Life has taught me many things. Last few months have been busy with various things going on in my life. Dust still has to settle, but we must keep trying to bring our life back in to balance slowly as possible. I wrote about 6 key area of balance for everyone’s life before. See Life Balance: 6 Key Area for Life Balance . They are;

Life Balance:

1. Family
2. Social
3. Knowledge/Learning
4. Finance
5. Health
6. Religious/Spiritual

Money is not certainly most important thing however, managing money right ways can bring much more peace in your life, compared to when spending is out of control. Let’s face it, sometimes we have no choice but to be in debt, such as health or hospitalization can be expensive, even when one has a health insurance. Losing a job, having kids and other unforeseen circumstances can bring many money woes.

There are two ways to have extra money:

1. Spend less then you earn: By staying in budget can be boring sometimes but it sure helps when you have a financial goal in mind such as paying off debt or saving for house.
2. Earn more : This is easier said then done though. Some people work at multiple part time jobs to increase income, some consultant work the same but charge more to earn more. Some people dabble in stock market and other income earning opportunities. Check out :  Easy Ways to Earn More Money for more ideas.

Out of these 2 ways to have extra monies, easiest ways to save money is to cut down on your un-necessary expenses; and find ways to make more money. This post, I will share a few ways to save money and go green.

How to Save Money in Everyday Expenses:

Food/groceries:

1. Buy generic brand.
2. Limit pre-packaged and frozen meals. Making meal from scratch will be cheaper and lot healthier.
3. Use coupon when buying brand name product. Just do search for coupon for “item” and most likely you will find something. Sunday newspaper are good source for coupons.
4. Look for “almost” expired bakery goods to cheap bread.
5. Buy in season fruits/vegetables (when cheap and fresh) and cut and freeze of later use.
6. Buy most vegetables from ethnic store, as there it tends to be cheaper, buy Chinese noodles from Ranch 99, and Mexican items from Mexican stores to get best price.
7. Buy Can-food, when on sale, stock up.
8. Eat little bit before shopping to avoid impulse food buying.
9. Set our budget and make a list before shopping to stay focused on “need items”.
10. Use up what you have, instead of buying new food item.
11. Write down grocery list and go only once a week shopping.
12. Do comparison shop to see where items are cheaper to buy from there.
13. Buy in Bulk staple items that will not go bad with time such as lentil or rice.
14. Cook food from scratch as much possible.
15. Eat in season fruits and vegetables.
16. Eat Local and support you local farmer’s market.
17. Garden for veggies at home in your backyard or container gardening in apartment.

Eating out:

1. Do not eat out often. If you do, share a large entree with someone or eat 2 appetizers.
2. Avoid ordering alcoholic drinks whenever possible.
3. Order glass of water instead of sodas, which is healthier and cheaper.
4. You can still eat cheap without going through fast food, if you eat at local mom and pops and use coupons.
5. Eat out during Lunch time instead of dinner time, as generally same item is cheaper at Lunch time.
6. Join Frequent diner club for discounts and coupons in email.
7. Look for coupon in Sunday Newspaper, Pennysaver ads, online for deals.
8. Buy entertainment book for your local area. It will have not only coupon for eating out, but also for movies, rental car, kids entertainment and more. They generally cost, $10-$15 per year.
9. Try restaurants have free appetizers while you order to stretch your dollar further.
10. Eating near colleges campus is good idea as food tend to be cheaper with students in mind.
11. Some restaurants have birthday person eat free, or have dessert free.
12. Many have 2 for 1 deals and day when you can use them.
13. Many restaurants have “kids eat free” day, when adult is buying. Look at Kids eat free for more ideas.
14. Be vegetarian: Eating vegetarian meals are generally cheaper.
15. Be a mystery shopper, when you get to survey a local restaurant and get reimbursement for one meal.
16. Pick healthy choices such as broiled instead of fried. It will be healthy and bit cheaper as well.
17. Get takeout sometimes, instead of eating out, you can eat-in.
18. Sometimes just go for coffee and dessert instead of full meal.

Baby/Kid items:

1. Most of the advertised items are not needed to buy for baby. All new parent need is car seat and a few essential and lot of love and patience.
2. Little kids grow out of clothes fast, so use hand me down or gently used clothes for babies along with some new clothes.
3. Breastfeed. It is easier once you get started and lot cheaper even if you one buys breast pump. It is lot cheaper than formula for 1 year.
4. Use cloth diapers along with disposables ones for certain times. It is cheaper in long run and lot more environment friendly.
5. Use sling or baby carriers instead of stroller. You will be able to move fast in store without bulky stroller to move about. Have stroller for long hikes and walking.
6. Make baby food at home, simply by steaming the fruit or vegetable and puree it with little water. You can freeze in ice cube container and use as needed.
7. Many things you can do without, but being parent is very personal so make choices according to what you are comfortable with.

Household:

1. We try to see, if we can borrow, rent or go without an item before replacing it.
2. Try to see if you can repair item. If you can repair it yourself from many DIY type of sites and all you have to do is pay for the part.
3. Sometime repair is complex or if you do not have time to do it, call a few handy man and ask for free estimate before buying a new item.
4. If you know you must replace item, start saving up every month for it. It will make it easier on your budget.
5. We find some item/cleaning supply etc from dollar store, it is only $1 each. Everything in dollar store is not a bargain so value compare before you buy it.
5. Try to get multiple car insurance discounts and home insurance from one company to see if that save you bundle. Always comparison shop and call at least 3 companies to get best rates possible.
6. If you have company insurance choose one that works for you. If you are like us, self employed or unemployed, look for high deductible health insurance to get affordable rates for your family.
7. Buy what is minimum required for insurance when money is tight.
8. Forgo or put minimum on retirement fund when your debts are high or income is low.
9. Many creditors such as hospital can installment programs without interests, so ask for it.
10. Choose generic brand of medicines if you must have it as it can be lot cheaper.
11. Do pot luck instead of meeting friends in a restaurant for a meal.
12. Do board games gathering instead of going to play pool in a sport bar.
13. Do movie and dinner at home, instead of watching in theater.
14. Watch movie in DVD at home with subtitles and extra features at home, instead of when it comes out in theater.
15. Do staycation, meaning staying home and do local traveling.
16. If you go out, do couch surfing or stay at family or friends house for a few days (without burdening them).
17. Let go of cable and netflix subscriptions.
18. Same goes for newspaper, magazines and other subscription except what you really care about.
19. Go to museum on free or special discount days.
20. Buy some items used, such as dresser or sofa as long as it is good condition. Local craigslist has many great deals. Also look for free section for sometimes great bargain.
21. Do birthday party at home or at Park, no need for spending $1000 on one party, although we have done it in past.
22. Wear sweater before turning on heater. Open up windows and doors before starting an AC or fan.
23. Shut off lights in room you are not using to save electricity.
24. Use water as you need and turn it off between brushing. Take shower instead of bath to use less water.
25. Use special package deal to combine internet, phone and cellphone for better discount. Shop around for deals, call and ask for it.
26. Always check your bills (credit cards, medical, utility) for any errors and call them to correct it or understand it right away.
27. Keep tab on your checking account balance to not overspend.
28. Good idea to tally your check book every month to make sure everything is current.
29. Use local library for movies, CDs, books (fictional and non-fictional), kids books and entertainment. It is not free, we pay taxes for it so why not use it.
30. Use bike or walk to near by places to go to.
31. Fill up gas in morning according to experts.
32. Buy only what you “needs” and save for “wants” when you have extra monies.

I am sure there is more creative ways people save money when we are buying stuff as well. As long we save money in simple and small ways without feeling deprived, we will be encouraged to do it for loner time. Want to share yours?