Save Money by Saying “No!”
No, No, No!
by Melinda Bryce
Learning how to say “no” and mean it is one of the most effective tools in your arsenal of money-saving tips. Easy, right? Uh, huh.
If saying “no” to the little things, like that mega-jumbo salted caramel mocha for $4.29 or “that awesome new song” on iTunes for just 99 cents, is easy for you… then count yourself among the lucky ones.
I find it incredibly hard not to get my kids that slice of pizza when they’re starving at the mall, or telling them they can’t have a dollar for the claw machine. So how do you break this awful habit of “yes.”
Start with a No Day. Wake up one morning on a day where you have no plans to go out. (This makes the transition easier.) Tell your family that today is a No Day! Inform them that you will be saying “no” to all requests. Then stick to your guns.
“Mommy, daddy, can we go for ice cream?” NO.
“Can I have a friend over?” NO! (Friends eat your food, costing you money.)
“Mom, can I climb the side of the house?” NO!
“Will you make me a sandwich?” No.
Once they get used to “no” ALL the time, they will be grateful when you do say “yes.”
Next, use your new No Skills out shopping. Take your family out to the grocery store, department store, art show, or whatever floats your boat! When they ask for something, utilize your new found “no confidence.” “Mom, I’m starving, can I have popcorn?” NO! You just saved $1.99. It might just be two bucks, but all of those little things add up.
Now, try to use your No Voice on yourself! When that inner self says that you’d look great in that new pair of red stilletos, stop and think of six inch pumps are a need or a want. Then use your strong “NO” voice, because you know your four inch heels will look fine with that little black dress. You can even utilize this when buying things you think you need, like groceries. Do you really need the name brand cereal, when generic Sugar Coated Cuddle Crunchies will do just fine? NO! Do you need that new set of hand weights when you could use soup cans? NO!
Once you’ve mastered NO, you can start recording the money you’ve saved. Make a “No Chart.” Have everyone in the family write things that they wanted, but said “no” to, each day and the amount of money they saved by empowering themselves with that one tiny word! Make it a challenge. Whoever saves the most by saying “no” during the duration of a month gets to choose one small item off their list to purchase! That makes it fun and rewarding!
So, put that little word to the test and see how much money you can save! Just don’t say “no” to this tip.
Evaluate Your Means vs. Quality of Life and Save Money!!
So many of us graduate high school or college and dash out into the world expecting to replicate the home we just left. What we didn’t or don’t realize is that it took our parents years to build that home; it probably wasn’t done over night. Evaluate your means; how do you make money? What do you expect to buy with your earning power? Is it realistic?
A mistake that many of us make is we start investing in our quality of life in a materialistic way before we invest in our ability to make money. Think about this; every day you go out to labor your selling your product, labor. Don’t you want to get the highest dollar possible for it? Before you can ask for that though you’ve got to create a quality product. That translates in to investing in your ability to ask more for more for your labor. We would all enjoy doing work that we love. But is that realistic in a poor economy and, and that’s a big AND, is your job your life, or is it a means to support your life? With the baby boomers coming of age, any profession in the health field will boom. America is importing workers from other countries at this moment because we do not have enough skilled workers to fill these positions. There is a difference between Education and Vocation. I am not suggesting that you give up your day job and seek a Ph.D. What I am suggesting is that you look into a vocation that pays what you believe you need to support the quality of life that you believe you want.
Stop buying the things that represent your end goal. I’ll give you an example. My daughter’s once asked me why we could never buy a brand new sofa. My reply was always the same. Until the time in my life passed where I no longer had children, animals and other events that would ruin a brand new sofa’s life span, a used one would do just fine. Same went for the dining table. I had children and the dining or kitchen table was the only place for them to do crafts. Did I really need a new one? No that was for later in my life, if at all. I needed one that they could finger paint on, scratch, scrape and mark on that wouldn’t create disaster. That’s what table cloths are for, to hide that stuff when you need your table for other things.
This is all about setting priorities and evaluating exactly where your headed, living within your means for the moment and improving your means for the future. Stop living beyond your means right now and save money!
What are you saving for?
Separate Your Savings
by Melinda Bryce
So, now that you’re well on your way to cutting your budget by not spending money, you need to ask yourself one question! What are you saving for?
I am just an average housewife from a middle income family, but as far as I’m concerned there are three goals that money-saving efforts are geared toward.
Goal One: Saving to Make the Budget
This means that you need to cut corners to make the bills. That money should stay in your bank account and be included in your weekly or monthly budget for necessities like food, gas, mortgage or rent, car payment, insurance, phone, or anything else that is a regular recurring payment for necessities.
Goal Two: Saving for Extras
So now that your spending on necessities is within your budget, you want to do something fun with the extra money! How about a camping trip, a visit to the state fair, or something bigger like vacation? I recommend saving in cash for these things, especially if you have kids. Why? Kids like to “see” their efforts, and so do adults sometimes! Write the amount of money you need to save on the outside of a clear glass or plastic jar, a tall vase, or bottle. Every day at the end of the day, throw your spare change into the jar. You can make it a family event, perhaps after dinner, where you all empty your pockets, backpacks, and purses. Just the change on a daily basis, though. You won’t miss it.
My family saved up $512.17 in coins over the period of about six months doing this. We used the money to take a weekend vacation to a water park!
If you want more immediate gratification, once a week you could add whatever money you are able to spare, maybe even just $10 a week, in paper money. It’s really fun to watch the container fill up and reach your goal together. Just remember, if you are saving large quantities, keep the jar someplace safe and away from “swipers” (like kids friends with sticky fingers). Only pull it out when you are adding to it.
Goal Three: Long Term Savings
So, you have your bills paid and your occasional fun extras covered. Now your concern is long term savings for things like emergencies, new cars, college, retirement. I recommend this money first go into a savings account until you have about two months worth of salary saved. Keep that money in there for emergencies, like that trip to the emergency room or (god forbid) a layoff. After you have that saved up, you can start talking to your significant other about your long-term savings priorities. You may start looking into college savings investment opportunities. Or perhaps you are looking beyond that to your retirement, which can seem far off but creeps up faster than we probably anticipate. There are lots of resources online to learn about your options and make a plan so you don’t have to end up a Wal Mart greeter when you retire from corporate career.
My realistic, no-nonsense last word is this: Don’t deprive yourself completely while you’re saving toward your goals. If you do, you will end up angry and might give up. The short-term goals are fun, and help you realize that saving is not that hard once you get the hang of it!
Two Tips to Save Money
When Shopping is a Passtime
by Melinda Bryce
Shopping, simply for the act of doing it, has become a major American pass time. How many of us know exactly what we are looking for when we head to the mall, to Target, or to the quaint little shops in that adorable downtown where we like to go for a latte or a cup of gelato? Okay, occasionally we are on a mission. But more often than not, we are simply shopping to fill up our otherwise stagnant existence.
So what to do when our pocket-books don’t support our pass time? Here are two great tips help you save your money, get your shopping high, and go home feeling good about your day.
Tip One: Dump and Dash Imagine you are at your favorite large chain, Target or Walmart, Kohls, Marshalls, wherever it is that has carts and dressing rooms. Okay, got it in your head. You are out on your own to pick up socks and bathroom towels, but your knuckles are wrapped tight around that smooth plastic handlebar, and you’re on a roller coaster to the sale racks! Okay, while it’s good you are headed to the sale racks… do you really need that wool sweater? It’s May for gosh sake. But, you try it on and it looks great. It especially looks great with those designer jeans… and the knee high leather boots. Well, you need a long-sleeved tee to go under there, and maybe some new underwear! By the time you are done “saving,” you are up to $217 in savings that you wouldn’t have spent if you had just gone straight to the towels.
But here’s what you do… put all that stuff in your cart. Go to the linen section, pick out some lovely bathroom towels that are on sale, grab your new socks, and head to the check out. When you get there, place the towels and socks on the counter and kindly hand the rest of the stuff to the cashier, uttering these words: ”I don’t think these are going to work for me.” You look mortified. Don’t worry, the cashier doesn’t care, she’s seen it a million times. If you really want to, pick ONE thing that you really want, and give the rest back. You’ve had the thrill of shopping and trying, without the price tag!
If you can’t bring yourself to “Dump and Dash,” then follow the second trick for sport-shopping.
Tip Two: ”Buy and Bring Back” Before you implement the “B&BB” strategy, make sure you know the store’s return policy. You don’t want to get stuck with this stuff later because they have a “no return on clearance items” rule or something. So, once you’re sure they have a solid policy, shop to your heart’s delight. If you’re downtown at that boutique and they have a PERFECT china cat that you fall in love with because it reminds you of Mr. Whiskers, buy it! Make sure you keep the receipt in the bag. Then, the next day, go back to the store and explain that it didn’t match your sophisticated decor and you’d like to please return it. This technique works especially nicely when you’re out shopping with friends… you hate to be outshopped. They’ll never know that you were just smarter.
My last words here are not actually shopping tips. They are shopping-avoidance tips. First, surround yourself with friends who prefer to sip coffee, volunteer, or go for a hike instead of shop. Next, try hosting a clothing exchange instead of trouncing out to the stores for brand new fashion. Finally, offer to watch someone’s small child while shopping. Preferably a toddler in dire need of a nap and a diaper change.
Turn Off the Lights and Save Money!
When I was a young child, I had a real problem turning off the lights around the house that I would turn on as I made my way through room by room. My father worked for the local electric company and we received a discount on our electric bill as a benefit from his employment. Nonetheless, his favorite and loving way of reminding me to turn off the lights was to say, “Only one person in the house works for the electric company!” His meaning was since we were all in one room, why were there lights on in other areas of the home.
Not picking on children but they are probably the worse offenders. With televisions, video games, and all the other electrical devices that can be running in your home at the same time; it requires some monitoring to save money.
If you start teaching your children about energy consumption right now it will grow with them into adulthood. Teach them about turning off lights to conserve energy. This will require some behavior modification, but it can be done. If you have a child who must have the light on during night hours, use a night-light instead of a bedside lamp.
In addition, slowly start changing your conventional light bulbs to energy-saving bulbs. Because they are expensive, it will be something you will need to do gradually. But if you do; the money savings will eventually show up on your electric bill.
Check out the lighting systems in your home as well. Notice that in the “olden days” one bulb was adequate to light up you bathroom. But not now days. Now we have lighting fixtures that require four to six bulbs. Why? Is it really necessary? If you can’t or don’t want to remove the fixture consider removing some of the bulbs and replacing a couple with energy-efficient bulbs at a higher wattage, if your fixture is rated properly and see if it really makes that big of a difference.
This is one more example of products that have been made and designed to over consumer energy unnecessarily. Do you really need a fixture over your dining table that requires eight light bulbs? Or will one really nice fixture that requires one energy-efficient bulb do just as well?
All of these suggestions will add up to money savings on that electric bill. But the most important thing to remember is to turn off the lights or any other electric product that’s not being used!
Change Your Window Coverings and Save Money!
Back in the day, when people were concerned with energy savings, prior to the new Green Movement, window coverings were in the top category of considerations. However, when money was free-flowing prior to the crash of 2008 many of us forgot to continue to manage our energy consumption and started replacing energy-efficient window covering with pretty new modern coverings that are absolutely worthless when it comes to saving money!
I live in the desert, so during the really hot time of the year, I use thermal reflector sheeting. But this is not the subject, although I do recommend that product if you live in the Southwest, however most of us already know about if and use it; we have to.
I am speaking of thermal draperies. Thermal draperies are still available,very affordable and offer the best of both worlds. They keep out the cold and the heat. They are available in decorator styles and thicknesses. Some of them are machine washable and some are not so shop around. If you choose the right product they are also very durable. They have to be to be machine washable. If you have children, pets, live in a dusty area or allow smoking in your home, this is a must.
Personally, I use thermal reflective sheeting in the summer along with thermal drapery. The drapery hides the thermal sheeting from the inside and adds a double layer of heat protection. I have one of the cheapest air conditioning bills around and don’t feel so guilty about using it.
All of this applies to the outside of your windows as well. No, I am not suggesting you hang draperies on the outside of your home. What I am suggesting is that if you live in a home that does not have energy-efficient double pane windows, you might consider adding that second layer yourself. People used to do this every winter as a matter of course when I lived in the mountains. But again this practice seems to have ceased somewhat. I believe it’s because we started becoming energy wasteful again.
If you have windows and you can feel either hot or cold air coming through them, add a second layer on the outside of your home. You can purchase inexpensive clear plastic material from your local hardware store and apply it using a nice metal trim. Check with your homeowners association to make sure they allow this. Hopefully you don’t live in a neighborhood that would prevent your from weatherizing your home to save money.
Turn Off the Water Heater and Save Money!
This may be an old tip and then again it may be fresh because people have forgotten. Do you have an electric water heater. Good for you if you do because electricity is a renewable resource. But doubly good for you because you can save money!
Many people have heard about turning down their water heater to save money. I’ll mention that briefly for you gas water heater owners or renters. Many people don’t realize that they can adjust the temperature setting on their water heater. It doesn’t have to be scalding hot. For one thing it’s dangerous and for another it’s extremely expensive.
Have you ever thought about the fact that while you are lying in bed sleeping your water heater is running and heating water that then cools off and is reheated again? Yep, that’s what happens. It cycles all night long. Even if you wrap it in a thermal cover, which I hope you do; another way to save money, it still cycles. If your water heater is outside our in the unheated garage you have an even bigger problems. Why? Because it’s cold out there and your water heater will cycle on and off more often.
My friend’s husband is an electrician. She is the one who told me about this. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of this myself! Not because I’m brilliant but because I love timers. I have a very bad memory and I love to use timers whenever possible to save energy.
It never occurred to me to have one installed in the line to my electric water heater! phenomenal money saver! These timers are inexpensive and easy to install. I am not suggesting you do this yourself, unless you happen to be an electrician. Lucky you if you know one though who you can barter or trade with to do the work.
If not, call around and get some estimates on the cost of having one installed. If you’ve never used one before, they are very simple to operate. You simply set them to allow electricity flow during a certain time period and shut off the flow of electricity during other time periods. Now think about your family’s daily activities and see if this will work for you. After the time people are through bathing, showing, and the dishes are done at night, it’s time to turn off the hot water. When is it time to turn it back on? About an hour before everyone starts getting up to take more showers or groom for the day. Guess what? If everyone leaves the house again, you can set the time to shut off again while you’re all away and to come back on just before you get home. The money savings are unbelievable!
Be Well-Groomed and Save Money!
Ladies and Gentlemen, but mostly ladies; you can be professionally well-groomed without spending hundreds of dollars at the nail and hair salon. Let’s discuss this issue.
The popular trend of wearing several hair colors may or may not still be in fashion in your area; but I bet the trend of dying your hair remains. This article argues that you can stop dying your hair and still be professionally well-groomed. Having well manicured nails and well-groomed hair is vitally important in a job interview and working at any profession for that matter. But it doesn’t mean that you have to follow the current trend.
Have you ever taken a really good look at models? What exactly is it that makes them stand out from the crowd besides their anorexic, super tall, extraordinary beauty. It’s their “natural” beauty. Now a little extra work goes into that “natural” beauty; but nonetheless, it is natural.
You can accomplish the same thing without spending the hundreds of dollars trying to buy it by being trendy. By the way, don’t think that trying to be trendy goes unnoticed. People make judgements about whether you are trying to buy your confidence or whether you “own” it.
Groom your hair yourself. Take care of it by not allowing applications of dyes, bleaches and other harmful care products. Develop that beautiful hair those models swing around on television. It doesn’t matter what color your hair is; yes I’m talking to you ladies with that gorgeous gray or silver hair out there as well. Condition your hair. Trim it regularly. Get advice on the best cut to fit your face. You will stand out from the crowd. Isn’t that what we’re after? In following the trend, we blend. We become part of the herd and are unnoticed achieving just the opposite effect that we’re after. Some of you are probably thinking, “but my hair is so dull”. Then make it shine! Use those inexpensive hot oil treatments during your time off to make that hair shine.
Nails are my second issue. What’s more attractive, a set of well manicured natural nails or a set of over grown acrylic nails you can’t afford to manage? Even if you can afford to manage them, I can assure you, a well set of manicured natural nails are much more attractive than plastic glued to your beautiful natural nails.
If you really want to stand out in the crowd and be noticed, accentuate your natural beauty with less expensive products and avoid the multi hundred-dollar trips to the salons and save money!
Take Care of Your Car and It Will Take Care of You – Save Money!
This is not just the old get an oil change every 3000 miles and your engine will last longer advice. This is about saving gas and your car will reward you by saving you money. You have probably heard some of these suggestions before but having them all on one page will hopefully give you a checklist that will optimize your gas saving techniques. Who couldn’t use that? Plus a couple of tips will be included on maintenance to save you even more money.
First keep your tires inflated to the recommended pressure. Under inflated tires are one of the biggest offenders of wasted gasoline. Check your tire pressure frequently. Changes in weather can affect your tire pressure. Some people recommend even inflating your tires beyond the recommendation of your vehicle manufacturer. This is not recommended by this writer. Just keep them to the proper inflation. Recent studies in the United States report that for about every ten percent your tires are under inflated you lose about one percent of your miles per gallon.
Get regular tune ups. If you think you car is not running as well as it used to; you’re probably right. It probably needs a tune up and if it does; it’s most likely using more gas than it needs or running “rich”.
Do you collect stuff in the trunk or back-end of your car that you don’t need? Is it there because you don’t know what else to do with it? If so then take it out! It’s costing you in fuel. Yes, the extra weight you drive around with unnecessarily costs you in fuel.
Invest in a gas monitor; these are cool little gadgets, easy to install that tell you how much gas you are using based on your driving habits. See super saver article, “Change Bad Driving Habits and Save Gas”. In this article we talked about “jack rabbit starts”. You know, hitting the gas pedal hard when you start off and what a gas waster that is? Well those same folks generally also race to the next stop sign/light and screech to a halt. This causes extreme wear and tear on your brakes. Friend of mine just had his brakes replaced on is 1/2 ton truck, $800 out the door. How badly do you want to race to the next stop? How badly do you want to save money?
And finally yes, get those regular oil changes. There is no preventative maintenance that is dollar for dollar as effective as regular oil changes.
As usual, my signature comment, saving money takes effort and behavior modifications. But its worth it and the reward is money saved. That’s what we’re after, right?
Change Your Driving Habits and Save GAS = Save MONEY
Here we go again; behavior modification. It always seems to be tied to saving money, doesn’t it? Changing your bad driving habits will save you gas and therefore save you money though, it’s true! You’re hopefully asking, “What are bad driving habits?”. Well, here they are:
1) Over accelerated starts, also known as “jack rabbit starts” – You know these people or perhaps you’re one yourself. Why people do this vary. But what it does is eat up your gas like there’s no tomorrow. Imagine; you’re at a red light, you look over and think to yourself,”I’m going to be the first off the line.” Maybe you’ve been watching a little too much auto racing, or you have a competitive nature, or you just love speed, or you just pride yourself in the fact that your car is faster than anyone around you. It really doesn’t matter, but what does matter is your paying for that ego. So if you really want to save money, think it over before you hit that gas pedal.
2) Freeway Driving – Ever notice those folks on the freeways or highways weaving in and out of traffic on long distance drives who change their speed from 55-95 mph depending on what they can get away with? Yes, they are wasting gas; if you average their speeds and keep an eye on the situation, you’ll find they really don’t get there much faster than you. But one things for sure, they’ve used a whole lot more gas. Studies show that driving at a constant speed optimal for your vehicle on freeways and highways, saves gasoline. Advice by most studies, if you have cruise control, use it.
Those of you who own gas efficient cars with built-in gas monitors appreciate what I’m talking about. I’m not in to recommending brands, that’s your job as a consumer. But certain hybrid vehicles come equipped with cool gadgets that monitor your gas use practically by the minute. It’s very apparent when you are consuming mass amounts of gasoline and when you are not. These meters are a fabulous tool because for those of us that need a little monitoring ourselves, they provide just that. Compete with the gas monitor instead of the drivers next to you. I’m not implying that you have to drive like a turtle, just don’t start like a jack rabbit.
After market meters are available, but shop around. Many of the newer styles come equipped with a bunch of extra features you probably don’t need. They are very easy to install and will eventually pay for themselves plus more if you willing to put in the effort to change your bad driving habits.
