How to Save $100 This Week

Planning & Saving
on February 28, 2013

In today’s difficult economy, more people are unemployed or underemployed. Gas prices are rising. Families and individuals are increasingly looking for ways to save money. Although times may be tougher financially, there are many ways to save money. By slightly modifying spending and lifestyle habits, $100 or more can be saved in a week relatively easily.

The first step to good money management is to make a budget and track spending. By categorizing spending habits and deciding on limits for each category, knowing where the household income is going each week is much easier, and doing so will make it easier to pinpoint areas in which spending can be trimmed.

People who eat out often can generally save a substantial amount of money by packing their lunch for work and bringing food from home. Restaurant meals are tremendously marked up. Buying food from the grocery store and making meals at home is much less expensive. Those who are concerned they may not have enough extra time to pack their lunch can simply prepare meals days in advance and keep the food in storage containers fir later use.

Utility services present another area in which cuts can oftent be made without much hassle. Cable and internet companies are offering promotional rates virtually all the time. Contacting the utility provider and asking if there is a way to save on the current rate may be an excellent source of savings. If the company does not immediately agree to offer a discounted rate, simply suggesting a willingness to shop around and consider other providers is often enough motivation for companies to be willing to offer a lower rate.

Examining paid service subscriptions and insurance policies can also yield hidden savings. Many people find that they have features on their cell phone plan that go largely unused like extra monthly minutes and text messaging allotments. Oftentimes, cable packages may include premium channels a household is unaware of or simply does not watch. Car insurance coverage may also present potential savings in which policy holders are paying for more coverage and add-on services than they actually need. These are all potential areas that can be cut back and allow households to save considerable amounts of money each month.

Cooking with items that are currently found in the pantry can allow shoppers to make large cuts to their grocery bill. Planning meals around food that has already been purchased prevents food from going to waste while eliminating the likelihood of making excess or unnecessary duplicate purchases.

There are numerous ways people can save money each week. Fortunately, these practices are so easy to implement that making cuts to generate savings does not have to be painful.

%d bloggers like this: