Saving Ideas

As everyone may now, penny pinching is a big deal 

these days with the Nation Economy the way it is. 

Here are some ways that might bring in the joy of saving:

• Rethink what you drink
• Choose tap water over soda and those drops in the bucket will quickly add up: The average American drinks more than one can of soda a day. Replacing that soda with a drink of water will save a family of four nearly $2,400 a year!
• Join forces with friends
• Babysitting can cost $10 and up an hour, so one four-hour session a few times a month can add up to well over $1,000 annually. Consider forming a babysitting circle and swapping nights with your friends instead. 
• Keep the tip
• Instead of going out to dinner with friends, organize a supper club in which the host is only responsible for the main meal and guests bring sides and dessert. The average restaurant dinner for six costs $150, but you can easily buy ingredients for a three-course supper-club meal for $40.
• Set a weekly budget
• Keep a lid on day-to-day spending by taking a set amount of cash out of the bank every Monday and making it last through the following Monday. And, yes, using credit cards would be cheating. 
• Take five
• Save every $5 bill you get. They add up faster than $1 bills, but most won't even miss them. 
• Get wise to web deals
• Check out online trading services like paperbackswap.com, bookmooch.com and swaptree.com. If you're buying gifts, look for "Like New" used books on sites like Amazon/com and Alibris.com/ Some of these sites also have swaps for DVDs and CDs that you no longer use anymore. 
• Have fun at home
• Instead of paying more than $20 for a family to see one movie at the theater, you can watch several a month at home for under  $10. Plus be more comfortable.
• Keep track of your money
• Bring along a notebook when you shop to track spending, and create a budget on your computer. 
• Look but don't touch
• Researchers at Ohio and Illinois state universities say shoppers who hold an object for 30 seconds are far more likely to buy-and pay more- for it.
• Brown-Bag It
• If you set aside the money you'd save by bringing lunch to work every day, you'd have almost $4,000 to shoe for it in just four years. 
• Start thinking Christmas
• Gadgets take a price dip after annual tech shoes, making mid-winter prime bargin-hunting time for new electronics. 
• Don't phone home
• With a landline easily costing some $30 a month or $360 per year- consider getting rid of yours and relying solely on your cell phone.
• Be a super shopper
• Eat a meal before  going to the supermarket. Once you're there, shop the perimeter, walking in a spiral instead of up and down the aisles. Grocers position most of what you actually need near the supermarket walls, with the more superfluous items toward the center, at eye level.
• Pay less, get more
• Make sure you are coupon clipping! Believe it or not, coupons save you a lot of money at the end. 

I hope these tips will save you some money! 

Happy Savings!