Everyday Mistakes Killing Your Bank Account

A Guide to Save Money in All Aspects of Your Life

By Brittany Herman

School’s starting, the parents are growing older, and your million dollars hasn’t come in yet. This article is all about saving money in ALL aspects of your life.  So sit back, relax and enjoy this helpful and entertaining read.

Home & Electronics

• Don’t Buy Cleaning Solutions, Make them Yourself. Most cleaning solutions are very dangerous when it comes to our personal health but more so, they can cost an arm & a leg.  You can make your own cleaning spray by using basic ingredients such as baking soda, vinegar, fresh herbs & olive oil.

• Use Energy Efficient Bulbs Instead.  When it comes to energy, even the smallest thing can result into a big charge.  So just by switching all your old bulbs out to new energy efficient bulbs you can save yourself a lot of money in the long run.  (Now you actually save yourself money upfront as well.  For all Duke Energy customers just go to http://www.duke-energy.com/FreeCFLs/ and order your free bulbs!)

• Don’t Keep Those Plugged In.. Reduce Unused Power. What I mean by this is, when you unplug your phone from the charger in the morning but you keep the charger plugged into the wall it is using “phantom energy”.  If you unplug all cords that aren’t being used then it could save a good amount of money.

Social Life

• Don’t Go Out. Eat in.. Outside.  Eating at home doesn’t always have to feel like you’re eating at home, switch it up sometimes.  Instead of eating inside all the time, move your dinner’s outside and notice the difference.

• Who buys drinks at Restaurants anymore.. B.Y.O.B.(Bring Your Own Bottle).  Did you know that there are some restaurants that will allow you to bring your own alcohol and just charge you a uncorking fee?  Well now you know!  Just call ahead to make sure the restaurant you want to go to allows that and you’re instantly saving money.

Entertainment

• No more buying Books.. Get a Library Card or a Kindle app.  Instead of always going to barnes and nobles and trying to read a full book before the store closes without having to purchase it, you can go to your local library and rent a book, or you can download the Kindle app.  It will actually let you upload books to your cpu, tablet or phone for a certain amount of time without charging you a dime.

• No need for Redbox.. Share a Media Streaming Account.  Don’t have a Netflix account of your own?  Don’t worry, you can just split the cost with someone that already has an account.  Per Netflix rules, it is limited to maximum of 2 households only, at one time.  So find that person and start turning your home into your own personal theatre.  Just pop some popcorn, open some sodas, and break out the sour patches!

Clothing

• Dryers are so dangerous.. Hang the Clothes Up to Dry.  Dryers are notorious for using up tons of energy, damaging clothes, and even shortening their lifespan.  When you hang up your clothes you not only are saving yourself money on your energy bill, you are also saving money from not having to replace the clothes the dryer could have messed up.  Sounds Like a win-win to me.

• Do the “Sniff Test”.  Whenever laundry day comes, instead of taking everything, putting it in the dryer and washing it, do the “sniff test” to see if some of the items really need a run through or not.

Shopping

• Who needs Name Brands.. Buy Generic.  When you go to grocery stores, drug stores, etc. you’ll notice that normally there’s the name brand items and then there’s the generic brand.  For most items there’s not even a noticeable difference in the product contents, just the name. So by buying generic it can save you from spending tons of unnecessary money.

• Delete Credit Card Numbers.  If you remove your credit card numbers from databases that you use currently or have used in the past, then every time you pay for something you will be more consciously aware of what you’re spending and you’ll be able to decide if the item is necessary or not.

Food & Drink

• Use a Hand Basket when Grocery Shopping. When you use a hand basket instead of a shopping cart, it will keep you from tossing just anything into your basket and not to mention you’ll get a little arm exercise in the process.  Killing two birds with one stone is always a great thing!

• It’s Never too Late to Get Rainchecks.  When one of your favorite items are on sale but the shelves have been wiped out, just go to the sales clerk and simply ask for a rain check.  That way once the product comes in you’ll still be able to take advantage of the already expired deal.

• Don’t waste anymore money.. Understand Expiration Dates.  Expiration Dates are set to guarantee the quality and freshness of the food, not the safety.  Food is normally safe to eat after the expiration date, as long as it is stored properly.  Keep food from spoiling early by putting the refrigerator thermostat at 40 degrees or below.

Transportation

• Low tires = Low Wallet Income.  When you inflate your tires properly you are ensuring that you are spending the least amount of money on gas possible. Properly inflated tires is said to increase fuel efficiency by 3% or more.

• It’s Best to Throw Your Junk Away.  When you are riding around with a car full of junk or trash you are weighing your car down, which in return is costing you more in gas mileage.  So throw away the trash and discover the difference you’ll feel in your wallet.

Personal Care

• Never Pay to Get Your Hair Done Again.  If you go to your local beauty school, you can set an appointment with a student stylist and Guess What?  They are mostly majorly discounted or free!  Just do a google search of all the beauty schools in your area and there you go.

• Try Incorporating short and cold showers into your schedule.  Your water bill is highly impacted by the amount of showers you take, the temperature of the water, the length of your shower, etc.  If you experiment taking shorter showers and cooler showers then it will save you tons of energy.

Banking & Budget

• Divide up your Paycheck.  Go to your company’s human resource department and ask them to divide your paycheck amongst your checking and savings account.  That way you’ll be less inclined to touch the money in the savings, once it’s in there.

• No more Mental Goals.. Set Goals with a Budget Tracking app.  There are tons of new apps being made everyday and some apps are helpful, whereas others are playful.  If you actually set up a goal to “pay off your student loans” then the app will keep track of whether you’re on track or not.  There are apps such as BUDGT, Mint, Learnvest, etc.

 

So these were just some common mistakes that most people are making on a daily that are costing them anywhere from an extra hundred to thousands per year.  Don’t make these mistakes or that could be you!  Until Next time.