Shameless Money - Saving Tricks

A brand new year, another promise to spend more wisely and save more cash! To successfully execute this money-making quest, you must take note of your allowance, your usual expenses, and major activities you'll need to spend for over the next few months (such as the much-awaited prom, that annual group or barkada beach trip, or a big gift for your mom's 50th birthday). Be sure to track all of your saying and spending habits manually or electronically, and follow these trifty tips and sample monthly plans.)

Shameless Money Saving Tricks

Score a Hot New Look, Totally Free

• Want to get your makeup professionally done, before a night out without spending a thing? Call a department store, and ask to schedule a consultaton at the cosmetics counter. They offer the service hoping you'll buy their swag, but it's not always required. Either way, you'll walk out looking foxy as hell. Try Body Shop, MAC, Bobbie Brown and Shu Uemura counters, no name a few.

Get Gorgeous Nails for Less

• If your manicure habit is cutting into your grocery funds, I have two words for you: polish change. It generally cost around P90 ($2) - half of the price of a full mani.The catch? It doesn't include nail shaping or pushing back the cuticles, so you'll have to do those on your own. (Hint: Some places don't advertise the service, so ask if it not listed)

H2O (Water) Can Fatten your Wallet

• Shopping hangovers suck, so here's a tip to splurge-proof your next mall trip: Bring a bottle of water. A study found that people who had to pee made smarter financial decisions. (Source: University of Twente, Netherlands)

Slash Your Grocery Bill

• Guess what: "Sell by," "use by, and "best by" dates aren't really when groceries go bad. They indicate when a product is at its peak, but aren't directly related to safety (the exception is "expires on," which means you just toss it for sure.) Stilltasty.corn list how long government agencies in the US says food typically stay safe (which may apply to many products here). Often trashed early: eggs (okay for about a month after purchase), milk (use it up to 10 days past the sell-by date), and frozen meat (never goes bad.)

HOW TO.... Spend Less Without Realizing It

• Here's the secret to saving minus dealing with the hassle of a budget. All you have to is pay for the majority of stuff with cash. Research has shown that people who choose bills over plastic (credit card) spend less, simply because they can actually feel the money leaving their hands. Source: Financial Expert : Galia Gichon, Author of My Money Matters.

Fly Anwhere for Cheap

• Even in this sucky economy, the rich get to travel. But if you don't mind a spur-of-the-moment trip, it's not necessary to make six figures, to go on vacation. Airlines and hotels often offer major discouts right befire a date they haven't sold out. Log on to lastminute.com, a site that gathers all the deals and lists them for , your convenience. If you can't fly somewhere, you may find a hotel close by that will still be totally relaxing.

Score a Free MEAL

• Find out if your favorite food spot offers a loyalty card. They're more common now - Fish & Co, Teriyaki Boy and Super Bowl of China, for example, all have one. You'll wind up saving cash just for buying what normally do.

HOW TO.... Erase Credit Card Debit ASAP

• We get it. You see your bills and have a total FML moment. But that numb er isn't so scary if you split it into two payments. For example, if your credit limits is P10,000, put P2,000 of each paycheck toward your card. That way, you'll always pay on time, and you'll clear your debt more quickly.

Save On So Much STUFF

• Those P88 stores just go an awesome upgrade. Instead of offering a random mashmash of kids' toys and dishware, many are stocking up on name-brand toiletries, cleaning supplies and paper. Most of them sell cute and funky stuff you can give away as gifts, too. And at prices a few pesos / dollars less then what you'd pay at the grocery, it adds up.