Sometimes having a little more money in your pocket at the end of each month is simply a matter of paying attention to your habits and making a few easy-to-follow plans. These tips may help you achieve that goal.
- Have a budget. While it may seem counterintuitive, having a budget is perhaps the very best way to make the most of your money. It helps you save for what you want and need, allowing you to safely splurge every now and then. When you can see exactly where your money is going, you can adjust your spending to ensure that you’re always working towards your overall financial goals. Building a family budget takes just a few simple steps, and is well worth the effort.
- Shop around. Always look for better deals on monthly expenses like mobile phone bills, TV services, broadband and car insurance. Service providers almost always offer new customers better deals than their existing customers, so when your term is up, have a look around to see who might be able to do better than your current provider. And if you’re happy with the service and don’t want to switch, firmly ask for better pricing. Ask for customer retention if you’re not making progress, and consider whether you are prepared to walk away if they won’t give you the price you want.
- Create a meal plan. Find out what’s on sale at the supermarkets where you shop and plan your meals based on sales and deals. Not only will having a weekly meal plan help you cut down on impulse buys when you’re at the shops, it will also allow you to manage your takeaway splurges since you’ll always have food on hand to make healthy homemade meals that your family loves.
- DIY if you can. Obviously there are times when you have to call in a professional, but YouTube is a goldmine when it comes to DIY tutorials, so check there first when you need to do everything – from small home repairs, to hemming a pair of pants you found at a charity shop. It doesn’t hurt to try, and you can always call in a pro later if needed.
- Watch what you toss. As you go about your day, pay attention to things you only use once and toss out. Can you reuse that clean freezer bag? Could that paper towel you dried your clean hands on be used for another job? Can the wrapping paper that was around a large gift be saved to use on smaller ones in the future? Little things add up so always ask yourself, “Can I use this again?” before throwing something in the bin or for recycling.
- Foresters Financial helps members save. With the new MemberDeals benefit, Foresters members can live well, have fun and save money with access to discounts on everyday necessities, electronics and other online shopping opportunities. MemberDeals also makes family-focused activities more affordable with discounts on hotels, rental cars, theme parks, attractions and more.
- Personal finance 101. Members also have access to a new series of smart-money management courses through Lifelong Learning. On-demand courses cover everything from budgeting, to taxes, to retirement savings.
Members can log in (or register) at MyForesters.com to learn more about MemberDeals.
