1. Create a budget – If you don’t already have a budget, now is the time to make one. You may be surprised to see where your money is going. You may save a lot of money by ending those coffee runs or candy bars when you stop for gas.
2. Don’t use throw away cleaning products – This is a big drainer of money. Don’t use paper towels, single use toilet cleaners, or any other cleaning product that you use and throw away. You can use a kitchen cloth to clean, then wash it in the washing machine. That way you won’t have to worry about building up germs in the cloth.
3. Turn off the lights – Make sure to always turn off the lights when you leave a room. Shut down your computer at the end of the day.
4. Unplug – If you aren’t using something, unplug it. Simply having an appliance such as your toaster oven plugged in drains a bit of electricity. If you are like me and don’t use the toaster oven very often, unplug it.
5. Refinance your house – Rates are very low right now. You may save a lot of money by refinancing to get a lower payment. Keep in mind that you will most likely have to pay closing costs. Generally, those need not come out of pocket.
6. Reduce your food costs – Eat less glamorously. Make meals at home. Consider serving meals that would make a chef run away screaming like hot dogs or soup and grilled cheese. Try making meatless meals.
7. Be creative in reusing items – Here are some great ideas from Lifehacker.
8. Look at your phones – Do you really need all those cell minutes or the data plan? If you have a cell phone, do you still need the home phone?
9. Turn off the cable – Try doing other activities such as puzzles, reading books, Mad Libs, art projects, or anything else you can think of. Learn to sew. Then you can save money on clothes. If you are worried about missing your favorite shows, you can find almost all of them online.
10. Pay down debt – It seems impossible in a recession, but read my post on snowflaking and the Uncrunch series from September. Even your change can help. That $300 credit card with a $30 payment is costing you money. Oay it off and you have an extra $30 a month and are no longer racking up interest.
11. Look at your personal care expenses – Do you really need to get your nails done every two weeks? Can you pass on the pedi? Have a hair color party with some friends and color each other’s hair. Are you buying department store cosmetics when there is something cheaper that works just as well? Try Avon or Oil of Olay.
12. Visit Google’s Tip Jar – This site has great tips for saving money. It is based on reader tips so there is always something new.
13. Look at some of your expenses that you rarely think about – Magazine subscriptions, gym memberships, lawn care, etc. What can you cut out?
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