Every year you come up with a New Years resolution and inevitably every year it’s already broken by the end of the month. Perhaps you would have a better success rate if you realized that your new years resolution had a dual purpose. Namely, you’ll achieve your goal and save money while doing it. Let me give you a few examples on how changing a few of your bad habits can translate into big savings.
- Smoking. It seems like every year there’s a new tax added to cigarettes. You can pay up to 10 bucks per pack nowadays. How’s that for a cash incentive to stop smoking. Reduce your bad smoking habit to 1 less pack per week. You’ll save $520 ($10 x 52 weeks) per year.
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This blog is certainly about being frugal and saving as much money as you can. But there are indeed times when it is wise to pay top dollar for something. I’ll be going through a list of items here where it is okay to spend big money.
- Education. Enrolling your child in a good school is a good investment. It can keep them out of trouble (no legal fees later), they’ll be ready for high school / college (no tutoring fees) and set them up to get scholarships (get a break on tuition) in the future.
- Health care. Nothing is more important than your well being. Getting regular medical checkups to ensure your continued health is key. In the long run, it will actually save you money since you’ll be avoiding / delaying the costs that medical conditions bring on that could have been caught early on.
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You can save money on just about anything and this includes food at the grocery store. Here are some tips on how to save some dough on food.
- Cook. You shouldn’t pay for the convenience of pre-made meals. Buy the ingredients yourself and make your own homemade meals. Those meals will be healthier and much fresher.
- Coupons. You get them in the mail or can find them online. Put them to good use and save a couple of bucks on every visit to the grocery store. This adds up to a couple hundred dollars every year.
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In the event of a catastrophe, such as war or a natural disaster, store shelves are going to empty out real fast, the gas station will have a line of cars, they may run out of gas and may raise prices immediately. Therefore, you should stock up whenever you can on the essential items you need. The good thing about stocking up though is that you can get some good prices by buying in bulk. So what do you need to buy?
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We all have had times in life when we have to cut back on expenses or change our way of life. Those were difficult times because it was a change of lifestyle. Downgrading is never a good experience to go through, especially when it’s forced upon you by bankruptcies or mounting debt.
But have you ever considered downsizing your lifestyle, even when you don’t need to? Learning to live on less doesn’t mean you can’t live a fulfilling life. In fact, some of the most rewarding things in life are things that don’t require you to spend a dime. Here are some free and low cost things you can incorporate into your life.
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- Health care costs. When you’re not in good shape you’re much more likely to suffer from conditions like diabetes or heart conditions. You can also suffer problems with your joints, breathing difficulties and a wide variety of other ailments.
- Clothing. For those who have weight issues, they are constantly buying new clothes as their weight balloons upwards and downwards. If you keep yourself physically fit, you’ll buy the same size and spend less money on new clothes.
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Buying generic groceries can save consumers a lot of money. Often, the generic brands are made in the same factory as the name brands. They are just made with different packaging. These products usually sell for less than their name brand counterparts.
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Sure every now and then you want to hit up a restaurant and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve amassed some tips though on how you can keep the expenses to a minimum.
– Go during happy hour and sit at the bar. Contrary to what you might think, it’s not all about the drinking there. Usually appetizers are half off as well as alcoholic beverages. I’ve found that appetizers can be as big as an entree but cost way cheaper.
– Share a drink or get water. A soda will cost you nearly $3 so if you don’t need one, save some money and sip on some water.
– Pay with cash in exact change. Your server doesn’t really like it when your total is $17.12 and you give them a 20. You’ll just be sticking them with 2 dollars and 78 cents to take home. Instead give them $20.12. That way you get rid of spare change and they get an extra dollar.
– Skip the dessert. You might have gotten used to ordering an appetizer, entree and then dessert bit that’s really too much. Your entree alone probably has a thousand calories as it is already.
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When you’re rushed and want a quick bite nothing brats going to the drive-thru but those quick trips can quickly add up if you make them daily. For example some of those combos can cost about $5-$7. Here’s some quick tips to save on those fast food cravings.
– Order from the dollar / value menu. McDonalds has he McChicken and McDouble while Jack In The Box has a delicious Big Cheseburger for a buck.
– Skip the fries. I know you think that your meal is not complete without fries but you can live without them. Fries cost almost $2 while you can buy a potato for about a quarter.
– Get your drink at home. Sodas at these joints cost almost $2. A can of soda when you buy a 12 / 24 pack at the store only costs about 35 cents. These places make their money on the soda, not the sandwich.
– Finally, pay with spare change. Don’t let your change accumulate. Pay in quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. That way it’ll feel like you almost got your snack for free.
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