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1 Slash cell bills
Pull out your last three cell phone bills and check your usage. If you’re wasting minutes, call your provider and switch plans, or go to lowermybills.com to comparison-shop. American consumers pay an average of $60.53 for cell phone service, according to TNS Telecoms. By switching to a 450-minute plan for $39.99, you can save $20 a month.
Annual savings: Up to $200-plus by changing wireless plans
2 Lower credit card charges
Gather your statements for credit cards that carry a balance. Call each company and ask for a lower rate. The average household carries $9,159 in credit card debt with an average APR of 16.55 percent, according to CardWeb.com. By getting the APR lowered 2 percentage points to 14.55 percent, the average household will save nearly $200 a year.
Annual savings: $183 (lowering APR to 14.55 percent from 16.55 percent on a $9,159 balance) .
3 Spend less on entertainment
Get a library card. You can check out books, audiobooks, videotapes and DVDs, saving between $7.95 and $24.94 for books—as well as the $4-plus charge to rent a DVD at Blockbuster.
Lots of late fees? Subscribe to a service like Netflix (netflix.com). Plans start at $4.99 per month. You keep the DVD for as long as you want to with no late fees. When you return it, you get the next one.
Annual savings: About $400 a year
4 Find cash stashed in your closets
Go through your closets and gather any clothes you haven’t worn in the past two years. Separate the best pieces and take them to a consignment shop. Consignment shops will sell your goods and then give you a percentage of the profits, which can range anywhere from 25 to 75 percent. If clothes aren’t sold in a specified amount of time, they will return them to you. For selling tips, go online to powerhomebiz.com /vol58/consignment.htm, or search ehow.com for tips. Then look in the Yellow Pages for shops near you.
5 Take a lunch break
Hungry? Instead of buying lunch, make it. If you normally spend $5 each workday eating out, taking your lunch can save you as much as $1,200 a year. Even when you add the costs of making lunch, you still come out ahead. To save time, store dinner leftovers immediately in portable plastic containers.
Annual savings: Up to $1,200
Get more tips on page 2 and click on the photo gallery below for an hourly breakdown of savings steps!>>
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