1. Adjust your tax withholding. The average tax refund last year was about $2,700. If you got a refund, that means you paid Uncle Sam too much money! Keep it for yourself to pad your holiday fund instead. You simply need to change your tax withholding by filing a new W-4 with your employer's human resources department. To find out how many withholdings you should be claiming, try our Easy-To-Use Tax Withholding Calculator. The changes will go into effect on your next paycheck.
2. Take fewer trips to the grocery store. Making bigger shopping trips less often will cut down on your impulse buys. Almost half of all shoppers go to the store three or four times per week. If you spend $10 each trip on impulse buys, that adds up to at least $120 extra each month. Set foot in the grocery store only once a week, however, and you'd keep impulse purchases to $40 per month. That cuts your spending by $80 per month, not to mention all the money you'll save on gas.
3. Kick a habit. Little routines can add up to big bucks. Perhaps it's those three Cokes a day, your lunches at the sandwich shop next to the office, or your daily runs to your neighborhood coffee shop or workplace vending machine. Instead, bring a bottle of water, snacks and lunch from home -- and make your own darn latte! Plus, read your magazines and newspapers online and walk the extra block to your bank's ATM to avoid paying the out-of-network fee. The trick is to look at your lifestyle and not let small conveniences trump your will to save.ger habits in your life that are costing you, such as gambling, smoking or even shopping as a hobby.
4. Eat out one less time per month. Dining out can be a real budget buster. But there's no need to go cold turkey. Resolving to eat at home just one time more per month than usual can make a big difference. Considering a meal at a casual dining restaurant costs about $20 per person, you would spend $80 for a family of four to eat out. Instead, you could cook a family meal at home for less than $20 total, saving you at least $60 each month.
5. Put on a sweater. For every degree you lower your thermostat, you save 5% off your heating bill, according to the Alliance to Save Energy. So on a $300-per-month bill, dropping your thermostat just two degrees and donning a sweater will save you $30 a month.
2. Take fewer trips to the grocery store. Making bigger shopping trips less often will cut down on your impulse buys. Almost half of all shoppers go to the store three or four times per week. If you spend $10 each trip on impulse buys, that adds up to at least $120 extra each month. Set foot in the grocery store only once a week, however, and you'd keep impulse purchases to $40 per month. That cuts your spending by $80 per month, not to mention all the money you'll save on gas.
3. Kick a habit. Little routines can add up to big bucks. Perhaps it's those three Cokes a day, your lunches at the sandwich shop next to the office, or your daily runs to your neighborhood coffee shop or workplace vending machine. Instead, bring a bottle of water, snacks and lunch from home -- and make your own darn latte! Plus, read your magazines and newspapers online and walk the extra block to your bank's ATM to avoid paying the out-of-network fee. The trick is to look at your lifestyle and not let small conveniences trump your will to save.ger habits in your life that are costing you, such as gambling, smoking or even shopping as a hobby.
4. Eat out one less time per month. Dining out can be a real budget buster. But there's no need to go cold turkey. Resolving to eat at home just one time more per month than usual can make a big difference. Considering a meal at a casual dining restaurant costs about $20 per person, you would spend $80 for a family of four to eat out. Instead, you could cook a family meal at home for less than $20 total, saving you at least $60 each month.
5. Put on a sweater. For every degree you lower your thermostat, you save 5% off your heating bill, according to the Alliance to Save Energy. So on a $300-per-month bill, dropping your thermostat just two degrees and donning a sweater will save you $30 a month.
6. Examine your phone and cable use. Do you really need all those cable channels? Drop your premium channels and you could save $15 per month or more.
Then there's your phone bill... Do you really need caller ID? Call waiting? Voice mail? Internet service on your cell phone? Dropping one or more of these extras could shave $5 to $50 off your phone bill. You might even consider dropping your landline phone service altogether in favor of your cell or a free online service like Skype. That could save another $20 to $50 per month.
Then there's your phone bill... Do you really need caller ID? Call waiting? Voice mail? Internet service on your cell phone? Dropping one or more of these extras could shave $5 to $50 off your phone bill. You might even consider dropping your landline phone service altogether in favor of your cell or a free online service like Skype. That could save another $20 to $50 per month.
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