With the struggling economy and higher cost of living, here are some tips to save some money
Gas prices and the price per barrel of oil hit historical highs during the summer of this year. Record high oil prices have made U.S. inflation and living rates surge upwards. Also some of the largest American banks have failed due to the sub-prime crises which not only hurts the U.S. markets, but worldwide as well. With all these economic calamities, it would be wise to save some money here and there. Here are some things I have done to cut back spending. Millions of people have lost their jobs and savings in this recessionary period. Some analysts predict the economy will not rebound until 2014. So what can you do to save the pennies?
Starch Iron instead of cleaners
Instead of taking your clothes to the cleaners every week, wash and press them yourself. This is very easy to do and does not take very much time. A can of spray starch is only a dollar and lasts for several pairs of clothing.
Checkout books from library instead of buying
Instead of spending money on buying a new book, why not check it out at the library for free? Yes, there is satisfaction is owning a book, but if you read frequently this tip could save you a lot of money.
Borrow books from students instead of buying or buy used
If you are a college student, you know how expensive textbooks can be. I suggest buying used ones textbooks from half.com or amazon.com. Buying used textbooks still in great condition are almost always less that half than brand new ones. If you have classmates in the same course, or have taken the course in the previous semester, borrow the textbook from them.
Go easy on the gas pedal
Do you like speeding away what the light goes green? or attacking that high-way on-ramp? Every time you do so puts more wear-and-tear on your engine, transmission, and tires which can cost you several months of savings. A more noticeable dent in the wallet is how much more it will cost you at the gas pump.
Don't eat out as much
Who doesn't love to eat out and be served food? I enjoy sitting down at a nice restaurant and have someone else do all the preparation to cook my dinner. It saves me time and I get a chance to appreciate the company of family and friends. Eating out is a expense I dislike cutting back on. I calculated the costs, and I discovered that eating at home saved me over 75% of my food expense.
Gas prices and the price per barrel of oil hit historical highs during the summer of this year. Record high oil prices have made U.S. inflation and living rates surge upwards. Also some of the largest American banks have failed due to the sub-prime crises which not only hurts the U.S. markets, but worldwide as well. With all these economic calamities, it would be wise to save some money here and there. Here are some things I have done to cut back spending. Millions of people have lost their jobs and savings in this recessionary period. Some analysts predict the economy will not rebound until 2014. So what can you do to save the pennies?
Starch Iron instead of cleaners
Instead of taking your clothes to the cleaners every week, wash and press them yourself. This is very easy to do and does not take very much time. A can of spray starch is only a dollar and lasts for several pairs of clothing.
Checkout books from library instead of buying
Instead of spending money on buying a new book, why not check it out at the library for free? Yes, there is satisfaction is owning a book, but if you read frequently this tip could save you a lot of money.
Borrow books from students instead of buying or buy used
If you are a college student, you know how expensive textbooks can be. I suggest buying used ones textbooks from half.com or amazon.com. Buying used textbooks still in great condition are almost always less that half than brand new ones. If you have classmates in the same course, or have taken the course in the previous semester, borrow the textbook from them.
Go easy on the gas pedal
Do you like speeding away what the light goes green? or attacking that high-way on-ramp? Every time you do so puts more wear-and-tear on your engine, transmission, and tires which can cost you several months of savings. A more noticeable dent in the wallet is how much more it will cost you at the gas pump.
Don't eat out as much
Who doesn't love to eat out and be served food? I enjoy sitting down at a nice restaurant and have someone else do all the preparation to cook my dinner. It saves me time and I get a chance to appreciate the company of family and friends. Eating out is a expense I dislike cutting back on. I calculated the costs, and I discovered that eating at home saved me over 75% of my food expense.
Energy Efficient Washers and Dryers
Energy Efficient Washers and Dryers can save you a lot of money in the long run. Their listing price may be more expensive than less-efficient machines, but they make up the difference in energy costs.
Invite your friends to a potluck
Find yourself always cooking and spending money on food for others at dinner parties? Next time, inform your friends and family that it will be a potluck and hopefully they will get the message to bring food with them.
Keep those tires inflated
Having deflated tires can affect gas mileage by 3% for every 1 psi drop in all four tires! Hypothetically if your tires were deflated by 3 psi in all four tires, for a year, you would lose about $200.00.
Another benefit of keeping your tires properly inflated is longer tire life. Tires are getting more and more expensive these days, especially for those who have SUVs and trucks.
Coin-operated and automated car washes
If you wash your car frequently, you know how expensive this can be. Especially if you go to coin-operated car washes or the drive-through ones. For example, the 'medium' car wash at gas stations averages about $5. If you wash your car twice a month for a year, that amounts to $120.00
You could save about half of that washing the car yourself. The cost of a bucket, car soap, wash mitt, drying towel and the cost of water is cheaper than going out and washing the car at automated places.
Another less known fact about coin-op and automated car washes is that they use recycled and reclaimed water. Do you really want recycled water from some other car that went mudding being scrubbed on your paint?
