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Finance Articles
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Money Saving Tips. Maximize Savings on Everyday Items!
By Cheryl Johnson
Debt Solutions It feels like your debts are spiraling out of control. With each passing month you are robbing Peter to pay Paul and the heavy cloud of debt is always hovering above your head. When you sit down to work out your money the simple truth is you have more going out than you have coming in. If this carries on there`s a real chance that you won`t be able to make the mortgage payments a few months down the line and then goodness knows what you are going to do. It`d be wonderful if you could pay a fixed monthly fee that would be affordable and keep your creditors off your back. There`s a good chance this can happen if you have a chat with a company that can provide a number of Debt Solutions. A debt management plan is just one of the options that the Debt Solutionscompany can provide. The scheme calculates what you can afford to pay each month and this sum is paid to the Debt Solutionsfirm. All it could take is one phone call to a trained advisor and you could be offered suitable solutions that will lift the burden of heavy debt from your shoulders.
Why, who wouldn`t love getting paid to buy products that they use everyday? Here`s how I do it. I purchase an item that has a rebate offer (either a store or manufacturer rebate) while it is on sale and use a coupon during purchase. That`s it! Using this formula I almost always come out ahead. When all is done, I`ve gotten back more than I actually paid for the item. Even when I do have to pay for the items like deodorant, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes it`s about 50 cents for a item that would cost up to $2 -$4 originally. Am I the only one out there that gets excited about this? I doubt it! At least I hope not. That would make me "Crazy", wouldn`t it? But a lot of folks just don`t know how to combine money saving measures to maximize savings. My local drugstore (which by the way is a national chain) often advertises items free after rebate. Hey, that cuts down on a lot of work for me. Easy Money! I e an also lucky enough to have a grocery store in my area that offers rebates and offers double coupons (sometimes even doubling $1 coupons as a special promotion). Needless to say, with six mouths to feed (myself, my husband, and four kids) I`m lovin` that idea! As the editor of www.simpledebtfreeliving.com, I`m always looking for new ways to save money. Visit us and follow one of the e-mail links to share your ideas or just let us know how excited you get about frugal living! Let me know I`m not the only one. Then we can put my family`s worries to rest. They think I`m really crazy. Here are a couple other ways that I save on items we use everyday: 1. Always use items that are reusable rather than throw away For example: Reusable coffee filters, cups and plates, and my favorite pet peeve - The great sandwich bag conspiracy The major manufacturers of sandwich bags would lead us to believe that it takes rocket science to keep a sandwich fresh. Ask yourself this, How long do you need to keep that sandwich fresh anyway? It`s not like it`s going to the moon. It`s just going to the office or school for a few hours. The most practical way to approach this is to purchase reusable sandwich size containers. This is also very environmentally friendly reducing a great deal of waste. If however, these have trouble finding there way back home ( which is likely if you have children), you can save substantially if you purchase the plain old pleated sandwich bag that cost a mere fraction of the razzle dazzle zipper kind. Your mother used these for years and years with great success. I have used both methods for years and have never received a complaint of a stale sandwich! You`ll find that doing these little things like, using real cups and plates instead of paper or plastic throw away, and recycling containers for storage or even to use in craft projects, can save a lot of money. Each by itself may seem minor, but when put together amount to tremendous savings over time. 2. Don`t buy it if you won`t use it. Things like small kitchen appliances, repair tools, and gardening tools are good examples. We know they`ll make our life easier if we just had the opportunity to use them. There are 101+ small countertop kitchen appliances available to chop it, grind it, mix it, open it, bake it, grill it..well you get the message. Simplify your life and narrow it down to a couple you just can`t live without. For me it`s my blender and my food processor. Although, I`m seriously considering a bread maker. Not quite sure if it`s worth the money yet. Especially when I`m so close to a bread outlet. But, you can`t beat the taste of fresh baked bread. I`m not counting the coffer maker it`s kind of standard equipment these days. I wouldn?t dare ask you to give that up! What am I crazy? Well , maybe.. It`s little things like the example above that identify frugal living. 3. Always get the best value for your money. Shop around. If this is a major purchase you will want to know what to look for. Research and compare products on the internet or in sale flyers. There`s nothing more challenging to the retailer than an informed consumer. That`s what you want to be. An informed consumer knows when it`s a good value! Informed Consumer - More Savings 
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