With the increasing prices and other economic difficulties, many people are keeping a close eye on how they spend their money. It may be a good idea to be aware of how you are spending your money and ways you could possibly cut back before you get into financial trouble. It is easier to dig yourself out of debt if you control the problem before you get too deep into debt. There are some ways to spend smarter and save more in the coming year.
Be a Conscious Consumer
Many of us go into stores without a plan and may come out spending more than we wanted to. Make a list of the items you need so you know what you are looking for. Before purchasing something, consider if you really need the item. A dollar or two may not seem like a big deal but they can add up to a considerable amount over time.
If you have a daily habit of purchasing something such as coffee, vending machine items, magazines or newspaper, or other things consider you purchases and see if you really need it or if you are just purchasing it out of a habit or because you are bored.
Shop from your Closet
Before going shopping for new clothes, check out the back of your closet. There may be items hiding in the back that you have forgotten about. If you usually wear certain items together, try mixing up your wardrobe and wearing items with other items.
You can change the look of an outfit by wearing different accessories with it.
Brown bag it
One way to save considerable money may be to take your lunch to work or eat out less in the evening. One advantage of cooking at home is to have leftovers to take for lunch the next day. If you do go out to eat, take home leftovers if there are any to have for lunch the next day.
Buy snacks in larger quantity and divide into smaller bags instead of buying the single serve packages.
Automate it
By having your bills paid with automatic payments you save the time and postage of writing checks. You can also save late fees by not missing due dates. If you have your savings set up to be withdrawn automatically, it is not as easy to skip a month of “paying yourself first”.
By watching how you spend your money you may be able to spend less and save more in 2013.