All those monthly subscriptions add up

Cell phones, cable or satellite TV, PDAs, monthly on-line music download subscriptions, satellite radio and high-speed internet all are wonderful enjoyable amenities. They all require monthly subscription fees that individually may not seem like significant monthly costs , but add them all up and you could be spending a lot more than you realize.



Try to objectively look at each of these subscriptions and determine how your life would be if you either eliminated the monthly cost or scaled it back to a plan without all the "bells and whistles". You'd be surprised how much money you can save.

Driving

Now that gasoline is now more than $3 a gallon, getting from point A to point B has never cost more. Maybe it's time to ask, "how can I reign in this runaway train "? There are basically three ways to do that.



Reduce the amount of miles you drive

Try to consolidate your driving and reduce the number of separate trips in your vehicle. Instead of getting home from work and then leaving the house to go someplace, try to take care of that stop on your way home from work. This will minimize basically duplicating miles you would drive anyway and add up to driving less.



How your drive

Avoid having a "lead foot". Gradually accelerate. Anticipate that red light or stop sign up ahead and take your foot off the gas and let the vehicle gradually slow down before you have to apply your brakes.



What you drive

Ask yourself, "do I really need to drive a full-size truck or SUV"? If not, then consider driving something more economical. Look around, there vehicles on the market that will get you a higher MPG. Ethanol and hybrid powered cars, trucks and SUVs may be something to consider.

How to spend less at the Grocery store

The following tips will help you spend less on your grocery purchases.

1. Never, ever grocery shop when you're hungry. If you do, you'll definitely buy more than you need.

2. Shop with a list (I know it's boring) and stick with the list. Allow yourself only 1 or 2 items not on the list. This way you only buy what you need, minimize extra trips to the grocery store (with gas at $3 a gallon, that's a saver by itself)

3. Take advantage of coupons. I remember someone saying years ago that they only bought the newspaper on a particular day because that's when they put all the grocery coupons in and they more than paid for the price of the paper- how true.

4. Select generic products whenever possible. Sometimes this is hit and miss as some generic products taste gosh-awful but others are excellent. Remember sugar is sugar, salt is salt, etc. Think of a lot of this stuff as it grows in the field. Is their manufacturer labels on them in the field?- of course not.

5. Again, with gasoline so expensive, try to minimize multiple shopping sites for your groceries unless those items really are significantly cheaper elsewhere.

6. With certain foods that can spoil, only buy enough to last...it's no money saver to throw away spoiled food and remember people are starving in China (or so my mother used to say).

Have fun and let me know what you think.

OK, what did you find?

If you're like most of us, you never realized you are spending that much money, day in and day out. Yes, little purchases do add up.

One thing you need to also include is do you pay yourself? Are you setting aside some money in a savings account? Are you putting money into a retirement account? If you didn't consider these expenses you need to do so now.

Ready to start?

Taking stock of actually how much money you spend every month is the first important step. Not only total all the bills your write checks for every month but also day to day cash expenditures. You'd be surprised how quickly daily gourmet coffee expenses at work add up. Or if you pay for your gasoline by cash. How about paying in cash for lunch at work, or at a restaurant for dinner? These little "incidentals" can really add up and need to be considered to get an accurate picture of your monthly financial outlays and obligations. Try it.

Why be cheap? Isn't being cheap bad?

Really the word cheap is just another name for being smart with your money. Being careful with your money. Do you enjoy just "working for the man" with nothing leftover? Is work really so easy and enjoyable that you don't mind writing those checks at a pace every month that leaves nothing for you to put away for those inevitable rainy days? If the answer to this question is "yes" then this blog is not for you but if I've got you interested in what I say, then please check back periodically on this blog as you may actually get an idea or two worth a try.