Pressure Valve: Saving Areas For Households
I will always claim I’ve cut down on spending areas again and again- how much further can we cut? But here are a couple of areas of our everyday lives that we could make big savings on and release some of the strain on our monthly budgets.
Phone Bills
I raise my hand- I am totally guilty of wasting money on my phone. My contract is coming to an end so I have resolved to finally fix my phone bill problems. I signed up for a 24 month deal and fairly consistently spent more than the cap, which should have been close to impossible if I had just called and texted, but my roaming Internet costs continued to drag me down. Don’t sign the first contract you see- ask around, there are usually some pretty amazing details going. Chart your mobile usage for a month and see what you use most, and then look for deals that offer unlimited usage on that area. If you call and never text, what use is unlimited texting going to be for you? If you really want to keep track of your phone spending, get pre-paid.
Dinners Out
It is definitely tempting to not worry about cooking and just head out for a bite to eat. And it’s always a lovely way to catch up with someone, or to talk over the week with your family and have a bit of quality time. But if eating out happens frequently, it will burn through your wallet. Why not resolve to keep it to a couple of times a month for truly special occasions? Spend a bit of money on nice ingredients and cook a special meal at home. Get online and look at wines- with the slackening of the US market, there are wines that were marked for export that are now being sold off at remarkably cheap prices online. Prepare in advance for the days where you really can’t be bothered. Cook bolognaise and store it in the freezer. Keep easily prepared meals, like gnocchi, in the cupboard so you are not left without options should you not want to make a fancy meal.
Cars
Cars don’t have to be excluded completely- with a spike in car purchases last month, I think it unlikely people will start taking their vehicles off the road in order to save costs. But the more frequently you leave it at home, the more money you will save and quickly as well. The difference it will make to your wallet, should you walk, bicycle or catch public transport to work, will be remarkable. Beyond the cost of petrol, you’ll also have lower maintenance costs as you’ll be driving it less. If you are a two/ three/ four car family, discuss downsizing and working out ways to use only one or two cars.
Old And Outdated
Got cable for the kids and now only watch it every Saturday night if there’s nothing else going on? Swore you would get to the gym a couple of times a week and still haven’t put on the trainers? Vaguely interested in the magazine but never get to read it? If you have old subscriptions that you don’t use frequently, can them. It’s most likely for things set up with automatic deductions, that you will just not notice but all those costs could add up to a significant amount.
Related Posts
