Buying lunch every day
Eating
out can add up quickly. The more food you can prepare at home, the
better off your food budget will be. Plus, packing lunch also tends to
be better for your waistline.
Of
course, it's OK to treat yourself and buy the occasional meal out, but
if you're aiming to hit major financial goals in 2017, going homemade is
one of the simplest ways to cut back without making dramatic
sacrifices.
Extra smartphone data
"The
cell phone carriers hope you'll go over your monthly allotment [of
data]," says Pogue. "If you do, they slap absurd overage charges onto
your bill."
To never pay an overage charge again, install a "fuel gauge" app, like DataMan or My Data Manger,
which will monitor the data you use and warn you if you're approaching
your monthly limit. Pogue also suggests identifying the "gas-guzzlers":
"Different apps use different amounts of data, and you might be
astonished to see which ones are the guilty parties."
Finally, use Wi-Fi whenever you possibly can. When you're connected to Wi-Fi, you're not using any of your data allowance.
Impulse buys
From
grocery stores to department stores, retailers have a way of tricking
you into spending money mindlessly. One tactic is loading the checkout
aisle with tempting products: cold sodas, candy bars, and 99-cent knick
knacks. After all, your self-control is likely spent by the time you're
done shopping, and stores bank on you giving into that pack of gum.
Skip
the candy or magazine and redirect that $5 toward your savings goals or
retirement account, where it could grow significantly over time.
No comments:
Post a Comment