With fuel prices through the roof, skyrocketing cost of living expenses and the mortgage industry on the brink of catastrophe in an already struggling economy, American families are feeling the crunch. People need real time - real life Money Saving Strategies.

It is time our economy gets a face lift and it will take the consumers to make it happen. The government has a poor track record and takes way to long to make decisions and take actions that will help people right now. People need help now not six months to a year from now - after elections are over. Buy educating the consumer on the power of buying and spending habits and equipping them with tools, resources and skills to make the positive change in our economy is how the economy will be healed.

There are three major areas of focus when talking about strategies to save Money:

Having a Financial Plan, Saving Money and Increasing Income.

Having a plan:

• Know where you want to go
• Know what is coming in and what is going out
• Self-discipline and a system

Save money:

• Cost of living expenses
• Save on taxes
• Cut interest payments

Increase income:

• Take more home
• Increase your deductions
• Unconventional income opportunities

Financial Planning Strategies: Without a target to aim at you will miss all of the time. How can you reach a desired destination without a plan? Most people know they want to be wealthy but don't have a plan how to get there. If you have blue print for your financial path you will have the confidence and self discipline to get there. Knowledge is not enough you need a plan and a system to get the job done. You need a record of what your situation is so that you can be accountable and also see your success. These will inspire new successes along the way. Small victories lead to larger ones. Write down your plans and also your plan of action. A goal that is not written down is just a wish.

Cut cost of living expenses: This is always a deep subject and you will hear some of the same advice;

• Make a menu for the week and then clip coupons-this is planning ahead so you can fix thing quicker and with less effort. When you have a plan it is easier to be more disciplined.
• Shut off the cable-most people don't ever get their money's worth from the high priced cable packages and if they were to sit down and compare most of the channels they watch most of the time are all in a cheaper package anyways.
• Bag your own lunches and don't eat dinners out-most people think "It' is just a $60.00 dinner it won't hurt anything", when in reality that one dinner could add hundreds of dollars in interest on your credit card. Interest they could have saved had they put that $60.00 towards a credit card bill or towards an extra mortgage payment.
• Cut out the star bucks coffee or the soda pop everyday- these nickels and dimes will erode your finances very quickly and you won't even see it happening.
• Buy used cars not new ones-let someone else pay for the depreciation, you can save thousands of dollars you can use somewhere else.
• Buy store brands-name brands are nice but you can always find a generic nock off from somewhere else and save 30-70% and NO one will be able to tell the difference unless you have a habit of showing your clothing tags in the break room....
• Buy from the sale racks-this is a great way to plan ahead for yourself and your family. If you buy jeans in the spring during close outs for next school year you can generally save 30-50%, this is a strategy that takes discipline know what you have bought and be organized so you don't go overboard.
• Heat and cooling Conservation-set you're heating and cooling systems down during day and night time while you are gone or at sleep, dress warmer, Use shades and blinds and opening and shutting windows at peak times instead of running the AC.....
• Fuel Conservation-Car pooling is smart when possible, drive more conservatively to save on fuel usage, use your cruise control more often and keep up on your car maintenance.

Cutting Taxes and Interest

Taxes and interest are one of the largest losses most Americans experience and just accept as an inevitable loss. Yet there are so many things you can do to lessen the capabilities of these financial villains.

Just by owning your own home-based business individuals can save thousands of dollars in tax savings every year. These can be on the side, part time businesses. It can be MLM, Furniture making, cake decorating, online, direct selling, car repairs, dog sitting, scrap booking, Retailing Tupperware or Candles...

Interest on mortgages is highway robbery in our economy. The largest purchase and expense for most consumers will be their home. Most consumers will pay over 200% of the purchase value of their home through the life of their mortgages. Because this is a staple of our society everyone accepts this as "just a way of life".

There is a new program available that will show consumers how to reduce their interest rates and cut down the life of their mortgage to ½ - 1/3 of the time without having to refinance, increase their payments or change their life style. This interest reduction system called the Money Merge system takes the term "Money Saving Strategies" to a whole new level!

The power of this system developed by UFirst Financial can not only radically reduce interest on ones mortgage it can also positively impact other areas of individual finance like other debts, increasing equity, generating more discretionary income and financial planning strategies.

Reduce Debts

Everyone wants to do this; most don't know how to accomplish this on their own. There are debt consolidation and debt solution program options offered by financial institutions; however these are just temporary fixes to a much larger issue and can have large fees associated which delays the end result and can sabotage the mission. It is the financial education and money skills people need, if someone fixes the problem you created how will you learn anything? You won't you will be right back in the same situation sooner or later. Not to mention that it will cost you more money when you should be maximizing the usage of your own money in your finances not someone else.

Money is a game, a game that the banks and big businesses have figured and been playing for decades. The consumer is the underdog in this game. Banks and financial institutions are using complicated mathematical systems to maximize the usage of their money and earn as much profit from you as they can. Isn't it time that the consumer is shown how to maximize the usage of their own money? Most are never taught or shown how to play the game or given the tools to succeed at the "money game".

Increasing Income:

The more financially stable the consumer is the more stable our economy is. More consumers in ideal financial situations means banks will lend more, the more they lend the more the government kicks in to help the banks. When people have more discretionary income they contribute more to charities and public functions which give back to the communities. They send more back into the economy as a whole. The more financially independent people are the less of a strain is placed on the already over-extended and over-promised government programs. The more independent individuals are the fewer burdens are placed on the tax payers.

There are many ways to increase your income, if you look around there are hundreds of ideas waiting for someone to see them. The market trends are shifting back to individual entrepreneurial ship and away from big business. Having a small home-based business is worth the benefits in just tax savings it offers, not to mention the potential for an additional income stream.

Pay yourself First! Start saving a portion of everything you earn, even if it is $5.00. As this amount increases you will have the motivation to continue. No one will prepare for your financial future for you. Decide to mind your own business - act as the CEO of the business of your life.

Educate yourself; be proactive in your finances and your financial future. If you wander around blindly you will hit the brick wall at a high rate of speed.

Have a long term out look on the effects of your spending and buying habits. Not taking a $5,000.00 trip to Disney Land could save you a year or more off your mortgage. Instead take a $300.00 trip Raging Rapids and cut out all the interest you would pay your mortgage company for that year and put it into a savings account with a 2-6% interest rate....

It is not about just being able to afford the fancy new SUV you have been wanting. It is also the increased insurance premiums and increased fuel costs and more expensive tires and maintenance which will add up quickly and eat away at your budgets.

Most consumers don't think about these additional factors before making an automobile purchase. Understanding that every decision has a ripple effect in our finances for years to come, positive or negative. Seeing these will allow you to develop your money smart skills and abilty to making sound financial decisions for years to come.