I have read countless money saving blogs and most of the advice sounds somewhat obvious, but I find that I still need reminding; and every now and then I’ll come across a fresh tip that really makes a difference. We all slip up every now and then, so here’s my reminder to you.
Here are five more tips to prevent you from “throwing away” money:
Stop paying for something that you can get for free
There is just something alluring about a professionally brewed cup of coffee, but you are wasting money if you are paying for something that get at work for free. Water is another example of this. Some swear they can taste the difference between bottled water and tap water, it depends on your location really, but if you have a filtered water cooler in the office then do you really need to be spending money on water?
Stop buying ready-made meals and take-outs
The occasional take-out or ready-made meal can be a lifesaver, but if your fridge is full of ready-made meals or you are getting take-out every other day then you are definitely wasting money. It doesn’t take much to learn to cook healthy, cost-effective meals at home.
- Plan the week’s meals in advance and shop accordingly.
- If time is an issue, prepare meals over the weekend and freeze them.
Stop subscriptions and contracts that you don’t use
Are you using all your subscriptions and contracts? Is there a magazine you’re subscribed to, but never get around to reading? Do you always have loads of data left over at the end of the month? Do you even know what you are subscribed to? Track your bank statements to see what you are paying for.
- Cancel your unused subscriptions and contracts.
- Or, review your contracts to be more in-line with your current usage.
Stop wasting electricity
It’s a good idea to look at how much power you are using and how much you are wasting. Don’t forget the small things, many electronics still use electricity when they are plugged in even if they are switched off. Hooking up several appliances to the same extension cord can make it easier to unplug them and prevent them from using this vampire power.
- Use energy efficient bulbs throughout your home and switch off lights in unoccupied rooms.
- Unplug chargers when not in use.
- Switch off your printer, microwave, etc. when not in use.
Stop living on credit
If you are living on credit you are losing a lot of money every month on interest. It’s an utterly vicious cycle. Every month you have to use more and more credit because your cash flow becomes less and less.
- Tackle your debt.
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