Sock away $100
Here's a list of eight ways to sock away $100 from The Street, a Web site chock full of highbrow investment advice. Every blue moon they delve into everyday money matters, which brings us to the subject of this blog post: pulling five Andrew Jacksons out of these daily routines.
Wash With Cold Water
Using hot water when you do a load of laundry accounts for 85% to 90% of the energy used during the cycle. Switch to the cold/cold setting and watch your utility bill shrink by more than $100 a year (assuming you do one load a day).
Drink More Water
All that soda, juice, and energy drinks add up. If every drink costs $1 and you cut out two a week, that adds up to $104 a year.
Compare Prices
Shopping around always pays off. So does waiting to buy during a sale and using a coupon. Luckily, there are no shortage of comparison shopping sites, like Shopzilla, ShopLocal, BizRate, Amazon, and eBay.
Use Coupons
Spend a few minutes with the Sunday newspaper circular clipping coupons for items you regularly buy. You only have to save $2 a week at the grocery store to ring up $100 a year.
Start Haggling
Haggling makes me nervous, too. But it can..
...pay off big time. Consider asking for a modest monthly discount from your cable TV, gym membership, phone bill and Internet service providers. If they don't give it to you, don't take it personally. If they do, sweet! Check out these haggling tips from Reader's Digest.
Get a Lower Credit Card Rate
If you have good credit you have a good chance of getting a lower interest rate from your credit card company - if you ask. TheStreet calculates that "if you have a $5000 balance at 21% interest and were able to knock that down to 14%, you would save $350 a year." Figure out how long it will take you to pay off your credit card here.
Sell Stuff
No need to drag out your stuff onto the lawn and have an old fashioned garage sale, though it's a great way to meet neighbors. If you have not used an item in a year consider selling it on Craigstlist (free) or eBay (small fee per item).
Refinance Your Home
Rates are still low. Check ones available near you on Bankrate.com. Plug in a few numbers and figure out how long you have to have the mortgage to for refinancing to make sense. Sometimes you only need to stay in your home a few months or years.
About The Bargain Hunter
Daily News staff writer Julia Scott loves to find bargains on everything from groceries to Gucci. Her tips will help keep your hard earned cash where it belongs - in your pocket.
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