Money Saving Tips For 2012

I have looked into my finances with a fine tooth comb and decided I had many outlets of wasted money. So, I thought I would list, in no order, the things that I modified or eliminated to save money for my family.

1.) Clip and print the coupons of the items you use or will try for you family, and put them in some sort of organized fashion & put them in your purse. Take advantage of those sales, B1G1 items, and free items. Print your coupons on paper that is going to get thrown away. Turn it over and use the backside, no one cares :)

2.) Shop your insurance rates! So many companies have either gone up on their rates or stayed the same. With businesses competing for business in this economy...you will be shocked at the money you will save with another company for the same details on a policy. Take the time and do it. Also, check to see if you have full coverage on an automobile that is not worth much. If you do, you may want to reconsider just liability. Most likely your car will get totalled by an insurance company if anything happens to it if it is not worth much.

3.) Cell phone companies are running deals right now on free texts, data usage, etc. Their monthly rates are a savings of sizable amounts every month. Take that and times it by 12 and you might drop your mouth on what that would do for you at the end of the year ( extra house payment, car payment, savings, etc)

4.) Start carrying cash! Stop charging and using that debit card. Fees from banks can add up over a year and interest rates from credit cards. If you don't have it to spend at that time in your wallet, don't buy it.

5.) If you do have a credit card and pay it off at the end of each month, check your card for online buying malls/tools that earn you points or money back. If it is an item you are gonna buy anyway, then buy it online and save yourself the gas money and earn money as well. So many companies have free shipping, so take advantage of it and make it a win/win situation.

6.) Eliminate the magazine subscriptions and look for the free ones or check out the magazine or newspaper out online. You are paying for the internet, so use it to your advantage once again in this way. Most magazines give some sort of free online magazine.

7.) Buy yourself the coffee from the grocery store and quit buying it from the coffee shop! Think about it folks a coffee at $2.00 or a latte for $4.50 two times a week, and take that and times it by 52!!! That's a lot of money you are spending on something that is a luxury that can easily be done at home. Don't know how to make your favorite cup of coffee???? Look it up online, so many tools on making your cup of goodness in the morning.

8.) Ladies....manicures and pedicures. Yes, I love them, too...but, in between maintenance and polish can be done at home.  You don't have to weed them out completely, but try to push yourself to buff and polish yourself while you are in the shower/tub already.

9.) Garage sale time! Clean out all those items you don't use and put them in a garage sale. Make the items that are cluttering up your home and that you don't use to work for you in the form of extra cash. Take that cash and pay it toward a credit card with a balance, car payment, or house payment. Spend it where it will work the most for you in the long run.

10.) Consignment sales for kids shoes and clothing. Face it, they don't wear them long and usually stay in really good shape. Sell the items your kids have outgrown, work the consignment sale to save on the fee associated with it, and purchase your kids new clothes from the sale as well. So much money is wasted on kids clothing that might get worn just a hand full of times...if that.

11.) I have looked online and found so many DIY home recipes for household cleaners that are also much safer and less toxic to use in your home. I have tried them all, and I have my favorites. You don't have to replace all your items you use, but try to replace some. The savings will add up!

12.) Put a sweatshirt and socks on and turn the thermostat down a degree or two to save money. So many times we run around in few clothes in the house when we can put an extra layer on and save some money. It is also a great time to snuggle up on the couch with a blanket :)

13.) Hot water heaters use an abundance of our energy usage. Turn them down a bit and use cold water when able to.

14.) This brings me to my next one, use cold water when washing your clothes ( when you don't need the hot) and reserve the hot for towels and sheets where it counts most.

15.) Contact your energy provider and find out when is the cheapest time of day to use your energy/electricity in your home. If you have timers on your dishwasher, washing machine, etc., set the timer and wash them while you are asleep if the usage cost is less while you are sleeping :)

16.) Hair cuts, now don't get mad yet, hear me out....lol....if your kids need just a trim on the bangs or the ends of their hair, whoop out the shears and get to it yourself. If your husband tends to have a buzz cut or short hair cut all year or part of the year, use his trimmers to cut his hair. I do my husband's hair during the summer since he works outside and usually wants as little as possible up there :) Now for the ladies, hair cuts and colors can be extremely expensive. I have found that I can push getting my hair cut from 5/6 weeks to approximately 8 weeks or so. I eliminated my highlights and just opted for color since it was cheaper. Then, I took that one step further and found a color that was store bought that I really like. Ask your hairdresser what their opinion is on the best store bought variety (ex. permanent/ washout color and brand) and color they think would be closest to your color. If you have to buy the ones you think will work and take them with you to your next haircut. Everyone knows people are trying to save as much money as possible and I am sure they would like to keep you as a customer and at least keep cutting your hair for you :) Let them help guide you to the appropriate color for your hair color needs.

17.) Eating out is one of American families biggest expenditures. Start by counting how many meals per day, per person in your family, are purchased away from home. Then total them up at the end of the week or 7 days, and total up the receipts. You will be furious at the amount of money you see being wasted, especially if you are not bringing your leftovers home with you. If you can avoid eating out and take something from home, then do it by all means! Start checking out the Crock Pot recipes that can be cooking while you are at work or away from your home and look up those great casserole recipes that can typically feed a family for a couple of days. Folks purchase some gift certificates from your local grocery store if it benefits you in gas points, etc. Also, check out restaurant.com for any local restaurants that you enjoy. Most gift certificates run $2-$5 dollars for $25 worth of food. Just check for their coupon codes to get the extra money off at checkout. They run them allllll the time :)

18.) Stop wasting money on groceries that are getting thrown out due to spoilage, etc. Start making a list once a week of the items you are going to cook or need that week and buy only those things that are on the list. Force yourself to make that meal on that day. Most people stock up a pantry and end up not using most of the items in it and then end up going out of date (this is much more so in the refrigerator). If you are one of those people, start using up what you have and buy less. Get your pantry down to a skinny, non-cluttered look and start a shelf with bins/box with Monday through Sunday on it. Put the items needed for that meal in the bin along with the recipe, if needed, and pull it out when it is time to cook. You will find it a much more organized way and much less stress/ frustration when trying to figure out what to cook that night.  :)

19.) Plant a garden when able, even if you don't have any space to put one..use pots. There are so many things that can be planted at home that can add up real quick at a grocery store. Tomatoes are expensive folks! Plant a couple in a pot or two and keep them watered. Do you have a neighbor who has a garden? Trade out time in their garden for some produce. Even so much as you purchase the seeds, use their land, and work the garden together. Work something out, because where there is a will there definitely is a way.

20.) Cable! Whew is it expensive. Eliminate the channels/packages that you don't use very often. Also, eliminate tv boxes that you are renting in rooms that don't get used much. Designate a tv room and if necessary a movie room. Rent your movies from the $1 rental boxes and return them on time. It is much cheaper to purchase the movies you WANT to see than pay for all the ones you don't. You might even want to try a subscription to a movie rental network, such as Netflix and Blockbuster online.

I really hope this helps each of you. This is really just things that I have done here at my house and have seen an increase in our extra cash. Don't feel the need to do all of these at once. Just incorporate a few and then maybe add another one. Hope 2012 finds you all happy and healthy. Enjoy!

Heather