Ten Simple Things You Can Do to Save Money Today

by Nancy
Twigg

 

1. Instead of going out or hitting the nearest fast food drive-thru,
take
leftovers from last night's dinner to work for lunch today. You can
easily
save $5. By doing this just one time a week, you could save $260 by the
end
of a year.

2. Instead of buying a gift and birthday card for someone today, make a
homemade card and a batch of his or her favorite cookies to show how
much
you care. Even if you only saved $10 per occasion by doing this, that
$10
for one special occasion per month would add up to a $120 savings by the
end of the year.

3. Rather than renting a movie from the video store tonight, take the
family
to the library for browsing through books or reading the latest
magazines.
Assuming an inexpensive movie costs around $2.00 to rent, you could save
$104 by the end of the year by doing this just once a week.

4. Don't buy canned drinks from the vending machine at work. Instead
take a
six-pack of soda from home that you bought on sale. With at least a 25¢
per
can savings, you can save at least 50¢ if you drink two a day. That's a
savings of $2.50 a week or $130 a year.

5. Hang a load of laundry to dry either on a clothesline or on hangers
across your shower curtain rod instead of using your clothes dryer. You
can
save an estimated 50¢ per load. If you choose to air dry just three
loads of
laundry per week, you could sock away $78 by the end of one year.

6. Instead of buying snacks from the snack machine at work or school,
stock
up on snacks when on sale or at the bakery thrift store or bring
homemade
snacks. Snacks from vending machines can cost 50¢, 75¢ or even more.
Using the conservative estimate of a 40¢ savings per snack, you could
pad your bank account with an extra $104 a year by adopting this simple
habit.

7. Rather than running through a drive-thru or stopping at a convenience
store when you get hungry and thirsty, take a small cooler with snacks
and
something to drink along with you when you go out to run errands. Doing
this
can easily save you $2.00. By doing this two times a week you could save
a
whopping $208 by the end of a year.

8. Don't buy a newspaper; borrow a friend's discarded copy or stop by
the
library on your way home. This will save you 50¢ a day, or $52 a year
if you
do it just two times a week.

9. Save money and get some exercise by walking, riding your bike or
rollerblading for short trips. Assuming you'd save 32¢ per mile on gas
and
wear-and-tear on your car, you could save about $2.00 a week by doing
this
for three short trips a week (two miles or less). By the end of a year,
this
would add up to a $104 savings.

10. When you cook dinner tonight, omit meat from your meal. Cook a
meatless pasta dish or a vegetable soup and bread. Using a conservative
estimate of a $3.00 savings, you could save $156 by the end of a year by
just one time a week.

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About the
Author: 
Nancy Twigg is the editor of Counting the Cost, a twice-a-month
e-zine dedicated to everyday abundant living at its best. To subscribe,
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Nancy online at
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