DontSpendMore.com Blog

Category: Save Money

  • How To Lower Your Bills

    By David

    In our seemingly never ending recession, people are doing whatever they can to earn more and spend less. There are many ways for people to go about doing this. Today, we will take a look at how to lower your bills by sticking to the old adage “reduce, reuse, and recycle.”

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    Reduce

    When talking about how to lower your bills it is important to look at how much you are presently using and try and find ways to cut back. This is especially prevalent in connection with your utilities bills. We will take a quick look at these and other common bills and suggest some simple ways to cut back.

    1)      Water – water is a precious resource and one that can end up costing us a lot if we are using too much of it. To help reduce your water consumption and thus your bill, try taking a shorter shower, turning off the water when you are brushing your teeth, or setting your lawn watering system to only activate once or twice a week.

    2)      Electricity – especially if you live in a particularly warm or cold environment electricity could be one of your highest utility bills. To help reduce this, make sure you always turn off lights and appliances you are not using when you leave a room, make sure the TV is off when you go to sleep, and try getting your home to a comfortable temperature and shutting it off before going to bed, or just opt for lighter or heavier clothing while at home instead of running the environmental conditioners at all.

    3)      Groceries – the typical family’s grocery bill can be hundreds of dollars every month. To help reduce this, try purchasing off brands rather than name brands at the store, utilizing coupons or special store sales to save on things you would normally buy, or try eating less. It might help you lose those extra pounds while saving you a few bucks.

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    Reuse

    Though this idea may sound a bit off putting it really can provide some great ideas on how to lower your bills without significantly affecting your lifestyle. To do this, try wearing shirts and pants that do not get dirty over the course of a single day for a second day in the same week to help reduce your grocery and water bills or try to use the same dishes throughout the entire day, rinsing briefly between meals if necessary to reduce the number of loads you do in your dishwasher.

    Recycle

    Finally try to recycle or repair things in your home before you replace them. If your car has a problem you get it fixed rather than get a new one. The same should be true for most of your appliances. If they can be salvaged for less than they can be replaced for, why not try and see if you can get a little more life out of them?

    Now that we have got you going, you can use the ideas above and even generate your own to lower your bills.

    Click here to compare offers and lower your bills. Save hundreds of dollars every month by comparing credit cards, cell phones, phone bills, Internet, insurance, and more. Find out how much you can save.

  • Beginner’s Guide To Effective Coupon Shopping Online And In-Store

    By John

    Coupon shopping (online and offline) has become a perpetual habit for millions of budget-conscious shoppers.

    Does couponing save you money? Absolutely! How much? That depends entirely on how much effort you put into it. A casual coupon user can easily knock $10 off the monthly shopping bill but ferocious ones talk about savings of over 80%! If you are the average American family spending between $500 and $1000 per month on shopping, work it out!

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    Coupons have been around for years, in one form or another. Collecting and redeeming them was pretty easy and people were grateful for the occasional small benefit they brought. Now, with prices rising all around and people desperate to save money by all means, more and more people are using coupons as a planned method of saving money and as a result the coupon business has become an industry. You need to know your way around this industry to gain optimal benefits. And it takes time.

    Collecting coupons

    Coupons are generally provided by manufacturers and store owners. You can usually find them in Sunday newspapers, print them out and redeem them at the checkout counter when you shop. Some people buy several copies of the paper just for the coupons alone, and also regularly swap coupons with family and friends.

    Online, they are found on manufacturers’ and stores’ websites, and on dedicated websites, again for printing out and redemption at the checkout counter. Quickly establish which websites are the most useful ones for you in order to avoid wasting time.

    Further, there are dedicated outlets for coupons for online shopping as well. Interactive websites now enable e-coupons (including coupons for online shopping) to be linked directly to store loyalty cards. Smartphone apps exist that are particularly helpful with this, as the app enables you to search for coupons, do your math and make your purchases on the ground, as it were, actually looking at the products.

    Learn the ropes

    The industry has spawned its own language which you need to learn to get the best results. You also need to learn about stores’ policies on coupons – specifically the combinations of coupons that they permit to be used on each product. Doubling-up and tripling-up can produce a massive discount.

    Which coupons?

    As with all comparison-shopping you need to make sure that a coupon is actually going to save you money. Key question: Were you going to buy that item anyway? Remember — no matter how little you pay for a product it’s not a bargain if you don’t need it in the first place and is not saving you money. Is the quoted price without coupon the regular price or a hiked one? Wherever possible compare unit costs of the product, post-coupon. A valuable exercise too is to learn which products tend to carry the biggest percentage reduction in price post-coupon – for example, washing detergents, or personal grooming products, or food ingredients. This will help you to spend more time searching for deals that will save dollars instead of cents.

    Always check the expiry date of coupons that interest you.

    Organization

    The more coupons you collect the more important it is to collate them, by store, department, product type, and expiry date. Putting them in appropriate envelopes will help you when you compile your shopping list and save you (and all the other customers!) time at the checkout counter.

    Yes, coupon-shopping will save you a lot of money but it takes time and effort.

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  • Save More Money By Comparison Shopping Online

    By John

    Comparison shopping online is the norm these days. Getting the best deal for your money has never been more important than right now with rising inflation and budgets being squeezed. Shoppers have always compared prices and quality before they buy, both within the same store and at different stores. It has traditionally taken quite a lot of time, effort and legwork. Most of the legwork can now be cut out by going online, although it still takes some time and effort. Still, if you are keen to save money it’s worth it, isn’t it? And, as ever, the more effort you put into it, the more likely you are to be rewarded with the best deals and save more money by comparison shopping online.

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    Let a search engine do the donkey work

    Whether you are looking to buy furniture, electronics or simply groceries, there are innumerable web sites to help you find what you are looking for. Enter the product you are looking for and the site will show you the stores where it is available, its price at each store, information about the product, and specifications. Some sites also publish reviews by customers who have purchased the product. Some will also give links to the stores so that you can check the store policies, payment methods and delivery or shipping costs, before making a purchase online.

    These sites of course are free to use. For a small annual fee you can join a shopping club which further refines the process of online comparison shopping by going into greater detail and publishing more useful reviews.

    Caveat Emptor

    The effectiveness of online comparison shopping has inevitably increased the competition between stores, which may have adjusted their pricing matrix to maintain their profit margin. You should read the small print carefully: the product may be cheaper at one store than another, but a higher shipping cost may cancel out the advantage. Stores will have different policies about returning goods once sold, and different minimum purchase order requirements that may or may not work for you.

    If you are comparison shopping for groceries you need to identify the real bargains by comparing unit costs and not just package costs. You don’t want to end up paying for more packaging but less contents. Similarly, two small packets of a particular product may turn out to be cheaper and with more contents than the “economy size” packet being promoted. You should keep an eye open for special offers that may vary during the day, and also printable coupons, both of which will save you money.

    If you intend to intend to make a purchase online, it is advisable to go with a store you have dealt with before or one with a solid reputation. Never submit your credit card details to an insecure web address. Generally speaking it is better to use a credit card than a debit card for online shopping as there is more protection should your card be compromised by fraud. Always keep a printed record of your purchase order in case of problems down the line.

    Without your having to do the legwork anymore, online comparison shopping will help you to purchase the products you want, of the quality you want, and at the best price and save money by not paying more for your shopping than you need to. Adopt comparison shopping and see how it works to your benefit.

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  • Save Money By Shopping Smart

    By John

    You, like most people, are probably looking for ways to cut costs and make savings these days, as inflation relentlessly outstrips wage increases. Once all the big and regular payments for insurance, home, auto, utilities and other services have been taken care of, what is left is what you have to live on. You want to make those dollars stretch as far as possible. Grocery shopping will account for many of them and therefore it is worth looking at some shopping techniques to ensure that you save as much money as possible by not spending more than you need.

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    Supermarkets and grocery stores have an aim that is the complete opposite of yours. Yours is to buy exactly what you need at minimal expense, theirs is to persuade you to buy more than you need at maximum profitability for themselves.

    Be prepared

    Before you even set foot in the store, you should be well-prepared. You should have eaten, written out your shopping list, left the spouse and kids at home. You have chosen this particular store because you know from previous experience and online research that it carries the products you like at consistently good prices, and is currently offering a number of sale deals on items you need.

    Store tactics

    Remember their aim: to sell you more. The entry area will be awash with eye-catching offers and advertisements which can safely be ignored. The store layout rarely varies: the basic foods and ingredients (cheaper) are laid out along the perimeter walls while the inner aisles contain all the more expensive brands and processed goods, thus offering you ample opportunity to be tempted into buying something you didn’t know you needed.

    Shelf layout is usually standard too. There are typically 5 levels – cheapest items on the top, then medium, then (at eye-level) most expensive, then medium, then cheapest again right at the bottom.

    The wording on items and price tickets is carefully designed to tempt you into buying the items the store would prefer to sell you. Words like “Premium”, “Basic” and “Value” abound. There is more ornate packaging on the most expensive products, obviously. There are lots of offers of 1-for-2 or 2-for-3. Alongside genuine sale items, non-sale items might well carry exactly the same design of price tag.

    At the checkout counter will be candy and goodies placed just where kids would be looking while you settle up.

    Stay Focused!

    You needn’t be fooled by these tactics if you concentrate on looking for the genuine bargains and best deals and on completing your list.

    It’s all about comparing. Packaging doesn’t matter – you’re not going to eat that. Compare unit costs of brand name products against the store’s own products against generic products, and go for the cheapest that is of acceptable quality. Compare unit costs of the “special” offers and see if it’s really a bargain (as well as something you need). Check that the item under the special-sale tag is indeed the sale item before you put it in the cart. If the price tag on the cheapest products is mysteriously missing (incompetent worker, mischievous child – or a “dirty trick”?), take the time to get the price scanned.

    At the checkout take note as your purchases are rung up. Make sure that discounted items are registered at the correct price – sometimes there can be a mismatch. Use coupons, the store’s own card and check for any other discounts that may be available.

    Smart shopping means not accepting the sales pitch at face-value. It means being healthily skeptical, checking and comparing. This may take time but if it cuts down your shopping bill by 15%, 10% or even 5%, surely it’s worth it? Shop smart and save money.

    Click here to compare offers on multiple items and save hundreds of dollars. Compare and save on credit cards, cell phones, long distance plans, mortgages, insurance, shopping, and so much more.

  • Free Long Distance Calls: How To Make Them

    By Rick

    Calling long distance used to be a very expensive thing to do, which prevented many people from staying in touch with loved ones in other countries. Even calls within the country could be incredibly expensive if the person lived a few states away from you. Over the years, these long distance costs have plummeted due to the introduction of new technologies that take advantage of the internet. To provide essentially free long distance These new systems allow you to make these same long distance phone calls for a fraction of what they would have cost you only a few years ago. In some cases you can even make free long distance calls if you have the right equipment at home.

    Click here to review offers for free long distance and international calls. Free comparison tools.

    Why is the cost so high?

    When phone systems were first installed, every home was connected together through a series of wires that ran into a central station. The cost of installing the system was tremendously expensive for the phone company and they charged a higher fee for the longer distance your call had to travel, since it involved more wire and a larger number of switching stations to make this connection. The idea of free long distance was as foreign as space travel in these early days. Overseas calls were particularly expensive because of the cost of making this physical connection through wires laid at the ocean floor. Even though these same systems have been in place for decades, upgrades to the equipment continue to add a cost for the traditional calls and made free long distance virtually impossible.

    Internet to the rescue

    The advent of the internet has truly touched every aspect of our lives and free long distance calling is only one of its many benefits. The internet is basically a new connection that everyone with access can use to do all sorts of things with each other. Initially it was used for email and chat conversations that replaced a phone call and has recently matured into a more interactive way to contact friends. As the speed of connection improved on the internet for most homes, things like phone calls and video chat became possible through a technology called VOIP. This innovative product (Voice Over Internet Protocol) now allows anyone to have the same expensive long distance conversation they made years ago, for free today. The internet has essentially provided free long distance for anyone that has a connection.

    Click here to compare cell phone plans, including packages with a free phone.

    What You’ll Need to Get Started

    There are a few ways for you to take advantage of free long distance calls and each of them has their advantages. The simplest would be to use a service like Google or Skype to make these calls on your computer when connected to the internet. You’ll need to have a microphone and speaker on your computer to make the call but they are an inexpensive option to add for getting this amazing benefit. Some companies even sell an attachment for your computer that looks like a phone handset you can use to make these calls more comfortably.

    Another option that offers more features would be a service that replaces your current phone service with an internet version. There are a wide range of vendors that offer this capability including your cable company. With this option you would use the same phones you already have installed in your home but your monthly cost would be much less than your current bill. Most of these plans include free long distance as part of your monthly bill and make calling the ones you love easier.

    Click here to review offers for free long distance and international calls. Free comparison tools.

  • Making Long Distance Calls The Inexpensive Way

    By Rick

    Making long distance calls is not only expensive if you have the wrong plan, it can also be confusing for most people. Even though long distance calls between different areas of the country is simple, making a call to another country may require a country and region code to be added to the number. Knowing how to make these calls takes a little practice and becomes easier the more you are making long distance calls. Finding the best long distance calling plan will also help make these calls more affordable.

    Take a look at the cheapest long distance and international calling plans in the world. From traditional phone lines to VoIP, compare offers from multiple providers. Some offer a free first call to any country of your choice.

    Calling another country

    Making calls internationally requires you to have a few pieces of information before attempting the call. With some countries you’ll need an exit code to dial out of the country. You’ll also need to know the country code call of the place you’re making long distance calls to as well as the number of the person you’re calling. All of these digits together make up the sequence you’ll need to dial to make the connection. For example, if you’re making long distance calls from the United States, the exit code is 011. If you’re calling Argentina, their country code is 54 and the area code for a place like Buenos Aires is 11. All of these numbers are dialed before you dial the person’s actual number. It gets even more confusing in some countries if you’re calling a cell phone since you’ll have a special code to add for this connection.

    Do you have the right calling plan

    Before making the call, you’ll want to make sure you have coverage on your phone to avoid additional charges. Making long distance calls can become quite expensive and most carriers offer discount plans to help keep them more affordable. Be sure to review your plan before making long distance calls so you don’t have a huge bill show up next month for the conversation. Most carriers have programs you can add to your monthly contract that can lower the cost of these calls substantially. These plans can be for a specific country or may cover an entire region with the discount. Check with your carrier to see what they offer before making long distance calls.

    Check out our cell phone packages. Some plans offer a free phone. Click here to review and compare cell phone plans.

    The high-tech, low-cost approach

    With the explosive growth of the internet, you now have other options when making long distance calls. You can use a service like VoIP (Voice Over Internet Phone) to make the calls for free. These programs allow you to connect to another user anywhere in the world over the internet and have a conversation as well as video-chat for free. Making the connection through your computer may seem a little odd at first but the low cost makes up for that very quickly. Even though you’ll need to make sure your computer has a microphone and a speaker, these are easy accessories to add if you need them. These computer based calls are also simpler to make since you won’t have to worry about the country codes or complicated dialing required for more traditional phone calls. You can simply locate a person you want to contact through their user name, click connect and start talking. Making long distance calls has never been easier or less expensive.

    Take a look at the cheapest long distance and international calling plans in the world. From traditional phone lines to VoIP, compare offers from multiple providers. Some offer a free first call to any country of your choice.

  • A Four Step Approach To Spending Less And Saving More Money

    By John

    These days we are all looking for ways to make our hard-earned dollars stretch a little further. Cutting the big-ticket items is obviously something you will already have considered – for instance, moving to a new house, forgetting the new car or boat, or taking less extravagant vacations. Now you are probably looking for ways to trim your living costs. Even modest changes to your day-to-day spending habits will save an appreciable amount of money without affecting your quality of life, and a determined effort can save you literally thousands of dollars a year.

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    So, how can I save more money?

    Step No 1: Arrive at a budget

    The first step is to arrive at a budget. Take away the fixed annual items of expenditure, like insurance premiums, from your total annual income; then take away the fixed monthly items of expenditure, like cable, internet and TV, from what’s left, and now you have the amount of your disposable income. But hang on! Who says those items are “fixed”? If you are still wondering how to save more money, here’s Step 2.

    Step No 2: Find ways to spend less

    You need to take a long look at those “fixed” items. The gym and other club memberships, for instance. Do you really need them? And if you decide you do, can you not get a cheaper type of membership that better reflects your schedule? Many things are negotiable in these competitive times. There are many ways too of getting discounts on auto, home and other insurance premiums – for instance, by bundling them together with one provider. Perhaps your circumstances have changed since you took out your auto policy – say, your son has left home – can you not adjust the collision waiver amount? All those “fixed”items need to be queried. You will end up spending less.

    The same goes for the “fixed” monthly items too. Bundling all your TV, cable, internet and cellphone packages will produce significant savings. You should consider carefully which mobile data plan works for you – are you predominantly a texter, or chatterer, or mobile surfer, or a mix of all of them. Get a plan that fits your usage patterns. Maybe you can drop the landline altogether if all your family members own cells? Are you getting the best deal from your utilities company?

    Having hopefully reduced the outlay on all the fixed items you can now deduct the total from your income leaving you with your disposable income, which gives you your budget.

    Here are more ways to save money and spending less.

    Step No 3

    Before apportioning your budget, you must know what you have been spending your money on in the past, which is why keeping records is important. A sensible approach at this stage is to set yourself a goal of cutting say 10% off each of the major components of expenditure – utilities, food and groceries, transportation, and entertainment. Next you should look at each of those areas of expenditure and identify what is unimportant and can be cut out, and what is important but can be reduced. Through a combination of using less and smart shopping, you will Spend Less And Save MORE.

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    Step No Four

    How to apply this lesson? Using less when combined with wasting less can save a remarkable amount of money on utilities: fix leaks of heating and air-conditioning from your house by insulating the roof, sealing doors, windows and other cracks, and fix leaking faucets at once. Switch off lights in empty rooms. Maximize the use of programmable thermostats to control heating and cooling, and motion sensors to control outdoor lighting. Switch to CFL light bulbs. Turn off running water when shaving, brushing your teeth and lathering. Use a bucket when washing the car. Using conscientious economy a saving of 10% on your utilities bill is not hard to achieve.

    With food and groceries the emphasis is more on smart shopping. Always shop with a list. Knowing your prices is key, so that you know when something is a bargain. Go online to research good deals. Clip coupons – some people report regularly saving 50% on their grocery bills through using coupons. Hunt down sale items and discounts and use store loyalty cards. Buy generic goods not brand names. Buy stores’ own products. Buy non-perishables in bulk or big packages. Go to the butcher’s for meat, and the bakery for bread. Save a dollar here and a dollar there – it all adds up.

    Don’t buy prepared foods – make your own lunches and snacks. Make your own coffee at home and take it with you.

    On transportation you can make sure your car is in good operating condition, and have it regularly serviced. Do basic maintenance yourself. Buy spare parts yourself for the mechanic to fix. Seek out best gas deals online. Make less trips, especially for shopping. Drive conservatively.

    On entertainment you can spend less by eating out less, renting movies instead of going to the theater, using the library for books and more. Spending less in this area will affect your lifestyle, of course, but saving $60 or $70 by not eating out just one less time in a month sounds a pretty good way to help you achieve your goal.

    Using this Four step approach will help you to spend less and save more. And as the savings mount up, make them work for you by opening an interest-bearing deposit account.

    Click here to compare money-saving offers on credit cards, cell phones, long distance, Internet access, and so much more. Save hundreds of dollars every month. Free comparison tools.

  • Top Ways To Cut Household Expenses

    By John

    Whatever your reason for wanting to cut household expenses — whether simply to make ends meet, or to save money for another purpose — there are essentially four ways of looking at how to go about it: using less, wasting less, buying less, and getting the best deals.

    You need to take a long hard look at everything you consume at home to see what you can cut back on. In most cases the solution won’t involve much pain at all when you realize how much money you are going to save, but other solutions will inevitably involve a change in lifestyle and some sacrifice. One way of achieving the savings you want could be by aiming to reduce your expenditure in each category by, say, 5 or even 10%.

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    One of the most common questions we receive here, at DontSpendMore.com, is “how to cut household expenses?” Here is a list of the main categories of household expenses and some of the actions you could be taking or options you could be considering:

    ELECTRICITY – How Can You Use Less, Waste Less, Buy Less, Get Best Deals…

    * Use a programmable thermostat for your heating — turn the temperature up say 10 degrees before you go to bed and before you leave the house.

    * Use space heaters instead of central heating.

    * Make sure the house is leak-proof – doors, windows, other cracks.

    * Insulate the roof and attic.

    * Switch off appliances when not using them.

    * Unplug all appliances when away from home, or at least use power strips.

    * Buy Energy Star-rated appliances for greater economy.

    * Run major appliances in the evening.

    * Could you switch to gas?

    * Could you switch from central air-conditioning to individual units?

    * Use a fan instead of air-conditioning.

    * Turn off lights when you leave the room.

    * Switch to CFL or LED light bulbs.

    * Comparison-shop to get the best rate.

    WATER – How Can You Use Less, Waste Less, Buy Less, Get Best Deals…

    * Take less showers and keep them short.

    * Turn off faucets when brushing teeth, shaving, lathering.

    * Find and fix leaks.

    * Operate the dishwasher and washing machine on full loads.

    * Water your lawn in the evening.

    * Use a broom not a hose to clean your sidewalk.

    * Wash the car using a bucket not a hose.

    * Collect rainwater for use in the garden.

    GROCERIES – How Can You Use Less, Waste Less, Buy Less, Get Best Deals…

    * Use leftovers in a different menu.

    * Don’t throw out good food – “Best Before ___” does NOT mean “Inedible After ___”.

    * Eat less meat.

    * Make a list of your needs, not wants, before you go shopping.

    * Have a meal before you go shopping.

    * Buy generic brands not brand names.

    * Buy stores’ own products.

    * Comparison-shop.

    * Clip coupons.

    * Research good deals online.

    * Buy big or in bulk (not perishable foods).

    * Don’t buy bottled water.

    * Grow your own vegetables if you have the space.

    TRANSPORTATION – How Can You Use Less, Waste Less, Buy Less, Get Best Deals…

    * Keep your car in good working order.

    * Walk more.

    * Bike to work.

    * Cut down the number of trips to the shops.

    * Comparison-shop for best insurance rates.

    * Check for discounts.

    * Make sure your insurance policy fits your family’s circumstances.

    * Buy spare parts yourself for the garage or mechanic to fit.

    * Do the basic maintenance yourself.

    * If you have more than one car, could you sell one?

    * Could you downgrade your car?

    MEDIA – How Can You Use Less, Waste Less, Buy Less, Get Best Deals…

    * Bundle as many services as you can (cable, TV, phones, internet) with one provider. *Negotiate the best deal with that provider.

    * Can you drop cable TV and watch shows online?

    * Only pay for the TV channels you actually watch.

    * Can you drop the landline if all your family own cellphones?

    * Make sure your cellphone plan fits your usage patterns.

    * Text less.

    * Consider a pre-paid plan.

    ENTERTAINMENT – How Can I Use Less, Waste Less, Buy Less, Get Best Deals…

    * Read books from the library instead of buying them.

    * Rent movies instead of going to the theatre.

    * Search for free concerts.

    * Set a strict budget for eating out, and be modest in your choice of menu items and wines. * Go for a picnic instead?

    * Make more of your own meals, including lunch.

    * Cut back on visits to the coffee-shop, make your own coffee and take it with you.

    * Cut back on home delivery meals.

    We hope this article addressed your question about how to cut household expenses. If so, please do let us know in the comments below.

    Click here to compare offers and save hundreds of dollars every month. Compare and save on credit cards, long distance, cell phone bill, Internet, mortgages, computers, and more. Free comparison tools.

  • Methodical Ways To Save Money

    By John

    At some stage in their lives, most people think they ought to be saving money. In challenging times like the present, more and more individuals are probably resolving to do so but have no clear idea how to go about it. It is not actually too difficult to save money if you go about it in a planned, methodical way and are aware of the different ways to save money.

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    So you want to save money — what For?

    You must establish the reason for wanting to save money. Is it because you are finding it hard to make ends meet, or because you want to improve your quality of life in some way, or because you want to take the family on a special vacation, or buy a new car or house, or because you want to set the ground for a secure financial future? No matter what the reason, once you have identified it clearly you have a goal and can plan how to achieve it.

    How to reach your goal?

    When planning how to reach your goal you need to establish three things:

    1. The time-frame – when do you want to reach your goal?
    2. Income – now, and in the foreseeable future.
    3. Expenditure – especially fixed items, now and in the foreseeable future.

    Now it is a matter of juggling the sums: You know how much you want or need to save, how much time you have to save it in, and how much you can expect to receive and spend within that time-frame. Since income and fixed-item expenditures are pretty much finite, you will probably have to adjust the time-frame so that you have a realistic chance of meeting it by making savings from your disposable income.

    You now know how much you want or need to save, over how long a period. You next need to identify the areas in which you can make savings.

    More ways to save money

    Where to make savings?

    Depending on your circumstances and the amount of money you want or need to save, you may have to consider options like moving to a smaller house or down-sizing your car, or selling one if you have two, or getting rid of your boat. For many people, however, it is more likely to come down to a reduction in annual and monthly expenditure.

    Annual expenditure could be things like gym and golf club memberships, and insurance premiums. You may have to make some hard decisions about what to give up or downgrade, which will depend on how serious you are about saving money.

    A reduction in monthly expenditure is not hard to achieve, if you approach it in a methodical manner. You already know how much you intend to save, according to your plan. One smart idea is to separate that amount from your paycheck as soon as you get it — some employers may help you do this — and keep it somewhere safe. An interest-bearing savings account is the obvious choice and would bring additional benefits, such as making your money work for you.

    Slicing the pie

    Monthly expenditure typically falls under these categories:

    • Household
    • Utilities
    • Transportation
    • Food
    • Groceries
    • Clothing
    • Entertainment/lifestyle

    There are innumerable ways to save money — some big, some small — in each of these categories. Most of them involve some online research to get the best deals, some comparison-shopping, and a conscientious effort to use less and waste less. You should keep a detailed record of what you spend – there are many smartphone apps that can do this for you – in order to ensure that your budget remains on track.

    A sound planning process and sticking to the budget you have set are essential to achieve your goal of saving money.

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  • How To Save On Car Repairs: Auto Repair Costs Can Be Controlled

    By John

    Your car is always going to break down or be involved in an accident at the most inconvenient moment — on your way to catch a flight, or on vacation with your family far from home, in the middle of a torrential rainstorm, in the middle of nowhere, and probably in the middle of the night.

    Getting it fixed is going to be a hassle as well as a blow to your wallet as not only is it not included in your budget, but emergency repairs always cost more than ‘normal’ ones and there are all the other incidental costs to bear as well — alternative transport, maybe re-scheduling your flight, perhaps an extra night in a hotel.

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    You can never guarantee that your car won’t break down but you can reduce the likelihood and save a considerable amount of money if it does happen, at the same time reducing the overall costs of your car ownership.

    The best ways to save money on car repairs consist of actions you should take before a breakdown occurs – and that means now – and those you can take after a breakdown or accident.

    How To Save On Car Repairs: Auto Repair Costs Can Be Controlled

    What you can do now

    1. Moderate your driving habits to avoid putting undue stress on your car’s components. This includes not overloading it, avoiding violent braking, acceleration and cornering maneuvers, and over-revving the engine. You should follow the manufacturer’s guidelines on things like tire pressures, battery care, load limits and driving tips.
    2. Practice preventive maintenance by keeping your car clean (the working bits, that is, not so much the bodywork), and having it regularly serviced.
    3. Join a motoring association such as the AAA. They can help you to save money if you need to have your car repaired, and offer innumerable other benefits as well, such as discounted hotel prices, insurance and more.
    4. Find an auto supply store that also carries out checks on basic components such as tires, battery, alternator, starter. Such stores are often cheaper than a garage. Some will carry out simple repairs or offer you the equipment to do them yourself.
    5. Find a garage or mechanic you trust. Shop around, get referrals from your friends.
    6. Learn more about your car by reading the manual and helpful websites. You should pick up some useful advice that enables you to save money by doing simple maintenance work yourself instead of having the garage do it. You could consider buying your own code reader for about $100 which will diagnose your car’s health and enable you to identify any problems that need to be fixed. This will save the garage time, and save you money.

    How To Save On Car Repairs: Auto Repair Costs Can Be Controlled

    What you can do after the breakdown or accident

    1. Research the likely costs of having your car repaired; several websites give comprehensive guidance. There is even a smartphone app with this function. The knowledge will help when you discuss the repair with your garage and enable you to spot any attempt to overcharge or carry out unnecessary work.
    2. Shop around until you find a garage or repair shop that will do the work at the recommended rate.
    3. Buy your own spare parts. Search the web for spare parts stores and buy the parts yourself. This will save money as you are in effect cutting out the middleman (the garage).

    We hope you liked our article How To Save On Car Repairs: Auto Repair Costs Can Be Controlled

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