10 sure ways to save money

Go back to the old cash method. If you don't have money, you should not use it. Have you ever gotten that credit card bill at the end of the month and thought to yourself.. man did I spend this much? Exactly my point. We all tend to overspend when it comes to credit cards. An average credit card has a APR of 14.5%. The average person has a credit debt of about $8000 according to a Cardweb.com survey. Let me assure you that you get no benefit out of credit card debt. No tax benefit, no savings benefit, no nothing. You will only get the curse of debt.

Tips to follow:Best to get rid of as many credit cards and consolidate. Use cash when you can, you will notice the difference.

A lot of people just end up paying the bills and end up broke at the end of the month because they don't know where their money is going. Just for ONE month keep tabs and be your own accountant. Note where your money is going. I personally did this by getting a small pocket sized notebook pad and diligently jotting down everything I spent on: gum 25cents, lunch at Rubio's $8.00, shopping at Target $45, and so on. When you do this and you see your results at the end of the month, you will be quite surprised at the things you spend on. I realized I was spending close to $900 by myself just on eating out.

Tip: By doing this you will have a self realization moment and you will clearly see where you need to cut. You can set goals for the next month on how much you can cut on different areas of expenditure.

There is always ways to cut on household utilities leading you to saving a few bucks a month.

• Turn off lights when not in use


• Do laundry or use other major appliances at night when the rate is cheaper.


• Change light bulbs to energy saving light bulbs.


• Buy energy saver appliances (those with the star logo)

1. Cable bills - do you really watch all the channels? If you don't, maybe you can cut it to basic cable instead of premium.


2. Phone bills - Call to see if you can remove unnecessary services or if you can get some additional discount. Search on the web for ways to get discounts from your phone company. I've managed to cut 15% off my cell phone bill by searching online for discounts. There are also discounts that operators can give you as well such as extra additional minutes. See if your employer offers a cell phone discount as well.


3. Unwanted subscriptions - Are there magazines you never see? You should then cancel the subscription. There is no point renewing if you never see it. Never provide your credit card information to the magazine subscription services or they will get you in an auto renewal plan before you can take a breath. Although you may call them to cancel, they always make it hard to do so. Please beware in providing such information. If you need to get magazines, the preferred way is to send them a check.

If you plan to shop online, you can save quite a bit since there is fierce competition by online retailers and you benefit by getting the best deals possible. Make sure you do comparison shopping by going to places such as pricegrabber and viewing who offers the lowest price for the purchases that you want to buy. Remember that when you shop online and the retailer does not have a local presence in your state, you can save on taxes as well! I saved $200 just by buying a digital camera online as opposed to my local brick and mortar store. An additional tip is to make sure you use coupon codes for your purchases. Most retailers have promotional codes to save you money. With an office depot coupon you may save up to $30 off your purchases, with a shoebuy promotional code you can save significantly on shoes. It's worth it to visit coupon places such as webcouponcodes for bargains because even if there is no promotional code available, you can always see if there are deals or sales listed.

By carpooling or taking the bus you could be saving up to $200 or more. I understand the hassle of taking a bus; however, with gas prices skyrocketing, your savings can definitely add up. You don't have to take the bus all the time, maybe you can take it once a week or even once a month. Just commit yourself to doing it and you will be much more likely to follow through. Maybe you can designate Wednesday as "bus Wednesday" or Friday as "Bicycle Friday" and so forth. Make sure you set a goal and commit to it and before you know it, you'll have extra money in your pocket.

Costco, Walmart, Food4less should always be on the back of your mind. Purchase in bulk only items you are sure to consume such as toilet paper, paper towels, cans of food, etc. Be a little more careful if you purchase perishable items. Know your eating history, if you tend to throw away a lot of leftover food, then purchasing perishable items may not be such a good idea.

Yes, it's a hassle but one way to save on costs. By searching through Sunday newspapers and junk mail that is sent to you, you will be able to cut costs. A website on the web such as coolsavings can help you get printable coupons. In addition you can search for coupons from the manufacturer's site. For other hard to find coupons you can always search on ebay. I always get some good diaper coupons from there.

Used or refurbished items may be just as good. A former CEO I knew would always purchase previously owned certified cars from car dealers instead of purchasing new ones. When someone asked him why someone like him would purchase used he said "Cars are items that have the greatest devaluation". If you really think about it, it's very true. Cars depreciate in value quickly and you get little in return. It's better if you buy an used car and save a couple of thousands.

Cut down or eliminate smoking. A $5 pack of cigarettes per day can lead to a cost of $1825 per year. If you cut down on drinking that Starbucks coffee, it can also lead to quite a lot. Not only will you be saving your wallet, but you could be saving your health as well!