Print this out and put it on your fridge. You’ll want to remember these money saving tips and practice them every chance you get. These tips are not like crash dieting to lose weight fast. You have to put in some muscle to make them work. But I promise you if do, your life will change, bringing an end to the yo-yo money diet, and the beginning of financial freedom.
1. Create a budget.
This is one of those tasks in our household that is right up there with brushing your teeth. It is a must-do and it is on the calendar every week. Every Sunday I make a meal plan for the week and I refine our weekly budget. Out of this process I developed a cash flow management program called Green Sherpa. It helps me stay on track so that I don’t overspend.
2. Don’t spend beyond the essentials.
I call this my bare bones budget. It is as if I am in college all over again. What are the must-haves and the nice-to-haves. One really great exercise is to pull out a big piece of butcher paper and divide it into four parts. Upper left corner is must-haves, upper right corner is nice-to-haves, lower left corner is short-term wants, and lower right corner is long-term wants. Do this as a family if you have older kids, or with your spouse/partner. It is a great exercise for getting on the same page financially. It is always eye opening when you discover what is a nice-to-have for your spouse is a must-have for you. When you come to an agreement around these items, put the must-haves in your budget and only spend on those items for a month. How does that feel?
3. Learn to say “no” to some financial requests.
One of the biggest lessons my mom taught me was to say, “No.” When my daughter’s preschool asked for donations for a new garden, my tendency was to go to home depot and get some great Italian pots. Instead, I practiced a version of “No.” Instead of spending extra money I went into our backyard and got some of our old pots and had the kids do great handprints all over them. They were a hit! Today, practice saying no to anything that requires extra time or money from you. How does that feel?
4. Reassess your property taxes.
If the value of your home is falling, call the County Assessor’s Office and request a reassessment. It could lower your property taxes. You don’t need to use a service to do this. You can request a reassessment on your own property on your own. It takes about ten minutes to complete the forms.
5. Call your insurance agent.
Review health, home and auto insurance, increasing deductibles and making other cost-saving changes where possible. I adore my insurance agent. He actually calls me with cost-saving changes for our policies. If you don’t have a close relationship with your insurance agent, create one. Call them and let them know that you would like to be updated for any changes that you can make in your policies over time that will save your family money.
6. Lower your utility bills.
Review your utility bills such as water and electricity. Request a reassessment of monthly usage estimates, potentially lowering the cost. In my city, the water company will come out and do a free evaluation of your water usage. When we did this, their suggestions cut our water bills in half! The gas company will do the same. Turning off your pilot light during summer months for your heater can make a huge difference in your gas bill. More tips like these can be gained by spending the time talking to each one of your utility companies.
7. Lower your cable bill.
Cancel the cable TV subscription, or lower service to basic from premium. When I called to cancel our cable TV subscription (we have moved entirely online), the cable company offered us two free months of service. They also offered us our same package for lower rates. Just one phone call can save your family a significant amount of money.
