09/22/2009 | Small Things Do Add Up!

Have you been trying to figure a way to save a little bit more money each month? Well, you have come to the right place! Check out some of the small ideas below and start implementing them to save some extra cash each month.

   1. Brew your own coffee. Seriously, 3 bags of beans can get you through the month for a total of $20. Buying a cup every day would run about $4 for you, times 20 work days = $80 minimum per month.

   2. Put electronic equipment on power strips. You would be amazed at how much juice your unused equipment uses.

   3. Use a movie service like Neflix for $8.99 per month where you get 1 rental and unlimited computer viewing or console to television streaming. considering that renting from the store is about $5.00 per movie, and the movie theater costs $10, this is quite a deal. Plus, you don't have to drive anywhere, which saves money on gas.

   4. Buy fruit and vegetables at the local Farmer’s Market if you have one. It has been known to be  fresher and cheaper.

   5. Pay more than the minimum on your credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, etc. Every little bit helps in the long term when you are paying interest.

   6. Coupons for items that you do use regularly can be a blessing and save you lots of money. The lesson here is only getting things you need with coupons, it might take some searching but it can be beneficial.

   7. Buy a BRITA or PUR water filter and attach it to your faucet. The onetime expense of $20 gives you about 3 months of free filtered water, that most of the time you find is just as good as the bottled stuff you pay a fortune for.

   8. Go to the library to save money on buying literature to read, such as books and magazines. If you constantly are buying books and have nothing to do with them, you can always sell them to half priced book stores or donate them to libraries.

   9.  Take your lunch to work or school, which does call for buying groceries or preparing it the night before. If you or your family constantly has leftovers from the night before, packing your lunch shouldn’t be a problem.

  10. Buy generic medicines for Tylenol, ibuprofen, etc. The generic brands are just as good as the name brands and can be extremely less expensive.

Buying implementing some of these ideas, you will see the dollars literally fly back into your wallet or purse! If you have any other ideas or tips on how to save other money, give us a shout back because we want to hear from you!




 



 

06/11/2009 | Why Spending Less is not Saving, or is it?

Let’s create a scenario. You are at the store just looking around for deals on some clothes for the summer. The amount of money you brought with you is $100. Your eye catches a pair of jeans you really like for $60 and even better is they are 40% off. So what do you do? This blogger says buy the jeans at the discount price but what do you do with the 40% that you saved? Do you spend it or do you save it? Let’s take a look at both sides of the argument.

Continue reading "Why Spending Less is not Saving, or is it?" »

Content of nSpire is provided as information only and is not intended to serve as advice or representation whatsoever. Investigate these topics further by contacting appropriate advisors at Neches Federal Credit Union.