Many people have gone through a period of adjustment as their wages continually buy less and less at the supermarket and the running costs of a home and car seem to rise like a well-baked loaf. There are some changes that we can all make which will benefit us immensely. These changes are not drastic, but they are simply removing a luxury or two that we have taken for granted, but barely missed by most people.
Reducing Fuel Bills
The rising cost of fuel is something we all complain about but many of us are reluctant to change the way we use it. If you are guilty of taken the car to the shop that you can walk to and back in ten minutes you are not alone. These little trips may not seem like much, but it is more about the change in mind set that is important.
If you cook food for the family, it is a good idea to make sure everyone eats the same thing, or at least make sure the oven or hob are used at the same time. This used to be the way things were done in the past, which is why people sat around a table as a family more often. Buying fresh food and cooking for the family is not just healthier, but it will cost less than buying pre-prepared food and cooking meals individually.
The greatest problem with fuel these days is the amount of fuel we waste. If you are using just one or two rooms in the home, why bother heating the rest? It is okay to warm the bedrooms for an hour before going to bed, but why leave a radiator on all day and night? If you are worried that the rest of the home is too cold, instead of turning the radiators off, just turn them down a little.
Stop Spending on Credit
This may be difficult for some people, but spending money on paying interest charges is a quick way to a lower standard of living. If you pay the minimum monthly payment on credit cards, catalogues or any credit agreement you have, you will be paying far more for the right to have credit than you often realise. Try paying as much as you can off with each payment and reduce the amount of credit you service. Having more credit does not allow you to do more with money you don’t have, credit will eventually restrict your ability to spend because of the interest you are paying.
Exercise your Right to Claim
There are hundreds of thousands of people claiming money each year. The money they claim is rightfully theirs. If you have ever been mis-sold PPI (Payment Protection Insurance), mis-sold a pension or mis-sold an endowment policy, you should make that claim now. The major banks and lenders have set aside billions to repay customers who were mis-sold PPI and there are hundreds of thousands of people making PPI Claims against their banks every year. This in no way a hand out or a bonus, but money that is rightfully yours because you we mis-sold a product..
Plan Ahead and Save Money
This is one aspect that covers everything in this post and it is probably the most important of all the moves. If you have a plan for your finances, your fuel costs, your grocery shopping and you monitor everything you spend, you will save money in more places than you anticipate. There was an old saying that is very apt in today’s world, watch the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves.
-GUEST POST
We spend on credit, but always pay it off at the end of each month. We do it because we get “cents off” fuel purchases when we use our credit card and collect Disney points too for a Disney trip later this year. BUT we only spend what we have.
We have cut our budget by not taking a week long vacation but by going on day trip instead and have had just as much fun.