Controlling Spending: Seven Strategies for Saving

By Michele Blandino

With the price of nearly everything from fuel oil to a college education rising, it is not surprising that many families are looking for ways to cut costs. In fact, reducing expenditures is something nearly every family can do without making a significant change to their current lifestyle. 

Here are seven ways that you can cut your household expenses:

• Skip the Warm-up: Automatic car-starters have spoiled us into starting our automobiles long before we need to leave home. By skipping the pre-start, you can save several gallons of gas each month.
• Cut the Cable: Take a good look at the cable or satellite television service to which you subscribe. Do you really watch all of those channels? Or even more importantly, do you need to watch that much television? If you subscribe to a top-tier cable or satellite service, consider going down at least one level or even to just the basic service.
• Brown Bag It: If you regularly buy your lunch at your company's cafeteria or go out with co-workers, consider bringing a lunch from home instead. You can pack a delicious lunch for a fraction of the cost of eating out and reap the added benefit of ensuring our selections are healthy.
• Get Directions: Before driving to an unfamiliar place, get directions. With the number of web sites that offer driving directions, there really is no reason why you should drive around aimlessly looking for your destination. Depending on your sense of direction (or lack of) taking the direct route can potentially save you a few gallons of gas.
• Think Before Dialing: When making telephone calls, take a moment to think about where you will get the best deal. For example, if your cell phone provider offers free calls to subscribers of the same service, use your cell phone to make those calls. If, on the other hand, you can make the same telephone call from your land-line for free, you may want to consider saving your cell phone minutes.
• Eliminate Services: While we're discussing telephones, take a look at the add-on features you currently have. Given the fact that nearly everyone has a cell phone, is it really necessary to have call waiting or call forwarding on your land-line telephone? Another way to reduce costs is to refrain from using your cell phone's digital camera to take pictures; remember, each time you send one of those photos to your computer, it is going to cost you.
• Visit the Library: If you're a voracious reader, you should consider checking books out of your local public library rather than buying them. If your library isn't convenient or doesn't stock the newest releases, consider forming a book club with friends so that you can share books while cutting expenditures.