There is an old saying that if you don't break a dollar then you won't spend that dollar. That is even truer today if you talk about bigger bills, but the idea behind the saying stands. The smaller the money, the easier it is to part with. That's why so many people are parting with big bucks in small increments. Our minds just don't seem to be able to add it up. But if we stopped the little spending then we would be able to save big money every week. Here are some great ideas on how it can be done:
If you smoke or have to drink a cup of coffee from your local coffee shop every day, work to cut such expensive habits out of your life. If you save $4 a day on unnecessary expenses, you will have saved about $1,000 in a year's time.
Bring lunch to work instead of buying it. Not only will your meals be more varied and healthier if you do this, you will also save quite a bit of cash, roughly $5 a day. That adds up to $1,250 in a year.
Eat in more often. If you are a regular at dining in restaurants then you are probably wasting a large sum of money each year. By giving up just one meal out each week for you and your family you will probably be able to add another $2500 to your savings.
Cut hair at home. This is a pretty big saver for large families (especially those high on the girl numbers). You could potentially save $30 a head and that would mean lots of additions to your savings account.
Get rid of the cable. Since watching TV isn't the best habit anyway, getting rid of the cable will save you time and money. If you save $60 a month by not having cable television you would keep $720 for yourself each year.
Once you build up your savings, switch them over to a higher interest rate investment option. CDs are one of the most secure, higher rate investments on the market. As you continue to grow your savings, you can seek professional advice about the best way to invest that money.
Use the savings to pay off your mortgage early and you can save yourself even more money (in the form of interest). But be sure to check on prepayment penalties before you make that leap. It could end up costing you more than it would save you.