In this economy, it’s hard not to spend more and more money each time you go to the grocery store and put gas into your car. Personal finances are getting tighter, and more people are getting bogged down in debt. Well, it’s time to have a reality check and get off the living paycheck to paycheck train. By making small changes in our lifestyle, this can lead to big savings in our finances.
By applying these easy to do tips, financial freedom is a possibility.
Saving Money on Electricity.
The first place to look for on savings is on your utility bills, and the biggest waster is on electricity.
Unplug appliances you’re not using. Even if an appliance is turned off, it still uses a small amount of energy, if it’s plugged in.
Insulate, and over insulate. The only way to drive your heating bills down in winter is to make sure that your home is very well insulated.
Use ceiling fans. If you get the reversible kind, you can use them to push the warm air down to people level in the winter.
Try not to use the big energy wasters like clothes dryiers, deep freezsers etc - Line dry your laundry, do not keep on opening and closing the freezier.
Lower the room thermostat in winter and try not to use the heating in summer, even on chilly nights.
Saving Money on the grocery bill.
Another great way to save money is on your grocery bill - all you have to do is look for price bargains and change you shopping habits.
Buying generic foodstuffs, is another one of the ways to save money. Most stores offer a generic equivalent to foods, If you read the ingredients, they are usually the same or pretty close to it.
Shop at cheaper shops like Wal-Mart in the US, Lidil and Aldi in the UK. I know lots of people who hate Wal-Mart. Or in the UK, Liddle, Aldi, but you can make substantial savings on your grocorie bill.
Buy house brand goods, next time you shop, look for the stores on brands, they taste the same, but they are always a lot cheaper.
Saving Money on the Telephone, Internet, and Cable
Try cutting back on luxries or try to get better deals on your existing suppliers for TV, phone and internet services.
Cut out unnecessary services like call waiting and caller ID.
Use email, text or instant messaging instead of calling long distance.
Use a dial around number for long distance. I have family in various countries like SA, NZ and OZ and I can get call rates at around 2p a miniute.
See if you can get bundled savings for your phone, internet, cell phone, and satellite services.
Saving Money on Water.
You can make huge savings on your water bill, by making some easy changes.
Shorten the time spent in bath and showers, try to shower more often instead of using the btah.
Put a half brick in your toilet tank.
Do not use the hose pipe to wash cars, bikes or the patio etc, use a bucket.
Reuse rinse water from hand washing dishes to water plants.
Invest in a rain water butt, and use this water to wash cars, water the plants etc.
Start your emergency fund.
One secret to financial freedom is to pay yourself first, a rainy day is bound to come, your tires are going to need replacing and your kids are probably going to get sick. Don’t be surprised when those things happen, whether it’s $10.00 or $100.00 a month, just start somewhere and start now. The sooner you start, the more you’ll save.
