Tips to Save Money

Many people are struggling financially right now. The credit crunch has hit hard and left millions of people desperate for money. Jobs have been cut, companies closed. Debts are being called in and every day hundreds of people are losing their homes and being declared bankrupt.

This may sound like scaremongering but the statistics back this up. It is facts, not some people trying to scare you in the name of making news. It is why you need to take control of your finances – and why you need to make savings and cut back anywhere that you can.

Tips to Save Money

As ever we like to be helpful. So, since we live to serve, we have collected this wonderful list of tips to help you save money.

· Assess your finances. It is amazing the amount of people that are paying out money that they don’t need to – and aren’t even aware of it. Old mobile phones they forgot to cancel, gym memberships they don’t use any more, book memberships that just go in the bin – anything you are paying monthly for but forgot about. You can save a lot of money on this.

· Look at your bills. Are you paying too much? Shopping around on everything from mobile phone contracts to your car insurance can end up saving you hundreds a month. And don’t be afraid to negotiate – it is amazing the deals some companies will give you if you suggest that you are going to move to a competitor.

· Trade down. Do you really need that expensive car, for example? If you have an expensive high ticket item like that (or even your home) you might be able to save considerable amounts of money by trading to a smaller one.

· Sell your junk. Ebay, car boot sales and the like are becoming more and more popular – and have a market of buyers who could well be interested in buying what you consider to be junk.

· Buy 2nd hand. Just as you can make good money at 2nd hand sales and websites so too can you buy bargains… so look around there and see if there isn’t something that you were going to pay full price for.

· Trade in on a skill. Right now people are trying to save money – they don’t want to pay massive garage fees when they could pay someone who can fix it for a lot less. They don’t want to pay full prices when they can bring in skilled amateur labour. Anything form tutoring to writing can be utilised by someone.

· Get freebies. Online there are a huge number of freebie sites – and it is amazing what you can get for free. But even if you don’t get lucky with these you can still look at using your local library to get free books, DVDs etc. Also look to the Internet to get you free music through legal applications such as Spotify.

Obviously you will be able to save a lot of money by other methods too – but this should get your brain thinking at the very least.

4 Money-Saving Tips for the Holidays

The key to saving is to spend less than you earn. Yes. Learn to live below your income.

Here are 4 money-saving tips not just for the holidays but all year round as well:

1. Set aside a percentage of your monthly income as savings. It doesn’t really matter how much amount you save as long as you stash some of your savings in the bank. It will become handy in future emergencies. You’ll never know what will happen. But if you have some cash stashed somewhere, it will certainly give you a certain feeling of security and wellbeing.

2. Back to the basics. If you’re dead serious about cutting back or your overheads, then simplify your life. Cut back on expensive dinners, roaming in the malls, eating at fast food centers or watching movies at the video arcades. Limit your calls. Make do without cable TV. Buy classic dresses whirr never go out of style. If you have a compulsion to buy things which you do not need, control yourself Instead stash that one hundred dollar bill in a safe place in your wallet. You will have ended with nothing but more savings.

3. Become a handy woman. With all the sophisticated tools and paraphernalia that are available in the market, any woman can handle things that men normally do — like repairing the faucet, screwing things and repairing the car. Just because you’re a woman is no excuse for not doing men’s jobs. With the high costs of home repairs, it is but practical to do things yourself if you can help it. However you can refer the difficult things to the professionals.

4. Make a list of the things that you need to buy and stick to it. Sometimes we are tempted to buy things we do not need because of some promo sales like “buy one take one.” Do not give in to these sales talks. Hold on to your purse. Forget the urge.

5. Forced savings. Dream big. The best way to save money is to have some short-term and long term financial goals in sight like a down payment for a car or a house. It is much more motivating if you have a dream or goal to pursue.