There’s an old cliche that tends to annoy more people than it helps: Watch your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves. Though there are many ways to save money in your life, following this worn adage will certainly help. If you watch all of the small little purchases you make every week and control your urges to spend, you’ll find more left in the bank at the end of every month. Here are some tips to help you watch your pennies.
Cut down on the coffees, sodas and snacks. It might seem pretty harmless, but that $2 coffee starts to add up. First, you decide instead of the house coffee a nice grande mocha java with whip cream sounds good. Add on a muffin, tip the good looking barrista and throw in tax and you’re up to $10 easily. Do this a few times a week and it begins to add up. Instead of the daily trip to your favorite espresso joint, make your own coffee. It might not taste quite as good, but it usually gets the job done.
Cook dinner at home. This is another one of those pleasures in life that can really drain the pocketbook quickly. And while you don’t have to forego eating out altogether, try to limit it to two or three times a month at the most. When you do go out, skip the appetizers and pricey drinks. Cooking at home can allow you time to be creative and healthy. Furthermore, you can always cook extra and use the leftovers for lunch the next day–saving even more money while you’re at it.
Tune up your car…or don’t drive at all. As you drive your car, things start to wear down and your vehicle gets much less efficient. The spark is not quite as strong, the air cleaner is not pulling as much air, your tires don’t have the right air pressure and so forth. With gas as expensive as it is nowadays, every mpg you can get out of your car really counts. Read more ways to save at gas pump here.
Turn the thermostat down…or up. It certainly feels great to step into a nice, cool house on a hot summer day or cuddle up on the couch in a warm house in the middle of winter, but adjusting the thermostat a couple of degrees really makes a difference on your utility bills. Results will vary depending on just how extreme the temperature is outside and how efficient your home is, but experts believe that for every degree you raise your thermostat in the summer you’ll save 4-8% on your electric bill. Add an extra layer of clothes and some nice slippers in the winter and keep the air moving with ceiling fans during the summer and you’ll be saving dollars all year round.
