Living from one paycheck to the next is stressful. Money worries are among the most common sources of stress among US adults, and the vast majority of people would love to have more disposable income.
How To Save Money
If you’re keen to reduce spending, there are ways to bust the stress of paying bills and how to save money in seconds. Here’s a handy guide to help you claw back some of those well-earned dollars.
If you don’t already use comparison sites or shop around for products and services, you’re missing a trick. This is one of the simplest and swiftest ways to save.
From car insurance and health plans to gifts, household products, and services like broadband and cell phone packages, it’s always wise to compare prices. You might be surprised at just how much you could save by scouring the Internet or making a couple of calls.
The first thing to do if you have policies that are due for renewal is to use a comparison site to see what kinds of offers are out there. When shopping for insurance for cars, enter your details, and you’ll be greeted with a whole host of prices and plans.
You can filter the results to suit your needs, and you can add options like multi-car policies and breakdown cover. If there are savings to be made, it’s worth calling your current provider and seeing if they can beat the price. Repeat this process for all your insurance policies. Often, as competition is so fierce in this industry, companies lure new customers in with incentives that aren’t available for loyal clients.
If you choose to switch, you can take advantage of lower prices and offers that are reserved for new customers too.
Lower your bills
In addition to comparing prices and seeing if you could take advantage of lower premiums and service costs, it’s also wise to explore ways of bringing your bills down.
If you’re a careful driver, or you keep your car in a garage, rather than on the road, for example, you should find that you pay less for car insurance. You can also reduce spending on gas and electricity by making a concerted effort to use less energy. Turn lights off when you leave the room, don’t leave appliances on standby, take showers rather than baths, and explore eco-friendly, smart technology.
If you’ve got an old refrigerator, washing machine, or dishwasher, for example, you may find that replacing it with a new, greener version, will save you money in the long-run. It’s also beneficial to swap old bulbs for LED lights. They last up to 50 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
Streamline household costs
Do you feel like payments are coming out of your accounts on a continual basis? Do you struggle to keep track of who you’re paying for what? Most of us make multiple payments every month, and it can be difficult to manage money and to monitor where our funds go.
Often, there are ways of streamlining payments. If you have several different insurance plans for vehicles or different health policies for every individual member of your family, for example, explore plans and packages that cover more than one car, person or pet. Many companies offer these policies, and they are often cheaper than individual plans.
It’s also worth looking at TV, cell and broadband bundles. Sometimes, you can save by choosing one provider for all your services, especially if you’re changing from one company to another.
Shopping online
Do you ever find that the total is way over what you expected it to be when you get to the register at the grocery shop, or you empty your cart at a department store?
Shopping online is a simple, fast, and convenient way of buying products, but it also makes budgeting much easier. When you order food or clothing online, for example, you have a visible total at all times, and this can help to prevent overspending. It’s also easier to resist temptations in the form of offers and discounts on items that you don’t even need.
If you tend to get lured in by neon signs or alluring displays, sticking to Internet shopping could be a great money-saving move for you.
Most of us would love to have a bit of extra cash available as payday looms. The good news is that there are ways to save without making sacrifices or overhauling your lifestyle.