Money Saving Tips for Cutting
Monthly Expenses
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If you're an
entrepreneur
and need money for a
startup business here are
a few ways to
free up
extra money each month.
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Free
Coupons and Free Brand-Name Samples
Don't forget to use our printable coupons area. You can
print 100's of grocery coupons, beauty care coupons
and request free samples. Remember - a penny saves
is a penny earned. When you're trying to raise money
to start a business, every 'saved dollar' gets you
that much closer to your goal.
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Free: Tax Calendar for Small Businesses and the Self
Employed |
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Get Cash Back with each Online Purchase
You Make |
Make your money work FOR you. If you're in the habit
of buying products or purchases online, you may not
know about BigCrumbs. No matter where you shop
online, whether it's at eBay, Target, Walmart, Old
Navy, Gap, Circuit City, Philosophy.com, QVC or
where-ever, you can earn cash back. No matter which
online store you buy from, just sign into BigCrumbs
first. From there you go to the online store you
want to purchase from, make your purchase. Easy-peasy!
Big Crumbs has over 1200 (and growing) popular
retailers listed and you can check BigCrumbs for
daily deals, bonus cash and double cash back
retailers. BigCrumbs Membership is 100% free.
Tip: 1) search in your browser for a
'coupon codes' for the online you'll make a purchase
from
example> target coupon codes - or - bath & bodyworks
coupon code
2) sign into BigCrumbs
3) enter the store you'll buy from -
then click to that store
4) sign-out after each purchase, then
start over for each separate store |
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Pinch Those Pennies and Save
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| If getting small business loans is
not for you here are tips for saving money for a
startup business. A few nips and tucks to your
everyday lifestyle will save you $200 or more per
month. Read our suggestions of ways you can trim
your monthly expenses. |
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Compare Gasoline Prices
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| As creatures of habit, we tend to
fill up our cars with gas from a station that's
convenient to where we live. Most of us grow to
prefer a particular brand of gas, and have a hard
time veering from our routine. If you're traveling
you can connect your internet-ready cell
phone or GPS to
GasBuddyToGo. Or just visit
GasPriceWatch or
GasBuddy, and enter your zip code. You'll be
able to see the gas stations in your zip code and
compare current per-gallon prices. Switching to a
different gas station that offers quality gas, will
save you money each time you fill up. |
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Carpool or Take the Bus
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If you're used to driving to work each day, check
into joining a carpool, or get a bus pass and take
the bus to work during the non-rainy season. You
don't have to do this all year, but make the effort
to find a different mode of transportation for
getting to and from work. |
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Save on Car Insurance
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Scrutinize your auto insurance policy. Most of us
automatically like to keep the deductible low, but
you'll find if you increase the deductible - your
annual premium cost will decrease substantially. As
a car gets older, it sometimes is better to pay for
inexpensive repairs rather than to pay higher
premiums for years. If you're car is older (and paid
for), you may want to go ahead and cancel the
Collision and Comprehensive coverage because if the
car is in an accident, your insurance is likely to
pay you less than the amount you've been paying them
all those years. Be sure to keep Liability on your
policy. |
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Eat In, Not Out
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| If you buy your lunch every day, or
eat out a few times a week, you can save a chunk of
change by taking your lunch a few times a week, and
eating dinner in. Plan ahead. Grocery shop once a
week for items you can cook ahead and use for lunch
and dinners. You'll not only save money on the meals
you're paying for at fast-food and regular
restaurants, you'll also be saving money on Tips you
give to the servers. Tip yourself, save money. |
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Brew Your Own Coffee
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| Ya, I know - this is a tough one.
We're Starbucks addicts ourselves, but this one area
of cutting back will save you tons of money each
month. Just do the math. Instead of paying $5+ for
that triple-mocha, buy a Keurig (or maybe a
new, quality coffeemaker that grinds and brews) and make your coffee at
home. By brewing your own coffee, and taking it with
you (on-the-go or in the car) can save you a couple
of hundred dollars a month. Get in the habit of
maybe only buying that gourmet coffee treat twice a
week, instead of every day. They'll taste better,
you'll save money, and it'll give you something to
look forward to. |
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Make Different Music Choices
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| Instead of paying high dollars for music
downloads from iTunes (or whereever you pay for
music downloads) try downloading your tunes from a
source that's cheaper. You can try
Beemp3,
LegalSounds
or
Iomoio, and the files from these sites are iPod
compatible. |
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Mobile Phone Monthly Expense
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| The amount you'll save each month
depends on what plan you're currently committed to.
If your monthly cell phone bill is over $125 you can
save big by going to Walmart and buying a Samsung or
other touch-screen or Blackberry-like phone from
StraightTalk. You choose which phone you want to
purchase, then your monthly cost for unlimited talk,
text and data is $45 per month and there's no added
surcharges. Keep your current phone as a back-up or
sell it. |
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Buying Bottled Water
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| It depends on your local tap water
quality, so it may be necessary to buy bottled water
if your tap water is unsafe to drink. However, there
are ways to get around this and save money. Buy
bottled water when it's on sale, a couple cases at a
time. Buy a Brita and filters (or a similar brand)
and when you drink/empty a bottle of water, fill it
with water from the Brita. You can rinse out and use
the same bottle a couple of times before you have to
toss it. If there's multiple people in the
household, put names on the bottles. Or buy a
quality BPA-free water bottle, and fill that with
Brita water. You'll be surprised how much money
you'll save. |
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Buy Generic
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| You can save big money if you buy
generic over name brands. This doesn't mean you have
to buy everything generic. Certain products such as
over-the-counter cold medicines, pain relievers, etc
are made by the same manufacturer - just packaged as
generic under a particular stores name. Use Zicam as
an example ... Target and Walmart have their 'own
brand' of Zicam and it's $4 to $5 cheaper than the
name-brand. Now you know - neither Target or Walmart
own a manufacturing plant that spits out Zicam.
These types of stores pay the same company that
manufactures the real Zicam - to put it in a Target
or Walmart brand box. |
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Lose the Landline
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| For most people today, the 'home
phone' has really become obsolete. If you don't need
a landline, then disconnect it. Become
familiar with
GoogleTalk or
Skype. They are very good
alternatives instead of paying for a landline. |
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Sell Your Car
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| The two most expensive monthly bills
most people have is their home mortgage or rent, and
their car payment. If your situation allows it, get
rid of that expensive car, and buy a used car with
cash. You'll wipe out your monthly car payment, and
your auto insurance premium will also go down.
Researching for a local, dependable used car will
take some time, but it will be worth it in the end. |
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Reduce Your Cable Bill
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| If you aren't locked into a yearly
commitment with your cable company, you can do a
couple of things. Downgrade from your current bundle
or package. If you're not prepared to totally cut
the cable, you can at least go down a level or two
and save money each month. If you add up how much
you pay 'per year' for cable - it will surprise you.
The trend is moving away from the cable right now,
so when you call your cable company, ask to speak to
the 'Retention' department. Tell them you've been
looking into other cable provider options, and ask them
to transition you to a lower monthly bill,
while still retaining your current services. Nine
out of ten times - they'll reduce your bill and add
on a year of HBO or Showtime free.
Another option is
to become familiar with NetFlix, HuluPlus, and other
methods of watching movies and shows without
your cable TV. One product people are raving about
is a little wireless box that lets you play free
games, such as Angry Birds, watch free movies and
stream current movies and tv shows. It's a great
deal because it isn't an expensive piece of
equipment. It's
called Roku - browse details and specs here.
Cutting the cable cord completely is too difficult
for some, especially for those who absolutely 'must'
watch every sports game, and news at 6pm. |
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