Savings Tips from East Side Lenders

• When shopping, go solo. Kids tend to toss high-priced, sugary cereals into the cart when you're not looking or pressure you to buy items that you weren't planning on buying.
• Keep your tires properly inflated. You’ll prolong their life as well as save money on gas.
• Save money by using direct deposit. and automatically withdraw a portion of your paycheck into a savings account.
• Cut out the beef. Decreasing meat consumption or eliminating it altogether can create big savings over the course of a year.
• Buy second hand. Shop at yard sales, consignment stores, eBay and Craigslist to cut costs.
• Ask your doctor for free samples of the drugs prescribed for you.
• Use your insurance company's mail-order prescription program. Chances are you will save money and time, in addition to avoiding the tempting candy bars by the Walgreen's checkout.
• Sign up for every free customer rewards program you can.
• Read more. Reading is one of the cheapest – and most beneficial – hobbies around. Most towns have a library available to the public – just go there and check out some books that interest you.
• Cut your own hair.
• Go through your cell phone bill, look for services you don’t use, and ditch them.Repair worn clothes. Instead of throwing out some damaged clothing, repair it instead.
• Brown bag your lunch. Instead of going out to eat at work, take your own lunch.
• Get a crock pot. A crock pot is perhaps the best deal on earth for reducing cooking costs in a busy family
• Borrow books, CDs, videos, from the local library.
• Exercise at home rather than joining a gym.
• Make coffee at home rather than buying from a store, or at least cut down the number of times per week you purchase coffee.
• Buy clothes for next year at the end-of-season sales– try garage sales and thrift stores.
• Find a simple hairstyle that doesn’t cost too much to take care of on a daily/weekly basis.
• Take advantage of free entertainment in your community – parks, museums, exhibits, etc. Go to free park concerts and other community activities.
• Use a grocery list. Always do your grocery shopping with a list of items you need - and don't buy anything that's not on the list. You can save hundreds of dollars a year by avoiding impulse food purchases.
• Avoid shopping at convenience stores. You pay for the convenience -- the prices are usually higher than grocery stores.
• Rent a video instead of going to the movies. If you really want to go to the movies, go to the less expensive afternoon “matinee.”
• Make your own gifts instead of buying stuff from the store. You can make food mixes, candles, bread, cookies, soap, and all kinds of other things at home quite easily and inexpensively.
• Invite friends over instead of going out. Almost every activity at home is less expensive than going out. Invite some friends over and have a cookout or a potluck meal, then play some cards and have a few drinks.
• Don’t spend big money entertaining your children. Most children, especially young ones, can be entertained very cheaply.
• Call your credit card company and ask for a rate reduction.
• Make your own giftsinstead of buying stuff from the store. You can make food mixes, candles, bread, cookies, soap, and all kinds of other things at home quite easily and inexpensively.
• Install a programmable thermostat. These devices regulate the temperature in your house automatically according to the schedule that you set. When you’re not home, it allows the heating or cooling to turn off for several hours, saving energy.. A programmable thermostat can easily cut your energy bill by 10 to 20%.
• Cancel the cable or satellite channels you don’t watch. Many people with cable services often are paying for a premium package but rarely watch those extra channels. Get rid of the excess channels and put that cash back in your pocket.
• Pack your lunch. If you spend $5 on lunch 5 days a week, you’ll save $25 a week by packing your lunch.
• Give up the soda. A twelve pack of pop costs around $3. If you go through one twelve pack a week, by giving it up, you will save $150 a year.
• Don’t buy magazines. You can get them from your local library. If you save $3 a week by not buying, that’s another $150 a year.
• Get Active. Walking will improve your health, which will impact your medical budget. Even if it saves you only two doctor’s appointments this year, that’s an extra $50 if you have a $25 copay.
• Speaking of health, stop smoking. If you smoke a pack a day at $5.00 a pack, you save $150. over the course of a month and $1825. over the course of a year. And that doesn’t even include the amount you’ll save by being healthier
• Get Secret Deals. Several department stores (such as Saks Fifth Avenue) now offer unadvertised, online-only sales to their email subscribers or Twitter followers. Sign up and you’ll find out about special friends and family promotions.
• Cash Out. Some shops, especially independent ones will offer you at least 10% off when you pay with cash. Ask an owner or manager before paying.
• Make the switch to CFL bulbs. You can save up to $30 a month by using CFLs instead of regular light bulbs.
• Have a meatless meal once a week. If a package of meat costs $3, cutting out meat from one meal a week will save $150 a year.
• Sell your books on half.com. It’s really easy to list your books by the ISBN number. It only takes a few minutes and you can make an about $10 per month with little effort.