Cutting Back Doesn’t Mean Cutting Out The Fun

The focus is definitely on financial stability these days, with cost rising and unemployment rising, there is an air of concern throughout our society. Taking our finances seriously is very important, but it doesn’t necessarily mean cutting out any extra spending. If you just cut out all the extras you will become depressed and frustrated. That doesn’t mean that you don’t have to cut out some of them, but you still need to have something to look forward to. The question then is where you should cut back, and the answer is quite simple, the necessities. That’s right, less of the necessities, not actually less of them, but spending on them. The following are some money saving ideas that don’t need to impinge on your current lifestyle, and can still save you some big $$$ when you put them all together.

1. Car Insurance (and all other insurance) – Rates tend to gradually rise as you stay with a company, so if you really want to make a dent, shop around about every 6 months, this won’t cost you anything, but it can save you a bundle.

2. Electricity – Change to energy saving light bulbs and start unplugging items especially those items like TVs and Computers. These items drain electricity even when they are off, so unplugging them will help save you money. Also line drying items saves on electricity and is an especially good idea for the big bedding items that can take a long time to dry in the dryer. Also, the clothes dryer tends to run for longer than it actually takes to dry the clothes, doing laundry while you are home, can cut back on the costs of running the clothes dryer.

3. Groceries – Eat what is on sale, buy only what is on sale and use coupons. They are available online and in the local papers on Sunday. Cut them, organize them and shop the sales. Also, try to shop in stores that offer double coupons. Buy lots of what is on sale and a little less of the other stuff. It takes a few weeks to build up a good base, but in the long run it will not only save you money each week, but you will go to the store less and that will save you money on gas.

4. Eliminate your home phone service – That’s right, get a phone that runs through your internet provider or just stick with a cell phone for home. Sometimes with the right company it will only cost about $10.00 per month to add a second phone to your plan and this will virtually eliminate a monthly bill.

5. Shop around on the cell phone. There are a lot of new companies popping up on the scene that don’t require a contract and don’t have any roaming or long distance charges. This can be an incredible amount of savings if you use your phone a lot.

6. Find alternative heating sources. Heating bills will be especially high this year, so look into some energy saving alternatives. Seal the windows, put some extra padding around doors and windows that lead outside or to the drafty attic or basement. This can save you quite a bit of money in the coming months.

There are many ways to save and cut back and you may still have to cut out some of the extras, but if you work hard you can save a lot of money without giving up anything, and that is a really nice feeling.