Did you ever have someone tell you to use your common sense? They weren’t trying to be insulting; they were just trying to get you to reach a new goal. Using your common sense to save money is actually very easy; you just have to make decisions every day on how you can save money.
Don’t spend money
This method of saving money may sound silly. But, the way you can save money is by not spending money. Think twice before buying fast food meals for dinner. Instead drive past high calorie, fattening restaurants. Go home and make a meal out of what you have at home. You can even have cereal or a sandwich for dinner, thus saving what can amount to a lot of money when eating out several times a week. Stay home instead of wasting valuable gas, and paying high prices at the pump. Read a book, invite neighbors over within walking distance, instead of going out and spending what can be hundreds of dollars to fill your gas tank, eat at an expensive restaurant, and pay yet more money to see a costly movie or concert.
Use credit cards for emergencies only
With credit cards having very high interest rates such as 18 to 21 percent, try not to use your credit cards for everyday, regular purchases. Credit cards should only be used for emergency situations. When you use a credit card everyday for small or regular purchases, those purchase amounts have a way of adding up very fast. When you don’t pay off that credit card balance right away, you only have a short amount of time to pay off your balance to avoid late fees, and paying high interest rates. A credit card company may raise your interest rate even higher. This may make it nearly impossible to pay off the balance of your credit card bill in the near future, with your credit card balance growing exponentially.
Stick to your budget
A common sense way to save money is by creating a budget and sticking to it. You should create a weekly budget of spending money for groceries, gas for your vehicles, household items, and also for all those other everyday items. Try to stay inside your budget. Tell the kids that they can’t have candy, or a new toy. Do not give into temptation buying tasty doughnuts at a drive through fast food place. Stick to your budget. Give yourself rewards of positive reinforcement. Tell your family members and even yourself that you are doing a great job. Remind yourself that saving money will pay in the end, and you will be able to buy new furniture or a new car with all that money you have saved.
Be a smart miser
Act a little like Scrooge, and try to not spend money. Although this does not mean that you have to yell at people, acting very cranky, you can save money by using your common sense. Always take a drink with you such as buying bottles of water on your weekly grocery shopping trip. Fill up a refillable bottle at home with coffee, or tea, or your favorite drink. Then you will not have to buy costly drinks at convenience stores or fast food places for your family or for yourself. Bring snacks with you avoiding buying snacks on the road, or for the kids. Walk wherever you can to save on expensive gas costs.
What it takes is thinking how and where you can save money starting with small everyday costs. Ask yourself if you really need a new TV, or computer, or if you can make do with the old ones? Create ways of saving money and get your entire family involved with saving money. Get the kids involved by asking them how they want to help save money.