41 - 50 of 101 Money Saving Tips Series

41. Buffet Meals

When taking the family out to dinner, consider restaurants that have buffets.
In many cases, the prices are outstanding and a parent can share with a small
child. In addition, many buffets are “all you can eat” and of course, there is
something for everyone.

42. Cable Networking

If you have a computer upstairs and another downstairs and you use highspeed
data, have one of the computers be the primary computer and the other
be the backup. This way, you are only charged once for Internet access and a
small fee of $10 to $15 a month for the second computer. This is a great
bargain!

43. Proper Maintenance

Purchase an annual home warranty policy. These policies can run from $350 to
$500 a year and offer extremely valuable options. The way most of these
policies work is that if you have something break, such as your garage door,
dishwasher, air conditioner, etc., for a minimal fee, usually $50 to $100, a
serviceperson will come to your home to fix the item. Best of all, if you have
five things broken and the same serviceperson is qualified to fix all of them,
you are still charged the $50 to $100 fee once, not five times. For your
automobile, you might look into purchasing an extended warranty. If you ever
need either one of these policies, they will save you tremendous value.

44. Company Stock / 401K

Contributing to employee stock options or a 401K plan is a wonderful
opportunity to save. Most companies will match your contribution, sometimes
dollar for dollar, up to a maximum, generally 6%. From each paycheck, you
can have a small amount of money deducted (1%) and up. Over time, that
money grows and since the business is providing a match, you get free money.

45. Family Haircuts

Look for hair styling shops that offer family deals or learn how to cut hair
yourself. Many families take care of their own haircuts and put the money they
would have spent aside as a vacation fund. This system works out perfectly.

46. Wants versus Needs

Make sure the thing you want to spend your money on is a “need” and not a
“want.” Sometimes this can seem like a fine gray line but if you stick to the
need list, you will spend less.

47. Refinance

With interest rates being so low, consider refinancing your home and/or
securing a debt consolidation loan. You might have to come up with a new
closing cost but once paid, you will have lower payments, better terms, and
save thousands of dollars over the years.

48. Go Generic

When buying food, try some of the generic items. Unless you or your guests
are connoisseurs of fine dining, they will not know if the green beans were
generic or a top name brand. Once you add some butter, salt, and pepper, no
one will know the difference except you - $79 per can versus $33 per can!

People do not realize that many generic brands are actually manufactured by
name brand companies, just branded with a different name. In fact, companies
such as those that make snack foods will have conveyor belts that run side-byside
– one for the name brand and one for the generic brand. This is quite
common and the only difference is the label and price.

49. Stock Up

As you shop, if you notice that a brand you and your family use on a consistent
basis is on sale for a great bargain, stock up. As an example, if you use a
particular type of shampoo costing $4.50 per bottle and you find it on sale for
$2.50, go ahead and buy two bottles. You should only do this on items you
know will be used.

50. Shopping for Clothes

There are many secrets relating to saving money on clothing. As a perfect
example, rather than buy a matched suit for $450, buy the pieces separate.
This will save you about $100 to $150. Additionally, buy several pieces that
can be mixed and matched, giving you six outfits out of four pieces.

Next ...Tips 51-60

To your success!