Some money-saving tips are obvious: not flying first class, eating out at restaurants less, or giving up bad habits like smoking. Similarly, there are opportunities to save that are sporadic and do not offer consistent savings month after month. These can include choosing a less expensive hotel for vacation or purchasing a used car instead of a new one. While these are great tips, they will not help lower your monthly expenses.
Below is a list of 10 saving opportunities in everyday activities that often go unnoticed:
Do not buy branded products
Buying generic brands whenever is an option that can save money without significantly sacrificing product quality. In most cases, a quick comparison of ingredient labels between two products shows they are identical but have significantly different prices. For example, it is common to find generic medicines because patents have expired on the branded medicine. They have the same components, but they are sold at a lower price.
Courier services
Anticipate the need to send and receive letters or packages by courier so you avoid paying express delivery fees. Overnight or expedited delivery can cost up to 10 times more than the typical rate.
Paying a mechanic
Basic car maintenance skills are no longer a priority to learn or teach. It is now the preference to pay someone else to complete maintenance for us. Unfortunately, this means money is spent each time you take your car to a shop for every small complication.
Several car problems are simple and do not require a professional mechanic to solve them. Online research can be done to assist in routine maintenance tasks that can be performed at home.
Buying food when you are hungry
If you shop at the supermarket every time you are hungry, you are susceptible to buying extra food you do not need or not eating. This also happens when you go shopping with too much free time and without a predefined shopping list. If you visit the supermarket with a defined list of products and have other tasks to do, you are less likely to spend time exploring the aisles and purchasing more food than you need.
The purchase of a snack
All those bottles of soda and bags of chips that you consume when you refill your gas tank or stop at a convenience store make a difference in your budget and your diet. If you assign a small defined budget to moderate the consumption of snacks, you will see that you can save a significant amount per month. It can also be economical to buy snacks in bulk at supermarkets at a lower cost. With $20 in snacks purchased in bulk, you will save about $30 to $180 in snack purchases at a corner store or a service station.
Your bank
If you are careless, banks and related financial institutions can be money vacuums. For example, whenever possible, try to use the ATMs of your own bank to avoid paying cash withdrawal fees.
Look at your accounts and review the annuities, interest rates, and additional benefits of the credit cards you have, and see if there is a better option on the market that meets your payment habits.
You do not keep your car tires properly inflated
When your tires do not have the ideal amount of air, they can increase your car’s gas mileage and energy consumption. Keep your tires inflated properly, and you will save money on gas that you did not even know you were losing. Set an alert on your mobile phone to schedule a periodic review.
Saving money can often seem like a daunting task but observing your spending habits and making these small adjustments can help you save more money each month.
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