13 Creative Ways to Save Money

Do You Have Hidden Savings In Your Lifestyle?

As 2013 comes to a close and everyone begins to look toward the adventures that 2014 will have to offer, many families are still struggling to be able to make ends meet. Money just doesn’t go as far as it used to go, which means budgets have to be tightened. Sacrifices may sometimes need to be made. Yet with just a few lifestyle changes, those sacrifices can be minimized and you could end up saving over $10,000 over the course of the next 12 months?

Where could you have some hidden savings? See if any of these ideas could help you and your family save some cash!

Eliminate the cable bill.
Whether you are using cable TV or a satellite, you can get many of the same shows through streaming services today and almost in real time. For many families with a cable or satellite bill, they are paying around $100 per month! With two online streaming services, you can get most new shows a day after they’ve aired for less than $20 per month.

Stop drinking bottled water.
Some people have a good reason to drink bottled water because their water tastes bad, has impurities, or could even have unhealthy elements within it. Instead of spending over $200 per year on bottled water, however, a $20 purification filter can last an entire year for a family of 4. Even with extremely heavy water consumption and you have to replace your filter twice during the year, you’ve saved $140!

Find a carpool group to join.
One of the biggest hidden costs that people pay is their commute to work and back. Many people just look at the gas cost and calculate it based on the one or two fill-ups their vehicle needs, so at $50 per fuel refill, that’s $400 per month. Real costs are calculated based on the miles driven, so a 30 mile trip to work becomes 60 miles round-trip. At $0.50 per mile, that means you’re actually spending $150 per week to just drive to work! If you’ve got a van or larger vehicle, you’re actually paying closer to $0.75 per mile! With a carpool group of 4, you can eliminate 75% of these costs!

Refinance your mortgage.
Even if you’ve got a good interest rate on your home right now, chances are that it’s not 3.5% good. Though a refinancing plan often won’t save money for a family the first year of the new mortgage, you’ll get to experience these savings year after year for the life of the mortgage afterwards! The average $300,000 mortgage can save almost $300 per month in interest payments with a refinancing package, meaning you’ll save about $3,600 per year in this scenario.

Use cold water to wash clothes.
Cold water expends a lot less energy because the water doesn’t have to be heated! The average washing machine costs $0.60 per hot load, but just $0.04 per cold load. For a family of 6 that does 10 loads of laundry per week, that’s a savings of $5.40 per week. What could your family do with another $280 over the course of a year?

There are plenty of ways to save money today. Look at your unique situation, use these tips, and you could potentially save upwards of $10,000 in 2014 too!