We all struggle with money. It’s just a part of modern living. However, there are always small things that you can do, that don’t even require working hard, to help you achieve a bit better of a financial balance. And not only does that help you monetarily, it also gives you a psychological boost knowing that you have some control over your income and expense balance.
Five easy money-saving tips in particular include shuffling credit cards when applicable to save on interest rates, living cash-only for a bit of time, cutting your cable, buying an inexpensive car, and planning out your eating habits in advance as much as possible.
The Interest Rate Shuffle
At some point you may notice that you’ve bitten off more than you can chew when it comes to credit card debt, and the interest rate seems to be swallowing you whole. One great option at that point is to sign up for a new credit card with an introductory zero percent rate for a chunk of time. This can easily save you hundreds of dollars on fees, and literally costs you nothing to do.
The Cash-Only Break
Pencil in a chunk of time where you live cash-only for a little while. Make it a week or two, or maybe even a month. You’ll be absolutely amazed about how much money you save, simply because the idea of handing over physical cash is not only inconvenient and time-consuming, but it also feels like you’re spending money, whereas with credit cards especially, or digital money transfers, there’s no physical reality of money changing places.
Cutting the Cable
Want to know what one of the worst expenses is right now for the average person? Internet and cable costs. If you’re trying to find an easy money-saving tip, get rid of any cable service that you don’t absolutely need. You really don’t need all of those channels when you can be just as entertained with just a basic internet connection. Most people don’t even feel the difference in terms of content, but can save more than $100 per month by cutting cable.
The Low-Cost Car Option
People have a lot of their ego associated with the car that they drive. But, your ego, as it stands, is unnecessarily expensive. If you buy scratch and dent cars for as little money as possible, or if you buy junkers and then just get new ones instead of trying to fix the old ones, you’ll save many thousands of dollars over the years.
Plan Your Food Planning
And finally, food costs are absolutely skyrocketing. If you want to save money, you can, however, figure out how to buy in bulk, or schedule your shopping so that you can use coupons and sales to their max effect.