For Moms:
The last year has been a tough on all of us. With stock markets dropping and prices everywhere going up, saving money has become more of a focus in everyone’s household. I think we can all agree that cutting back on some things in our daily life can be a benefit to our wallets. Moms especially know a thing or two when it comes to making the dollar stretch, but here are some useful tips that will help save on some spending.
1. Leave your cash at home. Every mom likes to have a day to herself or even with fellow mommies like themselves. Next time you go out with friends, leave the money at home. I don’t mean leave everthing, of course you want to treat yourself to some lunch, or maybe a little splurge., but be wise! If you see the money in your wallet, you’ll want to spend it. So save yourself the guilt for spending money that you could have used on something more important.
2. Call your credit card company. It might seem like a far fetched idea, but it works! Who knew would have guess that these people are actuall human and not vultures out for your last penny. Interest rates have sky-rocketed, leaving us no choice but to comply with them. If you take the time and ask if they can offer you a lower interest rate than the one you currently have they will more than likely comply. These credit card companies want to keep the customers they already have not lose them, dropping your rate by 5% is the most that they will do, but that’s good enough to start cutting back somewhere.
3. Call your cell phone company. Here’s the thing, have you ever actually taken the time to look at your cell phone bill? I know that I have fallen victim to this until the day I actually looked through each individual charge and called to inquire. Most of the time I have found that these extra charges are for features on your cell phone you don’t even put to use. What you do is give them a call and just see what they have to offer, there are times when they are offering a better deal than you currently saving you more money!
4. Your utility bills. Now-a-days paying your light or water bill is almost a car payment and you feel helpless because it’s a necessity and not a luxury. I find it that making a few changes in your daily routines can lower these bills. To cut back on electricity unplug appliances that are not in use , coffee maker when not in use, radios, and phone chargers. Leaving electronics plugged in, even when not on do use electricity causing and increase in how much you spend. Switch your bulbs to neon lights! Not only cause efficient but good on the environment because they use less energy. Cutting back the use of water. When you have the luxury of having a washer/dryer in your house it seems that we put them to use more often. What you want to do is, pick one day out of the week and make it laundry day. Washing four or five loads of laundry a week is more cost efficient, than washing one load per day. Turn off the water when washing dishes. Scrub them clean first, then run the water when you are rinsing. Also, cut back 5 minutes on your shower time and you’ll see the difference the next month when your bill arrives.
5. Look into buying a water filter/purifier. We all have a thing about drinking “clean” water. Well, who ever said in order to achieve that we have to buy it in a bottle? You can purchase those nifty Brita water purifiers at your local Target or Wal-mart which are inexpensive. You also have the option of putting in a water line. The water line is a bit more costly, but they do have their benefits in the long run, one being the back aches from lifting those bulks of bottled waters from the car to the house.
6. Use those coupons. Don’t be ashamed to use them. You can find coupons in your Sunday paper or sometimes online. Coupons are a great way to save a couple of bucks and try out some new products.
7. Don’t be afraid to dine out. Eating home cooked dishes is the best way to save money on meals. But you can have a day where you can treat the family and you don’t have to spend a lot of money. There are several restaurants that offer a kids eat free discount on certain days. Other eateries offer two-for-one deals on regular entrees. Just because you are being more dollar conscience it doesn’t mean that you and your family can’t get a break from staying at home to eat out.
8. Get out of the house and go for a walk. Instead of taking the car for a ride, why don’t you put on some sneakers and take the kids out for a stroll. On those nice warm summer evenings you can save some gas by going to your neighborhood pharmacy or market to pick up your prescriptions or to buy a few things at the grocery store. It’s also a great source of exercise and you get to see the outdoors for a change. This also would fall under a gym membership category. Cancel your gym membership and invest in a treadmill instead. Or even better, make use of all the great resources we have right out side our doors.
For Dads:
When it comes to saving money, dads all over can use a little help as well. We know how long your day could be with putting in some hours of overtime at work just to make ends meet. With thes
e useful tips not only will you save money, but you can spend less time at work and more time with the family.
1. Adjust your W-4 form. Ask your boss to give you a new form, fill it out, and be proud beacuse you just gave your self and instant pay raise by reducing the amount of taxes withheld from each pay check. If you were one of the lucky ones that received a large amount on your tax return this year, increase the number of exemptions on the W-4 form, that way they take less. Remember when doing this make sure you visit the IRS website first, there you will find an exemption calculator, this helps to make sure you break even on your taxes.
2. Getting your newspaper delivered. There are several ways you could go about this. You can either cancel the newspaper delivery service all together and get your current events from the internet which you can find for free. Or you might like having your cup of coffee in the morning while reading your paper, if that’s the case, how much time do you actually have to read an entire paper during the week? Your local newspaper usually has the option to get the paper delivered only on the weekends. This is great because you are saving some money by not getting the paper during the week and you get those money saving ads we all love so much.
3. Saving on some fuel. There are several things you could do to your car that will help you save gas. Every time you pump gas you should check the your tires and make sure the air pressure is correct. Tires that are low in air cause your gas tank to be empty faster. Checking your car to make sure that oil changes are up to par saves you money at the pump too.
4. Taking a trip to your local junk yard. Need a part for your vehicle? Avoid going to dealerships as much as you can, a part at a dealership as well all know can cost you an arm and a leg. If the junk yard doesn’t have to part you are in need of, you can always search on the Internet for classified ads.
5. Do your own oil changes. If you don’t know how you can easily pick up a special made manual for you car that teaches you everything you would need to know about doing mechanical work to your car. You can also find Internet sites that will teach step-by-step on how to do an oil change. It might take more time and effort than going to your neighborhood tune up place, but in the long run it’s saving you money and now you are fully aware of what’s really happening under the hood.
6. Wash your car yourself. Why spend $10.00-$15.00 on a car wash, when you could do it yourself. Or if you are one of those dads always crammed for time, pay one of your children to do it. You can make it worth it for them or doing it as a family thing can be worth it for you a
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7. Wait on purchasing electronics. In today’s high paced and full of technology kind of world waiting it out on buying the lasted electronic trend is well worth it. Manufacturers come out with new versions of all types of electronics on what seems to be a daily basis. Who knows what kind of electronic you would like to purchase, but wait it out for a couple of weeks or a month and you will see that the drop in price once the new trend comes out will be significantly noticeabl
