25 Ways To Improve Your Financial Situation In Under 10 Minutes
I can tell you from experience that the first step in getting your finances in order is often the hardest. It seems impossible to reach your financial goal with all the information available. This makes people want to quit even before they begin, but it isn’t that difficult. Start small, and you will see savings start to accumulate. You don’t have a lot of time? You don’t have to worry. You can improve your financial position by washing your clothes with cold water. It takes only a second to do this and it saves you about $100 per year. Try switching your washing machine’s cycle to “cold-cold”. You will save money on your wash because the cost is mainly the heating of the water. You can save money by changing your washing habits. This is a great way to cut down on drying time by 10% for those who can’t dry their clothes by hand or those days that it’s just not possible. It only takes a few minutes to do. It’s easy to find a large, fluffy towel when you need one. I recommend that you do the exact same. Add the dry towel to the dryer when you put a load of damp clothes in. There are many other dryer money saving tricks. If you’re looking for other ways to save money on dryers, there are many more.
Pay for it
When my wife and I were younger and did not have enough money to pay for everything with cash rather than credit cards, we started several “pay-to-use” programs. You pay yourself money every time you use your car, washing machine or dryer. This not only ensures that you have enough money to repair and replace your appliances, but it also makes you more responsible and saves you money. Use your savings to improve your finances. I had a bad soda habit which cost me more than $1000 per year. It’s not easy to break an addiction like this, but it’s possible. My success came from doing it slowly, rather than trying to go cold turkey, which I’d tried before. Simple. Simple. What was the result? After a while, I made the rule that I had to drink two glasses of water before I could have a soda. This helped me gradually get to where I am today, and I’m completely soda free. After a time I made the rule I had to have 2 glasses of water before I could have a soda and gradually got to the point where I am today and I’m completely soda free.
Feel the pressure
Checking your tire pressure is one of those money saving tips that you hear time and time again and you probably still don’t do it. This is one of those things you can put off. This problem was solved by finding a gauge for tire pressure that fit into my gas tank. I had one in my glove box, but who remembers to check there? The tire gauge is now right in front of me when I fill up my car. Since I am standing there anyway, I can easily check the tires. It will not only give you better gas mileage but also help your tires last longer. I donated all of them to my local public library about a year ago, except for 50 books that I read and referred to again and again. Before I buy any book, I read it first. It is reserved at the local library. I do this online, so I don’t have to physically go there to check if the book is available. I then pick it up when I am next in the area. If I’m sure I’ll want to read the book again and again after I finish it, I buy it. I save $20 if I don’t want to buy the book. Call her
When we first met, my wife had over $10,000 of credit card debt. We called each of her credit cards and asked that her interest rates be reduced. Two of the four companies lowered the interest rates on the cards without asking any questions. They went from 17% to 19% and then to 7% or 8%. We had to pass the receptionist and go to the manager to get a 15% card down to 8%. We had to cancel the fourth card because the 18% rate wouldn’t go down. Call again
Another phone call you should make is to the TV cable company. Call again
Another call you should make is to your TV cable company. My mom loved her cable, but she was paying too much for it. I called the cable company to get her bill reduced to $39.95 per month for six months. Cable TV is a competitive industry and switching companies with the help of a competitor’s promotion can save you hefty amounts. It’s easy to do: Call
1. Call the number.
2. When the phone is answered, immediately ask to speak with someone in the cancellation department.
3. You may want to explain that you’re happy with your service and don’t wish to change unless you absolutely have to. However, you’ve found a better deal at a competitor that’s much cheaper than what you’re paying now. Ask politely if they can match or at least reduce the amount you are paying for your current service so that you don’t have to switch. You can ask politely to match, or at least reduce, the price you pay for your current service. This will prevent you from having to switch. I like painless savings
And another call
Another call I make yearly is to my auto insurance company. The insurance industry is highly competitive and the Internet makes it easier to compare prices, putting you in control. You can bargain by doing an Internet search to get quotes from other companies. If gas prices have affected your driving, you can lower your insurance bill. When I asked for a lower rate, my wife had opted to use public transportation to get to work instead of driving. We received 10% off our last insurance bill. I get discounts and deals on things I would have bought anyway. Even if I don’t accumulate enough miles for a free flight, I can usually redeem my miles for free magazines. Since I’m not a coupon person, I have learned that signing up for the newsletters of the brands that i buy will get me coupons on the products i actually purchase. While I’m still not a big coupon person, I have learned that signing up for the newsletters for the brands that I do buy (here’s a contact list for major food manufacturers and organic food manufacturers) will get me coupons for things I actually buy (warning: you may want to create a separate free email account if you do this to keep your main account somewhat manageable).
Turn down the heat
I am by no means a great do-it-yourself person, but I can do basic maintenance. In my first home, I replaced a manual thermostat in favor of a programmable one. It was the best thing I did. It was great to be able to wake up to a warm house on chilly winter mornings. Even if you have to hire someone to install it, it’s well worth the price since it will save you a bundle over time and make your living conditions a lot more comfortable.
Report some savings
The government lets you obtain a free credit report from each of the 3 major credit reporting agencies each year at annualcreditreport.com. I request one credit report every four months. This gives me an idea of how my credit is doing over the year, rather than asking for all three at once. This allows me to see if there are any problems or mistakes (which can lower your credit rating and mean it costs more to get loans) and monitor for identity theft that has taken place. This allows me to see if there are any problems or mistakes (which can lower your credit rating and mean it costs more to get loans) and monitor to make sure there hasn’t been any identity theft that has taken place.
Freeze!
When my wife had all her credit card debt, I threatened to take her credit cards, place then inside a container of water and stick them in the freezer if she didn’t stop using them until they had been paid off (a step that a good friend of mine had taken years ago to stop himself from using his credit card). She did not take her cards out of her wallet, but she did put them back in her desk drawer until the debt had been paid. The simple act of taking your credit cards out of your wallet and placing them somewhere else means that they can’t be used for impulse purchases.
Timing is everything
I have to admit that I love to take long showers. It drives my wife nuts and is not good for our energy and water bills (for heating water). My biggest problem is that I would do most of my article brainstorming and thinking while I was in the shower. I didn’t realize how long I spent in there. My wife brought in a kitchen clock that I set to 10 minutes each time I shower. It does mean that I have to do my article brainstorming on walks instead of the shower, but our energy and water bills have gone down quite a bit since the timer was introduced.
Make a switch
In my younger days when my wife and I first got married, we used disposable plates, chopsticks (we live in Japan) and napkins for practically every meal. We used disposable plates and chopsticks for a while because they were cheap and easy to clean. But when we realized that we spent hundreds of dollars yearly on this disposable food, we switched over to regular cloth napkins, silverware (in the US), and regular chopsticks. Get rid of some stuff. For a few years, I carried around an entire sports shop in the trunk of my car. Not only does it save me a bit of gas, but I can actually fit things I need into my car now which makes my wife a lot happier. Not only does it save me a bit on gas, I can actually fit things I need into my car now which makes my wife a lot happier.
Filter some savings
I remember taking a look at my mom’s furnace filter the last time I was back in the US. The furnace was not working in the winter. The filter had not been changed in at least a full year. It’s become a running gag that when I call, I ask if she recently changed the air filter. You can replace your air conditioner or heating filter in a few minutes every few months. This will help you save money. Some offer this service for free, while others charge a small fee. It’s well worth it. They did the audit, showed me where I lost money because of poor insulation, and how much it would be to fix these problems. They also provided an energy saving kit that included low flow shower heads and sinks, weather strips, toilet dams, etc. The price was less than half of what it would normally cost and they helped me install it. The next month, I saw the savings on my bill. It’s worth it to call and set up an appointment, especially with energy prices so high. We wished that we had made the switch sooner. We found that replacing one bulb at a. time didn’t make much difference. However, when we changed the entire house, the savings were immediately apparent. We have since switched to solar and motion sensors for our garden and pathways. In an article I read, it was explained that keeping these fans on sucked all the heated (winter) or cooled (summer), air out of your house and made the heating/cooling system work harder. I still feel like hitting myself for not realizing this sooner. I still feel like hitting myself for not realizing this sooner.
Change you can believe in
My very first emergency fund was put together from the change in my pockets (it works even better in Japan where they have a $1 and $5 coin). This was a great way to save money because I didn’t like carrying change around. Coin changing machines are also free in Japan, unlike the US, where saving coins could cost you. To this day, I empty my pockets into a jar outside our front door (although it is now our vacation fund).
Raise Your Standards
Once I had an emergency fund set up, I called my agent to raise my insurance deductible to $1,000. I always have the highest deductible possible, knowing that I will be able to pay for it if an accident occurs. In fact, when our cars get older so that they are no longer worth a lot but still run fine, I drop all collision insurance.
Dephantomize your house
Did you know that the clock on your microwave oven probably uses more energy during the year than the actual use of you microwave? When I first learned about the phantom power usage, I bought power strips for all of our appliances. Even appliances you turn off are still using energy. The phantom energy load can be as high as $100+ per year in homes with a lot electronics. Since I use power strips, I’m able to reduce phantom electricity waste. Appliances are no longer consuming energy when they seem to be turned off. Sign up for a flexible spending account if you employer offers them. You need to be careful because if you have any extra money in the account at the end of the year it gets forfeited, but there are a lot of things you can use the money for including over-the-counter medicines.
Bank on it
Opening up an online bank account was great not only because they pay much higher interest rates that traditional banks, but also because they are an excellent place to keep money that you don’t want to touch. You can choose from a variety of options and even receive sign-up bonuses to make money while saving. It’s not that I want you to think that this is a Nike advertisement, but the important thing to do is just to start. As soon as you start, it is much easier to tackle other aspects of your finances. You can easily improve your finances by following these tips. Please share any other tips that you have found useful.
