With fall activities in full swing and the holidays just around the corner, budgeting, spending and family finances become topics of discussion. We all want to save where they can and stretch our money. So, how about saving a little more money with all these expenses? Here are a few tips to help you save without changing your spending habits!1. Earn money while you shop online - there are web sites that allow you to earn money for every purchase you make, such as Fatwallet and Upromise. They have retail partners which give you back a percentage of your purchase when you sign up and order through their sites. Fatwallet and Upromise put the money earned with every purchase into your account. They will send you a check or you can save it in a regular account or even a 529 college savings account. What do the partners get from this? They get advertising exposure and enjoy customer loyalty. But, remember, you must go through these specific web sites and not the retail sites. See Fat Wallet and Upromise for more information.
2. Cut health care costs for your children - ask if you can email or phone in to your pediatrician for questions before making an appointment that may easily be covered over the phone or on email. This is an easy way to cut down on office visit costs. Another way to cut costs is to keep current on all vaccinations for your children. This is the best preventative medicine for many serious illnesses. If you have any concerns about specific vaccinations, consult your pediatrician. Another way to cut down on costs is to make all your appointments or cancel ahead of time. Most offices charge a fee for any appointments that are not cancelled more than 24 hours in advance. Lastly, eating well and exercising as a family will help to keep you all healthy and as illness-free as possible.
3. Use credit cards that pay you - Discover cards are well-known for their cash back bonuses. They gives you 5% on many categories such as travel, gas and groceries. Capital One has a no-hassle cash rewards card too which offers 2% for gas and grocery purchases and 1% on all other purchases. Chase rewards and Citi cash returns also offer cash back for purchases. For more information on cash back credit cards, see e-wisdom.
4. Schedule automatic payments - when you miss a bill payment, you end up paying a fee. To avoid these fees and the hassle of remembering when your bills are due, set up automatic payments, especially for those consistent monthly bills like mortgage, cable, trash and water. You can set up automatic payments either through your bank or through each individual service provider. There shouldn't be a cost with auto pay as many service providers and banks find it advantageous to get paid on time!
5. Use your discounts - if you are a member of AAA or Costco, you often receive discounts at hotels, museums and for trips. Also, if you own a museum membership, oftentimes there are partnerships with other museums and/or cultural or science centers. Happy Hollow members get into Coyote Point Museum and Oakland Zoo free. Make sure that you have a list of benefits for your membership.
6. Mark your calendar - if you are renting movies at the video store or loaning books from the library, mark your calendar with the due dates. This way you avoid unnecessary late charges.
7. Drive to save - you can save money on gas by keeping your car properly maintained. If you don't, you could end up with large car repair bills. A few things that take little to no effort and help you save money: keep your tires properly inflated, don't drive aggressively and clean out your trunk. These three things can give you better gas mileage immediately.
8. Help your schools - programs such as e-scrip, box tops and good search are no brainers for parents. Each of these programs lets you support your school without doing anything differently. escrip gives money to the school you register from purchases with your registered credit cards and grocery cards automatically. For each box top you turn in from everyday products such as Cheerios and Ziplock bags, your child's class room gets money back. For internet searching, you give money to your registered school for each search through Good search. How easy is that?!
For more info:
20 lazy ways to save money
5 ways to save without trying
Cutting children's health care costs
