Wednesday, April 03, 2013

By Barbara Pronin Living on a budget is never easy – and building an emergency fund or saving for a major purchase may seem too difficult a task. But, said single parent and money blogger Linda Ramos, it only takes a bit of discipline – and a firm commitment – to shave dollars off monthly expenses.

“The trick,” said Ramos, “is not just to save, but to take the dollars you would have spent and put them into a savings account. Then pat yourself on the back for your cleverness and restraint as you watch your money grow.”

Ramos suggests seven painless ways to cut expenses and save:

Better food planning – Forget fast food. Read supermarket ads and plan meals around what’s on sale. Prowl the Internet for meatless recipes and do vegetarian meals once or twice a week. Save on snacks or mindless munching by dividing boxes of cookies and crackers into snack-sized portions when you bring them home from the store…and force yourself to bank a few bucks weekly based on what you are now saving.

Check out the dollar store – It’s chock full of off-brand household products and grocery items – even fresh produce – priced well below retail, that will leave you with extra dollars you can feed into your savings account.

Cutting coupons – Clip discount coupons for groceries and local restaurants. If you must dine out, use a coupon – and if your grocery bill is reduced by $6 when you use your coupons, put at least half that into savings.

Make your cleaning products – Find ‘recipes’ online for making laundry detergents, fabric softeners and other household cleansers. Make your own, and bank a couple of bucks a week for what you save by shunning high-priced brands.

Try the thrift shop – Before you head for the mall, check the thrift shop for great bargains in hardly-worn kids’ clothing, gently used household goods and plenty more. Reward your savings account with a few of those unspent dollars.

Use the library – Stop magazine subscriptions and quit buying or renting movies, video games and more. There’s a huge selection at the local library that you can check out for free. Put a dollar into savings for every two you don’t spend.

Recycle – That means cans, bottles, newspapers and anything else you can recycle for cash – and you know what to do with that cash now, don’t you?

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