Saving Money Over A Year Ways To Save Quick Cash

HOW TO SAVE MONEY IN A YEAR

There are some things that everyone can do to save loads of money each and every year.

Most of these savings can come in the form or your mortgage or rent and your utility bills.

Others can come in the form of entertainment costs or other ancillary costs you might have overlooked.

The best way to see how much you save over a year's time is to jot down everything you currently spend, follow some or all of these suggestions, and then compare how much you've saved.

While you're doing that, stash your savings across the board into the bank and see how much it all adds up to over a year's time! 

Let's explore a few great ways to save money each and every year and decide if any or all of them can work for you.

HOME AND HEARTH MONEY-SAVING IDEAS

• Refinancing. While refinancing your home is not for everyone, consider that for every $10,000 of your home loan, saving 1/2% in an interest rate can save you roughly $40 per year. Every little percentage adds up and refinancing can save you an incredible amount of money. However, there are other things to consider when you think about refinancing. If closing costs are included and if they are high, it may be a negative avenue to pursue. However, if you can get a deal with a low interest rate plus little to no closing costs, consider refinancing as a great strategy to sock away more money each year.
  

• Cut the loan in half. Many people opt for a 15-year rather than a 30-year mortgage simply because the savings are enormous. You may pay more per month but surprisingly not that much. The great part is you cut the amount of time you pay in half!

• Extra payment strategy. Other people pay extra on the principal every month. By tacking on an extra $100 or so per month you can save thousands of dollars in interest and pay off your mortgage much faster.

• Super tip on mortgage payments: Consider paying half of your mortgage payment every 2 weeks. You cut the interest rate considerably by doing this and you end up paying the same amount of money as paying it once in a lump sum.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON UTILITIES

• Fluorescent versus incandescent bulbs:  Those little things called fluorescent bulbs are really a money saver. Providing 4 times as much light, they last 10 times longer. How can you argue with the initial outlay of changing them out? You can buy a 6-pack at Home depot (lights not beer) for what you usually pay for 2 in most other places. We got an instant super rebate buying them at Costco recently and ended up paying a fraction of the cost to replace our bulbs. Also check out on-line pricing and other sources too. (Note: Some people will argue that these bulbs are not safe because of mercury and other health concerns. I have not read anything conclusive on this. I've also read that soon incandescent bulbs will not even be manufactured anymore so it is a matter of choice I guess at this point whether to use fluorescent bulbs or not.)
  

• Heating and cooling.  Heating and air conditioning are huge money suckers. Every time you turn up your thermostat you are tossing money out the window. Same goes with air conditioning. Your thermostat in winter should not ever be above 68. At night, it should be at 60 max....or at other times you aren't there. In summer, AC should not come on until 78 or above if you really want to save money. Not only are you throwing away money but you are using our natural resources at an escalated rate. Heat your home naturally by using the sun, shoring up heat escape routes, and using space heaters. Cool your home by blocking the sun, using more fans and opening windows unless it's absolutely necessary to run your AC.

• Water heaters.  Check the temperature on your water heater. If it's above 110-120, you're losing money. Ask for energy advice from your local power company. They can come out and tell you how to maximize your potential in terms of energy conservation and thus reduce your bills!

• Dryers.  Dry your clothes naturally as much as you can. It saves your clothes from being overheated and they will in turn last longer. Dry them for a few minutes in the dryer and then hang them up on hangers or on racks. When almost completely dried, toss in the dryer for de-wrinkling. You'll save a bundle.

• Microwave cooking.  Learn to cook with your microwave if you have one. It will take less energy than your oven and you will save you loads of money in the long run. Especially in times of hot weather, using your microwave instead of your oven serves a two-fold purpose. Things take less time and energy to cook and you also save money on cooling costs.
  

SMART SAVINGS ON YOUR WATER BILL

• Washing clothes.  By washing half loads or smaller loads, you may think you're saving money but really you're not. The difference in the water levels is not that much different in terms of saving on gallons. You're running your washer at the same level so that means it takes just as much electricity to run the smallest load compared to the maximum load. Save your laundry and only do full loads. Wash on cold/cold unless absolutely necessary not to. Don't do extra rinses except in rare instances and don't add extra rinses for fabric softeners. Use your washer smartly and save up to at least a hundred dollars per year.

• Showers.  Shower heads can save you a bundle too. Not just on the water bill but also on the heating bill. Look for energy-efficient, flow-limiting shower heads and you could find yourself saving hundreds of dollars per year.

• Faucets, toilets and watering.  Running toilets or dripping faucets obviously are going to up your water bill. Low flush toilets are great money savers. Little tricks like not turning water on and leaving it running obviously will save you a lot of money. Not taking numerous showers per day or soaking in a Jacuzzi multiple times per week will also save you big bucks. If you remember to water conservatively, never water in the heat of the day, and not over-water in summer, you'll also see great savings.

SAVING MONEY ON PHONE BILLS AND CABLE - CAN YOU HERE ME NOW?

• Phone bills.  If you have a land line, which most people don't these days, adding call waiting or call forwarding will add to your bill.  Better yet, millions of people are doing away with land lines so think about that.  Check into your cell phone bill and make sure you have the best coverage you can get for the cheapest rate.  If not, negotiate, switch plans or whatever you need to do to save money.  Then, if you think you can give up your land line, do it and pocket the dough.  You can also check for alternative phone companies.  We switched from Qwest to our local phone company for the land line and cut the bill by more than half.

• Cable costs.  How much do we need when it comes to TV?  If you have cable packages, start evaluating how much you actually watch.  Do you really need all those channels for movies when you can go to RedBox and get a movie for a buck?  Or you can rent old movies for next to nothing.  You can also rent movies for free at the library, including new releases.  So why hang onto movie channels?  Why do we have to have HD?  Try to trim what you can off your cable and TV bill and see how much better you'll feel by saving money!

WAYS TO SAVE QUICK CASH AND THINGS THAT LAST

I begin to ask myself this question a lot these days....Is everything disposable?

I think sometimes it is.  We run to the store to purchase the latest gadget. As a country, we throw away and waste millions of dollars on things....things that do not last or things we just get tired of and toss away.

I think investing in things that last is the way to go. For example consider these concepts:

• Investing in perennials for the garden instead of annuals
• Fixing something instead of throwing it out and buying something new
• Using as much of your food as you can every week and not throwing it away
• Adopting the philosophy of considering "I want" versus "I need"
  

These are just a few ways we can save money over a year or over an indefinite period of time. You will see the savings if you adopt some of these ideas on conservation.

You'll also be giving something back to the environment and that's quite the savings! And the gravy is saving money to boot!

There are millions of "little" ways to save money but if you look at all the little ways as a whole, they can add up to hundreds of dollars.....if not thousands of dollars.....over a year or over a lifetime.

Saving also means a far greater thing in my opinion....saving the world or a piece of it just by not wasting so much and cutting back.

Think outside the box and think of ways you can save money but also think about saving your world by using less. It's not such a bad concept across the board.

If you have more money-saving ideas, please help us all save money - share them with all of us here.