Archive | Budgeting

Make Some Tidy Money From Your Belongings

Make Some Tidy Money From Your Belongings

You may not be aware of it, but you already possess the talents — and the belongings — you need to bring you some extra cash. If you’re aiming to get out of debt or to get ahead financially, you don’t have to rely only on your income from your current job to meet those goals. Here’s how you can make money from the comfort of your own home.

Once you get into the spirit of spring cleaning, you can sell your belongings for cash. This is by far one of the easiest ways to bring in extra income, and it is well worth the day or two that it takes to sort through all of your items. You can easily sell most of your old furniture, clothing, or exercise equipment online using sites like Gumtree, or you can sell computer games for cash with musicMagpie.

If you have a pleasant phone demeanour, you can put that to work to make money for you, too. Invest in a comfy headset, and you can become a telemarketer or a service representative for a major national chain. More and more companies are turning to stay-at-home parents or part-time workers who would like to earn a little cash without the strain of a commute to help fill out their staffs. These jobs often pay well on an hourly basis and offer the flexibility of you choosing how many and which hours you want to work. It may not be as glamorous as penning fictional columns like Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw, but the luxury of being your own boss has its own payoffs.

However, that’s not to say that you can’t put your editing and writing talents to use to make a name for yourself as a literary professional. The key to earning enough money to make this a worthwhile venture is to connect with real publishing professionals and avoiding “content mills” that will only pay you a quid or two for each assignment you take on. Building up your portfolio is a slow and steady process, but if you put in the work, you may even be able to transform this into a full-time gig!

Another option is to let your passions and personal interests decide your path to financial security. If you are an excellent chef, you could offer cooking classes to friends of friends in your own kitchen. Or it you love to paint, you can take your artwork to a trade show to sell it for a profit. If you choose to go this route, you can rest assure that the supplies that you have already invested in can pay for themselves in one or two sessions in addition to bringing in extra income.

Lastly, consider the needs of your community to find a niche for making money from home. If you live in a family-friendly neighbourhood, for example, consider offering tutoring sessions for basic math, science, and literature for grade-school aged kids. Or take up lawn care for neighbours for a small fee.

When you decide to take the next step toward a bigger income, remember to use all of your resources, including your own know-how, the belongings you have accumulated over the years, and online sites like musicMagpie and Gumtree to boost your earning potential. With these several tools, you can start bringing in a bigger pay packet than before.

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Don’t get caught in the cold on your bills

Don’t get caught in the cold on your bills

With the number of economic opportunities lowering and energy prices rising, the UK is being introduced to a new term to describe the plight of some families — ’fuel poverty.’ It is a simple vocabulary that lends recognition to a very complicated challenge. When families can no longer afford what it costs to sufficiently heat their households in winter, it presents myriad problems such as respiratory illnesses and, for younger people, difficulty focusing on the school work that can lead to the opportunity to make more income one day.

If you are one of the nearly 8 million people in the UK who can’t afford to pay their energy bills — and even if you are not — here are some steps you can take to lighten the financial load.

Search for a different energy provider. Energy conservation can indeed help lower your bills, but these cost-saving measures can only go so far. The most effective way to fight back against rising electricity prices is to take your business elsewhere. Although ‘the Big Six’ possess a large share of the energy market, there are smaller suppliers who may be able to give you a better deal on natural gas and electricity, or at least better customer service. Use the Internet as a resource to check and compare prices for other local suppliers in your area to see if it makes since to switch.

Watch your water flow. Heating water makes up a significant portion of any energy bill, so encourage everyone in your household to take shorter showers and to turn off the tap while brushing their teeth. You could also invest in low-flow shower head for as little as £15 and save more than £150 each year. And when it comes to extra cost-saving measures, you can also lower the temperature of your water heater by a couple of degrees to shave extra pounds off your utility bill.

Change your light bulbs. Lighting costs can make up to ten per cent of your total energy bill, and if you have traditional incandescent bulbs, this can be enough to make a big difference. Switching those older, energy-wasting bulbs for more efficient compact fluorescent lights will help lower this portion of your electricity costs. While you’re checking your light bulbs, also remember to search for the wattage. If you’re using 100-watt bulbs, you can also save money by using 60 or 70-watt lights to do the same job.

Use less energy to launder. Some of the biggest appliances in your home take up the most energy, such as the refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine, and clothes dryer. To save money in the laundry room, hang your clothes to dry instead of using the electric dryer. This will not only save you energy on using that particular appliance, but also make your home easier to cool in the summer. This is because since the dryer produces heat, your air conditioner has to work overtime to counter its effects.

With these smart steps towards a lower energy bill, you can hopefully improve your overall household costs and pull yourself out of the high-priced energy trap. For more on fuel poverty, visit BBC News.

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7 Ways to Save Money

7 Ways to Save Money

In this day and age, prices in stores and the cost of living appears to be on the rise each year. As a result, saving money has become harder, particularly due in part to many people’s wage either remaining the same or rising slightly in comparison. However, it is not impossible to save money. Here are some tips that anyone can apply to their life to help save money.

1. Determine what is most important to you

Identify what things you need and what things you can do without. Try and only buy necessities as this will help you save a lot of money. You can treat yourself occasionally.

2. Spend your money only on basic needs

By basic means, I mean things such as food, transportation, clothing and rent/mortgage. These basic needs are worth important to your health and well being. These are the things that you cannot live without and should be a high priority on your budget.

3. Make a list of items you require most

Keeping a budget is a great way to track your spending. When going shopping for groceries, this can be a great way to keep track of buying only things required.

4. Try to budget your money in advance

As mentioned above, you should plan a list first prior to spending your money. This can encompass things such as utility bills, car repayments and credit card bills. Planning to spend money at certain times of the year can also result in savings.

5. Compare prices before purchasing

This goes without saying. If you look to purchase high ticket items, it is important to find the best deal. Do not limit yourself to one store as you may find a better price elsewhere. Try to avoid buying things on impulse.

6. Travel Wisely

You can save a lot of money by planning your trips. Instead of driving around doing errands, plan them in a way that you can minimize the amount of driving. This may be driving to the farthest place to perform your first errand and working your way back to your house.

7. Avoid Shopping Centres

Believe it or not, this is where most people spend money on impulse. There is a reason why stores create a certain atmosphere. They want to keep you in store for longer because this is their greatest opportunity of making a sale. Where possible, try and avoid stores within shopping centres as this can save you spending money!

Saving money can be easy if you can set out a plan. There are many simple ways to do this. If you would like to find out more ways to save money, you can download my free report at http://www.livingonabudget.net

David Taras has helped many people with saving money. If you would like more tips on saving money, simply visit http://www.livingonabudget.net and download a free report today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Taras

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How to be your own Santa

How to be your own Santa

In the current economic climate it has become really important for households to be able to continue saving money in order to secure their future.
Many businesses have had to lay workers off, and this has effected many families within the UK.  Although there are various clear debt solutions, many families are still knee deep in debt as they are financially strapped.
Thus, it may be difficult for many to handle the expenses of the coming Christmas. If you too are one of these people, you can try to be your own Santa and yet maintain your finances and avoid incurring debts.
Being your own Santa during Christmas

It is really unwise for you to take on additional debts when you are already low on affordability. But, this should not end up in ruining your Christmas. So, how can you still enjoy Christmas without incurring additional debts? You can be your own Santa by gifting yourself a debt free new year.
For that it is really essential for you to make a financial plan of your own. This plan will have to be based on your budget and thus your affordability, the way you would like to enjoy the Christmas, the people you are going to invite, the food you are going to indulge in, and so on. So, it is important to start your planning now.
  • You can also start shopping from now so as to avoid the high prices in the peak time of the holiday season.
  • In order to reduce the cost of the Christmas cards, as you have enough time till December, start making making them now. There are plenty of craft sites out there that can give you ideas. Why not recycle your Christmas cards from last year, by cutting the pictures out, and sticking them onto card, and personalising them with stick on letters. This will help you in save a few pounds. In fact if you like designing and creating items of your own, you will also be able to use that skill to build up different kinds of gift items for your guests, relatives and friends.
  • You can also start creating Christmas decorations and just store them in the attic or spare room.
Although easier said than done, try and start saving more money than you usually do so that you can expend as per requirements during the Christmas. Start trying out other income options so that you can make some extra money, if you have a particular skill then flaunt it!
In addition to this, you can also sell off unused items that are in your cupboard, attic and shed. Sell the children’s old toys that they don’t play with anymore. As well as helping you earn a little more money, it will also create more space for all of the presents that you are going to get this year! And save the money that you make from the sales to go towards your Christmas presents, or the Christmas dinner!
While shopping, don’t be afraid to look in the charity shops, you will be sure to pick up a bargain or two there. If family know you are a bit strapped for cash then they will be grateful that you spent £10 on a second hand DVD box set, which is in perfectly good order. Who knows, you may even be able to find some completely new items left over from last year.
Remember, Christmas is only one day a year, but we all tend to get ourselves deeper in debt because of it. So, be wise this Christmas and think about how you can lower the costs and aid yourselves in seeing the New Year in…..debt free!

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Cut the Cost of Living Alone

Without anyone to help pay the bills the cost of keeping a roof over your head can soon rack up. Here are 7 things you can do to cut the cost of foregoing flatmates and living by yourself.

While there’s a lot to be said for living solo, there’s no doubt that living by yourself does place more strain on your purse strings as you have to cover the cost of everything from rent and mortgage payments to utility bills yourself.

However there are a number of ways that you can cut the cost of living by yourself. Here’s how:

1. Cut your council tax bill

Council tax is an unavoidable expense and while there isn’t much opportunity to save (haggling with your local council is unlikely to work!), you can get a 25% discount on your council tax bill if you live by yourself.

This single person rebate is not subject to means testing and is open to anyone who pays council tax and lives alone, irrespective of the type of property you live in.

It’s possble to claim this deduction as council tax is calculated on the assumption that 2 or more people share each residence – if you live alone you don’t have to pay as much.

Claiming this rebate could save you hundreds of pounds each year so is really worth doing.

To do this contact your local council office, notify them that you live alone and ask them to arrange for the deduction to be applied by your bill.
2. Slash your water bill

Like council tax, you’re unable to switch water supplier as each water company provides services to a fixed area of the UK. This means that the opportunities to save are limited.

However, if you live alone it is still possible to cut your water bill quite dramatically.

Most water companies get their unmetered water bills by setting water rates and estimating the number of people living in a property based on the number of bedrooms.

So if you live alone in a property with more than one bedroom you may be able to save by getting a water meter installed, especially as you have total control over how much water you use.

If you are economical with your water usage, i.e. you tend to shower rather than have a bath and are generally waste little water then this could help cut costs by having a water meter even further.

Most water companies will install a meter and allow you to switch back without charge within 12 months should you find that you are spending more than before, so check this is the case if you decide to switch.

For more help deciding if a water meter could help you save money, read this guide: The Simple Way to Save £100s on Your Water Bill.
3. Check your benefits

Many benefits are based not only on your individual wage but also on total household income.

If you live by yourself this could mean that you are eligible for financial assistance that you are not receiving.

For this reason it’s definitely worth double checking your eligibility for benefits even if you don’t think you’d be entitled to receive anything.

For more help checking exactly what you’re entitled to, try following our Action Plan: How to find out your benefit entitlement or read our guide: How to Find Out What Benefits You’re Entitled to .
4. Reduce your car costs

Chances are if you live alone you have to cover the cost of running and maintaining your car yourself too.

You car insurance is likely to be one of your biggest outlays but there may be a way to cut what you pay without sharing your car with another driver.

Adding a second driver to your car insurance policy as a named driver, especially if they are older and have a long history of no claims, can sometimes significantly lower your insurance costs.

Named drivers don’t ever actually have to need to drive your car (although they would be able to should you wish) and can be added to your policy on a ‘just in case’ basis.

Yet insurance companies will have little knowledge as to how often they will be driving your car so will perceive you to be less likely to make a claim if the driving is shared with a low risk driver, potentially lowing your premiums.

However, you should make sure that you only add them as a named driver rather than having them insured as the main driving and yourself as a named driver. Although this may produce a cheaper quote if you will be behind the wheel on a day to day basis then you could be breaking the law.

This practice is called ‘Fronting’ and could land you in hot water with your insurance company as it’s classed as fraud. Do this and get discovered and your insurer may cancel your policy, refuse to honour a claim should you have an accident and even inform other insurance companies of your misdemeanour – making it more expensive and difficult for you get insurance in future years.

However, before contacting your insurance company to add a friend or relative to your policy you should check whether solo cover is cheaper or you’ll end up paying more for no reason.

It’s also worthwhile to carefully consider how many miles you expect to drive each year, if you over estimate the distance you’ll cover you could be paying more for your insurance for no benefit.

Aside from your car insurance costs you should also check if there is any way you can reduce your other car costs.

Often breakdown cover is cheaper for a vehicle rather than an individual and if you only drive one car could be a great way to save money. So check if you could reduce the cost of your breakdown policy by switching to vehicle based cover.

Another benefit of living alone is that you will know exactly when you need to use any allocated parking you hold.

If you commute to work and leave your space free during work hours you could supplement your costs by renting out your parking space during the day.
5. Be energy efficient

While rising energy prices are encouraging everyone to become more energy efficient, if you live alone you have an advantage over other households in the UK that could help you cut your energy bills significantly.
Customise your heating

Living alone allows you to take full control of the energy you use in your home. It also means that you can customise your lifestyle and your home so that you are not using energy unnecessarily.

Set your hot water boiler to only come on when you’ll need to use it to save money heating water unnecessarily.

You could for example set your hot water to only come on once a day, in the morning or evening and alter your daily routine to shower and use the hot water all in one go.

The same can be said for your heating. Heating an empty property is not only a waste of energy but also your money.

You could also consider other ways to cut you energy costs through small changes such as avoiding leaving electrical items on standby and ensuring your fridge & freezers are kept well stocked to reduce their running cost.

For more handy tips on cutting your energy costs read this guide 6 Ways to Reduce Your Energy Bills Instantly.

Switch to the best energy tariff

If you live alone then your energy consumption will be significantly lower than a family of 4 or 5, but if you find yourself on the wrong tariff you could find yourself paying almost am much.

As a result, choosing an energy tariff without a standing charge could cut your costs as you would not have to pay a set daily connection fee for your energy.

Insulate

Insulating your property is an easy way to cut energy costs without having to change your lifestyle.

Essentially once you have cavity and loft insulation you should need to spend less on heating your home as less energy escapes through your walls and ceiling.

You can take this further still by blocking drafts or getting a hot water tank jacket, both of which could help reduce your energy costs even further.

To find out how you can insulate your home without spending too much, read this guide; How to Insulate Your Home For Less.

Due to the government’s commitment on reducing our carbon footprint you may also be able to get a grant to help reduce the cost of insulating your home, visit the Energy Saving Trust website to check if you’re eligible.
6. Stay in touch for less

If you’re the only person using your landline and broadband then you have a significant opportunity to save by switching to packages that fit with your exact usage.

Firstly, consider whether you really need a landline phone. If you have a generous limit on calls from your mobile phone you could just make use of these instead of paying for landline calls.

VOIP is another alternative that you can use to stay in touch without paying for a landline. It allows you to make cheap and often free calls via your broadband connection. Read our article How to Get Free Calls with VOIP to find out more.

If you do value having a landline phone then you should look through your home phone bills and see exactly when and where you’re calling. Then simply find the cheapest landline phone call package that matches your usage.

The same applies to broadband, take a look at your usage and find the cheapest broadband package that offers the download and upload limits you need.

Alternatively, a home phone and broadband bundle that’s tailored to your usage could help you save a signficant amount too.

Regularly monitor your usage so you can make sure you’re not paying for a service you’re not using.
7. Cut your food costs

Changing the way you buy your food could cut your costs considerably over the long term.
Freeze

While toiletries and cleaning products can all be bought and stored easily, other items such as meat and dairy items need to be frozen.

Supermarkets often target families and couples with multi-buy offers, but rather than trying to consume three packs of sausages in a week, there is no reason why you can take advantage these offers and freeze the extra food ready to eat at a later date.

You may also be surprised to learn all the different foods that can be frozen in this way. Milk, cheese and many vegetables for example can usually be frozen and then defrosted without compromising their taste. For more advice on freezing food at home visit the BBC Good Food website.
Shop with a friend

A great way of making the most of the savings available through bulk buy discounts is to shop with a friend.

This way you can both benefit from the multi-buy offers that adorn every aisle of the supermarket by splitting the produce and the cost!
Avoid waste

Living by yourself allows you to be totally in charge of the kitchen and plan your diet with more precision.

Making meal plans, and writing an itemised shopping list before you hit the aisles is the best way to minimise wastage so you spend less on food.

It also means you can make a note of the best before and use by dates and ensure that you eat your food before it perishes.

This article was written and is featured on www.money.co.uk, and is used with full permission of the site. They have some great articles, so get yourself over there and have a read.

www.money.co.uk

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VAT Cut

VAT Cut

Due to a lack of spending last month, caused by frozen wages and households tightening their purse strings, the economy took a bit of a hit. Britain’s retail sales dropped by 1.4%, compared to a 1.1% increase in April. It is felt that the rise in April was largely because of the Royal Wedding, our numerous bank holidays, and possibly due to some of the gorgeous weather that we had. It’s likely that it got to the end of the month, we all checked out bank balances and budget sheets, and decided that we need to reign it in a bit during the month of May.

If we aren’t spending money in shops, it means that the stores don’t make many sales, which in turn means they are not ordering products from factories and suppliers, and so on. It results in British businesses struggling and having to lay off staff, which in turn means they don’t spend much…….you get the picture! Circle of life, and all that!

So, what Ed Balls the Shadow Chancellor is recommending, is that VAT is cut, meaning that households feel they are able to spend a bit more, thus helping the economy as a whole.

Of course, it’s not quite as easy as that! By cutting VAT, it means less tax going to the Government on sales, and therefore making our country’s “overdraft” even bigger.

The Prime Minister is refusing to budge on VAT at the moment, but we will have to watch this space to see if others can help him change his mind.

The last time we had a VAT decrease was back in 2008 when it went down from 17.5% to 15%, and this was in hope that it would encourage us to spend our hard earned pennies, helping to get the economy back on track. Of course, as soon as the next government were elected, the VAT increasedagain.

For now folks, I wouldn’t hold my breath, I think the VAT is going to stay as it is, but there is a glimmer of hope for householders that it may drop. however, we also need to think about the country’s longer term monetary issues.

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Budget 2011

Budget 2011

So, the Chancellor, George Osbourne, announced the new budget today. Let’s see what is going up, and what’s going down!

  • Personal tax allowance is to rise as of April 2012 to £8015
  • Duty on fuel is cut by a penny, and the rise due to take place in April is frozen until 2012
  • Tobacco duty rates up by 2% above inflation
  • No additional changes to alcohol duty rates but 2% above inflation rise in excise duties for wine and beer to go ahead
  • Council tax frozen or reduced this year
  • 10% inheritance tax discount for those leaving 10% of estate to charity
  • Private jet users to pay passenger tax (going to cost me a fortune!)
  • No rise in air passenger duty (unless you use a private jet!)
  • Inflation rise in road tax but duty for HGVs frozen
  • Support for families in the south-west of England with water bills
  • Government backed scheme to aid 10,000 first time buyers
  • Funding for 100,000 new work experience placements

So, that’s an overview of this year’s budget. Good to see fuel duty coming down, but let’s be fair, it’s not going to impact us significantly due to the recent price rise(s). Have a look at your local petrol prices

For the full Budget 2011 report, click the link.

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Cheap Gas and Electric

Cheap Gas and Electric

scottish power logo 150x150 Cheap Gas and ElectricHaving just moved house and having spent ages shopping around for a decent energy supplier that had some great rates, I thought I’d share the company that we have gone with.


 Cheap Gas and Electric

Why not see how much they can save you!



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Why Check your Credit Report?

Most of us know what our credit report is, and that it is used when we apply for credit. But do we all know that we can actually see our credit report, and why we should check it?

This article will cover:

  • Why look at your report
  • What should you look for
  • How it can detect fraud
  • Where to obtain your report – FREE!


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11 Money Saving Tips

11 Money Saving Tips

pound coins 150x150 11 Money Saving TipsSaving money is one of those tasks that’s so much easier said than done. There’s more to it than spending less money (although that part alone can be challenging). How much money will you save, where will you put it, and how can you make sure it stays there? Here’s how to set realistic goals, keep your spending in check, and get the most for your money.

Tip 1:

Kill your debt first. Simply calculating how much you spend each month on your debts will illustrate that eliminating debt is the fastest way to free up money. Once the money is freed from debt payment, it can easily be re-purposed to savings. Plus, the sooner you pay off debt, the less interest you’ll pay, and that money can be saved instead.

If you choose to start saving before you completely pay off your debt, however, look into consolidating your debts so that you’re not paying as much interest.
The only money-saving that should take precedence over getting out of debt is to create an emergency fund (setting aside enough money so that if you lose your job you can survive for 3-6 months, or if your car suddenly goes to the big scrappy in the sky).

Tip 2:

Set savings goals. For short-term goals, this is easy. If you want to buy the latest computer games console 11 Money Saving Tips, or game 11 Money Saving Tips, then find out how much it costs; if you want to buy a house, determine how much of a deposit you’ll need. For long-term goals, such as retirement, you’ll need to do a lot more planning (figuring out how much money you’ll need to live comfortably for 20 or 30 years after you stop working), and you’ll also need to figure out how investments will help you achieve your goals.

Once you know how much you need to save, you can then work out how much you need to put away regularly.

Tip 3:

Keep a record of your expenses. What you save falls between two activities and their difference: how much you make and how much you spend. Since you have more control over how much you spend, it’s wise to take a critical look at your expenses. Write down everything you spend your money on for a month. Be as detailed as possible, and try not to leave out small purchases. Assign each purchase or expenditure a category such as: Rent, Car insurance, Car payments, Phone Bill, Utilities, Gas, Food, Entertainment, etc.

Try and keep a small notebook with you at all times. Get in the habit of recording every expense and saving the receipts.
Sit down once a week with your small notebook and receipts. Record your expenses in a larger notebook or a spreadsheet.
There are also many apps you can download to your phone that will help you keep track of your expenses – especially if you are lucky enough to have a nice iPhone 11 Money Saving Tips

Tip 4:

Trim your expenses. Take a good, hard look at your spending records after a month or two have passed. You’ll probably be surprised when you look back at your record of expenses: £30 on cinema tickets, £10 on cups of tea at work? You’ll likely see some obvious cuts you can make. Depending on how much you need to save, however, you may need to make some difficult decisions. Think about your priorities, and make cuts you can live with. Calculate how much those cuts will save you per year, and you’ll be much more motivated to pinch pennies.

  • Can you move to a less expensive house? Can you refinance your mortgage?
  • Can you save money on petrol, or give up a car altogether? I got rid of my car 4 months ago, and now save so much but using my partners.
  • Can you get a better price on insurance? Call around and make sure you are getting the best price you can.
  • When shopping for clothes, check online sales, or clearance racks in store. Buy supermarket branded clothes which are good quality, but cheaper than high street brands.
  • Can you drop a land line and either only use your mobile phone or save money by calling over the internet for free with services such as Skype? If you have a mobile on contract, are you getting the most out of it? If not, would a Pay As You Go Phone suffice?
  • Can you live without cable or satellite TV? You can get plenty of channels with a Freeview 11 Money Saving Tips box now.
  • Can you cut down on your utility bills? Use a price comparison site, or simply turn off lights after you, have shorter showers, only put the heating on when it starts to get cold.
  • Can you restrict eating out? Avoid take-aways. We saved about £30 a week by not eating at the staff canteen daily. This amounts to £120 a month, or £1000 a year between two of us!!!!  Make up a batch of chilli/Spag Bol/Lasagne and heat it in the work microwave. Also take in your own tea bags etc, instead of paying 80p for a cuppa!

Tip 5:

Stop using credit cards and bank cards. Pay for everything with cash. Don’t even use cheques (not that they are widely used anymore). It’s easier to overspend when you’re pulling from a bank or credit account because you don’t know exactly how much is in there. If you have cash, you can see your supply running low. Once you have sat down and budgeted that about you need for the month you can bundle up the cash allocated for each expense with a label or keep separate jars for each one (e.g. a bundle/jar for coffee, another for petrol, another for drinking(!), another for food shopping). As you take money from a jar for that particular expense, you’ll see how much remains and you’ll also be reminded of your limit.

Tip 6:

Savings should be your priority, so don’t just say that you’ll save whatever is left over at the end of the month. Deposit savings into an account (or your piggy-bank) as soon as you get paid. An easy, effective way to start saving is to simply deposit 10% of every pay packet in to a savings account. If you get paid £790, move the decimal point one place to the left and deposit that amount: £79. This works well and requires little thought; over several years, you’ve a tidy sum in savings. Over decades, you’ll be a millionaire (well not quite, but would be a lovely objective to achieve!). Follow this link to find out exactly when you will reach millionaire status! http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/millionaire-calculator
If you decide to set up a savings account to put the money in, then you can set up a standing order from your current account to your savings account – this way you can’t forget to save!

Tip 7:

Although in Tip 5 I’ve said not to use one, I am now going to contradict myself and say that credit cards are not inherently evil; it’s all about your self control. If you use them responsibly (i.e. completely pay them off every month), you can benefit from them. It allows you to keep your money in your bank collecting interest for a bit longer, and also helps you to build your credit rating.

But the reason most credit card companies make money, however, is because people end up spending money that they don’t have, and then don’t pay it back for ages – thus collecting interest. So, unless you are one of the people who can religiously pay off the balance in full every month, you’re better off foregoing the promotions that credit card companies use to lure you in (cash back, introductory APR, airline miles, and so on).

Tip 8:

Reassess your savings goals every so often. Subtract your expenses (the ones you can’t live without) from your take-home income (i.e. after taxes have been taken out). What is the difference? And does it match up with your savings goals? Let’s say you’ve decided you can definitely get by on £700 per month, and your paychecks amount to £1300 per month. That leaves you with £600 to save. If there’s absolutely no way you can fit all your savings goals into your budget, take a look at what you’re saving for and cut the less important things or adjust the time-frame. Maybe you need to put off buying a new car for another year, or maybe you don’t really need a big-screen TV that badly.

Tip 9:

Before you go to do your weekly food shop, sit down and plan the meals for the week. Work out what you need to make those meals, and then create a list……..we will call this a “Shopping List” – no one has ever thought of it before, so I will get around to copyrighting it at some point.

  • Cut out rubbish, like huge choccy bars, buy smaller ones and if you feel your sweet tooth taking control, then have a small one to tide you over. I started doing this, and as well as saving money I’ve also lost half a stone in 5 weeks! Win, Win!!!
  • If you can, switch to the supermarket’s own brand products. I find that Asda value mince is as nice as branded stuff!
  • Keep your eye out for BOGOF’s and other deals – but only get them if they are foods that are on your “Shopping List”! Don’t be getting them just because they are on offer!
  • Sign up for your local supermarket’s points card. As well as earning points to get money off vouchers, you also get send deals in the post, such as buy £1 worth of bread and get 20p off.
  • Search online for money off vouchers – there are sites that offer these.
  • Don’t take the kids! Apart from whining, running off, or having tantrums, they also want! Or they do the typical thing of putting items in the trolley when you aren’t looking, and then you get to the till and feel you have to buy them.
  • Consider doing your food shopping online and having it delivered, it’s a great way of ordering what you actually need to maintain your weekly budget, and you are less likely to spot something you fancy at the time, and add it to your trolley!
  • Don’t go shopping when you are hungry!

Tip 10 – Budget!:

Tip 10 has been kindly written by Ruel Hinacot.

How to create a family budget

For singles, the creation of a budget is relatively easy. They tend to have a good handle on the amount of money coming, and when the costs of monitoring, who have only their own thinking. However, creating a family budget is a new game.

Most families have multiple sources of income. And when you have been multiple money spender, which makes things much more confusing. This is one of the main reasons that families do not have a formal budget. However, having a budget and stick to it can greatly improve the financial outlook of the family.

Make a family budget can be tricky, but it can be done. Here’s how.

  1. Take an inventory of all revenue. If a secure source of income fluctuates from month to month, use the lowest amount or average out.
  2. Keep track of all expenses for a month or so. Keep all receipts, and call on all members of your family to turn to you every day.
  3. Add up your monthly expenses. Be sure to include bills, debt payments, groceries, and everyday expenses such as money for lunch and transportation costs.
  4. Get the family together and discuss ways you can cut the budget. Get input from family members will help you determine what expenditures are necessary and, which can be reduced or eliminated. Perhaps you or your spouse may start taking lunch to work instead of eating out, or perhaps the children can fall an extracurricular activity.
  5. In addition to individual expenditures, discuss how you can reduce your electricity bill, food and other household expenses are necessary. Consider things such as carpooling or public transportation, buying more generic foods and adjust the thermostat.
  6. Calculate how much you can save on recurring costs, and cut all unnecessary items from the budget. Then reconfigure and see what their situation.
  7. If you end up with surplus, allocating a portion of it to savings. If you’re in the red, go back and redo the budget until more revenues than expenses.

Be realistic

One reason that family budgets are often not because they are simply unrealistic. It’s great to reduce spending, but sometimes we tend to go too far. For example, cutting entertainment from the full budget may look good on paper, but we all have a little fun from time to time.

Instead of cutting these things with full budget, consider looking for ways to reduce the cost. Returning to the example of entertainment, perhaps you went to dinner and a movie as a family twice a month. However, eating and hire a new version would be much cheaper, and would still have to spend quality time together.

Individual costs may also be complicated. This can be solved by allocating a specific amount for each member of the family to spend each week. If someone spends its entirety before the week is over, re-evaluate your expenses and adjust if necessary.

Creating a household budget can help keep spending under control, leaving more money to pay their debts and save for future goals. However, to succeed, close monitoring is essential. Their efforts will be rewarded. However, with less financial stress and more money in the long term.

Author Resource:-> Ruel has been writing articles for nearly 4 years. His newest interest is in cruise ship. So come visit his latest website that discuss about best cruise lines and cruise ships pictures.

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Tip 11:

Tip 11 is down to you……………..Comment below with your best money saving tip

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