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General

  1. Celebrate a spending moratorium - challenge yourself to not spend for a weekend, a week or A MONTH! (You write the rules)
  2. Pay more than minimum if you can't pay off a bill
  3. Look for alternatives to memberships; kids gyms vs free playgroups, library storytimes - Gold's Gym vs YMCA
  4. Create a budget to monitor your spending
  5. Freecycle, Free-craigslist
  6. Half.com or used bookstores for books
  7. Consign your stuff (or garage sale)
  8. Don't buy what you can borrow
  9. Host a swapmeet
  10. Have friends take your "Professional" photos
  11. Give cash or very intentional gift cards to loved ones
  12. Adjust withholdings if receiving large tax returns
  13. Free tax preparation
  14. Make your own clothing soap, softeners and dryer sheets
  15. At home hair cuts
  16. Discount vision perscriptions
  17. Use cloth rags in place of paper towels and kleenex
  18. Use auto pay and avoid fees
  19. Pay ahead on mortgage
  20. Avoid disposable
  21. Automate your savings deposits
  22. Pay yourself first
  23. Budget a freedom fund for regular non-monthly expenses
  24. Have an emergency fund
  25. Have a replacement fund
  26. Have a monthly family meeting and talk about goals, money and schedules
  27. Go to a junior college first
  28. Bury raises directly into savings/investments
  29. Keep yourself healthy to avoid healthcare costs
  30. Sell your stuff
  31. Get a fiscal accountability partner
  32. Make your own gifts; cookies in a jar, lotions, bath soaps
  33. Stay home/isolated during cough and cold seasons
  34. Have less and love what you have-resist spending/purchasing
  35. Buy a shredder or put everything on paperless to protect your accounts and credit
  36. Avoid malls and Walmart like the plague - nothing good comes of it. Too easy to overspend.
  37. Write down your spending for a month - then be creative with what you can make or do for yourself; making granola bars, cutting hair - see what's there
  38. Comparison shop online for everything; compare features AND prices
  39. Keep a Penny Ledger - some sort of written record of everything you spend
  40. Don't buy clothing you don't need
  41. Invest money wisely. Who is more foolish - the cautious man sitting on his money so it doesn't go away or the risk taker who grew his money?
  42. Save your tax return. Do you really need that hot tub?
  43. Reduce stress and exercise more - stay healthy
  44. Quit smoking
  45. Ask for a deal with your credit card company - ask for a lower rate or for fee forgiveness. Look around for somewhere else before calling.
  46. Use only as much as you need. Shampoo is expensive - how much do you NEED to use. What else could you use less of to make it last longer?
  47. Get inspired - read magazines and blogs for ideas of how to save.
  48. Setup alerts on your financial accounts to make you aware of your major transactions and of fraudulent transactions.

1 comment:

  1. LOVE #63... the same can be said for Laundry Soap. Even with crazy dirty kids clothes, I've learned JUST filling the lid to the first line (vs the top line like I used to do) STILL gets the clothes clean. I just let the water fill up a bit, THEN add the soap, making sure it make LOTS of bubbles, lol, then put in my clothes. By changing HOW I loaded the washer/soap amount, I KNOW we saved a ton last year.

    ~Kendra M.

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