Five Easy Ways to Save Money that Anybody Can Use

Give yourself a raise by following these simple steps to reduce your cost of living.

• 1. Drop that expensive Gym membership- A lot of people go to the gym to socialize more than anything else and at $25 to $50 a month this is an expense that can really add up. Find new places to meet people and socialize, volunteer for community cleanup programs or charity work, join a hiking or running club. As far as daily exercise a few free weights, some pushups, and a jog around the neighborhood can give you just as good a workout as you would get at the gym. Sell the riding lawn mower or fire the lawn boy and get a push mower and that will give you at least one good workout every few weeks!
• 2. Grow a garden- This can be a great family activity and save a ton of money at the grocery store. Tomatoes, Strawberries, onions, and squash are some of the easiest crops to grow but with a little knowledge you can grow just about anything. Plant some fruit trees and enjoy free fruit for generations. This is a tip from the old school when previous generations grew gardens to supplement their family's food supply. An added benefit is home grown is always better tasting and probably better for than anything you'd buy in the grocery store.
• 3. Switch to tap water- Buy a few nice reusable water bottles for all your family members and you'll be amazed how much money you'll save while helping the environment. There is very little difference between what comes out of your tap and even the most expensive bottled water. The key is to make it as convenient as grabbing a disposable bottle by having a supply of good reusable bottles and to keep a few in the fridge to grab on the go.
• 4. Drop the cable and movie rentals- Switch to basic cable or no cable at all, get an HD digital TV antenna and you can get a lot of the local channels for free in some areas. There are lots of services online where you can watch TV shows and even movies for absolutely free. Hulu.com and YouTube have a ton of full length TV shows and al kind of feature length movies you can watch at no charge. Also check out your local library most have DVD collections anyone can check out.
• 5. When shopping make a list and stick to it '" This is a hard one to stick too but if you make a habit of it can become easy. This is one of those positive behavior modifications that everyone could use. Everyone's done it, you go to the store for one or two items and end up spending a hundred bucks on stuff you really don't need. Make a list of everything you need and don't deviate from it and before throwing anything in the buggy you should ask yourself is this something I really need?