7 Painless Ways to Save $1,000
1/16/2009 1:26:24 PM
SunFlowerPower
12 Posts
1. Look for discounted dinner entres... i.e. daily specials, or check out other restaurants to see if they have any coupons online
2. Return unopened, unused items.. Instead of wasting space and money by keeping useless items, return them for money or store credit
3. Look for extra grocery savings.. When you get to the store, see if there are any sales on the items that you're purchasing. Be careful not to pick up any items that weren't already on your list.
4. Check out materials from the library.. The next time you want to rent or buy a dvd, check out the selection at your local library. Also remember to return, because libraries charge late fees also. And ask about new releases on books and children's new releases.
5. Bundle cable, phone, and Internet services.. Usually buying services in bundles through one company is much better than going through several private companies. If your rates are too high, call some other companies to find their rates. Then call your current provider and ask them to match the price.
6. Negotiate with monthly service providers. Once you get off the phone with your cable, Internet and telephone provider, call your alarm company, lawn-care person and any of your other monthly service providers to negotiate prices. Depending on where you live, you might even be able to negotiate natural-gas rates.
7. Stash money for easier savings next year. By making these barely noticeable changes to your lifestyle, you could save as much as $1,000 over the next year. But how could you increase your savings in future years? Take the money you saved so far and put it into a high-interest savings account or mutual fund," he says. "Then let compounding interest do the magic. If you place $1,000 in an account that pays a 7% annual return on investment, the original amount will nearly double after 10 years. That means twice the money for no extra work.