Saving Money Tips – Ideas That Pay Off
Saving money by finding bargains, discount and deals on commonly used items in troubled times is one of the keys to survival. One cheap check when it comes to economizing, is cutting back on gasoline travel expenses. Try combining and bundling trips; it contributes to overall thrift in a more significant considering the high cost of gas in a unsure political climate where rising gas prices loom.
Another common check is seeing if the product you need is sold online. Online purchases save time and, often, money especially when it is a brand name. With a brand name, one can easily compare and contrast with similar items at lightning speed. Often there is free shipping. Savings on state sales tax is another issue worth considering.
Searching coupons for up to 25 percent cash back with Ebates, a free online coupon site, is another money saver. There are a number of high visible online stores such as eBay, Target, Home Depot, Sears, Macy’s and scores of others too numerous to list. Registering is simple and quick.
When there is a rebate on a certain offer, be sure to follow up the same day. Often rebates can be forgotten and if you snooze past the date, that a good deal can becomes a lackluster deal. Seize the day by following though immediately after the purchase.
Combine your internet service, TV cable and telephone bill. These triple-play packages will save a bundle when compared to individual services for each service. Having separate services for internet, another for TV cable and even another for a land line cost more. Many have eliminated the land line in favor of just a cell phone to economize.
Improve your credit score. A good credit score determines if you qualify for a loan and will lower your interest rate. A good credit score between 825 to a low of 650 is desirable. Credit worthiness is always based on payment history, current debt, duration of credit history and number of credit cards. Employers look as credit scores, landlords, utility companies and anyone screening you will want that 3 digit score. It gives them your overall financial picture in a nutshell.
Request a reduction in the interest rate on your home mortgage or shop around for a lower rate. If you have already paid down a substantial portion and have a 20 percent or more cushion, drop the PMI, also know as private mortgage insurance. You don’t need it and it is not required by the mortgage company after these stipulations are met.
Check your property taxes. You might want to appeal your property when you discover how out of line they may be. Many homes are assessed at much higher rate than their property value. Often there are measurement errors or just errors due to using the most expensive home on the block as a comparable. Statistics show that between 40 to 60 percent of the homes are over-assessed. In the assessment process they use what is called a sales ratio to account for the divergence of a home’s value to when the last blanket assessment was conducted. It is the assessed value divided by the sales ratio that will give the homeowner the figure what the tax assessor assigned to the home. Compare your home to recent similar surrounding home sales after you did the assessment to market value math to see how you fare.
Get DVDs from the library as well as any other books that you think about purchasing. It beats paying for them at new books stores. Utilize this taxpayer paid resources available in every community. Besides it’s warm in the winter, air-conditioned during the hot summer months and it is a quiet, no-cost get away. Libraries have computers that you can access, magazines, newspapers, periodicals and a wealth of material.
Shopping at thrift stores for certain items will save a bundle. Yard sales, church sales on weekends are another great source of bargains. It’s amazing how many great things you’ll find and the comradely is fun when mixing with the natives
Craigslist is another huge money saver. Not only for buying items but also as a source for selling those household items you need to find a home for. You’ll find everything from cars, sports equipment, and furniture to jobs. As with anything you buy when you’re on a tight budget, just make sure you need the items you are looking to buy.
Avoid paying interest on credit cards. High fees on credit cards can really eat into your ready cash and monthly budget. Effort on paying off those credit cards monthly and, if you do need a large purchase, use a low-interest home equity loan. Better yet, have the discipline to put off the purchase until money is available.
Pay your car insurance annually or semi-annually. You’ll save with the payment option and will save even more with many insurance companies if you take a safe drivers course. While on the subject of insurances, take care when submitting accident claims. The increase in premiums is not worth a small out of pocket loss.
Get tires from junk yards or wholesale clubs like Costco. Junkyards need to recycle wrecked cars and are a good source for top conditioned used tires. Just a word of advice – with many dealers you should negotiate and not take the price offered. There is a lot of price flexibility available in their business, so make a lower offer.
Take lunch to work. Take a thermos of coffee instead of going to Starbucks or the local coffee shop if you’re a coffee drinker. Using ice packs, you can enjoy a wonderful home cooked lunch at considerable savings.
Keep tires inflated. It’s a fact that you get better gas mileage with fully inflated tires. Weather and temperature changes affect tire pressure. Be sure to check that your tires are inflated correctly as well as having you engine tuned at timely intervals so your transportation runs efficiently.
Check the insulation and heat escape in your home. The obvious window and doors are the most common source of heat loss as well as lack of high-efficiency insulation in prime heat loss areas such as the ceiling joists. A wood burning stove or pellet stove can provide cheap heat in the winter and may prove an economical addition to one’s personal comfort.
Stop smoking, drinking alcohol and don’t get divorced. These are the big three, but getting divorced it the most expensive. Getting divorced is the big killer financially, not only for yourself but your spouse. Better to live separated and keep the finances and estate intact. Think attorney fees, percentage of real estate fees, child support and or spousal support fees, storage fees, the cost of two homes instead of one… and the list goes on and on.
Limit gift giving. Agree in advance on limiting gifts and have a dollar budget for birthdays and other celebratory occasions. Especially at Christmas time, avoid going overboard with your spending by prearranging your gift giving protocol.
When you run out of personal checks and need to reorder them, don’t do it at the bank. Instead, order cheap personal checks online. You’ll save about fifty percent. The reason is that banks do not print cheap checks. They resort to outside check printing companies and charge a hefty markup fee. Buy buying your business or cheap checks online you’ll save at least half and will get a more diverse choice selection.