money saving tips

Feb 15 2013

Your Savings Account Will Love You If You Follow These 5 Amazing Techniques

Save Money

People are always chasing their next raise because they think it’s going to make their life better and take care of all the money problems, but it’s not and you’ll blow it all. When someone makes $3000 per month they will find a way to spend every last drop of it. That might increase to $6,000 per month, but the only thing you can guarantee is that they will find a way to spend every last cent of it too,so there is once again nothing left at the end of the month.

They don’t do this because they are forced to spend money and neither are you. Everyone does it because they have no concept of saving, most likely because they have never been taught the right way to do it. You might find the odd few people with savings, but they’re few and far between. All you need to do is learn a few techniques for putting money away each month and you’ll feel a lot more secure. You’ll even realize these won’t even change your life too much, but your new savings account will.

Lower the cost

Vegetable market in Milan, ItalyWhen you buy things you usually have a couple of choices. The first one is always the designer brand that everyone magically feels amazing in without even knowing why. Their brain associates the garment with quality because the price is high, which is pretty crazy if you think about it. Your second choice is something that is cheaper and maybe just as nice. Unless it’s falling apart you know it’s good enough to wear so buy it. This isn’t just clothes and can be used for every purchase.

Save money when you get paid

Piggy savings bank

If you have lots of money in your bank account at the end of the month you will spend it on something. It’s there and you can hear it calling your name, “Jill, spend me.” As soon as you get paid you probably separate the money you need for paying your bills. At the same time you can take some money and put it into a savings account. When the month is drawing in you might not have money in your bank, but instead of raiding your savings account you will do without.

No more credit

People will give you credit for anything these days and it’s possible to get in some deep trouble. You might want something and you need to buy it right away, but credit should be the last thing you ever do. All of those monthly bills add up and the idea should be to have the least amount of money coming out of your bank account as possible. When you need anything desperately you should do without until you have the cash because you might think you are desperate, but sleeping on the street is worse.

Food for energy

104/365 -

There is a big difference between eating food because you love the taste and eating it because it gives you the energy your body needs. There are thousands of recipes were the items on it are particularly cheap and this should be the food you are eating. You will find something you think tastes nice. Then you have meals like steak and duck which taste great, but they also come with a massive price tag. You can also cut the amount of times you eat out at restaurants in half.

Don’t carry money

Bad Credit History?

When you are walking around with a loaded wallet it’s easy to reach for it at every opportunity and you wonder why there is no money left at the end of the month. It doesn’t add up to nothing and can actually be a considerable chunk of your wages. You solve that problem by leaving your money at home because it’s not like you’ll need it in certain situations. At the very least you can carry a small amount around with you in case anything bad happens.

Featured images:

Hugh Tyzack was a student at University of Oxford, and loves writing as much as a good cup of latte. He is a financial adviser who believes in long term profits rather then short term gains. You can know more about his work at MoneyQED Financial Advice here.

By Jonny • Budgeting, Finance, Money, Savings • 1 • Tags: , , ,

Jan 4 2013

How to Save Money on Your Grocery Bill

Reducing grocery billsReducing grocery bills is a great way save money and something that many are keen to explore in these recession-driven and cash-strapped times. It’s also a great way to reduce waste and the environmental impact of our households. The average family of four in America is said to waste $1,940 worth of food every year including up to 16 gallons of milk, 12 dozen eggs, 160lbs of chicken and beef and 240lbs of produce; all because they haven’t planned their food requirements adequately for the week, leaving food uneaten and eventually thrown away.

This represents a significant portion of a household’s annual food bill, so reducing this wastage can make significant savings. When you add up the environmental cost of the energy and water required to grow and transport our food, then wastage becomes an even more serious issue to tackle.

By simply planning weekly meals in advance it possible to consume all of our food before it spoils. This can save cash and the most effective way to do this is to have a strategy for weekly food shopping. Having a plan will enable bulk buying and help avoid expensive items that are left to go off in the backs of our refrigerators.

Taking stock of current eating habits is the first step; it’s time to start a diary of what food that your family consumes. Once you have three or four weeks of information you can use this in planning in your weekly shopping trips.

Refrigeration is your friend.

The best way to avoid food spoiling is to keep it cool. Heat is the enemy of any kind of meat or dairy produce. You should always minimize the time it takes to get refrigerated fruit from the store to our home. So, start your shopping with the vegetables and finish in the freezer section. Freezer bags are a great addition to your shopping habits, enabling you to keep items as cool as possible in the travel home.

You can extend the life of your perishable goods by storing them appropriately. Temperatures can fluctuate when the door of the refrigerator is repeatedly opened, so store eggs and milk on a shelf.

Leftover night

Leftover night is a great way to sweep up all the items that haven’t been cooked, and can inspire some creative cooking. By doing this once a week you can ensure nothing goes to waste. Good recipes for leftover night include pizzas, stews and fajitas.

Clip those coupons

Coupon shopping is on the rise, helping families save week in, week out. The internet has revolutionized coupon shopping, offering websites devoted to their delivery and providing Smartphone apps that allow savvy shoppers to never pay full price for an item. If you haven’t joined the Smartphone revolution, perhaps it’s time to ditch your old cell phone via a website like www.musicmagpie.com and snag yourself an upgrade for the New Year.

Image Source : http://www.flickr.com/photos/photosby_amanda/2516714114/

By Jonny • Money, Savings • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Dec 19 2012

Tricking Yourself Into Making Saving Money Fun

Money Saving TipsWith the economic climate still precarious and most families still having to cut their cloth according to a tighter budget, a lot of people are finding that they are having to seriously adjust their spending habits for the first time in their lives. Now that money is tight and credit unavailable, a great many people are having to keep a track of exactly how much they spend every week and having to make cuts in what they spend their money on. This might mean buying less clothes, cutting out one or two evenings out or reducing the amount the family spends on junk food. This can, to many people be very distressing and humiliating, but it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, with a bit of careful thought it is possible to turn the whole process around and actually make saving money fun. This article will outline a couple of ideas how to do exactly that.

Firstly, think about how you get around. Travelling by car is probably one of your biggest expenses, particularly as the price of gas shoots ever higher. One way to fix this is to look at all of your journeys every week and work out which ones are necessary and which ones are unnecessary. If you work fairly near your home you could start going to work by bike instead of by car. Not only will you save a fortune in gas, you will also get fit to boot! Similarly, instead of taking the family out in the car every weekend, why not change your routine to include the occasional family day out on bikes? Fun, good for the family and best of all, free!

When it comes to getting the family to save money there are a number of tricks you can use but the best way of making saving fun, particularly with the kids, is to invent some kind of saving game for you all to play. This might be done by setting challenges – who can go for the longest period without needing any money or spending any money aside from the bare essentials, for example. If you are on your own then you could set yourself a challenge when you go to the grocery store – to reduce your bill by 25% for example. Put any money that you save into a special savings account (or a jar) and see how much you can raise in a year.

One way of making savings at that grocery store is to change how you eat as well. Try getting a few friends together each week and taking turns cooking. Whether it’s a bunch of friends or a bunch of families the result is the same – both a great deal of savings in your budget and a more sociable entertaining schedule! Also, make larger portions of shared meals and then freeze them to snack on during the rest of the week.

Finally, look at how you spend your spare time. Are your hobbies and pastimes expensive? If you go to the movies a lot (which is ridiculously expensive these days) then get into the habit of taking your own drinks and popcorn rather than buying it at the theater. Or better still, don’t go at all and start watching everything as a family at home on DVD.  Instead of going to expensive theme parks go to free museums and instead of expensive sports events go to the park and play sports with your kids. Doing all of this will not just improve the quantities in your accounts, it will also improve the quality of your life.

Esther is a financial journalist and business blogger. She writes about all areas of personal finance affecting the consumer from tax relief to credit and store cards to factoring receivables.

By Jonny • Finance, Money, Savings • 1 • Tags: , , ,

Oct 21 2012

Slash Home Expenses with Service Bundles

Despite high gas prices and a volatile economy, now is still a good time to be a consumer if you know how to find the best deals. Corporations are merging services and competing to squeeze every last penny from your wallet. That might sound a bit intimidating at first, but it has created a new age of “bundling” where one company aims to fill your every need. Here is how to take advantage of this trend and save big on the services you use most.

Track Your Spending
The first step in saving money with bundling is to know how much you are spending on your current services. This means looking back at your last few months of bank transactions. Take notes on what you actually pay for monthly services like power, cable television and mobile communications. If you have a small business, especially if it is home-based, then you’ll want to factor these bills in as well. In short, you want to know how many checks you are writing, and for much, so that you can accurately compare bundle deals that fit your needs.

Measure Usage Patterns
Remember when the cable guy sold you on those premium channels that were “only” $10 more per month? Well now is the time to evaluate those upgrades to decide if you actually used them. You’re going to encounter these upsells again while shopping for bundle deals, and it is much easier to be honest with yourself now because you will be tempted again by these offers during the sales process. Take a look back across the board on all the special features you’ve signed up for. Things like unlimited long distance, high definition channels and cell phone insurance may not be worth the extra money they cost you.

Pick Your Must-Haves
Okay, so now you know how much you are spending, and what features you no longer need from your monthly service providers. The next step is to identify the products and services that are most important to you. Perhaps you love your iPhone, or you just cannot live without Food Network on Demand. No problem with that, as long as you know in advance. Let your preferences steer your decisions on who you are willing to do business with.

Shop Smart
The first phone call you to make should be to your existing cable or phone company. Communication companies like this usually offer the most services under one contract, and this increases your odds of saving more. You can listen to their pitch if you want, but the more direct approach is to tell them you are shopping for the best bundle deals on phone, internet and television service. Stating this up front should get negotiations moving faster.  At the end of the discussion, have the representative email you a copy of the prices, features and contract.

Your next phone call is to the competition. Once again, get right to the point and give them the monthly quote you got from the first call. Ideally you will be offered a lower price, but even if not, you still want all of the details emailed to you. This is because promotional offers can vary significantly. It could be that the first few months of one service is cheaper, but after this introductory period the price goes up substantially. Be careful with “bait and switch” offers like these or else you’ll get stuck in an expensive contract.

The bottom line is that you should use service bundles to save money, but be sure to do your homework first. Understand what you need, and how much you are currently paying before you start shopping. If you are paying separate providers for cable, telephone and internet then you are likely paying much more then you should. In these cases, a simple phone call could save you hundreds of dollars a year!

Compare prices across all internet service providers in your town with http://internet.inmyarea.com Find out who has the best prices and see who has the best service.

By Jonny • Budgeting, Money, Savings • 0 • Tags: , , , , , , ,

Oct 19 2012

I’m Dreaming of a Tight Christmas

This year, as the double dip recession hits us even harder, and someone mentions the C word… Christmas, you probably feel more like Scrooge than one of Santa’s little helpers, especially when people dare to bring up the subject when the summer months are barely behind us. But when we have the prospect of another thrifty Christmas looming upon us, planning is everything. The more prepared you are for Christmas, the more money you will be able to save and the more enjoyable Christmas will be.

If when you imagine a Christmas on a budget your family has morphed into the Royles sat round the table eating an inedible turkey and drinking pints of Lidl’s version of Bailey’s – don’t worry it won’t be like that… unless you want it to be of course!

This version of Christmas on a budget will be just like any other Christmas minus a few minor luxuries and by January, your pockets will hopefully feel significantly heavier than unusual! So starting with the planning – work out how many people you have to buy gifts for and how much money you have to play with. If you have a large family the best thing to do is sit down together and set a limit of how much you can spend on each person. It may sound like an awkward conversation but the chances are your relatives will be relieved.

Shop Around

It’s very tempting to hit a shopping centre, Christmas gift list in hand and just blitz everything in one go, however the reality is you will probably end up spending more than you need to. More often than not, you can find the DVD or gadget you are looking for cheaper online. So make sure you shop spend a few minutes shopping round on the internet to find the cheapest place – just be aware of delivery prices. To make it even easier for you, there are several price comparison apps you can get to help you find the best price – try Barcode Hero and RedLaser. Look out for the My Voucher Codes app too which will show you all the offers that available where you are.

Plan Your Food Shop in Advance

Walk in any supermarket in the run up to Christmas and you will be bombarded with offers on every Christmas food you can think of, so stock up early and avoid that scary and frankly nightmarish Christmas shop we all dread. Get your festive chocolate while it’s on offer and also make the most of any alcohol offers that are available – as long as you have the self-control to leave them alone until Christmas Day!

It’s always a bit of a gamble knowing when to get your Christmas turkey; you can order it, you might pay a bit more but you are guaranteed to get your hands on one. There is an option of taking a risk and trying to get a reduced on Christmas Eve but there is always the chance you won’t get one and will end up rummaging around the freezer looking for an alternative – I’m not sure anyone would be very impressed with Turkey Twizzlers for their dinner! Another alternative is to scrap the turkey all together and get a nice piece of beef or lamb.

Make Your Own Cards

It sounds cheesy but everyone appreciates a home-made card, anyone could go into a shop and pick up a pack of cards but making them shows you’ve really thought about that person – they don’t need to know you are doing it to save money! A great way of making cards is to simply cut last year’s cards up and attach them onto some nice card – just don’t send it to the person who gave you the card last year! Another great tip to remember is to buy your Christmas cards and wrapping paper for the following year in January when all the shops are desperate to shift them.

So now you have the knowledge, you just need to come to terms with the fact that you’re going to have to start your Christmas shopping a few months early! Just focus on the image of you sat with your feet up, glass of wine in one hand, mince pie in the other, several days before the 25th, safe in the knowledge that you are fully prepared for a stress free and relaxing Christmas.

A budget Christmas may not seem particularly luxurious but judging by the amount of high street shops advertising huge discounts and sales left right and centre – splashing the cash just isn’t fashionable when it comes to Christmas 2012.

This article was written by Meredith Watts on behalf of Aspire Money; providers of bad credit loans to give you a helping hand when times are tough, even if you have poor credit or a CCJ.

By Jonny • Budgeting, Finance, Savings • 1 • Tags: , , , , ,

10 Tips To Save Money While Shopping

Sep 22 2012

10 Tips To Save Money While Shopping

With children having recently returned to school, many of us are officially broke. Shoes, clothes, supplies (why do they need a calculator that costs $100), and other miscellanea have broken more budgets than marriage and divorce combined. That brings me to my topic:  smarter shopping. If you are smart about it, you can saving yourself hundreds, if not thousands of dollars annually.  As we all know, saving money is just as important as investing when it comes to wealth-building.  Here are ten tips that could help you keep more money in your pocket year-round.

10 Simple Money-Savings Tips

  1. Buy used whenever possible. That $100 calculator mentioned above, picked it up for $30 from a parent that paid full price last year.
  2. Always buy last generation tech. You will save at least 50% and you will still have the majority of options that you actually need.
  3. Never buy an extended warranty. Over 90% of them are never used.
  4. Do not wait until the last minute to buy. Every buying season is predictable. Buy summer clothes at the end of the season for the coming year. School clothes are usually on sale early in the season, so buy then.
  5. Always make a shopping list and stick to it. You should save 20% or more during each shopping trip if you plan your list and avoid impulse items.
  6. Shopping while you are hungry can be devastating. How many times have you bought a candy bar in a department store or five or six items that look good, but you didn’t really need just because you were hungry at the time?
  7. Before you go shopping for clothes, look through your closets and drawers. Have you ever bought a shirt or blouse only to come home and find a very similar item hanging up? Taking a careful inventory before you shop can save you hundreds of dollars each year.
  8. Do not neglect yard/garage sales or thrift stores. These venues can save you hundreds of dollars on items that are in terrific shape.
  9. Need a new furniture item? Look in the scratch and dent area. Retailers often receive items that were lightly damaged in shipping. It can be more cost effective for them to lower the price by 10-20% and the damage is usually difficult to see.
  10. Never pay for features that you do not need. Sure, the added features may seem ”cool”, but the added cost often outweighs any cool factor.

Hopefully, you have found a few tips that are helpful. Good luck saving money this year!

This article has been provided by the team at CarLoanArizona.com, a leading resource for AZ car shoppers in need of zero down payment financing.  We specialize in bad credit AZ auto loans.

By Jonny • Budgeting, Money, Savings • 0 • Tags: , ,

Holiday Budgeting: How to Avoid Last Minute Surprises

Aug 28 2012

Holiday Budgeting: How to Avoid Last Minute Surprises

It’s easy to spend more on holiday than you intended to. We jet off with the best intentions of sticking to a strict daily budget, only to spend a fortune before leaving the airport, returning home to a devastated bank balance.

Some might say that it’s all part of the holiday experience and it’s true that an overly regulated vacation isn’t likely to be much fun, but a little bit of common sense and forward planning can be the difference between slightly overspending and digging yourself into a real financial hole.

Your first step should be to ensure you’re getting the best value for your money in the first place. If you’re going somewhere that requires a change of currency, don’t hand over your cash to the first travel agent you come across. Numerous banks and retailers have their own bureau de change, and their exchange rates vary significantly. Take the time to shop around and get the best deal.

It’s all too common for holidaymakers to try to cut corners by ‘taking a risk’ and travelling without insurance. It may be a little irritating to pay for something you might never see the benefit of, but many travel insurance policies protect you from a remarkable number of potentially expensive issues – from lost luggage to medical treatment and transport issues. So it’s well worth investing in.

By the same token, if you’re driving in Europe don’t forget to get car insurance for European travel. Your regular car insurance may well not cover driving outside the UK, so don’t be caught out. If you’re in the market for holiday car insurance, this is another opportunity to shop around for a better deal. For example, if you’re over 50 you may well be able to get better value car insurance by going with an insurance provider like RIAS. They’ll be able to offer cover from their panel of selected insurers, so you get insurance that best reflects your needs. Last but not least – protect your belongings! Stolen money and the stress of replacing a passport can put a real dampener on your trip. Ask if your hotel has a safety deposit option, and take out only what you need for the day. This could also be a good way of encouraging you not to blow your daily budget – and you can always pop back for a top-up if necessary…

By Jonny • Budgeting, Finance • 1 • Tags: , , , ,

Seven Simple Ways to Cut Household Costs

Aug 26 2012

Seven Simple Ways to Cut Household Costs

Household bills continue to be a major drain on family finances. While people cannot avoid them completely, there are things that can be done to cut expenses and make them more manageable.

Clean up your finances

Cleaning products can make an expensive dent on your supermarket bills. The various sprays, scrubs and wipes that you can buy can really add up. Take a look at how much you are spending on these items. There may be cheaper products you can use; for example, cleaning wipes will be more expensive than simply spraying cleaner onto a cloth yourself. There are also natural products such as lemon juice and vinegar that you can use to clean in the house. These can be effective as well as economical.

One of the easiest things to do is to reuse items you already have when it comes to household cleaning. Cloths can be expensive, so try turning old towels or clothes into rags for cleaning. Pop them in the washing machine to keep them fresh.

Budget-busting tips

Actively look out for vouchers and coupons you can use to set against the cost of shopping, products and services. There are plenty of websites now that specialise in daily offers of discount vouchers that can give very significant savings and manufacturer websites often have deals on their items too. You can also take the old-fashioned step of cutting and clipping out coupons from food packets and tins.

Energy costs have soared in recent years but there are ways to cut bills. Buy energy-efficient appliances to help the environment and your budget. Modern household essentials such as washing machines, dishwashers and fridge freezers are now marked with a rating that shows which use the least amount of electricity. The best performers will shave pounds off your energy bills.

Shopping around is a tried and tested way of saving money. Research on the internet to find the best prices for pretty much anything you are buying, especially big household items.

Look out for finance deals that have 0% interest rates over several years to take the sting out of a big purchase and spread the cost. If you can afford it, bulk buy items you would be putting in your shopping basket anyway. Special offers (especially buy-one, get-one-free deals) on non-perishable food items can be a great way to stock up.

Keep items in good condition to ensure they last longer. Follow the maintenance and care instructions for appliances, vacuum cleaners, etc., to ensure they stay in tip top working order. When buying items look out for offers of free or cheap extended guarantees so that if something does break down you don’t face an expensive repair bill, perhaps for up to five years.

Having several pots simmering on the stove can get the electricity and gas metres ticking over, so find some great one-pot recipes to save on the utility bills and the washing up.

Apply as many of these money-saving tips as you can and hopefully you’ll soon notice the difference in your household expenditure.

This guest post was written by British financial blogger Francesca who writes on behalf of IVA Expert. Share your best money saving tips by leaving a comment or by Tweeting @franki_blogs!

Image Source

By Jonny • Budgeting, Finance, Frugal, Money, Savings, Wealth • 0 • Tags: , , , , ,

Things You Should Not Be Frugal With (Cause It Will Cost More If You Will)

May 28 2012

Things You Should Not Be Frugal With (Cause It Will Cost More If You Will)

These days, a lot of people are very keen on saving money, running after deals and getting the cheapest materials there are. Most of these people take pride in being frugal. However, there are only few people who live a comfortable life among thousands of frugal people out there. Don’t you wonder why is this so? You try to save and save however you cannot seem to gain financial freedom. If frugality is the answer to financial freedom then almost all people today’s should be financially independent. However, this is not the case.

Are you familiar with the saying “Penny Wise, Pound Foolish”? Well, this is one of the reasons why most frugal people don’t seem to have a change in their lifestyle. Regardless of how frugal they are, they can’t still manage to have a wealthy life. By this saying, we mean that people save money on the smallest things but doesn’t care that much when spending huge amounts of money. Another definition of this saying is that people do all the things that they can in order to save money in the present. Sadly, these savings will cost them more as time goes by. This is the most common hindrance to being financially independent. No matter how hard you work or how frugal you are, you can never have a better lifestyle if you are “Penny Wise, Pound Foolish”.

It is my goal to pull you out the financial trap and lead you into the world where finances will never be an issue. After all, isn’t that what most of us are aiming for? To help you with this, I present to you the things that you should never be frugal with. If you do, it will cost you more eventually.

Health Concerns

Most people think that it is okay to be frugal when it comes to health matters. They think that they can easily get answers from the Internet. For them, a toothache can go away eventually. A persistent headache can be cured by any OTC drugs that they can get their hands on or a pain in the abdomen is just a common occurrence. Are you one of these people? If you are, then I am telling you right now that this is not the best way to save money. Aside from the fact that you are putting your health at risk, you are also endangering your bank account and medical insurance too.

Why is this so? Well, if you continue to disregard some of the minor symptoms that you are feeling, it will cost you a hefty price if these symptoms go worse. FYI, self medication does not work all the time. Although there are instances when you can find the answer in the Internet, there are bigger chances that these answers are wrong. In order to save money in addressing your health issues, go for a medical loan or a health plan.

Parking Concerns

Most people would skip paying the parking meters, thinking that they will be back quick, sooner than the parking meter. Well, guess what? No one can be faster than the parking meter. No matter how fast you go shopping or you do your errands, you will not be as lucky. Even if you get lucky on the first few instances, you will eventually be getting a ticket.  A parking ticket ,these days, range from $10 to $25. Are you willing to exchange that for the sake of 25 cents?

Gas Issues

So you have seen a gas station which sells gas at a lower rate than usual. The problem is, it is far from your house. In fact, it is outside the city. Most people think that it would be wiser to go there every day to avail of the cheaper gas. Do your computations. You will see that the amount of gas you have spent going to the station is more than the amount that you have saved.

These are some of the things that you should take note of. Keep in mind that you should not only be frugal, you should be wise as well.

About the Author:

Patrick is a finance and business blogger based in the Philippines. He is currently working as a part time contributor at Australian Grants Gov Portal, a Website about Australian government funding, funding and loans, Australian grants or community group.

Image Credit

By Jonny • Budgeting, Finance, Frugal, Savings • 1 • Tags: , , , ,

May 26 2012

5 Quick & Easy Money Saving Tips For The Urban Lifestyle

Living in the city can provide you with easy access to many of the things that you need or want. Although living in the city can be convenient, it can also be pretty expensive. If you are living in an urban area, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to pay an arm and a leg for everything. Here are five quick and easy money saving tips that can help you save some cash even while living in the city.

Use Public Transportation

One of the best ways to save money while living in an urban area is to utilize public transportation. If you live in an area that has a good public transportation system, you can get around almost anywhere you need to go without paying for a car. If you own a car in the city, it can be very expensive. Besides paying for gas and maintenance on your car, you also have to frequently pay for parking. By riding the subway or bus, you can get around for cheap and its often quite a bit faster than driving.

Find a Roommate

In most urban areas, you can find a roommate relatively easily. If you already have a place, you can put out a classified ad mentioning that you need a roommate pretty quickly. If you don’t yet have a place, you can check the classified ads and see if anyone is looking for a roommate. Once you roommate, you be able to cut your expenses substantially. You can get someone to pay half of the rent and the utilities. Since real estate and rental fees are typically very high intermarriage is, this can be a big savings overall.

Enjoy Free Activities

Instead of paying big money to go to a play or a movie, why not enjoy some free activities? There are a number of free things to do in big cities that you can take advantage of. Many organizations host free gatherings, performances, and activities for people in the area to participate in. You could go to the park, take a walk on a walking trail or engage in one of many other free activities that are available in most cities.

Shop Online

When you live in the city, it can be costly to go out and do your shopping. You have to pay for the transportation costs and you’ll have to pay the high prices that come with most city retailers. Instead of shopping in this manner, consider buying most of the things that you need online. By doing a little bit of online shopping, you can get your purchases delivered directly to your door and you won’t even have to pay sales tax. In many areas, the sales tax savings alone is worth the process.

Shopping online also has the potential to save you quite a bit of time. Instead of walking down to the subway or bus station, traveling to the store, and then carrying your items back to your home, you can simply get online, make a purchase and have your purchases delivered to you.

Use Public Libraries

Most big cities have some very large public libraries that you can take advantage of for free. By getting a library card, you can check out books, DVDs, computer software programs, audio books and other items without paying anything. In many public libraries, you can also check out e-books with an e-reader such as a Kindle. This makes it possible for you to get most of the things that you need for entertainment purposes without spending a dime. Just make sure that you get your items back before the due date.

Teresa Wilson is a CPA and guest author at TopCollegesOnline.org. Click here to visit her full list of online college rankings.

Image credit

By Jonny • Budgeting, Economy, Finance, Money, Savings, Wealth • 0 • Tags: , , , ,

1 2 3
%d bloggers like this: