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!

I Love Foam Soap!

I love Bath and Body Works Hand Soap. But I consider it a luxury and I pride myself in being economical so I always buy the big refill soap at Walmart and use and reuse the dispensers. I stumbled upon this recipe for foam soap...and I love it. It fulfills my need to use and reuse, and lets me have my Bath and Body Works Soap at the same time! I bought the foam soap on sale at Bath and Body and now I refill the foam dispensers with my favorite regular Bath and Body hand soap. However, this will work with anything! It's my new favorite frugal trick!

Foam Soap Refill

Don't throw away your foam soap dispenser or spend extra on the refills when you run out. It's easy to make your own! This also works with shampoo.

1 bottle

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons liquid hand soap or Joy dishwashing soap
• 2/3 cup warm water

Directions

1. Gently mix soap with water.
2. Do not shake.
3. Pour into foam soap dispenser.

Budgeting Ideas

I think we can all agree that our parents lived a very different way of life than we do today. I was helping my mom clean out a closet the other day and we stumbled upon a small pamphlet that was written in 1978 that included various ways to save the average family time and money. I started reading several pages aloud with my mom and we laughed until we cried!! Did people really live like this?? Life is so much easier today with dependable disposable diapers, easy bill pay, and five dollar pizza places. A lot has changed in 30 years!! But, I think there is still some to be learned from those that have gone before us.

Here’s a list of my favorite ideas to save you time and money that still may be relevant in today’s world:

· * Set up a monthly cooperative dinner party where each couple brings one course for the meal. Besides being an enjoyable evening, there’s minimum work and expense. Play some games and it’s a fun date night!

· * If you work and buy your lunch, take a brown bag lunch several days to save money.

· * Stock up when products go on sale. It’s smart to have a food-storage of products that you need and you’ll use!

· * As a general rule, the more preparation you do in the kitchen, the less costly the meal will be. You pay for everything the food processing company does! Use that kitchen of yours! Not only foods, but cleaners and toys for the kids can be made in the kitchen that will save you money!

· * When you don’t have time for a regular shampoo, you can use baby powder to dry clean your hair. Just sprinkle a little powder through your hair and brush out. The powder will absorb excess oil and leave your hair ready for a quick set.

Here’s a list of money saving ideas that are for the die-hards:

· * When baby grows too long for his one-piece ropers that snap at the crotch, cut and hem them to make T-shirts.

· * Recycle stained baby clothes by sewing a “bib” over the stained area. Cut a pretty scrap of fabric onto the bib--large enough to cover the stained area. Trim with rickrack and attach to the garment front.

· * Don’t throw away your old shower curtain. Use it to make a cute little rain outfit for your toddler with poncho and rain hat to match. Add bows and decorate with pinking shears.

Previous generations have learned to use, re-use and recycle to accommodate tougher financial times. We can learn from them and adjust our way of life to fit the challenging economic times we’re in today!