Spend Money to Save: How to Save Over $500.00 A Year Without Really Trying

Sometimes the hardest part about savings money is the time it takes to find good deals and the effort and cutbacks you have to make to succeed. Other times, such as these below, you have to spend money to save money! Here are a few easy ways to change the habits and how you pay for necessities and keep more money in your pocket! Go ahead, you deserve that vacation!

NY Train: LIRR-Taking the Long Island Railroad to work in Manhattan every day? Don't let the MTA take your wallet for a ride. Join the mail-a-ride program. Not only will you receive your ticket in the mail automatically without having to buy it at the ticket counter (beats missing your train), you can receive from 2-4% off the cost! For a monthly ticket to Penn Station, that's a minimum of $55.68 per year! And, not having to take the time out of your schedule to buy your ticket is a huge plus.

NY Subway: It's not cheap in the long run to get where you need to go in Manhattan via subway. Even just back and forth to work could cost up to $1,170.00 a year and more! Do the math; if your monthly Subway usage costs more than $89.00, splurge for the monthly pass. If not, use the same card and buy the max amount of $45.00 when you refill. You will get an additional $6.75, or 3 Free rides, added on, which lowers your cost per ride to an approx. $1.96. If you use the subway twice a day, five days a week, you'll save yourself approx $152.00 a year.

Keep your car filled up, and keep an eye out for good pricing. Not only is it better for your car to keep it full (save money on wear and tear), you won't risk having to stop and high price-gougers in major areas. Keep in mind where to go and fill up whenever you're passing by. Save $0.10 a gallon or more, which could total to $182.00 a year+!

Dread taking the time to pay your bills each month? Pay your bills online. Most companies offer this service free. It is faster than sending a check, and saves the time of mailing and cost of supplies and stamps. Between mortgages, credit card and car payments, cable and electric, save over $40.00 a year on stamps alone AND save time. Plus, print out a payment receipt immediately to avoid any discrepancies that may occur.

It's hard enough finding reasonably priced car insurance. Many companies, like Geico, offer discounts for making automatic payments and handling your billing online. Geico offers a discount of $3 a month, or $36 per year, to have your payments automatically deducted from your checking account. How easy is that, to save money well, by doing nothing! If you're feeling even more adventurous, sign up for other qualifying discounts, such as a Full-Time Student Discount, Defensive Driver Discount, etc.

More is less when considering a down payment on a house or a car. The more money you are able to put down, the easier time you will have finding a reasonable mortgage. This is helpful if you don't have good credit, or very much credit. This will also help lower your monthly payments, which will be less of a strain in the long run.