Savings 101 :: Tips to help cut your expenses

These eight tips taken from Yahoo Finance will help you cut your expenses without drastically changing the life you want to live:

1. Cell phones
How many minutes are you using a month? Check your plan. Does you plan match up with your minutes? Are you wasting money with minutes not used? Or are you having to shell out unreasonable amounts of money because you talk over your plan? The same theory applies to messaging and extra services. Make sure the numbers match up.

2. Food shopping
Shopping in season can save you money. By spending a little more time each week, you can cut your shopping bill by one-third. Look through weekly circulars and coupons for the best deals. Plan out your dinners ahead of time, according to the prices. And last but not least, don't go to the grocery store hungry.

3. Drycleaning
Handwash wool, cashmere, silk, rayon, polyester, and spandex. Use a mesh bag in the washing machine, and wash on cool in the delicate cycle. Lay cashmere and wool flat to dry. Everything else can be put into the dryer on low heat. Using this method will save you many trips to the drycleaners... and a whole lot of money.


4. Coffee
Cut back on going out for coffee. Invest in a coffee maker, and take two minutes the night before to set it for the morning. By brewing your own coffee, you will save a lot of money. This method will let you buy expensive beans in bulk, for much less. Brewing your own coffee will enable you to wake up to the coffee aroma, instead of listening to your balking alarm.

5. Basic Services
Replace old showerheads with low-flow aerating models, and you will already have saved 25 percent on your water bills. Buy a programmable thermostat. This will save you as much as 25 percent on your energy bills by automatically setting the heat for when you will be home. You can buy a basic programmable thermostat for as little as $23.

6. Habits
Change those old money habits! "The Power of Full Engagement" by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz explains that adopting new rituals is much easier than being more disciplined. Adopt new rituals such as saving a $5 bill every day, or putting all of your change into a jar at the end of the day, and cash in every few months.

7. Prescriptions
When filling a prescription, always ask for a generic brand. The generic brand can cost up to 40% less, so make sure you shop around. Discount stores such as Walmart and Target offer extreme savings on prescriptions for asthma, arthritis, diabetes, and high cholesterol.


8. Cable TV
If you pay for premium channels, call your phone company and put your service on "vacation mode." Why? You will still get basic services, but you will save temporarily for the extras. Use these savings for a little extra holiday spending money or stash the money in savings.