Money Saving Tips 1-5

Today many people are trying to find ways to cut down on their spending and increase their savings the following article is about money saving tips. A series that will be posted each week. Thank you to thesimpledollar.com for great ideas.

1. Write a grocery list and stick to it. If you go to the grocery store without a plan you will end up overspending and buying things you don’t need. Take the time to go through your cupboards and fridge to see what items you really do need. Don’t put anything in the cart that wasn’t on your list no matter how tempting that pack of cookies or bag of chips looks.
2. Don’t throw out damaged clothing. Fix it. If you have a shirt missing a button don’t throw it out sew a new button on with thread that closely matches. If you have a shirt with a hole sew a patch on it and use it for around the house when you are doing yard work or cleaning.
3. For holidays and special occasions make your own gifts. There are numerous ways you can be creative you can make candles or soap sets. Bake breads and cookies or even jewellery. This not only gives you a hobby but this gives your gifts a personal touch and the effort you put in shows people just how much you care.
4. Cut back on convenience foods and take out. There is no doubt that families today are busy but by cutting down on takeout and convenience foods most families can save a couple hundred dollars a month. Figure out what you want to have throughout the week. That weekend do the prep work. Spending an hour on the weekend can cut down the time you spend in the kitchen during the week.
5. Give up bad habits. Smoking, Gambling, and alcohol shrink your wallet fast. Try your damndest to quit not only will your body be grateful you’ll notice all the extra money you will have. Which would be great to paying down bills or to put towards your savings.