98 Ways to Cut Your Spending by $400 a Month

98 ways to Cut Your Spending by $400 a Month DELICIOUS DOES NOT EQUATE TO EXPENSIVE Cut Food SMALL SAVINGS WILL GO A LONG WAY 04 DISCOUNTS AND DEALS Reduce Go Green ŞAVE THE PLANET &SĀVE SOME BUCKS HAVE FUN FOR LESS Reduce Fitness Expense 03 FLEX THOSE MUSCLES AND YOUR BUDGET #01 Reduce Bills #05 Reduce Fitness Expense • Call your utility companies to make sure you're getting the best rate, and to make sure you really need all the services you're paying for like call waiting or premium cable channels.A few phone calls usually yields combines more than one type of medication. For example, Lotrel is a blood savings of $15 a month. • Are you taking advantage of your flex plan at work for pre-tax savings? • Save money on prescriptions by avoiding "combo pills. A combo pill pressure medicine that costs $70 a month for generic, but you could get a • If you live in a deregulated state, make sure you're shopping around for prescription for the two components (Amlodipine and Benazepril) for $6 each. the best electricity rate! It's easy! In Texas, go to PowerToChoose.org, enter your zip code, see rates, read the fine print and choose a provider. • Shop around and compare rates on auto and home insurance. Ask yourself if you could live with a higher deductible or different limits, and It's one less errand you'll have to run this week, and it's cheaper than buying make sure you are taking advantage of all the discounts available to you the medications from your vet. • Ask your doctor about any money saving prescription options • Order pet medications online from 1800PetMeds.com.Simply place your order online, and they will contact your vet for the prescription. • Start using a clothesline and you'll save about 6% on your electric bill • Order contact lenses online from DiscountContactLenses.com. Costco, Sam's and Walgreen's also offer discount contact lenses. • No dental insurance? Find a dental school in your area for exams. • Invest in a programmable thermostat • If you've had a disruption to your cable or satellite service, call and ask for a refund! • Want a bargain massage? Try a massage therapy school! In Houston, • Speaking of cable, ditch it and opt for Netflix or Hulu.unless Vou watch Memorial Hermann Southwest offers a 1 hour massage for only $29, and a lot of sports, this is a great option. tipping is not allowed! • Check out FREE diet websites like SparkPeople.com and MyFitnessPal.com. Simply input your weight, your desired weight, and you'll get a plan. These sites help you keep a food diary and keep count of calories, fat, protein and carbs. You'll also find plenty of motivation, and tips in their online forums. • Get fit for free! Walk, ride bikes, check out Pinterest Board of at home #02 Shop Smart • Stock up on discounted gift cards for places you normally shop. How does 15% off at JC Penney or Pier 1 sound? Buy discounted gift cards for workouts or try exercise dvd's. up to 30% off at Cardpool.com! • If you shop online, start with Ebates.com- you'll find coupon codes and earn cash back #06 Cut Food Costs • Shopping online? Never leave the coupon code box blank again! Sites like RetailMeNot offer free coupon codes • Make sure you're taking advantage of discounts! Check out this list of 133 Military Discounts or 66 Teacher Discounts. • Get in the habit of asking yourself if it's a need or a want. • Don't keep up with the Joneses. • Last minute shopping rarely yields big savings. • Shop thrift stores, Craigslist, Goodwill and consignment shops first • Try swapping instead of shopping. • Get in the habit of shopping Groupon and other deal sites. • Make sure you're taking advantage of rewards programs at places you regularly shop like CVS, Kroger and Petco. • Know the best times of the year to buy for something at it's cheapest • Consider homemade gifts and homemade Halloween costumes • Get in the habit of buying clothes during the end of season • Be thankful for what you have instead of shopping for more! • Always plan meals, make a list and try to grocery shop once a week. • Buy store brands, this alone will cut your grocery bill by 25%! • Use The Grocery Game, Inc.to maximize your savings. The Grocery Game helps you combine coupons with sales for huge savings and even a few free items each week. You will save at least $50 a week, • Shop Costco or Sam's for staples like milk, eggs, butter, cheese and sugar. This is where the real savings are. Remember, everything is not cheaper at a warehouse club. • Invest in a deep freezer so you can buy in bulk during a big sale. • Buy seasonal produce for best taste and savings. • Did you know that Kroger sells rotisserie chickens for half price after 7:30? Stock up, chop up, freeze! Check your local grocery for their policy. • Meijer sells all pre-sliced deli lunchmeat for half price after 8:30. See if your local grocery has a similar policy. • Check your local bagel and donut shops, you can likely pick up a bargain after a certain time of the day! Krispy Kreme sells a dozen donüts (the ones in the case) for $1 after midnight • Eat out for less with deals from Restaurant.com, Groupon.com or buy discounted restaurant gift cards for up to 30% off at Cardpool.com! • Don't miss out on over 100 Birthday Freebies from restaurants! • Discover all the Kids Eat Free offers. #03 Cheap Fun • Groupon.com is a great source for huge savings on fun things to do in your area like 62% off admission at the Museum of Natural Science! • Are you taking advantage of Report Card Freebies? • Eat in, not out! Those everyday trips to the drive-thru quickly add up • Make your own Starbucks and save about $1008 a year! • Plant a garden and enjoy seasonal produce for a fraction of the cost. • Lean to can fruits and veggies. • Always check out the grocery clearance /managers specials • Cook from scratch.you're paying way too much for convenience! • Try this rule - only order water at restaurants. • Try a high school football game for a cheap evening out. • AMC theatres offer $6 movies before noon. • Watch your old wedding video and family videos. • Have a wine tasting night at home and discover your favorite cheap wine. Simply cover a few bottles with brown paper, taste and rate! • Host a cooking school for your kids • Game night is a great family tradition to start! For a fun twist, add silly bets like loser does the dishes! • Create your own Wii Family Olympics by playing a different sport each More Ways to Save night - ideal for winter break • Check out FactoryToursUSA.com fora state by state listing of free tours. . DIY - could you make it yourself or fix it yourself? Thanks to You Tube, • Find free events in your city by doing a quick internet search • Pizza Taste Test - buy assorted frozen pizzas, taste, and rate • Start a family tradition of having ice cream sundaes on Saturday! there's a video to teach you just about anything! You can even learn to fix a leaky toilet! • Consider swapping babysitting or pet sitting with a neighbor. • Cut and color your hair at home. • Cut your dry cleaning bill by switching to no-iron shirts. 5 no-iron shirts from Costco cost $79.95, and youll save about $250 a year on dry cleaning. • Instead of a coin jar, try a $1 bill jar - you have to adjust for inflation, right? • Try Minute to Win It challenges at home. • Bring back home birthday parties! • Enjoy the outdoors - take a hike, go for a bike ride, watch the sunset! • Bank of America customers can take advantage of free museum and zoo • File your annual income taxes online with free services like Turbo Tax or admission the first weekend of the month. Check their website for a listing H & R'Block. If you're lucky their free tax tips might help maximize your refund! of participating museums/ zoos. • Check out books, movies and enjoy free events. • Let your kids get involved in Girl or Boy Scouts for affordable fun! •A neighborhood pot luck party • Deal first, destination second - this is The Budget Diet's motto when it comes to saving on travel. It simply means don't get your heart set on a destination, and then discover the deals don't exist. Instead, be open-minded about a destination and get excited about great deals. • Be pro-active and schedule professional routine maintenance on household items like plumbing (professional help can be sought from: plumber Burwood) and air conditioning systemis. • Did you know that discounted gift cards exist for travel? Recently, Costco had $300 American Airlines gift čards for only $269.99! Take a moment to peruse the huge selection of discounted gíft cards at CardCash.com and you'll find discounted gift cards for hotels, restaurants, shopping, etc • Save on Cruises with Vacations ToGo.com's 90-day last minute ticker. It's not unusual to find discounts of 75%! • Consider a home exchange program like HomeExchange.com or Affordable TravelClub.com • A road trip is always budget friendly! Plan a road trip to please everyone - you set the budget and dístance parameters, and each member of the family plans a day! #04 Go Green • Walking or riding bikes is budget friendly, earth friendly and figure friendly. Álso consider carpools • Plan Ahead. There's more to life than errands, and planning ahead will save you both time and gas money. • Driving 65 miles per hour uses 15% more gas than driving 55 miles per hour - that's like paying 40 cents more per gallon! • Pay Bills Online.Save trees, save stamps, save money! For more money saving tips, visit TheBudgetDiet.com • Discover your local farmer's market, and your budget will love the prices and you'll love the fresh taste of just picked produce! • Stop Junk Mail. It only takes a minute to visit DMAChoice.org to remove your name from mailing lists for catalogs, insurance offers etc. • Instead of a brown bag and zip top bags, carry a lunch box. and reusable bags • Stop Buying Bottled Water. That's $208 a year for WATER! Start buying refillable bottles for your family to take to work, school and sports. • Unplug - Phantom Electricity is the electricity that is used when a device is plugged in but not in use. • Recycle, Recycle, Recycle • Make the switch to homemade cleaning products that cost pennies to make and clean just as well without harsh chemicals. • Repurpose - Look twice at things before throwing them away! • Compost! • Check Craigslist for free plants..you'll almost always find them! 90 Cheap Fun 02 Shop Smart 05