A Visual Guide to Budgeting Your Money

BUDGETING A Visual Guide to How Small Cutbacks Lead to Great Savings Insulate your home! Almost 45% of a homeowner's utility bill goes toward heating and cooling Don't be discouraged by the word "budgeting" – it doesn't mean your wallet is an inflexible medium which must be split into appropriately sized "pie slices."Your budget is actually able to expand and stretch in surprising ways. Many daily and so-called "small" purchases add up from chump change to wads of cash over the course of a year. In fact, a household could save more than $8,800 a year by adopting the following suggestions. Here's a closer look at frivolous spending and some convenient alternatives that can save you a lot of money in the long run. ATTIC Environmentally friendly CFL bulbs are both cheaper and longer lasting than standard 100 watt bulbs. A house using 20 bulbs will save $150 a year by switching to CFL bulbs, and simultaneously reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 1,877 pounds. Regular bulb CFL bulb $1.99 for 8,000 hours $2.53 for 8,000 hours Savings: $8.46 per bulb BEDROOM BATHROOM The average U.S.family spends $1,881 on clothing annually. A low-flow showerhead will save about $15 a year. Consider shopping at Goodwill; you can often find high-end items normally priced around $75, for as little as $2 to $5. Cleaning supplies By switching from *) name-brand to generic, your yearly average cost of $639 can be cut to $384. 0 When shopping, peruse cheaper stores first before visiting the more-expensive ones. Lose the brand obsession- looking good overrules the name on the tag. Invest in a .. programmable thermostat and never forget to adjust the temperature. **... A 20oz or 32oz bottle filled ... with water and placed in the ml Buy clothes out of season. Shop for bathing suits at the end of the summer or coats at the end of winter. Many out-of-season products are marked down between 30%-70%. Keeping the temperature at 68°F (winter), S 78°F (summer) could save you $400-$500 per year. toilet tank will reduce water use. Each flush is about one cent, roughly $48 a year. Home or indoor gardens can save up to $10 a week vs. grocery produce. KITCHEN DINING ROOM Make your own coffee A cup of joe at a corner café can run $3. Coffee addicts can spend up to $30/week, $120/month or $1,440/year. Morning routine Eating fast-food breakfast every weekday morning: $25 per week. Fixing a breakfast burrito or eggs at home: 50 cents a day, a $1,000+ a year savings. The average person spends $2,668 a year eating out twice a week, and about $450 a year in alcohol consumption. Home-brewed coffee costs about 50 cents a pot (2-4 cups). Limit yourself to eating and drinking out once a week and save more than $1,500 a year. Kick the soda habit $6/case of soda each week = $312 a year. Hold potluck dinners and drink in with friends. Now you're not paying/ tipping for someone else's services. Comparison shop local grocery stores. Typical savings: $20 a week (or $1,040 a year) just for bask essentials and produce. The average U.S, family spends $3,465 a year on food at home. Bottled water for one person can cost hundreds of sa year. Why pay for dollar plastic and shipping costs when tap water is free? НОМЕ OFFICE Scrutinize your monthly bills. What don't you use? LIVING ROOM Air conditioner Well-maintained ones cost about $550 for 3 years. Poorly maintained THE AVERAGE AMERICAN FAMILY SPENDS $2,698 A YEAR ON ENTERTAINMENT Premium cable channels cost $35 a month, Netflix costs $20 a month, but the library is free! Cell phone Cutting an unused unlimited service (Internet access, text messaging. etc.) saves $20 per month each. ones cost nearly double. PROPER GRAPH WORLD A $40 LCG4 electrical strip can be used to cut power to several appliances with just one click. Cut the landline and save $240 a year, even more if you factor in long distance charges. You could pay $360 a year for a gym membership, or exercise at home for free! Energy Star models cost up to 50% less than old or inefficient models. Appliances sap electricity even when turned off. * Laptop charger wastes $1.50 a month. 15 devices using 5 watts/hour each wastes $3 a month. Time to quit smoking? 5 packs a week: $1,800 a year BASEMENT GARAGE Insulating your hot water heater with a heat blanket can save up to $50 a year. Gasoline and motor oil costs an average of $2,384 a year. Remember to leave holes for If your commute is 25-miles the temperature gauges as to not void your warranty. round-trip, carpooling for half that time over 50 weeks will save $570 a year. Keeping your water heater at a comfortable 110F can save $40 a year. 110 ..... You should have your oil changed every 3,000 miles. MOTOR OIL Over four years/50,000 miles, the average driver is looking at about 16 changes intuit. If you do it yourself, $10 per change $160. A typical garage charges $25 per change $400. ННЕ LiL.