On a Tight Budget? The Best Ways to Save on Everyday Expenses

These days, it seems like we are all looking for ways to make our hard-earned dollars go further. This is especially true in light of the upcoming holiday season when gift giving and travel drain the bank account. The following are easy steps you can take to keep from feeling cash-poor. Trim Food Expenses Office luncheons and weekend outings with friends can place a serious dent in your wallet. You don’t have to forego every invitation; however, the following tactics will help you keep food costs in line: •Bring your lunch to work two days a week instead of dining out. •Offer to host a potluck with your friends instead of meeting at a restaurant. •Plan your weekly grocery shopping around whatever is on sale. Go ahead and take advantage of that great deal on a family pack of chicken breasts. You can repackage them in individual portions and have meals for a couple of weeks. •Look for generic and bulk items instead of name brand. This allows you to reduce costs and food waste. Above all, never shop when you are hungry. This can lead to serious impulse buying! Ditch the Credit Card You should limit credit card use to emergency purchases only, as frequent credit transactions can end up costing you in the long run. You can use cash or carousel checks instead of credit cards to avoid costly transaction fees. If you have to use a credit card for a purchase, you should attempt to pay more than the minimum due or the balance in full if possible. This can help you avoid hundreds of dollars in interest payments each year. Check Your Utility Bills Take a few minutes to look at your cable and phone bills and eliminate any services that you don’t use regularly. Many cable and satellite companies will even offer special retention rates if you let them know that you are considering switching to another provider. Double Down Once you pay off one bill, you should resist the temptation to start spending that money. You should take that same amount of money and pay it toward another monthly bill. This is a painless way to pay down debt quicker and avoid thousands in interest charges. Maintain Your Car With gas prices constantly on the rise, transportation costs demand a significant chunk of any budget. You can reduce your daily transportation expenses by properly maintaining your car. Getting regular tune-ups, oil changes, and tire checks will improve the life and gas mileage of your car. If you would like to take things one step further, you can leave the car at home and carpool, bike, or take public transportation a couple of times a week. Be a Frugal Entertainer Being on a budget doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun with friends. Instead of heading to a theater where a ticket and concessions can cost you $20 to $30, have your friends over for a Netflix’s binge-a-thon of your favorite show. You get food and fun at a fraction of the price. Go Generic If your doctor prescribes a medication, you should be sure to ask them if a generic alternative is available. Many chain pharmacies offer commonly prescribed drugs, such as antibiotics, on special reduced price formularies. If you require maintenance medications, you should see if your insurance offers reduced prices for mail order refills. rnSaving money doesn’t have to be painful. By implementing a few simple measures, you will find yourself “in the green” in no time.