212. Home Phone

If you seldom use your home phone and/or you have good signal/service on your cell phone, get rid of the home phone. Really look at the usefulness of the service being provided and the cost of having it. If it does not make sense, discontinue the service.

Happy Minimizing!

Until Tomorrow!

211. Pay Off Credit Cards

If you use your credit cards to save money, you need to pay off the balance every month. This will allow you to take advantage of the free money during your billing cycle, but will not let you incur any interest.

Happy Spending!

Until Tomorrow!

210. Keep Receipts

Make sure that if you itemize your tax deductions, you keep your donation receipts and keep records of all charitable work. This will make claiming these deductions on your taxes much easier to do. It will save you from paying taxes on those gifts.

Happy Giving!

Until Tomorrow!

209. Better Gas Mileage

When you purchase your car, make sure that you check on the gas mileage. Use the information that you find to buy a car with the best gas mileage that will work for your situation.

Happy Driving!

Until Tomorrow!

208. Quality Clothing

One way to save some money is to purchase quality staple pieces of clothing and add in cheaper fashion forward pieces each season. If you use your money to purchase some quality items that will last you a while and that can be used with multiple cheaper pieces. The cheaper pieces can fill in to keep your wardrobe up to date.

Happy Fashion!

Until Tomorrow!

207. Check Your Cell Phone Plan

Check your plan every year to make sure that you have a plan that works for your usage. You may also want to compare providers.

Happy Comparing!

Until Tomorrow!

206. Discount Glasses

If you wear glasses, you are probably aware that you can purchase your glasses from any retailer. Although, it is sometimes easier to get them from your eye doctor's office, it is often much cheaper to purchase them from a discount retailer (i.e. Walmart, Costco). Sometimes your insurance only covers specific retailers, so make sure that you double check what your insurance will pay for and what you will pay out-of-pocket.

Happy Seeing!

Until Tomorrow!

205. Use Zipper Storage Bags

When you are travelling, use zipper storage bags to securely transport your liquid products. They can also be used for storing wet clothing or shoes for transport (not long term). Anything that could cause a problem in your suitcase can be stored in a zipper bag to save your other things.

Happy travelling!

Until Tomorrow!

204. Use What You Buy

Do not waste purchases. Use what you buy. If you buy stuff that you don't use, you are wasting money. So make sure that you use what you buy. If you buy a product that you don't like, see if you can find someone to give it to.

Happy Purchasing!

Until Tomorrow!

203. Track Sales

Track sales and get the refund. If you purchase something that goes on sale shortly after, most companies will issue a refund of the difference. Make sure that you keep track of these items and keep your receipts until the time has passed. Keeping those receipts organized is a helpful method for tracking the prices. If you see the item on sale, take your receipt back to the store and request a refund.

Happy Tracking!

Until Tomorrow!

202. Investigate Sales Trends

Before you purchase any large items, make certain that you investigate sales trends. This will give the opportunity to receive the best deal on the item. This will also give you a good time to buy the item.

Happy Saving!

Until Tomorrow!

201. Shoe Repair

If you purchase quality shoes, taking them for repair is a good way to save some money. There are still places that do shoe repair and they can save your quality shoes, or just your favorite shoes. Often, buying something that is higher quality and probably a little more expensive initially, can actually save you money if you maintain it.

Shoe for thought!

Happy Repairing!

Until Tomorrow!

200. Use Store Bags for Car Trash

Use store bags as trash bags for your car. There is no reason to purchase expensive little trash bags for your car. Enjoy saving and having a clean car.

Happy Bagging!

Until Tomorrow!

199. Use Left-over Roast

Something that we have done for a few years is to make a pork roast with the intent of using half for a second meal. Generally, we use the left-over to make shredded pork for burritos, tacos, shredded pork BBQ sandwiches. This planning for a second meal can save you a small fortune in meat costs.

Happy Cooking!

Until Tomorrow!

198. Reuse Packaging for Shipping

If you have items that you need to ship, use boxes and padded envelopes that you receive in the mail. We use these to ship items and to wrap gifts. Reuse what you have and save some green!

Happy Packaging!

Until Tomorrow!

197. Don't Pay Extra for Long Distance

Most telephone services offer included long distance calling. If you do not have this option, look into it. If you have cell phone service, you could always use your cell phone for long distance calling. You should not be paying extra for long distance, unless you have a very inexpensive deal and do not make long distance calls. Make sure that you have look into all of the options and found a service that works best for your needs.

Happy Calling!

Until Tomorrow!

196. On-line Coupon Deals

On-line coupons can be found all over. You can find coupons specifically for the items that you use. Spending a little time researching can save you some money.

Happy Saving!

Until Tomorrow!

195. Free Family Activities

Search your community for free activities in your area. Some simple things like going to the park, taking a walk, riding bikes, etc. can all be free activities. When ever you are seeking something to do as a family, these ideas can save money. Your community may offer other free activities for families, many of these activities can be found on-line. Do some research and save some money.

Happy Fun!

Until Tomorrow!

194. Breast Feeding

When you have a baby, breast feeding is an easy was to save money. If it is an option for you, you can save on the cost of formula.

Happy Feeding!

Until Tomorrow!

193. Keep Tools Organized

If you really want to save money, make sure that what you already own is organized. This reduces the amount of re-purchasing that occurs, in general. When it comes to tools, this amount increases greatly. Years ago, we had tools scattered everywhere and could not find the tool that was needed for something specific; we ended up purchasing another, using it, then finding the first one. What a waste. Eventually, my father-in-law got fed up with this lack of organization and bought us a tool box. Then, two years later, he bought us another tool box. He was so frustrated with our tool disorder, he started bringing his own tools over. Finally, we bought a tool cabinet. This has become our organizational tool. You need to figure out what works for you and go with it. We no longer find ourselves buying tools that we already have, nor do we find prior owned versions of tools we do purchase. In the past few years, we have probably saved ourselves over a thousand dollars in wasted tool purchases.

Happy Saving!

Until Tomorrow!

192. Save Up for Holiday Purchases

If you are like many people, you spend a small fortune on holiday gift giving. If this is a part of your reality, you should really save up for this expense. Many people put all of these purchases on credit cards and then spend the entire next year paying them off. You should reverse this cycle and save prior to the event. Then, spend only the cash that you have on hand. This will put a cap on how much you spend and will save you from the added cost of the interest over the course of the following year.

Happy Saving!

Until Tomorrow!

191. Find a Roommate

One way to save money is to find a roommate or a boarder. If you have the space, finding someone to help out with the living expenses can be a great money saving endeavor. Renting out a room (or two) in your house can really make the savings worth it. Of course, you must have the room available.

Happy Renting!

Until Tomorrow!

190. Send in Rebates

If you purchase something that has an available rebate, send it it. The company offers the rebate to improve the chance that you will purchase their product, you should make sure that you get your money. It is YOUR money.

Happy Rebating!

Until Tomorrow!

189. Pet Sitting Co-op

If you have pets and have tried to take a vacation where you needed to board them, you are aware of the savings to be found by creating or joining a pet sitting co-op. By trading pet sitting services, you can save a small fortune. Kennels can be invaluable when they are needed, but creating a co-op can generate savings and perhaps enable you to take a little more time away.

Happy Sitting!

Until Tomorrow!

188. Use Free Trials

Take advantage of free trial offers. Make sure that you try out the service before you agree to pay for it. This can save you a bundle. Signing up for free trials and not using them and then paying for the service and not liking it is a waste. Also, not monitoring your free trial and allowing the automatic charge to be initiated is a waste.

Happy Trials!

Until Tomorrow!

187. Follow Up With Recalls

If something that you own has been recalled, make sure that you follow up. Some recalls offer repairs, while some offer replacements. Either way you are extending the life of something for which you have already paid. By making what you own last longer you are increasing its value. Make sure that you follow up and take advantage of recall solutions being offered by the manufacturer.

Happy Making It Last!

Until Tomorrow!

186. Purchase Items Seasonally

When you are purchasing certain items for your wardrobe or for your home, strategically plan your purchases for the end of the season, this is when those items will be put on sale to clear them out. Keep a lookout for any items for which you are in the market to be put on sale. This strategy will also keep you from making impulse purchases.

Happy Purchasing!

Until Tomorrow!

185. Keep a Household Inventory

Keeping a household inventory can protect you in the face of an emergency. A big ticket item inventory can be essential for your insurance in the event of a claim. A small item inventory can save you from re-purchasing items that you already own. This kind of goes along with organizing your stuff. Keep your big ticket item inventory somewhere that you can get to in the event of a loss of your home (either in a fire box, on-line protected storage, or not in your house). This inventory can save you time, stress, and money during a difficult situation.

Happy Inventorying!

Until Tomorrow!

184. Walk

If it is feasible, walk to your destination. This not only saves money on vehicle operating expenses, but also gives you free exercise. Both of which are great for your bottom line. Often, due to the location of your home, walking is not an option, but you can find instances to put on your walking shoes whenever you can.

Happy Walking!

Until Tomorrow!

183. Set up a Hand-Me-Down System for Children's Clothes

If you have multiple children (or are planning to), set up a storage system for children's clothes based on size.  I have found that using storage boxes to store the clothing by size is the most effective for keeping everything organized. Take the time before storing the clothes to repair any  items and to remove any stains. This will ensure that the clothes are in good repair when you need them.

Happy Storing!

Until Tomorrow!

182. Redecorate by Painting

If you are looking to freshen up or redecorate any room in your house, try paint. Painting is an inexpensive method of redecorating. Just changing the wall color, furniture color, or trim color can drastically change the look of any room.

Happy Redecorating!

Until Tomorrow!