Making little changes can improve your finances both in business and home life. Try one (or a few) of these money-saving ideas, and start dreaming about where you can spend all that extra cash!
1. Analyze your spending. Many credit card companies and banks provide analytics on your spending, or you could use a program like Concur to track where your hard earned cash is going. Either way, you may have not realized how much you spent on fast food last month, and knowing these things can help you stay on track.
2. Stop buying bottled water. Seriously. You realize water comes out of the sink, right?
3. Cancel programs and subscriptions you aren’t using. Is there a service you simply aren’t utilizing in your business? Have you even watched Netflix lately? What about that gym membership that seemed like a great idea in January? Periodically look over your expenses on programs and services and decide whether they are worth continuing.
4. Link your accounts. It’s easy to go over budget when you have multiple accounts, such as credit cards, mortgage, savings, and brokerage accounts. Link your accounts to see the big picture by using a program such as LearnVest’s Money Center. This also allows you to see how much you are spending in each area.
5. Get rid of temptations. When it comes to mailers, flyers, and advertisements, “out of sight, out of mind” is a good practice. Unsubscribe to emails and cancel catalog sunscriptions that you simply don’t need.
6. Time is money. For one week, try writing down what you spend your time doing. Think about what you wish you had more time for and what you wish you wouldn’t have wasted so much time on. This helps shift priorities and spend more time on what’s important. Writing these things down can help you get a clear picture.
7. Reduce credit card payments. Submit a request to decrease your credit card interest rate. Just say that you’re thinking about switching to another card with a 0% balance transfer. Sometimes it’ll work, sometimes not, but it’s worth a try!
8. Install a programmable thermostat. It’s amazing how much you can save on energy when the heat or air is off when nobody is around. This goes for home and the workplace.