We Spent How Much?
It seems this time of year we start getting those annual reports or Christmas bills and realize our spending might be a bit higher than we thought! Here are just a few quick ways to review and make small changes for big impact!
Go line by line on your debit/credit cards and make sure there are not subscriptions you forgot or services that you don't want anymore. An ongoing 19.99 monthly charge to a fitness app that you've not opened in months... can really add up!
Call your cable/internet/cell phone providers and ask if you are on the best plan available. Often they offer new and better pricing but you have to know about it and ask for it -to get it!
Look at categories of spending that seem a bit high and see if you can reign it in. For my family it's always dining out- just being aware that the category is higher than you want can shift your decision making. Set a budget for that area of spending and monitor it a bit closer for a few months to get back on track.
Use a debit or credit card that accumulates points for big expenses - PAY IT OFF EVERY MONTH! Those points add up! We purchased lots of gifts with points this Christmas!
Make a list when you shop and stick to it!
Look for coupons, discount codes and "rewards programs". Piggy and Honey are great online tools to help find codes before you check out. It may seem like a little, but a little with every purchase adds up to be a lot in a year!
Learn all the benefits that are available through your employer. Often there are training or career development opportunities, tickets to events and matching retirement investments that people don't know about!
Track your spending. It's easy to "lose" 10.00 here and 5.00 there on small silly things. Being accountable to making note of every transaction will both find those losses and prevent them!
Being active and taking a little time each week or month can really help a family stay on top of keeping spending under control. It's usually not the big expenses that surprise us - it's the added up little ones that suddenly are draining our accounts!