With inflation, high gas prices and cost of living on the rise, many Americans are examining their budgets and resolving to save money in the New Year.
Whether you're saving up for a new car, your college education or a special vacation, here are some tips to help you cut back:
* Avoid eating out. Trips to restaurants and fast-food joints can quickly eat away at your budget. For a week, keep a running list of how much you spent each time you dined out. At the end of the week, you will have an idea of how much you're really spending and how much you need to cut back.
Start by limiting yourself to dining out once a week. Try a new cookbook to make the experience fun, and join a wholesale club, where you can save money by buying items in bulk.
* Remember, talk isn't cheap. Evaluate your calling plans to make sure you are getting the best deal possible. Between land lines and cell phones and your Internet connection, you may be paying too much for phone service.
You can consolidate your bills and cut costs using an Internet phone service such as Vonage, whereby phone calls are converted into data and received through your high-speed Internet connection. Vonage service works with any touch-tone phone. Subscribers can receive or purchase a Vonage adapter, which allows the phone signal to be sent over a broadband connection into the Vonage network. The basic plan is $14.99 per month, and the unlimited plan is $24.99 per month.
For $4.99 per month, you can get a secondary Virtual Number from any area code Vonage offers. If your family and friends live across the country and you choose a Virtual Number in their local calling area, they can call you locally.
* Stay organized. If you lose an item you recently bought, you'll most likely buy another to replace it. Also, before you purchase anything, ask yourself if you really need to have it or whether you're shopping emotionally. If you're not 100 percent sold on something, give yourself a day or two to decide. It's easier to come back and buy it than to deal with having to return it.
* Become a savvy comparison shopper. Whether it is car insurance, a mortgage or travel planning, taking time to secure the best possible deal can save you hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. The Internet is an easy and efficient way to comparison shop.
To learn more, visit www.vonage.com. - NU
|
|
