Family Budget 

Five Great Ideas to Save Money

Want to save money but dont know how? Feel like depriving yourself when it comes to saving money? Dont be disheartened. Try these five money saving ideas, without breaking up a sweat!

Reduce or eliminate magazines. If you are a typical American family, your mailbox gets its regular fill of magazines: business, sports, home and garden magazines. Can you imagine how much each of these subscriptions cost? Annually, it is an average of about $20 per magazine. If your family is subscribed to 5 different magazines, thats already $100 savings per year! If you still need the information from such mags, try to check out their websites and youll be surprised at how much free information is available!

Buy in bulk. How can warehouse and discount clubs drastically lower their prices? Because they buy and sell in bulk. And so should you! Consumables that are non-perishable can be purchased 10-15% cheaper when bought in bulk. Be sure to stock up only on fast-moving items such as kitchen towels, cleaners, canned goods, etc., to avoid wasting money on rancid food.

Eat at home. Eating out has become an American lifestyle. What used to be an activity to celebrate special occasions has become part of the daily, fast-paced life. But did you know that eating out could chomp as much as 40% of your budget for food? Thats as much as $40 weekly, saved just by eating in!

Plan your meals. Eating out 4X a week need not be your solution to a dynamic lifestyle. Menu planning is! Take time on weekends to plan for the following weeks meals. Every night, before you hit the sack, take out the ingredients for the meals of the next day from the freezer, and store them in the refrigerator. By the time you get home from work, everything is thawed and ready to be cooked. And because eating out is part of the American way of life, you would have saved enough money to spend for dining out on special occasions!

Homemade skin care. Is your dermatologist eating up your budget? Dont you wish you can be beautiful and save money at the same time? The answer is yes, you can! By using ingredients from your pantry, you can take care of your skin and still save a fortune. Try the following:

- Honey and oatmeal can exfoliate dry skin.

- Ginger seeped in a bath softens your skin.

- Cucumber and milk softens tired skin.

Without drastically changing your lifestyle, you have started your path on saving money. Secure your future by using these money saving ideas, today!