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10 Ways To Start Saving Money Right Now

We come up with excuse after excuse to avoid really saving ourselves money to put away, invest and give us some much needed breathing room. Stop making excuses and start taking action to curb your spending habits and improve your financial situation, beginning today.

1. Make saving automatic. Before the money from your paycheck even makes its way to your hands, divert a good portion of it to a 401k or savings account automatically. Learn to live on the remainder, permanently!

2. Stop paying bank fees! That money adds up over the course of a year and would be much better spent on you and your financial future. Scour your neighborhood or look online until you find a bank that does not charge you to give them money!

3. Plan out every big-bucks purchase. No matter how good the sale price or how irresistible the item, write it into your budget before you buy it. Make sure you can afford it without any major interruption to your finances.

4. Always buy generic. No matter if it’s food, medicine, clothing or anything else you need to put down your hard earned money for, opting for generic can save you literally thousands each year. Unless ordered by a doctor or mandated by unusual circumstances, there is hardly ever a reason to pay full price!

5. Use less gas by driving better. Coasting to a full stop, accelerating gradually and adhering to speed limits will improve the fuel efficiency of your car significantly and end up saving you a ton of money. It can also keep your driving record cleaner, which will keep insurance costs down as well.

6. Install a programmable thermostat. These handy little devices can save you over 20 percent annually on the cost of heating and cooling your home, and that’s a lot of money that could be earning you interest in a savings account! Set the thermostat lower when you are sleeping or away and watch that utility bill go down.

7. Use fans and CFLs to save even more on energy use. A well placed floor or pedestal fan can keep you cool and circulate the cooled air in your home, reducing the need for your a/c. Compact fluorescent lights use about 25 percent less energy than normal bulbs and need to be replaced far less often. Combine these two tips to save, save, save!

8. Use coupons, store-reward cards and redeem those rebates. Tedious? Time-consuming? Boring? What if I told you shoppers save over three billion dollars every year by using coupons alone? How much of that money could be yours with snip-snip here and a snip-snip there? Printing coupons can rack up plenty in paper and cartridge supplies, so stick to scissors. Take advantage of store card savings and don’t procrastinate your rebates away.

9. Dine out less and eat the leftovers. Restaurants and take-out orders take way too much of your money. As enjoyable as the experience may be, that tab adds up to thousands every year; stop being myopic and put that cash to better use!

10. Reward yourself wisely. Of course, you deserve a treat now and then for all your hard savings and smart spending habits, but don’t let that cost you too much either! Use a free national park as an exciting vacation destination or cheap camp site. Find yourself a treasure at a yard sale or thrift store. By all means, give yourself that pat on the back, just make sure it’s a frugal one!

If it seems you never have enough money, stop and think and start doing something about it now. Incorporate these tips into your daily living and you will see quick results. Good habits can develop just like bad habits and before you know it: you’ve got savings!

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