How are you saving money? What do you do to retain a little more of the precious green that you worked hard for? How do you escape senseless spending, unnecessary expenses and how do you cut costs?

By GMJ:

Plan your budget:
List your sources of income and your regular expenses - include everything from rent to your daily coffee. Take a look at what you can cut back on. Look for better deals on your insurance, for instance, or bring your lunch to work every day to save money. But don't deprive yourself. Make sure you include entertainment in your plan.

Pay yourself first:
When you're making a budget, include savings in your list of monthly expenses. Try to save at least 5 percent of your take-home pay and increase that as much as you can. Every little bit counts.

Establish goals:
You'll be more inspired to save if you have a clear picture of what you're saving for.

Avoid "impulse purchases":
Think about whether you need something before you buy it. You'll be surprised at how much can save by being more disciplined about your spending.
This is actually something I've seen a young mother do with her son. I've encountered them at an electronic merchant, the son wanted to spend his pocket money on a hand-held game. His mother just asked him: "Is this a smart purchase? Do you really need this or will it be in the corner in a few days? It's your money, just take a step back and think before you buy it"
Interestingly enough, the boy, approximately 7 years old, thought about it; seemed to consider his options and decided that he didn't need it after all.
Now, my guess is, if this principle works for a 7-year old, I'm certain that it should work for adults as well.

Get budget counseling:
According to a study by the Georgetown University Credit Research Center, people who received budget counseling reduced their debt and improved their credit profiles over a three-year period more than similar borrowers who did not receive counseling.
However, if you're deciding that this is the route you want to go, make sure that the person/organization you're talking to is NOT overcharging you for their services. There are NON profit organizations that are accredited as such. Look for the symbol of the NFCC - National Foundation for Credit Counseling.


If you have something to add to this thread, feel free to register and spread the knowledge or ask a question. Either way, as long as it saves YOUR money, we've succeeded. Smiley

GMJ

Dinner and a Movie:
Attend movie matinée and use coupons. Many theater chains offer matinées or early-bird discounts. The theater is not as full as at the later shows, and the tickets are cheaper. In the long run, you're saving quite some money.

Rent movies or video games. And use coupons. Try your local library for favorite _title_s. Make sure you return the _title_s on time to avoid late fees.

Borrow books from the library, instead of buying them.

Shop during the right season:
You can usually find good buys when new models are introduced and retailers must get rid of older merchandise. For example, portable audio products, microwave ovens and room air conditioners often go on sale in the Spring and washers and dryers go on sale in September.

Make a vacation budget:
If you're going away, plan how much you want to spend and stick to it. Save the money before you go and do not charge your vacation expenses. Check out the destination to which you're traveling. The internet is a vast resource for finding usable information regarding your vacation destination. From national travel sites to local resources and city driven websites. Take an hour or two to familiarize yourself with where you're about to go. It's time well spent and money well saved.

Got a date?
Go on a picnic. Go on a hike or stroll through a park. It's much easier on your pocket book than dinner and a movie, and it can be just as entertaining. And let's face it: Dinner and a Movie? Everyone can do that! Come up with something more original and personal. It's not just going to save you some money, but will also make you look a lot better in your date's eyes.

These are just a few things that came to mind quickly, I'm certain there's a lot more where this came from. So, register for Free and add your knowledge to this post.

GMJ

For starters, shop for generic brands:
Yep, some of you may grunge at the idea of not buying brand name items. Certainly, the advertising agencies have done their jobs well and branded us with the desire to wear, eat & shop brand name only. Is brand better than generic? Maybe with some products, but I've found out that my off brand feeds me just as well.

Here's a true downer:
Your daily gourmet coffee and muffin may cost you over $1,000 a year. Try limiting your visits to the gourmet coffee shop to once a week as a reward or present to yourself. Put the cost of the other 4 days into an account. The money you save could go towards your bills, saving for a vacation or holiday shopping.

Make a grocery list and stick to it. And don't shop for groceries when you are hungry, or you will over-spend.

Quit smoking:
I know, Captain Obvious here! Seriously, though. As an ex-smoker, I am all too well aware of the costs of smoking. I smoked a well known brand, the one in the red package with the Formula 1 team... This changed once i started adding up how much money I actually really ended up burning, puffing, throwing away.
Of course, it's all easier said then done. So, this might be a bit off topic here, but, the experience that I've learned and gladly pass on to you, the individual that's willing to say "I'll consider quitting". DON'T BOTHER!!!! In my eyes there's only one way to quit, and since I've done it the same way, I'm practically living proof.
I have never tried any Nicorette, acupuncture or even Voodoo. Nope, all it took was to come to the conclusion that my time of smoking is over. I simply didn't want to smoke any longer. It's that point in time when you know that a certain level has been reached where you WANT to draw the line. All you require once you've come to that conclusion - a well stocked fridge for 2 weeks. However, when you go shopping for that, look at the beginning of this post again. Wink
Bottom Line: Aside from the obvious health benefits of quitting, if you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, you could save almost $3,000 a year!

Shop at Farmers' Markets or U-Pick farms.
Better products, better prices and you're contributing to the one group of individuals that really does food processing the right way.

Buy in bulk or larger sizes.
If you can, use a COSCO or Sam's Club card. Don't have one? Maybe you know someone who does or ask around at your office and see whether there's one available. If all else fails, see whether your office wants to get together and open a business account at one of the bulk retailers.

Take advantage of weekly specials or foods in season.

Eat in. The difference in cost between a week of eating at restaurants and a week of groceries will send you running to the supermarket, in which case -> read through the above points again. Wink

Have something to contribute to this thread? Register for Free and share your knowledge!

GMJ

One of the most frustrating aspects of trying to save money is when you think you are saving, but in reality you're wasting money. This usually happens when you have made bad assumptions when making a purchase or you haven't analyzed the true costs of a purchase.

Here are five common ways people waste money when they actually believe they are saving it:

1. Buying gas at the least expensive gas station.

While this would seem obvious, the problem occurs when the least expensive gas station is a few miles off your regularly traveled route. If you are driving across town to save a few cents per gallon, the cost of driving to get the better price will negate any savings the cheaper gas price provides.

Solution: Choose the least expensive gas station that is no more than a mile from your regularly traveled route. You can keep informed on which gas station is selling gas at the best price at such sites as Gasbuddy or MSN Gas Prices.

2. Going to different stores to get sale items.

People often believe that they are saving money by looking at the weekly discount ads that stores send out and finding the best price for each product they need. The problem is that by driving all around town to the different stores, you waste all of that savings on the cost of operating your car.

Solution: Find the closest store that will price-match. While many stores don't advertise that they will price-match, a fair number of stores still do. You may need to ask the manager to confirm whether or not the store does. Once you have located a store that will price-match, simply buy everything there and bring in the competitor's ads to get the best price.

3. Buying the cheapest instead of the best value.

People often confuse the least expensive price with the best value. Unfortunately, the products with the least expensive prices are often a poor value. While price is an important factor that contributes to value, it isn't the only factor that one needs to consider.

Solution: Look beyond price when you purchase a product. Consider how long you need it to last along with its price. Other factors you should consider that can contribute to value include quality, design, warranties and repair costs. By taking all these factors into consideration instead of focusing exclusively on price, you are much more likely to walk away with something that will be of value.

4. Purchasing items on sale.

Purchasing items on sale is a great way to save money if they are items that you would have purchased anyway even if there hadn't been a sale. The problem is that many people purchase items they would have never purchased except for the fact that they were found on sale.

Solution: When purchasing items on sale, only purchase those items that you would eventually purchase at full price. If it is something that you would not normally purchase, then don't.

5. Buying in bulk.

While buying in bulk can reduce the cost per unit of the item you're purchasing, it only saves you money if you consume all of it and consume it at the same pace you would if you had a lesser amount in the house.

Many times when people purchase in bulk, a good portion ends up in the trash because it goes bad before it can be used. On the other hand, some items, such as candy, often get consumed at a much faster pace when there is a lot of it around than when there isn't. Either of these scenarios can make purchasing in bulk more expensive, even with the lower unit price.

Solution: Take the time to make sure you carefully consider an item's shelf life and how it will be consumed before buying it in bulk. To solve these issues, consider buying in bulk with friends so that you get the better price yet take home a unit size that avoids these problems.

There are many ways that we fool ourselves into believing we are saving money when in reality we are wasting it. It's important to look beyond the initial assumptions and take a critical look at the cost of all that we purchase. When you take the time to do this, you'll know that the savings you get are real.

GMJ

Age of Conan game designer Craig Morrison released Age of Conan preview of the next content update, including the new PvP punishment system.
The next game is a good test server update, is progressing smoothly at present and hope for the next few weeks, the online server fully prepared. Reading a test server update, or visit the test server who would be aware of the contents of the update of how much the changes. The next update will introduce many new and supplementary adjustments, so we want to share with you ahead of time, the next update which we can look forward to it?
PVP system ---- notorious punishment system
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feature of the game ---- PVP new penalty system. In addition to the last update of PVP grading system to introduce the new system is designed to give deeper meaning of the PVP, and p_layer_s will have all the acts carried out on the real consequences. According to the present p_layer_s in the PVP, they have their moment to become criminals or even the risk of a murderer.
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