Saving Money in Ways You Never Knew Before

Saving money is the number one quest on the minds of the majority of Americans today. There are many bills that we will have very little control over such as property taxes, but many of our expenses we can save money on. I am going to share with you some of the many ways I have personally found to save money.

If you pay for home owner's insurance or car insurance you know that you can shop around for the best rates. Here is something you are probably not aware of, you could save even more on your insurance by having them combined or pay by direct debit. My car insurance company offered a savings of $200.00 a year just by having a monthly payment withdrawn from my checking account. I also get an additional 10% off of both car and home insurance because they are with the same insurance company.

Check out your monthly food bill. How much do you usually pay each week for food? Our grocery bill is where we have the greatest control over. Try to shop at a cheaper than average grocery store. Grocery Outlet, Payless Foods and the other discount outlets are great money savers. Stay away from places like Costco where you can be fooled into buying in bulk thinking you are saving, but in reality you are not. Coupons don't help unless they are for what you buy normally. Stock up on items that your regularly use when an item is on sale like toilet paper or light bulbs. Make a shopping list before you got to the store and stick to it. Above all else never go to the grocery store on an empty stomach or else you may end up buying everything in sight.

Gasoline prices are on everyone's mind nowadays. Here is how family manages the increase in prices. We set a weekly gasoline budget and don't just "filler' up". We have more than one car in the family. The little commuter car gets most of the use because it gets great mpg. The truck stays home and is just used for trips shorter of 3 miles or less, which is no more than 3-4 times a week.

We use to have a major cell phone provider that we paid a monthly bill. When the bill got to be $70.00 a month for 3 phones we said enough. We did not give up the phones we simply switched to a pay as you go type of plan. If you decide to go that route then be aware that some providers charge a daily access fee every time you use the phone. Check out each plan carefully. The best way to find out which phone works in your area is to go to the local Radio Shack or Walmart and ask them. Just ask which company provides the best coverage in your area. We had a choice of Tracfone or a Go phone. Tracfone worked out the best for us. So far we have cut our cell phone bill in half. Best yet is that we are not tied to a "contract" and we can switch to another company should their prices become more attractive.

I hope that you got some useful ideas from my experiences.