How to cut back on spending
- 1). Live close to where you work. With the soaring price of fuel today, this can save you several hundreds of dollars per month!
- 2). Buy only used vehicles, and buy them outright. Cars quickly depreciate in value, and you can avoid a pricey car payment this way.
- 3). Plan meals ahead, and make a shopping list from your meal plans. Try to stick to your shopping list at the grocery store. Remember, it is usually least expensive to cook "from scratch." Dried beans are cheaper than canned beans. Rolled oats are cheaper than prepared cereals.
- 4). Make a budget, and stick to it by withdrawing cash for all discretionary items. Make a habit of only using cash for your purchases, that way when the monthly cash runs out, you won't be as likely to go over.
- 5). Use your credit card for expensive purchases, such as electronics, air travel, or hotel bookings. Most credit card companies give a small percentage of your expenditures back.
- 6). Determine which luxuries are important to you, and discard the rest. You might be able to live without cable television (you could order your favorite shows from Netflix or Blockbuster online). If you don't make a lot of long-distance calls, you can get rid of your long-distance subscription and use a phone card instead.
- 7). Take advantage of your local library! You can use the internet for free, check out books instead of buying them, and check out DVDs instead of renting them.
