Comments on: How to Save Money Every Month

By: Need a vacay

Need a vacay — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:38:44 +0000

I love that suggestion!! BRING LUNCH TO WORK!!! Also you can save money by planning for a “left over night”. Make extra every night for dinner and then one night a week eat some leftovers. This also helps when you are in a hurry for lunch options in the morning.

By: Miss Kitty

Miss Kitty — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:31:16 +0000

Great Article! Here’s some of my own:
You need credit.. duh.. BUT you don’t need to over use it.
Years ago I would purchase expensive thinge for my spouse as a “nice gesture” or to make him smile (and he would do the same for me).. we didn’t keep that smile when the card bill came in. Then I began some “rules for the household” and put all the cards in a bank safe deposit box. If we saw something we wanted on credit we had to go to the bank and get out the card, go to the store and purchase the item, then immediately go back to the bank and place the card back in the box. That “cooling off period” prevented us from purchasing a lot of things we really didn’t need. Now, we don’t use the safe deposit box anymore. I do put a piece of scotch tape around the cards I don’t usually use. If I need to use it I can remove the tape but just feeling that tape reminds me to consider if I really need the item. I put a rubber band around the ONE card I use the most (the one with the lowest rate and gives the best points I use to pay for my AAA dues). While shopping I keep that card on my hand. It gets a little annoying but it has really forced me to stay aware of everything going into that cart!
At retirement, we sold our properties back east and moved to the midwest. The cost of living is approx 1/2! Our propane, telephone, internet, auto insurance and electric are all co-ops. The propane (for our heat and cooking) can be pre paid giving yet another discount. They even track the usage! I budget the amount I will probably need so that in 6 months I have my yearly budget amount. Then I put that money into a 6 month CD that will mature about the time I need to pre-pay. So I have the money (which helps my credit and I can access it immediately in the event of an emergency), am not tempted to use it for something frivolous, is insured by FDIC and I get a little interest money to boot! (don’t forget that that interest has to have taxes paid on it at tax time). I also do that for my property taxes and my homeowners insurance. Those things that happen once or twice a year that you have to budget for but is kinda silly to just keep in a savings account (or your checking account) to get no interest.
I also review my coverages from my providers to be certain they are giving me the best deals and they often have promotions that are helpful. For instance, I contacted my telephone company to be certain my internet speed was up to snuff and the gal reminded me that if I committed to a year of service my rate would be arount $15/mo less! Well, I have no need to change from them so I said “yes” and when my husband got home I got a Great Big Kiss! It really pays to pinch pennies!

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:40:54 +0000

I’ve been able to save $50 a month by switching cell phone carriers from a traditional to a prepaid company. I found the ultimate bargain at Walmart with Straight Talk and I never thought I would such a great experience with a prepaid company. I am currently on their unlimited plan ($45 a month) and I no longer worry about overage fees – I have totally unlimited calls, texting, and data. The phones are dependable and affordable – I was finally able to purchase a Smart phone at a fraction of the normal price and without the extra contract issues or monthly fees. Best of all, I am now on the Verizon network and I don’t worry about dropping calls.

I figured that over the next two years, Straight Talk will be saving me nearly $1,200 over my previous carrier. Without a contract or worries about overage fees, Straight Talk really is the best bang for the buck.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:09:58 +0000

I have switched to a pay as you go cell phone plan. I don’t use the cell phone that much, mostly when traveling, so instead of $600 a year, I by $100 of minutes that last a year. I added minutes at the end of the year and carried over $30 dollars of minutes. The phone purchase was only $30 and came with $10 of minutes. So year one savings $560. I maintain a land line for something called ‘reverse 911′ because I’m in a fire area and it’s the most reliable way to get those calls.

I have also reduced spending in a significantly by having first cleaning out every cabinet, closet, drawer and storage bin. I realized how much stuff I accumulated and hadn’t or no longer use. Now, I really question whether I really actually need something or if it’s just a passing whim. Another benefit is I can find everything I have now and don’t buy duplicates. The house is much easier to clean, so that happens regularly without grumbling.

By: bhagyesh

bhagyesh — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:55:55 +0000

hello,
a simple tip (maybe time consuming if you consider 2 minutes as a lot of time) is logging into the credit card online account atleast once a day. By doing that, it is easier to ensure that there are no extra fees charged to your account. In addition to that, i use a excel sheet where i log all my expenses (by all i mean ALL even $0.44 for postage stamps). Compare it with a budget that is built beforehand at the end of the month. You will always see that the MISC is way above expected. These are all steps i follow. But, i need some help with the MISC expenses (how to reduce them). Thanks in advance.

By: Connie

Connie — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:08:45 +0000

I have learned that I can save money by not looking at all those Sunday ads…when I see things on sale, I think I NEED them. If I don’t see the ads, I don’t know what is on sale and then I only go to the store when I really NEED something.

By: saving up

saving up — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:35:48 +0000

Bring lunch to work. It cost like $2 to make lunch. Buying lunch costs $7 easily. I save $25/wk. It adds up to $1000/yr. If I bring lunch 1/2 the time, I save $500/yr.

By: Save Money Hound

Save Money Hound — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:35:11 +0000

Add another one to the list. Just don’t bring the wallet and see what happens. Those essential purchases may not be so essential after all!

By: Abdi

Abdi — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:31:08 +0000

Woow..these are very good tips, especially the no credit card at all. I mean why do i need a credit card? Are they giving me free money? No, instead they are lending you trouble. I have never used a credit card, but i have my debit car with me all the time… at least i don’t get crazy interest rates.

By: jerry

jerry — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:42:48 +0000

A great way to save money is by budgeting your wireless phone minutes through a prepaid wireless carrier. I use Tracfone as it is the best value prepaid service out there. Tracfone also has grerat reception which is important to me as i am a farmer. With my prepaid phone service i am not stuck paying for alot of minutes i really don’t need or even want.