10 tips that keep your wallet full

Is the thought of financial crisis troubling you? Do you want to spend less?
No need to be worried: with the following tips you will be able to cut on expenses in no time. 

I. Grocery shopping
Don’t ever shop on empty stomach! That way the advertisement is especially tempting. Before you leave home, make a shopping list and stick to it! Match up the prices per pound or ounce to find the best deal. If you look around the shelf, you will note that cheaper items are located at harder to reach locations, usually at the bottoms of shelves. More expensive goods would be presented in front of your eyes. If you can tell the difference between a $9 bottle of wine and a $30 bottle of wine blindfolded, buy the more expensive one. If you can’t, stick to the $9 one. Having your shopping list ready, don’t fall into the trap of buying stuff because it’s cheap.

II. Water
Do you really need to pick up your favourite bottled water every day? By filtering your tap water you save both money and you also help the environment. Sure: recycling all the plastic bottles is one way to go, but not creating the waste works even better.

III. Coffee
Can’t live without caffeine? Most people can’t. But is it worth paying for your coffee every morning? Learn to make coffee yourself and save a lot.

IV. Snacks
The breakfast long forgotten and your lunch break far away time for some snack. Chocolate bar might be tasty, but eating it every day is no good to your health and wallet. Try fruits and veggies instead. Getting slimmer is just another side effect.

V. Movies & Cable
A night out at the movies is not particularly cheap. It can be between $20 and $30, including popcorn. On the other hand, for $9/months you can watch all the movies you like on Netflix. But when you do finally sit down and watch TV, do you go through all the channels you have available?
Have a look at what you are actually paying for and get rid of all those channels you have no use for.

VI. Music CDs
Do you still keep collecting expensive new released CDs for one or two songs? Why don’t you check out the on-line services allowing you to download just the songs you like? iTunes or Amazon let you download them for under $1 per song.

VII. Phone
While some people may be able to live without a cell phone quite happily, most of us can’t either for personal or professional reasons. But having a cell phone doesn’t have to be a burden. Don’t stay with your cell network provider only because of loyalty. If you find a better plan with another company, go for it. Also consider pay as you go.

VIII. Gas
For busy professionals, having a car although costly is a necessity. Because the use of gas differs significantly, you should look up the fuel efficiency of gas online before you make the purchase. What you save on a single refill may not be a lot, but over the years the savings are huge.

IX. Smoking
Quitting smoking not possible for you at the moment? Try rolling tobacco instead. Switching to rolling tobacco saves you plenty of money (up to 50%), since you tend to use less tobacco per cigarette. Give it a try!

X. Credit cards
Having a credit card could be a real advantage in unforeseen situations when you are short of cash. On the other hand, that tiny bit of plastic can really make your life costly and difficult, when you are unable to repay it on time. Most people keep using their credit cards only out of a habit. Think differently. Close all your credit card accounts except for one and live on what you make! Or do you really enjoy paying the interest rate every time you pay with that piece of plastic?

I hope these tips help you save money. They’ve helped me and my friends afford wonderful family vacations and cruises. Live well and smart. Don’t forget the best things in life are free – time with your friend and family. Make the most out of life and don’t work yourself to death.

I have my office working on a four day work week and they love it. More time to enjoy life and more time for friends and family.