It’s that time of the year again to make our hard-to-keep resolutions like losing weight, improving our lives and saving more money. As we enter this new year 2012 it is more important than ever to be conscious about our spending, find ways on how we can lessen our expenses and earn more money.
To help us all start the year right I have compiled different ways on how you can save money and even earn a little bit on the side. These are tips and tricks from well-respected bloggers and reliable articles published online. I hope you will find this list useful and most importantly apply to your life. So, here we go!
- Enjoy the little things. I got this line from Zombieland but it is totally cool that there is a valid study that explains why many small pleasures beat few larger ones.
- Don’t watch too much TV! Aside from energy costs, TV, commercials in particular, directly influence our purchasing habits, and it also represents a significant sunk opportunity cost.
- Are you frugal or just a cheap? Pinyo at Moolanomy has a simple test to help you find out.
- Yes, you can be frugal and feel amazingly abundant at the same time. Henri Junttila of Wake Up Cloud has an interesting take on frugal living.
- Your mind is your worst enemy when it comes to saving money. Fabulously Blogger reveals 5 lies we tell ourselves to help us continue spending.
- Frugal living but with compassion is an interesting post from Alex Blackwell at The BridgeMaker.
- Don’t be a time waster and learn how to be frugal with your time
- Not all free is totally FREE. Jeremy Dean at PsyBlog said, “We like ‘free’ because it makes us feel good and there’s no downside. But sometimes ‘free’ tricks us into poor decisions.”
- Learn how the systematic way to negotiate a low car price. Car Negotiation Coach has a clearly organized flowchart on how to do this starting from getting a car quote all the way to asking deals to give you their best deals.
- Bible Money Matters has a detailed tutorial on how to negotiate and re-negotiate to get the best deal for your cable or satellite TV.
- Bargaining can be fun. Thanks to Squirreler’s advice that it doesn’t hurt to ask for a discount!
- In fact, always ask for a discount. You may not be comfortable about this idea but there are different ways to ask for a discount when you are embarrassed to ask. Learn the tricks at Free Money Finance
- Teach your kids how to save money. Jacob at My Personal Finance Journey suggests that you must encourage the little ones about price comparison and budgeting.
- Learn how to negotiate for better salary. As one author, Ford Myers, said, “This is no time to roll over and just take what they give you.”
- Know the hidden perks of your credit cards. Do you know that some credit cards offer extended warranty, automatic insurance and other benefits? Ramit Sethi has a nice article that will open up your mind.
- Request a free credit report to know your financial status.
- Go for free checking accounts. Glen Craig at Free from Broke listed several options that you may want to consider
- Reward points are great but they have inactivity rules and expiry dates. Good thing Patrick Sojka at Moneyville has a blog post on how to keep loyalty points from expiring.
- Start your own business at home. Miranda at FinancialHighway has 50 home business ideas to help you get started
- Try to make money from your hobbies. Jim Wang at Bargaineering listed some profitable hobbies including beer brewing, gardening, maintaining cars and even shopping.
- Old perfume bottles, theme park guides, broken electronics and human hair – don’t throw them yet! There are so many weird things in your trash worth cash.
- Embrace technology and the use money-saving applications for your iPhone or Android-powered mobile phones. CNN Money listed the five best money-saving apps that you can download for free.
- Track your finances using budgeting software. Finance magazine, Kiplinger, has listed the best online budgeting sites that you may want to check out to help you set a steady course for spending and saving.
- Start your spending journal to give your better perspective. Jon the Saver at Free Wisdom believes this is a powerful tool that offers plenty of potential. It’s up to you as to how useful it can be in your financial situation.
- Say NO to gym membership. Yes, you can exercise at home and actually lose weight. Marie from Eco Thrifter wrote an interesting article on how she exercised at for 25 years and you can do it too.
- Avoid eating at fast food restaurants. You might be surprised but fast food is more expensive than you think.
- Eliminate food waste by organizing your fridge and pantry by expiration date. Kelsey Bohler at MoneyMum has 5 more tips that you don’t want to miss.
- Hit the dollar store first before going to any grocery or retail store.
- Use cloth napkins. No need to pack of paper napkins every month
- You can help charity even if you don’t have money. It’s as easy as changing your search engine, donating old stuff and clicking your mouse. Wealth Informatics will show you how.
- Do you know that soda, salt, lemon and vinegar are great alternative to pricey cleaning products? Kim LaCapria at Totally Money will show you how to use these cheap items.
- Dress fashionably on a budget. Fellow Canadian, Alan Schram at Canadian Finance Blog, says you can actually get a lot of really good clothing from thrift stores to keep your fashion on a budget.
- Wash your hair without buying shampoo. Melinda Briana Epler at One Green Generation teaches how to use vinegar and baking soda methodology.
- Save money on your pets using old comforter as pet bed, making homemade cat and dog treats, controlling your pet’s weight and buying medicines online. Erik Folgate at Money Crashers has the full pointers.
- Learn how to be a frugal gourmet, allowing you to pinch pennies while still getting to fill your stomach with all the delicious food you love. Culinary School Guide has a good list of 100 blogs where you can find tips about inexpensive yet healthy and tasty foods.
- Enjoy a money-free weekend. There are so many things you can do without spending a dime. Trent at The Simple Dollar has actually a list of 100 free things you can do today.
- Learn how to make natural pest control against fruit flies and ants using a slice of banana, apple cider vinegar, sugar and other simple household items. Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking has the tutorial.
- Recycle common household items and all you need is a bit of creativity. Sara Noel at Frugal Village has an interesting example on how to make a simple milk jug into so many things including plastic bag holder, yarn holder, beach toy and even kitchen organizer.
- Don’t buy things that you don’t use frequently. My Wealth Builder points out that most items do get obsolete or get worse with age.
- Thinking of doing it yourself? Sometimes it is more cost-effective to hire a professional than pretend to be one. The Digerati Life has a list of DIY home project questions before you start your project.
- Dare to be boring. Sometimes simple stuff works best and you don’t need to invest into these expensive gadgets and fancy programs to help you reduce costs. Afford-Anything spills more details on this.
- Melissa at Mom’s Plans will show you how to buy organic foods on a budget.
- Save money on prescription drugs and why taking free samples is not always better for you. Jon the Saver offers 5 tips to get help lower your bills.
- Know the hidden cost of online gaming. Again, Alan Schram at Canadian Finance Blog explains why this seemingly small indulgence might be dangerous.
- There are many ways to save money on movies and Khaleef from Money Help For Christians has 10 tips for you such as joining loyalty programs for movie theaters and borrowing DVDs from your library.
- Read books and blogs about personal finance. I strongly recommended reading best-selling books like Clark Howard’s Living Large in Lean Times and Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You to Be Rich.
- Buy during off-season. There are different seasons for buying consumer electronics, appliances, cars, house and many other things. Lifehacker has compiled a big chart of best times to buy anything in 2011.
- You can get away with not paying hotel fees. This might take some brain cells but it’s worth the effort. It can be as simple as parking elsewhere, staying with family or friends or carrying your own baggage. Flexo from Consumer Commentary has the fine points.
- Thinking of getting a vacation? Make sure you have a budget-friendly getaway. Yes, you can…afford some type of holiday even if you don’t have a whole lot to spend. Pam from Frugal Living has the details
- Learn the art of couchsurfing – a phrase for crashing at someone’s home, usually on their couch, instead of booking a hotel during your vacation. Though I have some reservations on this subject, this is a money-saving trend that is gaining traction. G.E. Miller at 20 Something Finance has an in-depth look at this concept.
Psychology of Money
In Life You Don’t Get What You Deserve You Get What You Negotiate…
That is actually the title of one of the best negotiation books published and to date remains very true. If you want to save money you need to learn about negotiation tactics and be willing to take the time to talk to different people.