clothing.
Spend More Time at Home According to recent statistics, the average household spends an annual total of around $2,300 on entertainment. Just going to the movies can be outrageously expensive. Instead, rent a movie, read some good books or have some game nights with your friends. Your local library is an excellent source for free rentals of movies, books and music. If you’re feeling adventurous, find a local park or state park and do some hiking. There’s no substitute for good old fashioned exercise in the fresh air.
Cut up Some Cards Try cutting up some of your credit cards. Most of us have at least a few credit cards, and the less you have, the better off you’ll be. Try to consolidate your expenditures onto one card, which will make it easier to keep track of how much you’re spending.
Pack a Lunch Eating out with the gang for lunch every day might be nice, but it can burn a hole in your wallet very fast. If the average lunch costs around $7, that’s a total of $1750 a year (5 lunches per wk times 50 wks a yr). Bump it up to $10 per lunch a day and that’s $2500 a year. Instead, try planning out your meals for the week and packing a lunch accordingly. You’ll be amazed at how much you can save, not only on food, but on the cost of gas driving to and from the restaurant.
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