You are here: Home / Archives for Save Money

Ideas to Save Money

January 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There are different ways to save money in your daily life. You can buy things online to save money on gas. Buying online helps you compare prices of stores so you can purchase the cheapest option. You can borrow objects that you don’t use often instead of buying them.

For example, you don’t need to buy certain tools if you use them once every three months. You can save up to 60 dollars per month if you don’t buy coffee at work. Bringing coffee from home is a good alternative. Ordering pizza many times per week can add up to your expenses. Prepare your own food so you stay in shape and save money. Magazine subscriptions aren’t necessary. You can read them at the library or borrow them from a friend. Using a prepaid cell phone enables you to control how much you spend on credit. You can send text messages instead of making phone calls to save credit.

You should use international calling cards. You can talk with your friends for hours without spending a lot of money. You can save water by closing the faucet when you don’t use it. Taking a shower uses three times less water than taking a bath. By using the dishwasher you will use less water than washing by hand.

You can save money shopping. If you spend less time in the supermarket, you will buy less and save more money. You should stay away from well known brands because they are usually expensive. New brands are cheaper because they don’t spend a huge budget on advertising. You should take advantage of promotions. Buying in bulk is great because you pay less for every individual unit. You can do this with napkins, soap, paper towels and other products. It is not a good idea to spend money on lottery tickets.

The chances of winning the lottery are very small.

Applying this advice will save you many dollars each month. You can use that money to buy things you like.

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: , ,

Saving Money For Life

January 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Hard times call for hard measures. A lot of us in this climate are struggling and here I am talking to you today about saving money. Putting money aside for a lot of people is a luxury. You shouldn’t think of it like that at all. Putting money into a savings account is a smart move.

Hopefully you already have a good budget plan in place. If you don’t have saving money on the plan then amend it now. You should be saying that one of your expenses on your list is paying yourself. Doesn’t matter if it is as little as a week. It is a starting point and one you can slowly work on and increase over time. Increase it by just is still an increase. If you slowly put a little extra in, you maybe won’t notice it too much. Start off real high and it won’t last and you will be dipping into it in no time.

Think about all the reasons why you should be saving money…

Christmas, birthdays, even things like a yearly subscription to pay for like the car warrant of fitness and if something is wrong with the car, where would the money come from to pay for the repairs? Wanting a holiday? How are you going to pay for it? Take out a loan? Are you serious?? Can’t afford it, then don’t do it. Tough talk but it worked for me. I put money away every fortnight for a year and was able to have a great holiday away for several weeks and it was all paid for from my savings account.

Paying yourself shouldn’t be a once every other payday thing. Pay yourself first. Make it a priority and if need be, open an account separate to your main Bank or make a joint account with a family member that won’t let you just dip into the account whenever you feel like it.

Don’t have all the flash things at home that everybody else has? Too bad, material things can come and go.

You have something tangible. You are making money for yourself, earning interest rather than paying interest. You will be better off in the long run. Make yourself a goal. Put a total sum in your head and aim for that amount. Once you get there, move the goal posts further back. Not too far that you think you will never get there though!! Just keep up the saving and slowly increase it and be proud of what you have accomplished and look to double the amount, triple the amount. The possibilities are endless.

Good luck.

TheFrugalChef.com. I wanted this to be a short video but I guess I had too much to say! I hope these tips are useful to all of you. Please share any other tips you might have for saving $ $ on groceries. Thanks! PLEASE NOTE – we currently have about 750 recipes on the website. Therefore, I am no longer sending out weekly menus. Please come by and check out all the wonderful possibilities you have!
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: , ,

Money-saving

January 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever read the book “The Four Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferris. It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite business books of all times, and I recommend it to nearly everyone I talk business with. But the reason I bring it up today is that this book is creating a phenomenon of lifestyle changes across the country. People are working in offices less, and working from other areas in the world more. In fact, families are now taking year-long sabbaticals from their normal daily grinds in order to live the life of digital nomads.

What does that have to do with getting paid, you may wonder. Simple. This is a trend that is growing just as fast as Atkins or the Southbeach Diet. Soon, it will be something everyone considers at least once, and possibly even tries (…including this author. Come August, I plan to take my own family on a year-long sabbatical around the world). It is a trend that you can hop on early by catering to these people before they move out of your market area. Here’s what I mean…

A common mistake a lot of businesses make is not accepting every form of payment they can possibly accept. Obviously, everyone takes cash, although not everyone wants it. Money orders and checks are common in industries like the property management and rental industries, but not much else. Cash and credit card are common in the restaurant industry, but not checks or money orders. Checks, money orders and “creative financing” are used in the automotive industry, but again, it’s rare that they accept anything else. But none of these payment methods are really feasible for someone who lives on the other side of the world. These are all payment options that often require being in a location in person, or having someone sign a slip of paper. To cater to people you never physically see – like virtual bookkeepers and their clients – you need to start accepting payments in other forms. Because if you are the only person or company accepting the “other forms of payment” while your competition does not, you will dominate your industry in your area.

Now think about what payment types your industry accepts. What don’t you accept for payment, and why not?

An Example of Why Not Accepting “Other Forms of Payment” is Just Downright Stupid

As stated previously, Property Management Companies rarely take anything but cash, checks, money orders or cashier’s checks. On the other side of the equation, are their clients – homeowners. Due to layoffs, job changes, or an upside down housing market, homeowners can easily fall behind on their payments. The fact that it may not be the “industry standard” to take a credit card is a ridiculous reason for a property management company not to get paid. If they took credit cards, homeowners can catch up quickly, and often get miles. Instead, they fall behind, and the property management has to send the account to collections or place a lien against the property. This is a long messy process that can easily be avoided, but instead encourages a homeowner to “just let the property get foreclosed on.” Then, the payment will become the next homeowner’s problem, and the property management company may have to write off a portion of the money owed to them as “bad debt.” This all could have been avoided if the property management company just made it easy for a homeowner to pay another way – i.e., from a credit card.

The truth is, the more types of payments you take, the more useful you’ll be to your customers.

Now that I’ve got you thinking, here are some other types of payment you need to consider.

PayPal: PayPal is quickly becoming one of the fastest, easiest, and least expensive ways to pay money for something. With it, you can instantly wire money to anyone anywhere in the world, for a small fee that the receiver pays. You can also receive credit card payments or bank debit transactions, and you would pay as little as 1.9% of the transaction if you chose to allow your customers to pay via PayPal. This is completely an Internet-based payment option, and all you would have to do is put a link on your website that allows your customer to pay you. But, there are many other benefits to accepting PayPal. For one thing, the account is free to setup, and any payments received can be transferred directly to your preset bank account. For another thing, you can get a debit card that accesses this account, and thus use PayPal as your second bank account. Honestly, there’s no real reason not to use this payment option.

Credit Card: There’s a saying in Mary Kay that I’ve always found to be true. If a customer can use a credit card, they will often buy 25% more than if they had to pay cash. Why? Because a credit card can be paid back over time, and thus doesn’t feel like real money when a customer uses it. Thus, credit cards create more impulsive purchases. Yet many companies don’t accept this form of payment because they usually have to pay a fee of 4-6% of a transaction. But think about it: Would you rather spend 4 to 6% to increase your sales by 25%, or would you rather not make that money at all? In my opinion, not taking credit cards is foolish. Not only can you increase your profits instantly, but you can also expand your local market area to a global market area. Therefore, If you aren’t taking credit cards, you should be. I don’t care if your industry’s standard is not to take credit cards. Credit cards are basically “Creative Financing” for the average business. And since PayPal allows you to take credit cards and pay as little as 1.9% of the transaction, there’s no reason not to take credit cards.

In order to save money and stop spending uncontrollably, a person needs to set up a budget so he can gain a better understanding of how much money they have to spend. Gain a better understanding of where an individual’s income is going with help from a financial services specialist in this free video on saving money. Expert: William Rae Contact: www.hbwfl.com Bio: William Rae has been licensed in the insurance and financial fields for over 30 years. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz
Video Rating: 4 / 5

More Save Money Articles

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With:

Save Money in 7 Easy Steps!

July 23, 2011 By 3 Comments

Article by TJ Brown

Make saving money a priority!We’ve all heard the phrase, “I can do anything if I put my mind to it!” Well saving money is no different. Regardless of your income, you can save money but it takes discipline! You have to make a firm decision to save and stick to it!Step 1- Set up a budget.• Gather your monthly bills, pay stubs, account statements and all receipts from the last 1-2 months• Also, note the due dates for these expenses. Avoid paying bills late at all costs! Late fees and interest charges is money that can be used to pay down debt and contribute to your overall savings.• Using the gathered documents, develop categories for the items you spend money on. Some examples are: Restaurants, Grocery, Health Expenses, Insurance, Entertainment, Grooming, Clothing, Gifts, Utilities, Rent, etc.• Google “budget templates” for sample budgets.• Make sure that your expenses do not exceed the income you earn. If you encounter this problem, you definitely need to adjust your expenses.Step 2- Pay yourself first.• Make sure that your budget contains a line item saving and do NOT make it an option. Pay yourself like you pay a monthly bill, even if you have to set up an automatic withdrawal. However, if you’re not good at managing money and balancing accounts, I do not recommend the automatic withdrawal option at this time to avoid overdrawing your account.Step 3- Give some away.• I am a firm believer in paying tithes, which is 10% of all of your earned income. Any financial book you read will advise you that a sure fire way to receive and retain money is through charitable giving. Whether to a religious institution, your favorite non-profit organization, or to somebody you know in need, it should always be a part of your budget.Step 4- Open a checking/savings account.• Seems like a no-brainer, but you’ll be surprised.• Make sure neither account charges membership or annual fees.• Look for high-earning interest rates on savings accounts.• If you have an issue with overdrawn accounts, make the investment into Overdraft protection for your accounts.Step 5- Kill debt!• Saving by its very nature is to have a surplus or an excess. Until your current debt is leveled to , it will be very hard to actually save money, however it IS very possible to set money aside while tackling your debt at the same time.• Get rid of credit card debt! The interest rates alone have the ability to keep you in financial bondage forever.Step 6-Set up a savings goal and include dates as well.• What are you saving for? Is it for a vacation? Rainy day fund? To pay off a big purchase? Whatever it is, you should always save with an end goal in mind.• Write the amount of money you will need to save to achieve your goal and the date you expect to achieve your goal.• Divide the total amount of money needed by the number of weeks/months you have to reach this goal.• This number is the amount of money required per week/month for success.• Example- If you need to save 0 in 4 weeks, you will divide 0 by 4 weeks. You need to save per week to achieve you goal within the required time.Step 7- Shave, shave, shave!!• Take a look at your budget and shave it down so that you can increase the amount of money you save and the amount of money you put towards your current budget.• Look to save the following ways: Prepare food at home or eat at home before heading to social events.• Commit to never go grocery shopping while you’re hungry.• Try out generic brands.• Change your cell phone, internet plans to match your current need. Look into pre-paid options and utilizing free wi-fi at public libraries and other local venues.• STOP using credit cards! If you do not have the cash for a purchase, strongly consider whether you really need it.• Take a car pool to work or consider public transportation options.http://www.letmethink4u.com/savemoney/

TJ Brown is a licensed attorney in the state of Florida and the District of Columbia. She is an experienced securities litigation attorney that assists clients with matters including but not limited to personal finance, investment fraud, and business formation. Seeing individuals and corporations achieve financial freedom is her desire and she welcomes all inquiries relating to business & financial consulting/.

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: , , ,

Save Fuel, Save Money

July 23, 2011 By 2 Comments

The prices of gasonline or petrol increase daily, wherever you live in the world. The price of a barrel of oil has quadrupled since the beginning of the millennium. It went from about a barrel to almost in these days.


The Reason to Save Fuel


The resources of fossil energy deplete. Oil has served as the backbone of the modern society. Gas and coal also have plaid an important role, but oil has prevailed. The book “The Final Energy Crisis” forecasts a dramatic development during the next years. They expect that the peak of the oil production will be achieved around the end of this decade and that the production will fall, although the demand will increase further. This means higher energy prices. Another source says that the oil reserves will be exhausted in about 43 years and the reserves of natural gas in about 64 years.


No Easy Going Alternatives at Hand


There is a lot of research going on worldwide in the field of solar power and hydrogen power.

They will have to substitute oil, gas, coal and uranium in an intermediate term. Photovoltaic, wind power and power from biomass progress quickly. The process of transformation lasts decades. New solutions need time to step fully into the foot prints of oil.


The Urgent Task to Save Fuel


There is an urgent task to save fuel in order to prolong the use of the remaining fossil energies. Saving fuel is inevitable because the cost for fuel will increase further. There might be days of lower prices, but the general tendency is clear: up, up and up again.


Solutions are demanded in order to make the consumption of fuel affordable. Modern and already proven standards of housing construction show that 60% to 80% of the fuel can be saved.


Solutions for Money Saving Consumption Needed


Saving fuel in the field of traffic and transportation still sticks in the beginning. If the wheels have to turn further, fuel saving becomes highest priority. There are cars coming up with low fuel consumption or even bio-ethanol. Millions of used vehicles still are useful and they are driven for many more years. It makes sense, if there is a solution for used and new cars, trucks, motor-bikes etc. To save fuel also means to save money. Fuel Freedom International propagates such a convenient looking solution. This could be one solution among others, e.g. eco-efficient driving. Everything that helps saving fuel should be tested.

Expand the description and view the text of the steps for this how-to video. Check out Howcast for other do-it-yourself videos from BARKBARK and more videos in the General Personal Finance category. You can contribute too! Create your own DIY guide at www.howcast.com or produce your own Howcast spots with the Howcast Filmmakers Program at www.howcast.com Check out these relatively painless ways to cut back on your expenses. To complete this How-To you will need: Self-discipline Sacrifice Open-mindedness Step 1: Ditch the paper Stop buying unnecessary paper products. Use cloth napkins, mop up spills with dishcloths and rags, write shopping lists on the back of junk-mail envelopes, (and stick your coupons inside). Step 2: Give up bottled water Give up bottled water; almost 40 percent of it comes out of the tap anyway. If you don’t like the taste of your local water, use a filter. Step 3: Buy less food Buy less food. The average American throws out 25 percent of the food they buy. Start monitoring what you’re trashing so you can make better choices when you shop, and make an effort to eat food before it goes bad. Step 4: Cut the phone line Get rid of your home phone if you have a cell phone. Step 5: Cancel your gym membership Cancel your gym membership. Jogging, stair-climbing, jump-roping, hula-hooping, and dancing are all free, and that’s just a partial list of what you can do to stay fit. Tip: Canned goods and old milk jugs or detergent bottles filled with water all make …
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Find More Save Money Articles

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: , ,

How to Save Money — Some Easy Steps!!

July 23, 2011 By 12 Comments

No doubt, saving money can bring huge benefits. One can definitely reap the rewards by saving money smartly. Take an initiative today and remember little count to save money everyday. Proper management is the first thing to do, if you wish to save money. There are both practical and creative ways by which you can save some money.

I have collected top saving money tips in this article and you can learn here how to save money for your sound financial future. It needs determination and dedication, but you can surely do this, and the earlier you begin, the better off you will be in the end.

More money is the obvious benefit of a saving money plan; however there are a number of advantages to save money that you might have not considered yet…

For future planning: Everyone needs money for their children’s education, for a new house or new car, at the time of retirement and at many stages of life. A good saving at this stage would be a reward in the future. You have to just pay attention.

Emergencies: Disasters, illness are like uninvited guests, when arrive, will not set you free easily. It’s better to prepare yourself for unemployment and bad investments kind of situations.

Debt prevention: In place of running high interest credit cards, paying cash is more smart decision and also saves money.

Here are some easy ways to save money:

The first step towards saving money: Making a Budget

Any good financial expert will advice this. You can easily identify your necessities by preparing a good and accurate budget and this let you to calculate exactly how much you can afford to set aside for your savings.

Set specific monetary goals: If there is a specific thing that you are saving up for, make out how much money you will have to set aside each month in order to arrive at that objective in a practical amount of time.

Keep an eye on spending: The most excellent technique to make sure that your savings plan is on track is to keep an eye on your spending. Monitor your ATM withdrawals; keep a copy of your bank statements, collect receipts from your entertainment expenses would be a great idea to check the spending.  You can easily recognize where your money is going and the same time you can also know how much money you are saving. To save money, this a crucial step.

Having a Saving Account: You can get yourself a free checking and savings account for saving money. There are many types of saving accounts like basic saving account, high yield saving account, online saving account, money market account.

Make sure that you can administrate your account without attached fees and same for accessing online banking and for paying bills. Get your credit card with the lowest interest rate possible. Do pay credit card bills on time as companies charge late fees.

Control Your Spending: There are many little things in our day to day life which can be useful to save money. Here are some suggestions:

Buy in bulk and cheapest stuff available in the market. Don’t carry much money with you as this will limit how much you spend.

When you sit-down restaurant avoid ordering the alcoholic beverages.

Keep healthy, affordable food at your home and avoid fast food and late nights take out. This is a easiest and quickest way to save money.

Sometimes keep away from spending money on a weekend. Choose to do something that interests you like a long walk, flying a kite or reading a good book. You can enjoy a movie at home with your buddy this weekend. Remember, it’s not the place but the ambiance that works.

Whenever possible keep the electrical appliances and A/C and heater down, this way you can save money on bills.

Always shop for the things you really need. Shop before or late for Christmas. These are the cost efficient shopping days of whole year.

You can shop online. This will save time and save money as well transportation money and you can also avail free shipping doing this.

Have family cell phone plans as they are cheaper then standalone account. Go to cell phone comparison sites as they offer side-by-side data of plans from company to company. You can easily save money on your next cell phone plan. Using a pay as you go cell phone plan is also a good thought.

The most important thing to keep in your mind is that saving money should be your priority; don’t have the attitude that whatever money is left over at the end of the month is the saving.

Written by NehaSadana
Freelance writer, blogger

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: , , , ,