Smart Ways to Save $100 a Month and More

Build Your Savings Account While Building Your Credit

Most of our readers are here to rebuild their credit.   Did you know there are secured credit card companies that will let you add to your security deposit every few months?  It’s a great way to not only improve your credit score but to save some money!   We recommend Applied Bank.  You can open an account with $500 but you can keep adding to the balance up to $5,000!

With the simple steps we outline below, you should be able to not only build a nice “nest egg” but also build / rebuild your credit!

Simple Steps To Save You Money

One essential step to avoid the bad credit trap is to minimize spending. There are a lot of ways to save money.  Some things are pretty standard, like avoiding Starbucks.  Bringing your lunch to work instead of going out.   Quitting or cutting back on smoking.

But many people feel like based on their current pay, there is no way they can build up a savings account.  In this article, I want to show you some simple ways you can start to save money.   Little streams make a mighty river.  So it may seem like it’s just a little bit at first.  That “little bit” can, and will grow!

The tips in this article are meant to help you save a minimum of $100 a month.  By the end of the year, you will have a minimum of $1200 in savings!

10 Ways To Save $100 A Month

1.  Save your change money in a jar!

Do you know how much change you actually give away daily, weekly or monthly?  I got one as a “white elephant” gift.  You know at Christmas everyone in the office buys a gift that is less than $20 and you just draw numbers and you get the gift with the corresponding number.   I got a digital piggy bank and decided i wanted to keep it and not swap it.   I wanted to give it to my nephew but ended up using it myself.   By the time I had it filled (and it was actually fun to fill it!  I actually looked forward to putting it in the jar and watching the balance increase!    I had a mixture of pennies, quarters, dimes, nickels.  Everything I used to give to the kids so my purse wouldn’t be weighted down.   It took me a little over a year to fill this jar but I had $180 for my troubles!

2. Stop buying bottled water

It’s easy to spend $2 – $4 a day on water!  If you are buying it from the vending machine at work or picking up a bottle where ever you are having lunch.   It’s good to drink lots of water.  Very healthy.  But none of us want to drink tap water anymore LOL.  But did you know there are water bottles you can buy that have a filter in them?   We are all on the go at all times.   I have my Brita water filter at home.  But when I would get to the office, once my bottle of water was done.  I had to either:

1. Start bringing more than 1 bottle of water with me to work
2. Buy a bigger water bottle to last thru the day
3. Buy a bottle with a filter in it so that I can keep filling it up from the tap at work

I choose to get a bigger bottle with a filter already in it!  Here are a few options you can use to still drink those 8 glasses of water your body needs!

3. Shop around and compare.

Whether you are looking for a new pair of shoes, a mortgage loan, or auto insurance, always take the extra time to look around and compare your options.  You can use reliable websites to compare various deals in the market quickly and conveniently.  Keep in mind that as the competition among merchants and lenders become stronger, you should use it to your advantage to find the best deal.

Shopping for Bad Credit Personal Loans Online

• Corporate discounts – Many companies have agreements with services to offer their employees a discount.  Your HR dept should have a list of all service providers in your area that will offer you a discount.
• Credit Card companies –  Many of them also have agreements with service providers.  Thru my Amex card, I not only get
• Mega Stores – Don’t forget to shop Mega stores like Costco and Sams Club.  Look on groupon, at least once a year there is a Groupon for 1 year discounted Sams Club membership.  Buying in bulk can really save you money.  Also the savings you get from buying gas there can pay for the membership!

4. Buy with coupons – online and offline.

Have you heard of Honey? If you are an online shopper like me, Honey will be your new best friend!  It’s a browser extension that when you are making purchases, it will search the internet for coupon codes you can use.  Once it finds them, it quickly tests which ones work, and will even stack coupons if it’s allowed!   You save money without having to hit all the coupon sites!  Free to join, so nothing to lose!

I thought I was an EXPERT online shopper.  But just recently we needed a new umbrella for our backyard table.  I searched Amazon, found a great deal, made sure it was Prime shipping and was ready to buy when I noticed the Honey button lit up.  The umbrella I choose was $165.  Honey found a cheaper seller w/ a coupon.  I ended up paying $99!  I didn’t have to shop coupon code sites or shift thru all the sellers on Amazon.  It’s been great not just on Amazon, but it helped me book a hotel recently on Tripadvisor too!

Are you an Extreme Couponer???

Do you watch any of the extreme couponing shows!  Now those are some people that can really make a dollar stretch!  Using coupons used to be embarrassing.  I hated it when my mom sent me to the store with a fist full of coupons!

But when I got my first place on my own, I went shopping with my boyfriend and I put those couponing skills to good use!  He became a believer when I cut our bill almost in HALF by using coupons.  Some tips to make the most out of using coupons.

1. Look at all your grocery stores.  Find the ones that offer double and triple coupon days!  These will become the stores you shop the most!
2. There are lots of local groups on Facebook with Extreme couponers.  Look for a local one and join!  People are in these groups telling everyone where the best deals in town are.  They also trade coupons.
3. The Sunday paper is still one of the best places to get coupons.  Although stores like Vons let you “load” coupons onto your shopper’s card.   Sometimes they have some great offers for super discounted items, BUT you must have it loaded onto your card prior to going shopping.

5. Don’t be afraid to negotiate!

My mom LOVES to haggle.  When I took her to Mexico, she was in HEAVEN haggling with all the shop owners!  When I was in China, I “channeled” my mother and got some great deals.

It never hurts to ask.   I was at Ross a few weeks ago and saw this shirt I liked.  There were 2 loose buttons.   I got them to take off 10% of the cost, BUT they said I can’t return the shirt for any reason.

But haggling doesn’t stop at street vendors or clothes shops.  But there are other places you can haggle and get a better price!

1. Call your cable company.  See if there are any specials they are running that you can take a part of.  Cable companies are really starting to drop rates with more and more people dropping them.   You may actually want to consider dropping them yourself!
2. Call your insurance company annually.   And again tell them you are shopping around.  See how much they want to drop their rates to keep your business!
3. Call your credit card companies.  If you have a high interest rate, or just came off an introductory offer.  Call them up and ask for them to extend it!  Many companies will do it if you are in good standing.

6. Reduce the cost of your utilities!

Do you live in one of the deregulated energy states?  If you do, you have the opportunity to save a lot of money on your gas and/or electricity!  Deregulated energy means your state has opened the marketplace to more than 1 company to provide electricity or gas.   When I moved to Texas, I was OVERWHELMED by the dozens of companies that offer electricity.  I had never lived in a deregulated state so I wasn’t used to having more than 1 choice!   In the end, I ended up with going w/ the BIGGEST company.  And for 2 years I paid more for my electricity then I should have.  Then a friend of mine sat me down and showed me how to look at the rates and fees associated.  I found a new company and saved $40 a month during the winter and $25 during the summer (I have an all electric home).

To find out if you are in a deregulated state click here.  To get a quote on what your energy bill could be, click here.

7.  Referral opportunities

Keep an eye out for companies that will pay you for referrals.  Whenever you find a good deal, you know you tell your friends about it, post online about, heck you tell anyone who will listen how you saved some money.  Good places to find referral programs to reduce the cost of services or just to make a little extra money:

1. Your bank.  They will generally give you something for bringing in a new customer
2. Cable / Dish Companies – notorious for their referral programs and a major way they experience growth.
3. Cell Phone Companies – we belong to a service that for every 5 customers we refer over to them, one of our cell phone service contracts becomes FREE.  The company works with Sprint, Verizon & Tmobile.  No cost to join, you just have to have service with them.  Would you like to have free cell phone service too?

8. Sell old or unused items.

Do you have things in your home which have been sitting in the attic or basement for a long time?  If yes, putting them on sale may even make you some money. Places where you can sell your ites online include:

• Ebay
• Facebook Groups – look for groups that are LOCAL
• Craigslist
• Bonanza
• Ebid

There are also many apps on your phone you can use to sell things like:

• Letgo
• SocialSell
• Offerup

Remember when you are selling items online, to only work w/ people who are local to your area.  You don’t want to “ship your items” to a client no matter how much OVER your asking price they are willing to pay.  it’s a scam.  You will lose your item and the money orders they send are all fake.

9. Refinance your loan.

If you acquired your loan while your credit rating still needs improvement, this might be the right time for you to refinance to get a lower rate and reduce monthly payments.  Perhaps you managed to raise your credit score through timely loan payments. In this case, loan refinancing can be a wise move.

10.  Stop throwing away good food!

A lot of people throw out items once the sell by or best by dates have gone past.  But did you know there are LOTS of food items that you can eat well past those dates?  When in doubt, check out sites like Eatbydate to check out when you really MUST throw out that cup of yogurt!

A few other ways you can save money

• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or doing dishes.
• Wash your clothes using cold water only
• Buy energy efficient appliances & lightbulbs
• Weather proof your house.  Look around your doors, are there spaces? If there are, invest in insulation strips to plug up those gaps!
• Unplug appliances that are not in use
• Carpool to work
• Keep up the maintenance on your car.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Saving money should really be a priority in your life.  Whether you can only save $5 a week or if you are able to save $100 a week.  Anything is better than not doing anything at all!

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