20 ways to save money?

All you need is one way, open a savings account and treat if like a bill and pay it every month or whenever you get paid.

1. Become a vegetarian. If you have at least 3 meatless meals a week (without substituting for pricey fish), then you can save (on average) $100 a week.

2. Bring your lunch a few times a week. Or everyday.

3. Make your own coffee.

4. Eat at home more often.

5. Cut up your credit cards!!! 'Nuff said!!!

6. Hold a garage sale. You can really get a lot of money if you have one.

7. coupons!!!

http://www.couponmom.com/

http://www.thegrocerygame.com/S

8. Don't buy more than you can use; use everything you buy

9. Stick your pens in the microwave to get the last of the ink. When your pen ceases to write, it probably still has a great deal of ink in it that is just stuck temporarily. instead of throwing it out, stick your pen in the microwave for 10 seconds to get that ink running again

10. You can also do the same with your lipgloss. Get a coffee mug, fill it with water, put in the microwave for 5 mins. Stick your lipgloss in the hot water for about 5-10 minutes. Voila!

11. Brush w/ out toothpaste! Use a combination of salt and baking soda. This doesn't taste as good but it's cheap and it's better for your gums.

12. Get a clothes line!

13. When ever you're in a hotel, get all the soap/shampoo/conditioner/etc.! They have a whole bunch more, I bet.

14. Make a garden. Then, you don't have to buy the veggies at the store. ^_^

15. Stop drinking and smoking! And it'll save you from that hang over the next morning. ;)

16. Rice: FTW!

17. Find cheap gas! Try these websites: http://gaspricewatch.com/new/default_V3.asp

http://gasbuddy.com/

18. Save every $5 bill.Then, deposit them in the bank and put them in a high-interest savings account.

19. Start a compost! You can use the dirt for your garden. ^_^

20. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. This really does work!

Put money into a managed fund, $400 dollars a month. They wait for the payment, so you are forced to save it. Anytime is a good time to start cause it is a Long Term investment (so generally over time you can double it every say around 7 years) and it compounds. So you could get a 30% return in say 4-6 months, if u pick a good one. $100 a week=$400 a month =$4800 a year =$24000 over five years and double this by compound following the rule =$48,000 not bad for 100 bucks a week.

Theres always an excuse it will go down or won't work but at least youll have 24 grand.

Internet accounts are good also 5% interest and cant get at on weekends, till Monday morning. Just dont ask for a card.

Get a timer for your oil heater- I was living in a cold climate (Orange) last year and the timer reduced the bill by like $500 bucks for the quarter. From 900 to 300 and it was still snowing in November.

Dont buy books on investment, you could have invested the money.

If u do sell it on ebay when finished.

Sell anything u dont need on ebay. Its cheap to sell and someone else benefits from something you dont need.

If you have Cash pay you credit card off, this is the worst debt you can have.

1/ Have a second account that 10% of your pay goes into by direct debit. That way you don't touch it and you don't see it.

2/ Set goals for what you want in life. make them as big and as small as you wish. Write them down on paper and put them on a wall where you will see them. This is for motivation.

3/ Ask yourself do you need it. Before I went overseas I would go to a shop to buy a drink. I would then question whether I needed it now or would rather have an extra drink on holidays. That saved me a huge amount of money and my holiday was much better.

4/ Food is your largest expense that you can control. Cooking at home is almost always cheaper than eating out. Learn some basic cooking. Toasted sandwiches are fine if that is all you can make.

5/ Eat less meat and add more vegetables, rice, pastas to meals. This is because they are cheaper to buy than meat.

6/ Make sure your car tyres have correct air pressure. Low pressure tyres cause you to use more fuel.

7/ Consider different entertainment ideas. Ride a bike, watch a dvd instead of going to the movies. Take a picnic, stay overnight with family and friends on holidays.

8/ Swap clothes with friends. That way you get new clothes without paying.

9/ Buy wholesale where possible. Make a small group of people and buy in bulk then share it.

10/ Ask for a discount. Everyone from your credit card provider to the local shop. If you don't ask for a discount you won't get one.

11/ Check out some of the websites on the internet. Use the term FRUGAL and you will find more than you can imagine.

12/ I should be writing a book about this and selling it. lol.

I owe you 9 ways.

Make the savings account you open as hard as possible to take money from! I reckon internet ones are the best becasue you can't access them while you are out. You have to transfer money via a computer and that gives you a bit more time to think about whether you really need to spend that money. They also usually have the best interest rate.

Also, if you are the grocery shopper, work out what food you need for the week and buy only that. I work out what we are going to have for each evening meal and that means I do not buy extra stuff that just sits in the cupbord/fridge/freezer. ESPECIALLY meat and fresh stuff (fruit and vegies). There has been studies done regarding how much fruit and vegies get thrown away each week and it is anywhere up to a half of what is bought!!

When you go to the shops, leave the credit card at home. If you are someone who uses cash, just take a small amount with you and leave the EFTPOS card at home too.

Get a money box that cannot be opened. I put all my small change at the end of each fortnight into a money box. I save hundreds of $ a year to be used when we go away on holidays.

Someone else has said it already, but just doing a lot of small things to save money will make a big overall difference. each thing may only asve a few $ a week, but it all adds up!!

And if you do have a budget, don't make it too strict as you won't stick to it!! Start with a reasonably 'loose' one and slowly tighten it so you don't notice.

These are ways that have worked for me -

1. At the end of the day put any loose change in a Money Tin

2. Always limit the amount of cash you have in your wallet/purse say

$20.00. Its easy to spend more if you have more.

3. Be honest about your "Needs" and "Wants."

4. Stay home, rent a movie. It is better than blowing $100 on going to

a club and getting wasted.

5. Take your lunch to work instead of buying takeaway.

6. Make a commitment to save a certain amount of money each week

or each month and stick to it.

7. Open either a Christmas account or an account where you cannot

make withdrawals. Like a Term Deposit account.

8. Don't allow peer group pressure to stop you reaching your goals.

9. Pay off your credit card and cut it up.

10. Pay off any car loans as soon as you can. As far as a vehicle

goes. Buy what you need. Don't try to impress others with something

that you again have to pay off. It worked for me, I went from paying

loans and credit cards to keep up a certain look. I went from that to

saving $20,000 a year. Ten years later, you do the maths. I hope

that helps a little bit.

1. Budget

2. Write down everything you spend.

3. Prepare your own meals from fresh ingredients.

4. Grow your own vegetables/fruit. They grow well in pots.

5. Get a rainwater tank.

6. Recycle your clothes with friends and charity organizations.

7. Shower only once a day.

8. Sell things you don't need.

9. Wash dishes by hand.

10. Have a dinner by candle light once a week.

11. Turn off lights in rooms as you leave them.

12. Avoid running water when brushing your teeth.

13. Minimise purchases.

14. Keep your car in excellent condition; a lot of money is wasted on restoring car engines.

15. Install a solar hot water system.

16. Walk to work, as far as is possible.

17. Stay healthy (doctors' bills are minimised, and it's good for you).

18. Spend at least one evening a week reading rather than watching tv or playing on the internet.

19. Have a party where invited guests each bring a plate.

20. Save water from your shower for use on plants (not vegetables).

1. Cut down on Services for example Subscription Tv, interent, phone

2. combine phone internet and mobile phone into one.

3. Shop around for the best utility company

4. make sure all taps dont leak and have a timer in the shower to save water and money.

5. Shop to season only buy fruit and vegtables in season

6. shop to the catalogue specials (see what meat and that is on special)

7. Buy you meat from the Butchers you avoid paying inflated prices at the supermarket

8. Make a meal plan

9. Reduce the size of you meals

10. Try eating vegetarian once or twice a week instead of meat.

11. Instead of going out to eat with friends have a dinner party at home and everyone brings a plate

12. Sign up to online dvd stores that way there is no late fee's

14. Shop at Op Shops, there is some fabulous things to be found

15. Walk to work or the bus stop and leave the car at home or car pool

16. Pack your lunch for work or school

17. use shopper dockets

18. Search online for stuff you want you may find it cheaper

19. Find free things to do on the weekend like a museuem, kite flying, park, hiking,

20. Keep an eye on the price of petrol generally cheaper tuesday afternoons or wednesday mornings.

Reuse, reduce recycle. Try looking at the second hand shops for clothes. Owning a freezer is handy because you can buy in bulk and freeze in smaller portions. Look at what you are eating. Is it REALLY necessary to eat meat 7 days a week. There are some wonderful recipes using beans and lentils. There are also some realy tasty soups and stews that can be made out of the cheaper cuts of meat. I once went and did my weekly shopping and then made myself put back all the groceries that I didn't really need that week. That was hard to do. Take advantage of sales but only if you were going to buy the items anyway. It is not a bargain if you don't need it.

Make your own cakes and buscuits. It is not hard and the results are always delicious. Do you knit or sew? Can you learn? Keep a diary for one month and enter every single cent that you spend so you can see exactly where your money goes. Pack your own lunch for work and make your own coffe. That cappuccinno at lunch time can add up over a year. Walk or take public transport more often. CUT UP THE CREDIT CARDS. Credit is only for those that can afford it - and then only for emergencies. Most of all Good luck.

Here are just a few, some have been mentioned already for sure.

Get a check account, a savings account and keep your access / credit card. Make arrangements that you cannot access the savings account unless you go into the bank, or at least not from check-outs in markets. Have your pay put into the check account, then have the bank transfer a specific amount every months or two weeks, whatever they will into the savings account. Make sure they do not charge a large fee to do this. If they do, then make the transfer yourself.

People talk about turning off lights. Well that's true, but the real users of electricity (or gas) are heating appliances like kettles, washing machines and driers.

Leaving a clothes iron on for an hour used as much power as six or ten light bulbs of the old kind. If you are going to iron clothes, turn on the iron and do several items, the iron uses most power when it is warming up. Use a clothes line instead of a drier. I'll bet your grandmother got on OK without a drier. If you have to wash, the weather is wet and cold but you don't need the clothes for a few days, hang them on a line in a garage. They will be close to dry after a day and if you do need them a short spell in the drier will set them up.

Another thing that bleeds electricity is stand-by settings on TVs and such. Pull the plugs from the sockets or switch off at the power socket. Some of these use as much power as a light bulb when on standby.

The most expensive form of electricity is batteries. If you have a radio or other item that is AC/DC run it on mains power.

Some people say buy this or that and you will save money. I'm pretty doubtful about some of that. Making your own things can be cheaper, but you really have to consider whether you can do it and how much the tools or materials cost to start with. One lady gave up on knitting when she calculated she could buy good sweaters for less than the price of the wool she needed.

Think about what you buy in the supermarkets. Many premium price goods are placed at eye level where people are more likely to grab them. The cheaper lines, which are often just as good are on the bottom shelf. if you like a particular brand that is a little more expensive then by all means go for it but if you are buying hand soap then the cheaper bars are good and sometimes better.

Buying a major appliance? One thing that I noticed in many consumer reviews of these from stereo to refrigerator is that the really cheap ones are not often very good, the medium price ones are very good and the really expensive ones are not much better than the medium price. Look for the models in the middle of the price range and you probably won't go wrong. A lot of features look fine, but they don't add to the quality, they might even detract from it, and you probably will not use more than two or three of them.

That goes for clothes and shoes as well. Fashion. Well it is best to take the fashion magazines and recycle them. They exist to make you want to buy some product that is only made to be bought. The best dressed woman I know is a French lady and she does it on the KISS principle (keep it simple, stupid). She never wears stuff with logos on it either.

Stop buying cosmetics. Most of them are the same stuff in different bottles with different perfumes and dyes. One lot of skin cream for face and hands is all you need. (I happen to know something about these, having worked in a related area for a while) Shampoos and conditioners. Did you know that conditioners are made up of much the same things as shampoos but in different proportions? Try washing hair with only conditioner and see what you think. The result will depend a bit on the quality of the water whre you live.

Take fruit to work. Cheaper than bought stuff and better for you.

1. Pay yourself just like you were paying a bill and do it religiously

2. Make shopping lists and stick to only the items on your list

3. Turn off appliances and power points when not in use -- even go so far as to unplug powe TV's etc.

4. If you have electric hot water, turn the temperature down on your hot water heater

5. If possible only heat the rooms you are using not the entire house.

6. Hang the laundry outside to dry exept in very inclement weather

7. Walk where you can ie to the grocery, work or wherer it is close.

8. Cut down on eating meals out of the home

9 Plan your menues in advance

10. Watch less television, do things like read a book or put together a puzzle.

11 Have one night a week that all the lights are turned out for one hour

12.Don't use a diswasher to do dishes and only do full loads

13.Do full loads of laundry also

14. Shop for clothing items at 2nd hand stores ie Salvos, Vinnies

15.Cut up your credit cards

16. Only use your bank atm to get money

17. Ask for discounts everywhere -- I do even at the grocery store

18.If you have more than one car, sell the second one if not using

19. Give up cable TV

20. Purchase Home brands instead of the higher priced items

There are twenty ways for the average person to save money.