Save Money By Reducing Household Expenses

If you've been trying to find a way to save more money each month, the answer may be right under your nose! Often times, families can reduce some of their household expenses without experiencing much change in their lifestyle or quality of living - and the money you save on expenses can be deposited into your savings.

Groceries

A common spending category that people generally spend more than they need to is groceries. How many times have you gone to the grocery store to pick up bread and milk, only to come home with the bread and milk and about a bag of extra stuff you didn't really need or intend to buy?

You can save money on groceries by limiting the number of trips to the store. Try to plan your meals so that you can make one trip per week, and get everything you need. Less trips to the store means less opportunity for impulse buys. If you get really good at meal planning, you could even stretch your grocery shopping visits to two weeks!

Electricity

It's estimated that about 40% of your electricity costs are from phantom electricity usage. You know all of those electronics that flash or display the time even when they're not in use? They're soaking up your electricity watts! You can plug everything into power strips and hit the "off" button whenever you're not using them; or simply unplug electronics when they're not in use. You might be surprised at how much you can save from such a simple process that adds less than a second to your routine.

Entertainment/Communications

How much are you paying for cable television? Home phone? Cell phones? Movie rentals? Chances are you spend a lot more on these items than you need to. Did you know that you can watch many television shows in their entirety online? Check to see if your favorite shows are broadcast on the internet for free and if so; consider reducing your cable television plan to a smaller package and lower monthly price.

If you have a cell phone and a home phone, consider getting rid of one or the other. If you only use your cell phone for emergencies, why do you pay every month for it? Get yourself a pre-paid cell phone plan and add minutes only as needed - you'll save money if you really do use the phone for emergencies or quick calls to see if your wife needs anything on the way home.

The point is - look at everything you buy and spend on a monthly basis and see if there are ways to reduce your living expenses. Often there are alternatives to what we are doing or buying that are far less expenses, but get the job done or entertain us just as much! Put the money you save into a savings account.