Maximize Your Money!

History making saving in today’s economy is not the only thing one should do, but making sure you get the most out of the services you want and need, and life’s necessities is a must as well. I’m talking about stretching those dollars! Following are a few tips to get you well on your way to maximizing every dollar spent.

Keep the cute cell phone, lose the little luxuries. When you have kids or a business, owning a cell phone is a must, but some of the popular services that you can get with a cell phone are not. One such extra is the internet. If you have the internet on your desk or lap top, then you really don’t need it on your cell phone unless it’s for work related purposes. Another service that’s easy to go overboard on and make your bill sky-rocket out of control is text messaging. If this is the case for you then switch to a service company that offers unlimited text messaging. It may make the difference in your bill and save you money.

Downloading screensavers is another money waster that I, myself am guilty of. I’m in love with girly screensavers, my favorite being one that reads Brown Sugar with a backdrop of chocolate brown and crushed sparkly diamonds. However, these can sometimes cost as much at $1.99, and thus not worth it in today’s economy. The same goes for downloading music and ring tones. It’s better for your pockets to just stick to the tones that come already programmed into your phone.

Stay stylish and save money too. Go ahead and go shopping…in your closet! There may be quite a few things in there with tags still attached that you forgot you even bought. Now’s the time to go on a spree and put those once must-have items to good use. Some of last season’s trends are this season’s trends, so make a whole new fabulous fall ensemble. If you decide your finds will no longer do, then sell them to a thrift store. Thrift stores are very popular these days and you’ll be putting some of that money you spent back in your pocket.

Save on hair services. Skipping our regular appointments to the salon may be close to impossible for many of us. However, a lot of women are doing just that with the current state of the economy. One thing you can do to keep your hair healthy and save some cash too is to take steps to stretch out your salon visits. When it’s time for a touch-up, try a press and curl instead to maintain manageability. It costs a lot less than a re-touch and the health of your hair will be maintained. Another thing you could do is consider a new style that requires minimal maintenance and is meant to last a little longer than your regular style, like braids or Bantu knots. This could be exciting and will keep your hair in good condition, your confidence up, and our stylists in business.

Cut the cable bill. Do you really need the phone, internet, DVR, and the premium channels? The cable company may say that you’re saving by bundling these services, but if you’re not watching all the channels, and mostly use your cell phone, are you really saving money? If you rarely watch the movie channels then switch to basic cable, or cut back and save money by keeping just a few of your favorite channels that you know for sure that you’re are going to watch.

Don’t be fooled. Save on food! Most store brand and value brand foods are made with the same ingredients, and are equally healthy. The only difference lies in the price. You can save 20-50% by buying store or value brand foods. See for yourself the next time you’re at the grocery store. Compare the ingredients of a name brand item you normally buy to the store brand usually found located at the bottom shelf or somewhere near the name brand. You’ll be surprised at the savings!