Save Money!!

15 Ways to Reduce Expenses
Fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. — Author unknown.
Here’s a list of ideas for reducing expenses. Notice the word reduce. It doesn't say eliminate, although if you have unnecessary expenses, you certainly could eliminate them. Keep in mind that any expense you can reduce will free up money for other things. Think of opportunity cost as you consider these ideas.
1. Make it automatic. Before I see my paycheck, a good portion of it is diverted to my 401(k) and savings. Pay tithing first and save a little. Five to ten percent of what you make each month can add up quick.
2. Use less. This money saving tip is a lesson we all need to learn. We live in a consumer society where waste is a huge problem. If we could all use and consume less there would be less waste, less power consumption, and the benefits for you are SAVING MONEY. Consider using less shampoo when you wash your hair, this may not mean washing your hair less effectively it means not flushing the excess shampoo and your money down the drain. What about saving on heating? Turn the thermostat down or put on extra clothes when you are cold. Turn off lights, the TV and the computer when they are not in use. Each little saving you make will build up and enable you to save money.
3. Simplify, Simplify, Simplify. Think about if something is a want or a need. "Wants" can wait. "Needs" are the priority. It's O.K. to do without. You don't have to "keep up with the Jones." If the T.V., cell phone, computer, or whatever still works, you don't HAVE to upgrade right now.
4. Spend Less. This is not over simplifying the best way to save money! It is essential if you are serious about being a long term money saver and being able to save money every day. Review what you spend and look at ways you can save money. Consider making telephone calls for instance only at off-peak times. Do you really need to have newspapers and magazines delivered? What about using the public lending library instead of buying books or music CDs? Once you start looking for little ways to save money and spend less you will quickly become an expert and really save money.
5. Go through your cell phone bill, look for services you don’t use, and ditch them. Sit down and go through each item on your bill and see if there’s anything there that you don’t use, like a surfeit of text messages or web access or something to that effect. Then call your cell phone company and ask to have those services eliminated. Boom, you’re saving money.
6. Get organized and avoid missed payments. I’ve missed a payment or two because the bill got buried beneath a stack of papers. Get organized and avoid those late payment penalties. If you do miss a payment, call your creditor and ask to have the penalty removed. They’ll usually accommodate the request, at least the first time.
7. Avoid debt. Pay as you go.
8. Create a visual reminder of your debt. Basically, just make a giant progress bar that starts with the amount of debt you have and ends with zero. Each time you pay down a little bit, fill in a little more of that progress bar. Keep this reminder in a place where you’ll see it often, and keep filling it in regularly. It keeps your eyes on the prize and leads you straight to debt freedom.
9. Design your “debt snowball.” Everyone needs a plan to help them get out of debt, so sit down and plot out what debts you’re going to pay off and in what order. Simply having a plan goes a long way towards bringing that plan into action, and paying off debts early is one of the surest ways to put money in your pocket over the long run.
10. Save all the change (coin) in a jar and count it up once a year. Make a donation to your favorite charity with it!!
11. Don’t pay banking fees! I use my bank for free bill pay, automatic deposits, free checks, and free reimbursements for all ATM fees. I won’t pay for any of those services. Consider moving to a credit union. Greater Nevada Credit Union has the best interest rate on their checking accounts…we’ve simplified everything and have put everything in there.
12. Utilize online bill pay with your bank. This serves two purposes. First, it keeps you in much closer contact with your money, as you can keep a very close eye on your balance and be in much less danger of over drafting. Second, it saves you money on stamps and paper checks by allowing you to just fill in an online form, click submit, and have your bill paid. Try it out – and take advantage of it if you’re not already. My bank is a credit union - I just go to their website - log in to my account, go to Bill Pay and tell them to send you a check - that is how I do EVERYTHING! I even have it set up to send the piano teacher her monthly check and I don't even have to think about it!
13. Always ask for fees to be waived. Any time you sign up for a service of any kind and there are sign-up fees, ask for them to be waived. Sometimes (but not always), they will be – and you save money just by being forthright about not wanting to pay excessive fees. I did this with my last cell phone sign-up and got part of my fees waived, cutting down significantly on the bill.
14. Hide your credit cards. Take your credit cards and put them in a safe place in your home, not in your wallet where it’s easy to spend them. If you argue that you need it for “emergencies,” just be sure to keep a small amount of cash hidden in your wallet for these emergencies. Don’t keep plastic on you until you have the willpower to not use it even when you’re sorely tempted.
15. Don’t pay interest on credit cards…and consider giving them up all together. This is obvious, but I soon as you fail to pay off the credit card in full, the high interest payments start to eat away at your monthly budget. If the temptation to spend more than you can pay on a credit card is to great, get rid of the credit card!