1. Carpooling, the savings on gas, maintenance, and insurance alone could save you big. Even if you don’t own a car riding in a carpool could be cheaper and faster than public transportation. There are many tools online to find a carpool anywhere in North America. If you still can’t find the type of ride your looking for, inquire within your city hall or go green committee. They might know of a carpool or be willing to start one. Ask your boss or co-workers, many large companies are eager to environmental activities.
2. Coupons are a simple way to save money each time you shop. You have to stuff your wallet so full of coupons you can’t open it. Just be prepared before you get to the grocery store. Make a grocery list and select coupons based on that list. You could use basket or box to keep them together and simply grab them on your way out the door. You must keep in mind that coupons are created by the company to get you to buy more products not to save money. If you didn’t intend to buy the product in the first place you are not saving money. Some products have coupons posted beside them in the store so look carefully.
3. Don’t eat out, restaurants have a huge mark up on food and drinks. Buying one coffee on the way to work five days per week can cost thirty to thirty five dollars per month. If you stop going out for lunch once a week you could easily save fifty dollars a month. If you do eat out be sure to take advantage of 2 for 1 deals or other promotions. Some restaurants offer extremely big discounts on a certain days or times. If you eat out more to socialize you could try bringing lunch to the park or mall, or eat before you go.
4. Buying bulk can save both time and money. If you run out of the same items every week consider buying bulk and storing it. Toothpaste, canned goods, flour, sugar, coffee, tea, rice and pasta are easy to buy in volume and have a long shelf life. Never buy perishables in bulk unless you can use it all before it expires. You can check out wholesale clubs, but sometimes the membership costs more than you can save. Certain clubs only carry name brand products, which further reduces your savings from buying generic products. Some community centers offer food-buying clubs where a large number of people buy food together for even bigger savings. This can be time consuming, but a great way to save. Certain butcher shops offer big discounts on large meat orders, this is great if you have a deep freeze.
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