I have been engaged in a bit of research on the numerous tactics to save cash and have discovered numerous good ideas amongst those that are not so good.



Ideas that are not so worthwhile are those that are unrealistic (?pay off your credit cards now and save interest? which you would have done if you could), lame (coupons and rebates and corny nonsense such as that) and too much of a sacrifice (use public transportation, etc)

So, here are a few good ideas?

1 TAXES ? Adjust the total taken out of your paycheck. Take the extra cash coming in and put it into a sound investment like a solid mutual fund or such and then keep the interest at the end of the year and return the principle to the government so your tax payments are correct. Could be more like a raise than a savings.

2 CAR INSURANCE ? Raise your car insurance deductible. By allowing a higher deductible you can save 10-15% off your car insurance which may equal $100-200/year or more. If you are a bad driver then don't choose this! lol

3 COMBINE YOUR PROVIDERS ? You can put your home phone, internet, cable tv, sometimes also your cell phone into one bill and save $50/month or more

4. CHOOSE RESTAURANTS WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE A WAITRESS ? I have a place right down the road from where I live. You order at the counter and then go sit and they do bring the food but you are not expected to leave a tip..

5. HOME ENTERTAINMENT ? You can sign up for a Blockbuster or Netflix membership and save considerably on your costly DVD watching habit. Alternatively you can get a library card and not pay a nickle for all the flicks you can watch!

6. DITCH YOUR HEALTH CLUB ? Too noisy, too dirty, sorta gross, meat market, kind of torture self inflicted? there are no shortage reasons to not enjoy going to the health club besides the cost. But a good old fashioned stroll or some sit ups are just as rewarding in most cases as anything you can do at the health club.

7. OPTIMIZE YOUR GASOLINE CONSUMPTION ? Properly using water in your fuel system can save you up to 1/3 off gas costs for your automobile by making the gas you buy perform better. If you pay $40/week for gas you might just save $600 or more per year!