Tips to save money?


Jeramie

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Ive decided to tighten our belt because of the economy and my wife wanting to eventually become a stay at home mom. Honestly that shouldnt be to hard. I make good enough money that we arent far from there now. We just want to pay stuff off first (My truck, her Van, etc.).

The one thing we will never pay off is her student loans.... crazy.gif Blasted TU.

Ive been keeping at least half of my change which really adds up. When I cash my check I get a roll or two of quarters because im less likely to spend them. My wife has no idea that im doing this which helps a ton. Im also taking any singles I get and putting them in the candy machine here at work. If you hit the coin return it spits out a Sakajoweah (SP?) dollar. I am far less likely to spend the coin then the folding paper. So far its working. Im saving money pretty fast and will eventually pour it out on a bill. Ill probably do it about once a year.

Anyone else have any tips and tricks?

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Re: Tips to save money?

If you shop using coupons do this...

For every coupon you use, take that exact amount from your checking account and put it away somewhere. It's money that you would have spent had you not used the coupons.

It will be a double incentive to use coupons and you'll actually see in very real terms the amount of money you've saved by using them.

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Re: Tips to save money?

I quit smoking, and right away I was saving $248 a month, just in smokes.....but this also meant that I wasn't buying snacks and drinks while I was in the store, so I'm saving more like $350 a month.

I also put all of my spare change into an empty 5 Gallon water jug at the end of the day, and it adds up this way.

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Re: Tips to save money?

Saving money is pretty easy when you decide that you will pay yourself every month just like it's another bill. Just put a set amount into your budget each month to pay to yourself for the future. Put those funds into some sort of savings or investment account that you promise yourself that you won't touch except in an emergency situation. Once you develop that mentality about saving money, it's pretty easy. wink.gif

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Re: Tips to save money?

My dad saves all his change at the end of the day. And up here we have loonies and toonies which are worth $1 and $2. He has saved over $3,000 in a couple years. blush.gif

There is a book out there called "The Wealthy Barber". His theory is to save 10% of every cent you make and put it in an account and do not touch it no matter what. By the time you're going to retire, you'll be a millionaire.

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Re: Tips to save money?

Three things I did when I needed to save money. One, do not buy your lunch. Pack one and choose wisely what you pack. Two stay away from anything you can make yourself. I saved a bunch of money when I stopped buying coffee on my way to work. Plus stay away from McDonalds and such. They are money traps. Third, eat more venison and buy less beef. Right now I spend less than $50 a year for red meat. I make everything from venison. The Italian sausage I had in my spaghetti tonight was venison and delicious.

Hope these ideas help.

Ranger

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Re: Tips to save money?

Some good tips above.

Paying off loans by making extra principal loan payments can save you in the long run, if you just put what you can afford into paying on the loan. Think we shaved over $15,000 off on interest by paying out our loan on the house early. We paid the house off first, then the vehicles. Now we are putting the majority of that money into savings just like a monthly house payment.

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Guest Nature_Boy

Re: Tips to save money?

[ QUOTE ]

Take a look at this website...

http://www.daveramsey.com

I have been to a couple of his conferences and he has some good information. He has a talk show on the radio that I would reccomend....

[/ QUOTE ]

You took the words right out of my mouth. I taught his 13 week course to about 100 members of our church in January. Really a mind opening course on budgeting and conservation, as well as how to get rid of debt. It also breaks down savings and investments in terms that a 12 year old could understand. This guy has his stuff together, I have alot of respect for him.

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Re: Tips to save money?

Fortunately we have our weekly payroll directly into our bank accounts here at work. I have so much put in a money market which I use to pay mortgage and currently my tractor payments and whatever is left is savings. My checking account is used for everyday things and the rest of the bills. I saved alot this way over the years and was able make a 10% down payment on my house and payoff my truck early. I'm working on getting the money market back up to pre-mortgage days so I can start investing.

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Re: Tips to save money?

Get on a budget and don't deviate from it. When you know where your goes and it is forced to work for you, it behaves and you'll feel like you got a raise. Also, don't use credit cards. That extra 9-19% you save in interest makes a huge difference. In other words, if you can't pay for it right now, you can't afford it and if you have to save up for it really helps you decide whether you really want it.

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