What are the 10 top tips to reduce your cash outflow?

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   Donna Huebschposted 12 years ago

   What are the 10 top tips to reduce your cash outflow?
   
   We all have a lot of expenses...healthcare insurance, car insurance, mortgage, taxes, groceries, utilities, etc. When you've absolutely, positively got to cut back on your expenses, what are 10 things you can do that will have the biggest impact?

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2. 59

   Price-Matchingposted 12 years ago

   Donna thanks for your question.  Currently, my focus is saving people money on groceries through a 10-point Strategic Shopping program that I teach.  I believe, however, that some of what I teach can be applied generally.
   Strategic means have a deliberate and well thought out plan.  For any  household looking to save money that means having a budget.  So first, and foremost, I recommend setting up a household budget to control your spending and maximize your savings.
   I also recommend paying with cash.  Statistically speaking (and from my own personal experience) you spend less when you pay with cash than with a credit and debit card.
   Next, I suggest you keep track of your spending.  This goes hand-in-hand with having a budget and using cash.  Keeping a written journal of your daily, weekly and monthly spending will be a conscientious reminder on how much you are spending and what you are spending it on.  It also helps you with my next recommendation, which is to avoid impulse purchases.
   An impulse purchase is an emotional purchase made without any deliberate or conscientious plan.  Whether you are talking about small items at the grocery store, or big ticket items like televisions, impulse spending can be a big drain on your finances. So it's a good idea to really think before making any purchase you didn't originally intend on making.
   
   Those are my general recommendations for saving money on household expenses. More specifically my business focuses on saving money on groceries, which next to mortgage or rent, is probably the second biggest expense for a household.  So being able to cut this expense can have a significant impact on freeing up some money.  I recommend price matching as a saving's strategy. Price matching allows you to save time as well as money.  It further gives you the option to supplement those savings with coupons.  I invite you to take a look at my website, kcstrategicshopping.com, where you can find more of my advice for saving money on groceries.  If you have any questions after looking through my site feel free to email me at maureen.welsh@kcstrategicshopping.com. 
   I hope this provided some helpful advice.

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3. 71

   Ciel Clarkposted 12 years ago

   Resist the brand name coffee shop.
   Don't go shopping as a pastime.
   Review your credit card statement and see where you go too often and buy things you don't need.  Stop going there!  (For me it was the drugstore--I would go for one thing and end up with ten).
   For bigger purchases, have your phone with you and compare with online prices.
   No bottled water!
   Eating out occasionally not regularly.
   Do your own nails.
   Don't online shop after midnight, or after a bottle of wine..
   No more dry-clean only clothing
   Clean the inside of your car yourself and forget the drive-through car wash.
   If you can't tell the difference, go generic. 
   Get your eyes tested with a really good doc, and then get your prescription filled at a discount place.
   Think about your warehouse megastore membership-- Does it really save you money or do you buy a bunch of other stuff in huge quantities?
   
   Save your money for important things like plane tickets!  (I heard a quote saying always get good quality comfortable shoes and mattress, because you pass most of your time in one or the other.)

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