Lets face it, all of us could do better with our spending habits, and general attitude to money. Companies, those mainstays of commerce and capitalism have a simply and wondrous thing called a balance sheet which is a fancy term for comparing how you earn versus how much you spend, and the final result, the difference between those two values. Companies when they create their balance sheets include all their incomes and expenditures, an approach we should take. If we carefully review our expenditures and reduce them, we can save a lot of cash in the long run.
  1. Take a review of your spending habits on a daily basis. Instead of buying a burger or snack, make sure to have a decent breakfast and fruit that will keep you sustained during the day.
  2. Are you a smoker? Add up the total cost of cigarettes on a weekly basis, then multiply that 52 to determine the cost of cigarettes in a year. You would be shocked!
  3. Shopping can be a real minefield. You go the supermarket to buy basic supplies but get sidetracked with all the special offers and snacks. If you fit into this
    category, then draw up a list of the bare essentials, and stick to it, don’t give into temptation!
  4. Use price comparison sites to see if you can make savings on your bills, on telephone, gas, electricity, internet etc
  5. Make use of energy efficient products, and make sure you turn off all and any lights that you don’t need.
  6. Pre packaged, convenience foods are more costly due to the packaging they come in. Cut out the middle man (and also those nasty additives and preservatives) by making your own meals from scratch. It goes without saying that eating out is also a big no no!
  7. Make better use of online shopping, many companies now offer discounts for online use and payments.
  8. Buy the own brand of supermarket goods. The prices are much reduced, and really, you wont notice that huge a difference after all you only end up paying the packaging, and not the actual quality of the product.
  9. Stock up whenever there is a special offer at the supermarket, especially if it is non perishable items (goods that wont spoil such as toilet paper, washing up liquid)
  10. If you drive, then think about using a carpool, or why not walk? This is great exercise and will save on petrol.