We all know how important it is to track our budgets. You need to keep a close eye on what you’re spending each month if you want to avoid going into the red and ending up with too many debts in your name. However, it’s often difficult to convince ourselves that we should transform our spending strategies and start something new. After all, most of the time, budgeting seems like a painful experience. You need to spend hours or months going through your bills and paying attention to every penny that you spend. The thought of dealing with money like that can be enough to give some people sweats. The good news? It doesn’t have to be that way. Here are 3 pain-free ways you can do to save money in less than an hour.
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Change Suppliers
Which company are you currently relying on for your essential utilities? We’re talking about things like your gas and electricity here, but you can also consider things like broadband bills and insurance too if you want to save as much money as possible. If you haven’t changed your supplier in the last six months or so, then you’re almost guaranteed to find a better deal online. This marketplace is very competitive, and companies are constantly dropping their prices to attract new customers. Go online and see what’s available for your bills. If you find something that’s a lot cheaper, but you don’t want to deal with the hassle of switching, try calling your existing supplier and letting them know that you’re thinking of going elsewhere. This could be enough to get them to offer you a good deal.
Rethink Your Loans
In an ideal world, we’d all have enough money for everything that we need just sitting in our bank accounts. Unfortunately, that’s not generally the case. The good news is that there are plenty of different kinds of loans that exist to make our lives a little bit easier. Used correctly, a loan can help you to spread the cost of something essential out over a longer period of time. However, the costs of your loan repayments can sometimes be more significant than you think, particularly when you’ve had those loans for a while. Just look at your student loan. Your financial situation has changed a lot since you got it. Using a student loan consolidation calculator could show you that you can save a lot of money just by consolidating your debts.
Write a Shopping List
Finally, sit down and actually write a list of the things that you need to buy the next time you’re going shopping. This might seem like a simplistic tip, but it’s an excellent way to avoid browsing the aisles, picking up everything that catches your eye. Writing a list will keep you focused, and ensure that you don’t end up buying doubles of the things you already have at home too. If you want to save extra cash, you could also look into recipes that allow you to use a bulk amount of a certain ingredient, like a certain meat or a vegetable. Once you’ve cooked those meals, just throw them in the freezer in a Tupperware container for later.
