How to Limit or Eliminate Using Your Credit Card and Save Money

This article is about saving money, and more specifically, how much a little saving here and there can add up to. The numbers are estimates, and you can adjust them according to how much you can afford. This little trick can enable you to get what you want, without using credit, or at least minimize credit use as much as possible. The goal is to be able to buy a $1,000 item in as short amount of time as possible.

Let's say you go a store, gas station, 7/11 etc. twice a day, and eat out three times a week. Assuming you were to put a portion of your spending aside each time you walk into a store, let's calculate how much exactly you can save every month.

Depending on what you are shopping for, at least half the times you walk into the store chances are you'll come out with unnecessary items. Soda, candy bars, chips etc. If you buy snacks like this four times a week, and every time you spend approximately $6, this adds up to $ 96/month. However, if you manage to only buy this twice a week, and instead save the money, you'll have $48 saved up in a month.

This doesn't seem like a lot when the goal is a $1000 item paid off by savings, but don't be put off just yet.

In addition to the savings from snacks, every time you go to the store, put $10 aside. Maybe you can find a way to exclude one item on the shopping list, postpone buying a new coat for the dog, and get a cheaper shampoo for a few weeks. Nevertheless, twice a day put $10 in savings when you come from the store. You can consider it a saving tax, and even put aside a certain percent of the spending. This will add $20/day to savings, which amounts to shocking $600 in one month!

If you get items on sale, go through the receipt and calculate how much exactly you ended up saving. If these were items you would have normally bought, whether or not it was a sale, then add this amount to your savings. Let's say you were able to save $50/month by using coupons/looking for sales.

When you eat out, skip the fries and soda at least half the time. If you must have soda to go with it, buy a two liter can and fill it up on a bottle. Use whatever money you save from this to help pay for the $10 that goes in the savings twice a day.

That $1,000 item is now well in reach, seeing as after one month the total adds up to approximately $700. Just by putting money aside after every visit to a store, you have saved yourself the pain with paying off on an item you got a year ago.

Drink water for a month, skip the snacks, get food on sale, and make coffee at home instead of going to Starbucks every day. Most importantly, put everything you save aside. The amounts of money you save after every trip to the store should be adjusted, if you can only afford $5 saved up every day then do that.

Limit the use of credit as much as possible. If you want an item so much that you are willing to take up credit for it, then surely it's worth adjusting your shopping habits for a month.