Saving Money

Do you struggle to save money? If so you are certainly not alone. Saving money is challenging at the best of times. I equate it to dieting, exercising, or not seeing your friends for an extended period of time. There are just so many things that you can spend money on and they never seem to end. Whether it is just something that you would like to buy or utility expenses or loans that need to be paid, it can be very hard to save money for emergencies or for a vacation.

Dieting. It is so hard to shed those pounds and so easy to put them on. One brownie sundae and months of hard work are just flushed down the toilet. A moment on the lips a lifetime on the hips certainly rings true. Comparatively when you put the effort into saving money, much like dieting, you want to be rewarded when you get to the other side of that speckled rainbow. Be strong my friends – don’t stop at the first taco stand. If you are saving to buy a new car – shop around. See what’s out there. If you’re going to indulge, after you’ve worked hard to save, do so with the knowledge that you’ve made a sound purchase. Obviously you will be spending those dollars eventually – just don’t do so frivolously on a brownie sundae.

Exercising. Once you stop it’s hard to go back, isn’t it? I once committed to a regimen which included 200 sit-ups, 100 push-ups, and a 2 mile jog per day. Then I went on vacation to Seattle Washington for a week and got out of the groove. That was 14 years ago and now I look like a baby cow that hasn’t milked for six months. Once you make a commitment to budgeting your money – stay on that wagon! If you fall off it’s that much harder to climb back on. My wife has fallen off several times to the point that she doesn’t even want to hold a credit card anymore because she doesn’t trust herself. Let’s just steer clear of the wagons all together gang. We can ride in style – a nice stagecoach perhaps?

One way of saving money is to have a separate savings account and have your bank automatically transfer whatever you want to save every week or month to that account. It is automatic and you do not have to think about it. The difficult part when you are saving money is to not touch it when you know it is sitting there and you have a large bill to pay!

“Now I look like a baby cow that hasn’t milked for six months.” David E. Bonvie

Not seeing your friends. The days, weeks, and months fly by so quickly without seeing your pals. That’s just the way it is these days with work and family life, the kids and everything that goes on in our lives.. But just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there. And just because you throw that credit card statement in your desk draw doesn’t mean it’s not there either. Don’t burry your finances in the Bermuda Triangle with your friends. Out of sight, out of mind doesn’t work in the world of finance. Tackle your issues head on as painful as it may be. Rip the band help once and move on.

I want you all to be lean, mean, socialites with a few bucks in your pocket. I want you to dance like nobody is watching. Maybe then you can sit down and enjoy that brownie sundae without regret.

There are many ways to saving money besides salting your money away in a bank account and earning a small amount of interest income. Most consumers can save big money if you just learn a few tricks of the trade when it comes to saving money. For example, by cutting down on one fancy coffee a week can save you $5 every time. We know couples that spend $5 every day for a fancy coffee for both of them. Over the year that comes out to over $3000. You can save a lot of money by cutting down on some of the services and treats you purchase. We are not suggesting that you eliminate them, just reduce the amount each week that you spend on these things.

Another way to saving money is to always negotiate. Every time you make a purchase ask yourself what the worst that is going to happen if you ask for a discount. The worst that will happen is that they might say no. Often they will shave 10% off the cost of the bill. Now this might not work at the coffee shop or the restaurant, but it might work at the car dealer when you get an oil change or for services that are being completed on your behalf. Try never to pay full price for any large item you buy. Hotels will often provide a discount for their rooms when you book them. Some will give you 10%, while others with a employee card or a frequent traveler card will provide you with free rooms after so many stays. That can be big savings for many people and mean a vacation for you and the family.

Using coupons is another approach to saving money. There are the extreme coupon savers, but who has time for that? Still if you do use coupons from time to time you can save quite a bit of money and reduce your overall costs by quite a bit and put money in your pocket for other things that you are considering. Whenever you buy something, ask your self do I need it? Can I save some money by asking for a discount? You may be surprised at how much you can save.