I absolutely have to recommend a book that I read a few years ago called
Small Change by Larry Terkell. The book is how doing the little things in life add up to big results. It's the idea of the piggy bank. You're thinking, what can a few pennies and some pocket change possibly do? But before you know it, you have a few hundred dollars in your bank.
There is no doubt that these times are tough and we all need to take precautions in saving our money. As real estate agents we also need to help our clients with ways in which they can save money. Use the list below as a checklist. You can organize your life as though it were a business.
Here is a list of ways in which you or your clients can save. Remember, small change yields big results!
45 Ways to Save Money!
- Downgrade your TV subscription. Who has time to watch 200 channels anyway?
- Renegotiate your auto insurance
- Drive 55 miles an hour (better gas efficiency)
- Re-discover old clothes in your closet
- Make a dinner menu each week. This will keep you from splurging and going out to eat.
- Exercise once a night. Gives you something to do and keeps you from snacking and eating those chips that you shouldn’t be buying.
- Cut coupons every Sunday.
- Subscribe to only the Sunday newspaper if you don’t have time to read the week’s newspaper.
- Buy spring water by the gallon instead of by the individual bottles
- Buy more of something when it is on sale. i.e. Toothpaste, toilet paper, soap
- Go to a state park on vacation
- Start Christmas shopping in August and finish by September
- Throw loose change in a piggy bank.
- Wash your own car instead of paying someone to do it.
- Don’t leave the water running when you are brushing your teeth.
- Sign up to auto bill pay with your bank to avoid late charges
- Don’t turn on the lights in the house during the day.
- Evaluate the setting of your air conditioning
- Don’t buy paper plates
- Use your dishwasher when it is full. Most dishwashers will save water/energy instead of hand washing.
- Use windows instead of air conditioning when you can in both your car and house.
- Use sites like Yahoo food and Food Network to help plan dinners that are cheap, easy to make and healthy.
- Bring your lunch to work every day.
- Start a garden (have to wait for spring for this one)
- It’s finally time for a yard sale, but be the organizer for a neighborhood yard sale. Everyone will win.
- What magazine subscriptions do you NOT have to renew next year?
- When making traveling plans, weigh driving versus flying. If flying see if it is cheaper to book one way flights on different airlines.
- Reevaluate your phone company and look for options. Maybe use your cell phone only? Maybe switch to an Internet company like Vonage?
- Go grocery shopping with a complete list and leave two blank spots for splurge items. But only two!
- Buy the cheap cereal. I love their names. Fruity wheels instead of Fruit loops, cinnamon squares instead of Cinnamon Crunch. You get the idea. 9 out of 10 times they taste the same.
- Use GasBuddy.com to find the cheapest gas near you.
- Take a look at your homeowner’s/renters insurance
- Is your bank charging you any fees? They shouldn’t be.
- Carpool or use public transportation
- Quit smoking if this applies.
- Find new ways to entertain the family at home instead of going out.
- Keep online purchasing to a minimum or none at all. When you do make an online purchase, search for a coupon code before buying. This site will give most of all of those coupon code sites.
- Talk to your wife/husband/roommate before your make a purchase over $50 to see if it is really necessary and not an impulse buy.
- Keep buying coffee to only once a week and try not to buy the $5 cup. Make it at home. You too can make iced coffee.
- Borrow books from the library instead of buying them.
- You don’t have to change your oil every 3,000 miles. READ THIS. Do it every 7,000 instead.
- Keep your distance from the ‘expensive’ friends who may have more to spend then you.
- Consider a rental car if you are making a long drive. You still have to pay for gas but they wear and tear on your own car will save you money. Go to Priceline to book a car. I got one for $17/day a couple of months ago.
- If you live in the city, consider a Zip car
- For God's sake, use your leftovers. Find creative ways to use everything in your refrigerator.
Matthew S. Gosselin is the author of My Blue Goose, Exploiting The Wow Factor In Real Estate Marketing. The book can be purchased on MyBlueGoose.com or Amazon. Stay tuned for more information about his new book, "Stand Out, Stick and Stay. Transforming Real Estate Marketing"
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nice list. I am saving this one for sure.