Prices go higher every year, especially the cost of gas. Transportation is one big factor that makes the household budget difficult to cover all your expenses. Here are some guidelines to help you save money from transportation:
1. To save money, you must always check on your vehicle regularly. A well-maintained vehicle can get you out of trouble on repair expenses. You can actually spend only $50 on maintaining your vehicle and save up to $800 on repair costs in a year. You can even save more if you do the maintenance yourself and not bring your car into an auto shop.
2. If you want to save more money, it is recommended not to buy a new car. The value of a car depreciates automatically when you drive it out off the showroom of the car dealer shop. You may buy a car that is used at least one year. It will save you thousands of dollars to the actual worth of the car when it was new. The owner will then pay all the depreciated value of the car.
3. Save money on buying used cars by comparing the prices of the car dealer and the actual price on the list of the used car dealer ads. To ensure the car that you buy is well conditioned, you may ask for the help of a mechanic to check if the car is good enough for its price. It is better to buy a used car from a person you know and trust. This will help you make sure that you have a good deal in acquiring a car.
4. Try to compare gasoline rates. You may refuel your car with the gasoline station that offers the lowest price on gasoline. You can even save more by pumping gas yourself and use the lowest octane in your car’s manual. It is also recommended that you pay cash than credit cards that charge extra rates. Do not forget to check the gas cap if it is tightened to ensure no gas is spilled out.
5. Always keep your engine tuned-up and have your tires inflated to their desired pressure to save you more money. A well-maintained engine consumes less gas. Keep your car’s trunk clean to save more fuel. Heavy loads in your vehicle can consume more fuel because of the excess weight it carries.
6. Try to limit the use of your car on your daily route. You may take the bus or the subway to save gasoline. You can also save time by ignoring the traffic that you encounter everyday on the streets.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Tips on How to Save Money on Transportation
Monday, June 16, 2008
Tips for Saving Money on Electricity
According to the United States Department of energy, the average household spends about $1,300 on electricity annually. This is a lot of money and things such as the weather; the types of lights used and the frequent use of appliances are the deciding factors.
Can anything be done to make this go down? The answer is yes. By reading these tips, the money saved can be used for other expenses.
1. The weather surely gets hot in the summer. It could go up to 90 degrees or higher and the only way to stay cool is using an air conditioner. People should use curtains and shades to reduce the effort of this appliance in cooling the room under these hot conditions.
The doors and windows in the house must also be closed so the air doesn’t go out enabling it to circulate in the designated area. The filters of this household appliance should be cleaned every 3 months to keep it in good condition.
2. The wattage of the bulbs determines how much electricity is consumed. These should be checked because there are some brands available that are just as bright as others that don’t use a lot of power.
3. If there is no one in the room, the lights and other appliances such as the computer must be turned off. This can help prevent overloads or short circuits from happening that may start a fire in the home.
4. Many households have washers and dryers. If the practice is to do the laundry every other day, perhaps doing this twice a week when the load is full is advisable. This can also save some money when paying for gallons of water used during the month.
5. The refrigerator and freezer should be defrosted and cleaned every 2 weeks. This prevents the ice from getting too thick which may cause this machine to break down.
6. People have to cook in order to eat. The person can try using range top burners instead of ovens that use up a lot of electricity.
7. People who live in cold climates need a heater to warm the home. A blanket can be use to wrap around it to lessen the power used inside and while taking a shower.
There are many things that people pay for when owning a home. The homeowner can monitor the electric bills the few past months and see if the steps taken has shown improvements when the next one arrives.
How to Save Money on Gas and Live to Tell About It
In today's day and age, it is easy to see why saving on gas is a great idea. For one, the price of gas has skyrocketed ridiculously high, making each trip around town almost too much to bear. However, there are many great days to save on gas and still be able to enjoy mobility around your town and to and from work. Here are a few tips so that you don't have to be dragged down with the oil increase so prevalent today.
1. Get a fuel efficient car. If you are only beginning to save up for car, or are considering buying a car in the near future, look for models that are fuel-efficient. Cars drink up different amounts of fuel per mile, and you would want your car to have the best mileage per full tank.
2. Schedule your trips. A great way to save on gas is to schedule your trips so that you don't end up going back and forth to a place because you forgot to string your appointments tightly enough to be efficient. For example you would want to schedule your trip to the grocers, and any other appointments one after the other so that you can go straight to your next appointment right after the last one.
It would be terrible if you went to the grocers, then went back home because you had no other appointments left for another few hours. And then, you would have to make the trip to the next appointment from your home. Do you see the wasted fuel going from the last appointment to your home and from your home back to the next appointment? This could be avoided if you schedule your appointments properly.
Just remember that it is best to get into your car to go to all the places you need to go to all on one trip.
3. Travel with a friend. You could have your friends set up a carpool so that you can save on fuel costs. This is because you and your other friends-or your workmates-all travel to the same places in different cars. Imagine the waste that comes from having five cars all with one passenger each going to the same place.
Those five people could all fit in one car and save on the gas costs of four other vehicles. This is why a carpool makes sense. You could take turns with your friends picking each other up and going to the same place. This would save tons on gas costs.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
No Fret Family Budget
For some, the idea of a budget is often a blur. It is frustrating to see how hard it is to do a budget and realizing that with one wrong purchase, you can actually ruin the entire thing. And this has been a perennial headache for most homemakers.
It is about time to overhaul the way people look at budgeting. It can actually be a great way to keep track of your family's expenditures and help you evaluate the things that you spend the lion's share of the family's earnings on.
What is a budget? A budget is a tool for handling your finances by controlling the family's expenditures in a way that money is enough for paying up bills, and still ensuring that savings are set aside for future expenses - vacations, or children's education, or even for retirement.
Try these simple steps in preparing a no fret family budget, and see the benefits of intelligent spending.
1. Gather three months of your pay stubs and get your average monthly earnings.
2. Get out three months of your monthly bills. Do this for the fixed expenses like the rent, phone bill, car payments and other loans that come monthly. Add them up and get the average. Do the same for other expenses like groceries, and credit card bills.
3. Evaluate the results of your computations. Looking at your average monthly earnings against your monthly fixed expenses and other monthly expenses, think of some ways to economize. Cut back on some items that are somehow unnecessary.
4. Knowing the facts of your income and expenses, develop a family budget and try to stick to this monthly budget.
5. Now that you have a monthly budget, set up a savings account. Save up by making regular deposits to this account.
6. Keep track of this monthly family budget just to see if it is working for you. Try to fine-tune the "rough edges" of this budget as you go along.
7. If you can get hold of a personal budgeting software or spreadsheet application to keep record of your budget, the better. This will make organizing your expenses very easy.
These are the basic steps in developing and implementing a no fret, easy to stick to monthly family budget. Of course each family has diverse needs and wants. You have the freedom to develop your own monthly family budget, depending on your family’s financial background and needs. No matter how you do it, just focus on the end result, which is building a savings that leads to a bright and financially stable future for your family.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Cutting your Kids' Schooling Costs
Whenever the school season is just around the corner, there's only one thing that parents are thinking about - the impending costs. Education is a primary right and a pertinent need of every child but it can become very costly. Availing of scholarships and education grants for your children is the best way to get them through schooling. But of course, only a small percentage of children can be given these privileges.
There are simple and effective measures that parents can employ in cutting the costs of their children's schooling, especially during the back-to-school season. Most often, these measures are often taken for granted, but don't miss out!
Organize and Save
Keep an inventory of your children's school supplies and keep it organized. If you are not organized, you will be spending more money on replenishing your supplies. Small things like pencils and crayons may not cost too much, but if you replenish your supplies unnecessarily, you are losing valuable money.
You should also try involving the kids when making the inventory. This will give them a sense of ownership for their things and would know where to take and put their things.
Tax Holidays
Tax holidays are often offered by many states during the back-to-school season. Price ceilings will be put on different school gears. You might want to do a little research and ask about the schedule and the details of the tax holidays in your area.
Bulk Buying
It's a basic economic principle - "the more you buy, the more you save". Well, this is applicable if you are buying a specific item which you will really need in the near future. In buying pencils, for example, you might want to buy a box rather than buying one for each of your kids. Face it, you will be needing to replenish these after some time, so might as well avail of the lower price by buying in bulk.
Transportation
You might want to consider buying your child a bicycle for him to cycle to school. This, of course, is not always feasible. Finding a cheap and safe way to bring your children to school daily is an important thing. Car pools and school transportation services are options that you can look at.
Snacks
Whenever you have the time and energy to prepare food for your children, do so. You will not only be saving on the pocket money that you will give to them but you are also secured that your children are eating healthy and safe meals.
Getting your children through school is a hard task and a costly one. Saving money through practical and simple means can assist you in this endeavor. The benefits will eventually add up to bring a brighter future to your children.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Money Saving Tips When Buying A Car
Going to the car dealer and buying one of the vehicles is something a person is unable to do everyday. It's not because the customer can't fit this into the daily schedule but because it costs a lot of money.
The average price for most cars in the United States is from $15,000 - $18,000 and this will be more expensive when choosing to get an SUV or a van for the home.
Given the high cost of fuel, is it still worth it to get one? Yes, because it is more convenient to go to work, do some shopping activities that the family may have during weekends and holidays.
The price of a car is something many Americans won’t be able to earn in 6 months. By following these tips, you may be able to get right vehicle that is really value for money.
1. You should decide what kind of car is suitable for the home. How many people live in the house and who will be using it? Will it be used to carry anything heavy? These are just a few factors that you must put into consideration.
2. After answering all these questions, it is now time to visit the various dealers to check the models that fit the criteria listed above.
Some things to focus on are the price, miles per gallon and safety features. You must remember not all the brands offer the same amenities as the other.
3. The information given by the sales agent is just one side of the story. Reading some material from automobile magazines that review the model’s performance over others available on the market will be better.
4. It will be a good idea to park the current vehicle a block or two away from the dealer. Agents who see the type of car driven in can gage the price range that will be offered to you. This may not give you some leeway when it is time for the negotiations.
5. There are ways to save money even when thinking of buying a new car. Some companies give discounts if a bigger down payment is paid up front. Others throw in freebies and other things if a car is traded in.
By doing some research and playing it smart, you will be able to save money and drive off the dealer’s lot with a new car.
Priorities Bring Focus to Family Budgeting
Often times, the family budget is a source of conflict. Most of the time, the major earner makes the final financial decision, which isn’t always a welcome deal for the rest. Since money is such an intrinsic part of family life, families need to achieve accord in this aspect. There is a four-step cycle in budgeting the family money to maintain peace and harmony.
1. Set your priorities.
Priorities are different from goals. They are aspects in your family’s life that you, as a family, want to set focus on, say health or children’s future. While goals are specific targets that support priorities.
In setting priorities, do not set too many as it defeats the purpose. Ideally, there should only be one, but because life is not ideal, 2 to 3 are reasonable.
As the priorities are set and agreed upon, write them down. Post the paper where everybody can see them to remind them of what your family is focused on for the next few years.
2. List down your goals.
Once the family has set and agreed on priorities, the next step is to set the goals. Goals are specific and measurable conditions that, when achieved, will support the priorities.
In setting goals, establish a target that is both challenging yet achievable. A 10-15% of the family’s income is a good savings target for a child’s future education: stretching yet reachable.
Try to limit your family into setting 1-2 goals per priority, to maintain focus.
3. Work towards your goals.
After setting your priorities and goals, start living by them. All of the family’s activities will be geared towards working at your goals. Track progress, particularly on financial goals, by using an income and expense-tracking tool. The simplest way is to get a notebook and list down all expenses and incomes and set a budget for future spending. There are those that invest in computer software or a family accountant. Whatever it is, the important thing is to have a system of monitoring the family’s performance towards achieving their goals.
4. Evaluate your family life.
At a certain point in time, when you feel like it’s time to evaluate your life, check how your family is doing against the goals. Goals that have been achieved can be checked off the list, and new ones can be formulated.
At times, in major changes, say a career move, or when a family member goes away, it may be time to re-evaluate priorities. When such a time comes, then the cycle begins, just like what it’s for: life!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Why Banking Works?
When it comes to financial management, even business professionals reach a consensus as to what is the most effective, reliable, and secure means to manage your money, and that is through the bank. Your bank is an effective means to manage your bills payments, keep track of your transactions, receive your income and whatever extraneous cash inflow, and help you save effectively.
The last one is perhaps the most obvious feature of the bank that people do not take advantage of. A bank, being a financial intermediary, can actually help you save money efficiently. Here’s how.
First, you are required to keep what is called a maintaining balance in your bank account. This means that even if you make deductions in your account, the bank requires you to save a bare minimum in order to continue enjoying their services. And yes, that translates to a forced saving on your part.
Another feature of bank saving is the fact that you are free to continuously add to your account whenever you can. Otherwise, your money will remain safe in your bank. Moreover, while it’s staying in the bank, you are actually earning interest rates on your money.
What are savings interest rates? These are payments made by the bank to you for leaving your money in the bank. By depositing your money in the bank, your bank utilizes a portion of it in its loan operations where it subsequently earns through interest and loan charges. In effect, the income they receive trickles down to you, their source of money. This savings interest rate is actually an effective incentive system. Why so? If you save more money in your bank account through your deposits and savings, you end up receiving a higher return on the savings interest rate than other people would.
Banks have a threshold amount for you to be able to participate in the bank’s long-term, higher yield savings schemes. Time-deposit accounts, mutual funds and the like require you to leave your money untouched for a longer period of time. In exchange for the bank’s use of your money for a longer period of time, the percentages of interest return are double those that you would get in a regular savings account. You can add increments of a certain amount in order to increase the capital you invest in your time-deposit account or mutual fund. An increased account obviously translates to bigger interest gains.
Talk to your local bank about their savings schemes. They offer various mechanisms to encourage us consumers to entrust our money to them. In a bank, your money is in a safe place, and it is growing while it stays there.
How to Cheat On Wedding Preparation Costs (Don’t Worry, it’s Legal)
Monday, February 18, 2008
What Are Expenses?
Society is becoming so commercialized that no person is exempt from this world-wide phenomenon called spending and mounting expenses. The high cost of living has paved the way for an increase in the spending habits of people.
An expense refers to the disbursement or spending and it generally has something to do with money. Anyone who lives in the 21th century isn't exempt from having expenditures even just for day to day living.
Expenses can either be essential or those expenses necessary for the survival of a person, or non-essential expenses, which refer to expenses that aren't really necessary or are considered as luxury expenses.
The most common and essential expense are those spent for food and for the daily subsistence of a person. A person couldn't survive without food and water so almost all people are forced to spend money on these items. Expenses for housing utilities like water and light are also considered essential expenses because any household couldn't operate efficiently without them.
For people on the go, the cost of fuel or fare is also considered an essential expense because they couldn't go about their daily work without spending for these items.
Essential expenses are the expenditures that a person couldn't live without because these are necessary for the day to day subsistence of a person. Try scrimping on food expenses and any person will soon realize how essential food is in the daily household budget.
People work so they will earn money that will be used to pay for their essential expenses. A person who isn't lucky enough to get a good paying job will definitely have no choice but to lessen the budget even for his essential expenses. This means cutting back on his basic needs like food, water and power consumption and even his toiletries.
However, there are some people who earn less but still spend more for their household expenses. These people have failed to manage their finances and they will soon be deep in shit. The key to successful household management is to limit the expenses to the minimum.
The expenses of every person differ and the money allotted for each type of expenses depends on the priorities of the person. While each person has a household expense, there are other expenses that are necessary to fulfill his various responsibilities in life.
A person who is engaged in business will definitely be familiar with business expenses. These are the necessary expenses to run a business and sometimes it is called overhead expenses. Any entrepreneur should keep his expenses at a minimum and it should be much less than the total sales of the business so that the business will be able to make a profit.
An entrepreneur can have expenditures related to the promotion of the business, advertising, maintenance of the business establishment like expenses for power and water, salaries and wages for the employees and other expenses. A person who works at home can claim a certain percentage of the household expense as a business expense.
While business enterprises should cut back on their overhead expenses to get a decent margin of profit, a homeowner should keep his household expenses to the minimum to achieve a reasonable savings. Savings advocates however argue that savings shouldn't be the remaining cash after the expenses are deducted from the total income. They say savings should be deducted from the total income first and the remaining cash should be the basis of the monthly budget of the person.
Every person who wants to profit and to achieve savings should be a wise spender. Each person can keep the expenses at a minimum by availing of grocery sales, promotions, and free coupons. A person can choose to buy a cheaper product with the same functions and quality as another known product which is more expensive.
It is always wise to become a critical spender so manage your finances wisely and keep the expenses low by availing of different strategies like buying from the bakeshop when it is near closing time as most shops discount their bread products by as much as fifty percent during this time.
There are a thousand and one ways to save money and keep expenses low; it is however up to you to achieve these goals.
Five Great Ideas to Save Money
Want to save money but don’t know how? Feel like depriving yourself when it comes to saving money? Don’t be disheartened. Try these five money saving ideas, without breaking up a sweat!
Reduce or eliminate magazines. If you are a typical American family, your mailbox gets its regular fill of magazines: business, sports, home and garden magazines. Can you imagine how much each of these subscriptions cost? Annually, it is an average of about $20 per magazine. If your family is subscribed to 5 different magazines, that’s already $100 savings per year! If you still need the information from such mags, try to check out their websites and you’ll be surprised at how much free information is available!
Buy in bulk. How can warehouse and discount clubs drastically lower their prices? Because they buy and sell in bulk. And so should you! Consumables that are non-perishable can be purchased 10-15% cheaper when bought in bulk. Be sure to stock up only on fast-moving items such as kitchen towels, cleaners, canned goods, etc., to avoid wasting money on rancid food.
Eat at home. Eating out has become an American lifestyle. What used to be an activity to celebrate special occasions has become part of the daily, fast-paced life. But did you know that eating out could chomp as much as 40% of your budget for food? That’s as much as $40 weekly, saved just by eating in!
Plan your meals. Eating out 4X a week need not be your solution to a dynamic lifestyle. Menu planning is! Take time on weekends to plan for the following week’s meals. Every night, before you hit the sack, take out the ingredients for the meals of the next day from the freezer, and store them in the refrigerator. By the time you get home from work, everything is thawed and ready to be cooked. And because eating out is part of the American way of life, you would have saved enough money to spend for dining out on special occasions!
Homemade skin care. Is your dermatologist eating up your budget? Don’t you wish you can be beautiful and save money at the same time? The answer is yes, you can! By using ingredients from your pantry, you can take care of your skin and still save a fortune. Try the following:
- Honey and oatmeal can exfoliate dry skin.
- Ginger seeped in a bath softens your skin.
- Cucumber and milk softens tired skin.
Without drastically changing your lifestyle, you have started your path on saving money. Secure your future by using these money saving ideas, today!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Money Saving Tips for Your Retirement
Preparing for your retirement is an important thing that you should consider while you are still working. Saving for your retirement could be the best decision when you are starting an early career life. However, this could be the last priority that most young people do while they work.
They invest on things that can satisfy their personal needs and wants forgetting their future and realizing it when they near retirement. This is the time that they become more anxious and motivated to save money. However, saving late for your retirement could be less effective. You won't have the time to invest and save more money for a secure and better future.
If you have realized that now is the right time for you to invest and save for your retirement, you should learn how you could change your lifestyle and start budgeting your money. You may also include a retirement plan for your future. Here are some tips on how to save more money in preparation for your retirement.
1. You should determine the right age for you to retire. This will help you in determining how long you can save. In this way, you can have an idea on how much you could save each time you receive your paycheck.
2. Choose a retirement plan that is best for you. You may choose a personal savings plan, an employer sponsored plan, or a self-employment plan. There are contributions that you will have to pay on each plan. These will serve as your investments. Your contributions will grow and they are tax-free until the time you reimburse them for your retirement.
3. Invest on stocks that can provide you long-term profits. In this way, you can be aggressive and more confident on other investments. You may also prefer investments that are volatile for short-term profits if you are nearing your retirement.
4. You should consider the charges and commissions offered by the plan provider. In most cases, plan providers have different trading fees on their plans. There are plans that will hold your accounts on mutual funds and investments.
5. You should estimate how much money you will need after you retire. It is better to have enough money during your retirement age. The money you save may be used for your housing, medical needs and other expenses.
Start saving early and prepare for your retirement. You should be motivated in limiting your expenses and focus on saving money for your future. Set goals for yourself so that you can determine the things that you may need to have now and for your future.
Appreciation -
Image source:
www.nrs-retirement.com
Save Money even When Kids are Around
You should be an example for your kids when it comes to saving money. Your kids are smart enough to understand the value of saving and managing their own money. You should deal with your kids about money management at an early age. In this way, you will teach them the importance of having a good financial habit while applying it as they grow.
Kids may learn how to deal with their money by teaching them and allowing them to experience how to handle an allowance. Kids having a budgeted allowance will make their spending choices more reasonable. They will also appreciate the things that they buy when they use their money.
When determining how much money you will give them, you should know the things that they need to buy for school. Let them make their choices on what food or items they will buy at school. Most of the time kids allot their allowances for the things they spend in school, sharing it with their friends, or saving a portion of their allowance for future uses. Here are some tips on how to give your kids a reasonable allowance that they can manage.
1. You have to decide how much money you will give your kids for the week. Know the expenses that they will spend in school such as meals, classroom daily contributions and other miscellaneous expenses.
2. Teach your child to work for his allowance. You may assign several weekly tasks that he can do conveniently. He may do the dishes for you, clean the kitchen, or clean his room. In this way, he will value his allowance more since he worked for it.
3. Teach your child how to make the right purchases. In this way, he will learn to select the items that he needs most.
4. You may spend some time in helping your kids to understand how to manage and count money wisely. Let them pay simple buys when in the mall or at a store.
You should always monitor your kids’ use of the money. You can ask them what they bought for their allowances for the day. In this way, you can guide them on what reasonable items they will spend for their allowances. Discuss with your kids that it is important to manage their allowances. This will help them develop a sense of responsibility in saving money.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Tips on How to Save Money
In this world today, prices seem to go higher every year. Saving money can sometimes be a tough job for many people. To help you save money, here are some pointers for you:
1. Determine the things that are important to you. Identify the items that you need and the items that you want to have. Always remember that you should only buy things that are important and needed in your lifestyle.
2. Make sure that you spend your money only on basic needs like food, transportation, shelter, and clothing. These basic needs are worth spending for because these are important for your health and security. They are the things that you cannot live without and should be allotted in your budget.
3. Make a list of the things that you want to buy and be sure that the items that you are buying are good enough to sustain your basic needs. You have to be satisfied with the things that you have now, as long as it is still useful and can accommodate your needs.
4. You may avoid unwanted purchases by trying the item first before buying it. This is to make sure that the item is worthy enough to acquire. There are instances that you tend to buy things without even knowing its effectiveness and quality. You have to keep in mind that you always need to spend your money wisely on items that have quality and are according to your budget.
5. You may try to budget your money in advance. You can make a plan first before spending your money. There are instances that you spend your money without even thinking that it is not the right time to have it. It also advisable to buy items at the end of the season, prices at this time of the year are low and cheap.
6. You may compare items on their prices. Do not limit your options to just one store only. You may find the best item that can be useful and affordable to you by window-shopping first rather than buying by impulse. Many stores out there carry the same items and can offer lower prices.
7. You can save more money in your household by conserving electricity. Be sure to turn off appliances that are not in use. You may compare your monthly electric bills regularly to check if you are maintaining your desired bill.
8. You can save on your transportation by traveling wisely. It is recommended that you make your itinerary to help you to not forget your destinations. Being organized will help you save money and time.
How to Save Money and Avoid Temptations
Saving money and financial management is very crucial in one's life. Money is very important in order to survive in this world but only a few people know how to manage their household budget properly. Many people have a hard time saving money even if it is for their own good.
Most of the time, you may be motivated to save money but there are times when temptations come your way and before you know it, you have already spent the amount that was supposed to be added to your savings account. Here are some helpful tips on how you can avoid temptations and be able to save money:
1. Try hard to avoid those things that keep you from saving. If you are fond of buying shoes even if you don't really need them, try very hard to stay away from them. Keep yourself away from shoe stores so that you will not be tempted to buy one.
2. When going to grocery stores. Always bring the exact amount and bring with you a grocery list. If you have limited money in your pocket when in grocery stores, you will be forced to buy only those important things that you need. Preparing a grocery list will also help you get organized and will help you in deciding the things that need to be prioritized.
3. Go to the malls only when needed. Do not go shopping if you do not need anything important to buy. Window-shopping will only tempt you to buy the dress you saw in the boutique even if you don't really need it.
4. Do not bring with you your credit cards all the time. Having a credit card in your pocket will only tempt you to buy things that are not necessary. This will also help you lower your balances and have a good credit score.
5. You may want to save money in the bank or invest in time deposits. You will not be tempted to get money from the bank every time you need cash, if they are placed in a time deposit account.
6. You may also want to consider consulting a financial advisor. There are a lot of programs that offer these services for free. They may be able to help you and give you advice on how you can avoid temptations and save more money.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Starting Young: Teaching Teens to Save Money
Parents mostly complain that teenagers do not listen to them. The opposite is true when it comes to advice regarding 'money matters'. Teens actually welcome their parent’s input about their finances.
In the past few years, teenagers have earned billions of dollars with part-time and summer jobs.
Some have spent most of what they earned, while others saved most or even all of it for a big purchase, or for their college education.
Kids these days are becoming more and more aware of their family's source of income and financial status. They apply these money-spending principles when they venture out on their own.
Thus, it becomes more of a parent’s responsibility to start “training” their teenage kids to use their money wisely.
Here are some ways on how you, as a parent, can teach your teens to save those hard-earned bucks:
1. Lead by example.
With your lifestyle, the children will see how you spend your money.
If they see you allotting a certain amount for a specific household need, they will eventually do the same when they get to earn their own keep.
2. Help your teens get a bank account.
Establishing a bank account under their name would give them an instant financial responsibility.
Sit down and explain to them how to manage their own account, and the “rewards” that they get once they save enough.
Their savings could go to their college tuition, or a big purchase like a car.
Additionally, it gives them a sense of accomplishment once they have saved up, with something concrete to show for it.
You may check out the special benefits that banks offer for teens who open their accounts at such an early age.
3. Construct a “spending plan”.
Once they hear the word 'budget', teens tend to cringe at the mere thought of having to restrict the spending of their money.
Instead, you and your teen son or daughter could build a “spending plan”. This would get them excited, and think of ways on how they can wisely spend their savings.
Also, have them list down their earnings versus their expenses.
Let them know the difference between the items that they need and the luxury items that they want, which they can actually do without.
4. Make a “mock” investment in the stock market.
Make them aware of the options that they have financially.
Casually introduce to them the business part of your daily newspapers and have them make “mock” investments for companies who manufactures products that they like.
Monitor the stocks together and this would give them another option of investing their money in the future.
Save Money With Coupons
When people go to the grocery, the merchandise is paid for either in cash or through a credit card. Many of these customers just go through this weekly routine since the prices of these goods may just be slightly higher or lower from the other establishments operating in the same area.
But what if there was a way to save a few dollars for the same amount of goods purchased every week? Will the person change the habit and shop somewhere else? Definitely. This is the reason that some have begun offering coupons to attract more traffic in the store.
Coupons have been around since the 1940’s. They was first used to ration the amount of gasoline an individual could purchase when much of this was used in the war effort. The government used this later on as a way to give food to the unemployed and the homeless.
Supermarkets issue coupons to give discounts and other freebies on selected items. The style entices the customer to buy one or more of a certain item which is cheaper by a dollar when purchased in singles.
Some establishments that practice this approach are Wal-Mart, Ralph’s and Costco. These coupons can be cut from magazines or the newspaper. Those who miss it wont have a problem because the customer can find a copy of what is on promo at the entrance of the store.
Lately, there are others who have also followed this marketing gimmick. Some of these are Staples, Home Depot and Best Buy. These companies have raised the bar a little higher by also offering these online so that they can be printed and redeemed at the nearest store.
There are many reasons why coupons are being used more frequently than before. Some want to get rid of slow moving items while others are introducing a new brand or product into the market. This just goes to show that there are many competitors and these companies have to be on top in order to survive the onslaught.
Will there ever be a time that people can give up cash and credit and merely rely on coupons? The answer is no because each of these firms has to pay the supplier for cost of making these goods.
The best people can do then is just use the coupons to its fullest and enjoy those hard earned dollars in getting other items off the shelf.
How To Ultimately Save Money
Everybody wants to get rich. However, not everyone will get rich because of the simple fact that not too many people know how to save. Being able to gain riches is all depends on how you can build wealth. And building wealth all depends on how much you can save.
If you're looking for tips on how to save money, and build wealth, then here are a few tips to help you on your way.
1. Get more of what you need and less of what you want.
Being able to differentiate between needs and wants is very important in your quest to save money. All too often, people purchase what they want more than what they need. Unfortunately, wants tend to be more expensive than needs.
So next time you see that sparkling jewel that costs a few thousand dollars, think hard and deep if you really need that thing. You will need a whole deal of self-control; but in the end, it's all worth it when you're trying to save up.
Don't worry; buying your wants isn't against the law. You however have to be able to control yourself and curtail your wants and spend for them wisely.
2. Buy generic.
Branded items cost twice as much as generic items. However, this doesn't mean that they are necessarily better in quality. Your goal now is to reduce the number of branded items you purchase and increase the number of generic brands on your list.
Generic brands aren't that bad. In fact, some generic brands are better than branded ones. This should make your decision on purchasing items much easier.
3. Spend within your means.
Building wealth is equivalent to being able to spend less than you earn. No one builds wealth by spending more than they are capable of earning. It doesn’t matter if you earn $10,000 or if you earn $5,000, if you spent more than you earn you are still a poor person.
Even if you don't earn as much, if you are able to set aside some amount from what you earn, you are well on your way to building wealth.
4. Try it before you buy it.
Before taking something home for good, make sure you try it and understand the implications of owning such a thing. Don't forget to factor in maintenance costs, insurance, and operating costs before making your decision. This way you are able to consider all the implications of your purchase before you regret your decision.
