Everyone can save on a shoestring, its a mater of attitude

Believe it or not, how much you save has little to do with how much you make and studies have proven this! It is time to put away the excuses; here’s a roadmap for finding money you didn’t even know you had.

That One Simple Word—Savings

When you hear that one, simple word, do you feel a deep sense of guilt? Of course, you do – we all do. That is because, like most Americans, 75% of respondents said they knew that their savings, targeted for retirement, were insufficient.

That’s cause for distress, perhaps, but not nearly as remarkable as the discovery that how much you save now has very little to do with how rich you are, today. This is so true in fact, that the middle-income earners managed to save less than the lower-income earners in that same study. Now this is remarkable when you think about it. Those with less saved more! What is the secret to their savings success?

For those of us who scrimp and save endlessly and with so little to show for it, these statistics are both annoying and embarrassing! It also means you have no excuse for inadequate savings.

The bottom line here is this: You just have to save, regardless! That means for every $10 you earn, you MUST sock away at least $1 in savings. Does not sound to be too difficult, right? WRONG!

UNLESS you have an iron clad savings plan, you will not save a single red cent! The trick is in the purpose and the plan

· Thrifty Ways to Save Money

Saving for an emergency need not be a chore when you are making a good effort to put money aside constantly. Be in a mood of saving and watch as that bank account accumulates.

·       Instead of buying a new DVD, save money by trading with family and friends. Once a month do the rounds and before you know it, you will have a new library of good movies to enjoy.

·       Plant a small garden each spring, with just the vegetables that you really like. Even a small effort every day can save you dollars usually spent on fresh vegetables at the produce market.

·       Buy your bread and other bakery items at the local thrift bread store.

·       Check your local library for the newest DVD/video releases and then rent three for $2.00 for two days.

·       Read your local newspapers online.

·       Search eBay for big ticket items and then save literally hundreds on computers, DVD players, etc.

·       Keep track of the cost of items you buy a lot and get them at the cheapest store, like cleaning supplies at Family Dollar, pet food at Wal-Mart, etc.

·       Make a conscious effort to combine tasks that require driving some place, so you will get the most out of your mileage.

·       For your friends and family who do not feel slighted by this, send e-mail cards for holidays, birthdays and as thank you cards. In addition, e-mail family and friends who live far away, instead of calling long distance.

·       Get rid of your monthly fee long distance service, and just use an access code when you do call, which is infrequently anyway and inexpensive.

·       Decide which satellite channels you could do without, and give up a few shows you really like. You can save more than $20.00 on your monthly bill.

·       When you buy vegetables, fruits and bread at the grocery store check the reduced-for-quick-sale carts and shelves first.

·       Change the oil in your vehicles yourself.

·       Save money when buying clothes for the following year at the end of the season  during the off season. You can get great mark down prices.

·       Each evening take the spare change from your pockets or periodically clean out your purse and toss the coins aside. Never take any money back until the end of the year. Then take all of the coins to the bank and exchange them for cash. You’ll be surprised to find out they’ve added up to $50, $100 or even $200.

·       “Take care of your cents, and then your dollars will take care of themselves.”

·       Bike to work in good weather instead of driving to save on gas.

·       Eat a few hearty vegetarian meals each week.

·       Shop garage sales for a great source of household items, books, clothing, and furniture.

·       Don’t buy bottled water! Buy a good water-filter and drink tap water.

·       By the end of each day put all of your change into an empty coffee can. Then roll coins as you watch TV or listen to the radio. This will add up to hundreds of dollars very quickly and gives you something good to do with your hands to relax.

Every Day Ways to Save Money for an Emergency

When you think about it, there are a good many ways to save those precious pennies. Some ways will require some sacrifice, while others will require little before thought.

The point is to be forever mindful of saving those extra pennies and before you know it, you will have saved up a tidy sum.

·       Spend less money than you earn each week.

·       Seek out a higher paying job.

·       Keep your job skills sharp and up-to-date so that when a new opportunity comes up, you will be on your toes and first in line.

·       Adjust your lifestyle to always spend a bit less.

·       Create a firm financial budget to encourage saving.

·       If you must use credit cards/cut up those you can do without.

·       If you must use credit cards, pay them all down in full each month.

·       If you have credit card debt at high rates, consolidate at once.

·       Figure out a way to lower your student loan payments.

·       Just say NO to spending money whenever possible.

·       Lower your expenses, one by one.

·       Stop purchasing items that you can do without.

·       Forego purchasing non-essential items.

·       Refinance your mortgage or debt at a much lower rate.

·       Refinance your car loan at a much lower interest rate.

·       Find cheaper insurance rates/then switch over.

·       Use coupons to shop with.  Don’t purchase without a discount coupon.

·       Wait for things to first go on sale before buying. Take advantage of catalog saving certificates.

·       Don’t buy an item just because it is on sale.

·       Buy generic or non-name brand merchandise as much as possible.

·       Wait for prices to fall to a discounted rate before buying (applies especially to electronics items).

·       Reward yourself for saving money.  Enjoy as your debt shrinks and your investments grow.

·       Drive used cars or leases rather than brand new cars.

·       Reduce your auto insurance.

·       Don’t eat out as much as you’d like to.

·       If you do eat out, buy gift certificates for half price meals.

·       Buy only discount magazines.

·       Do more stay in activities at home.

·       Invest the money you save to earn even more.

·       Create a plan to save $200 each month (as much as you can manage.)  Never miss the monthly savings payment to yourself and try to find ways to increase it.

·       Don’t spend money just because you have it.

·       Look into getting a better quality education.

·       Stay very busy – you will have less time to spend money.

·       Find an interesting hobby to occupy your time and stop you from spending money.

·       Find a hobby that you can turn into earnings.

·       Stop smoking and bank the savings.

·       Go on a sensible diet and lose weight. You will save money on food, look and feel better, and your long-term healthcare costs should fall dramatically.

·       Look carefully at how you spend and save your money.

·       Learn how to manage your finances by reading financial publications.

·       Increase the amount of money you earn through a second job, promotion, new job, investments, etc.

·       Don’t try to compete with your friends and neighbors. Be satisfied with what you have.

·       Don’t compare yourself to your friends and neighbors. Be happy being you.

·       Sell your car and take the bus to work if you can.

·       Contribute the maximum each year to your 401K or to an IRA.

·       Buy Dental Insurance before you need it.

·       Buy Health Insurance before you need it.

·       Paying down your debt is also a way to save money (it saves you from a debt payment and brings you closer to having money to invest).

·       Switch to lower your telephone bill.

·       Lower your cable bill by deleting pay channels or switch to satellite.

·       Earn extra money by completing short surveys online.

·       Practice restraint at all times.

·       Be patient when bargain shopping.

·       Start saving money today!

·       Don’t give up -- put just $5.00 aside, today!

Hunger Count 2015

The Hunger Count for 2015 for Canada has just been released, and the numbers are saddening. Instead of less people using Food Banks, there are more people using Food Banks. The number of people accessing Canadian food banks increased for the third consecutive year in 2016, and is now 28% higher than before the 2008-2009 recession. 

• 863,492 people received food from a food bank in March 2016
• 307,535 children are helped each month  while children aged 6-11 make up about 6% of the total Canadian population,  they make up over 12% of people accessing food banks
• 155,756 Canadians in rural communities rely on a food bank every month 

For more information and ideas on how to solve this problem, go to Find out more from HungerCount 2016

While we wrestle with this problem, our neighbours, friends and others, still may need our support; so take some time and donate, or volunteer at your local Food Bank. If you can a donation of money is more useful than a donation of Food. Both gifts are appreciated, but money can go further in helping. 

We are moving into the spirit of giving, so make your gift to the Food Bank one of your (new) family traditions.