Posts Tagged ‘Saving Money’

Life's Little Luxuries for $0.00 (Take Note Gentlemen)

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

I would like to share this article I discovered on a great web site called simplesavings.com.au A fantastic site if you are looking for ways to save on expenses and start putting some savings aside.

I believe this was written by a lady called Penny Cooper

THANKS A BUNCH FOR FREE FLOWERS

My hubby gives me a beautiful bouquet of flowers every week – and it doesn’t cost him a cent! When times get tough financially, the first things to disappear are usually life’s little luxuries. As soon as we started living on a budget I could no longer justify buying fresh flowers to add a splash of winter cheer to our home. So I was surprised and delighted when my husband arrived home from work a few months ago with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers! He works in a corporate building on the same floor as the reception desk. Every Monday morning there is a fresh bunch of flowers delivered to reception and as such the existing flowers are thrown out every Friday. They are still usually absolutely fine however, being only five days old and often contain lilies and other hardy blooms that last for three to five weeks. Instead of leaving them to get thrown away, he asked at reception if he could take them home and they said no problem!

You could ask the same at any likely shop/reception area that has flowers each week. It’s easy enough to call by and pick them up before they throw them out. While this hasn’t really saved us any money as we weren’t buying them due to their cost, it is a delight for me to be able to enjoy one of my luxury items for free. It also allows us to be generous to our friends who are also all on budgets. Now we have a constant supply of flowers for our own home, plus often enough to make up into bunches to give to our friends.
At least until Hubby’s colleagues catch on to what he’s doing and start asking to take them home too!

What a great idea Penny.

If you are looking for ways to save money, pay off debt and even start investing some of your saving, than you may want check out this free DVD and e-book.

Share on Facebook

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Our Blog | No Comments »

Saving Money On Utility Bills

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Around the house can be one of the quickest and easiest places to save money. A lot of these tips are virtually set and forget.

  • Replace your shower head with a water saving shower head. This not only saves you water but can also save you a considerable amount on you energy bill by using less hot water.
  • By installing energy saving light globes you can save quite a bit on your power bill and a lot of the compact fluorescent globes have a long life, up to 20 years, so they are great value.
  • You can save on energy costs by setting your heater one degree cooler in winter and one degree warmer in summer.
  • Set your air conditioner on a timer so it comes on a little while before you come home. This way your house will be cool when you get home, preventing you from putting it on flat out when you come home to a hot house. You can do the same with heating in winter.
  • When using water only for a short time, like washing your hands, be sure to use the cold water tap. This will save water heating costs.
  • In winter, make sure any windows facing the sun have the blinds open to capture as much natural heat as possible.
  • In winter, draw the blinds early to prevent the heat from escaping.
  • In summer, keep the blinds closed on the windows that face the sun.
  • Keeping the doors closed and heating only the rooms you use most can save you a lot on your heating bill.
  • Turn off any electrical appliances that have a stand by mode (that’s anything with little lights or LED displays) at the wall.
  • When replacing electrical appliances, consider their energy rating.
  • Lower the hot water thermostat by 5 or 10 degrees.
  • Turn off the lights if you’re not using them.


You may think all of these things seam like small stuff, and they are, but together they can save you large amounts on your utility bills. Allowing you to take that saved money and put it aside to start building your personal wealth. If you would like to learn more about investing your savings to accelerate your wealth and create extra streams of income, feel free to order our FREE Wealth Creation DVD. You may be surprised at how simply it really is.

Share on Facebook

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Our Blog | No Comments »

Save Money On Groceries

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009


There are many ways to save money on your groceries. I have listed some that I have found and many that I personally use to save money.

  • Do NOT go food shopping when you are hungry, this will eliminate many of those impulse purchases, saving you hundreds.
  • Eliminate frozen food from your shopping list. Freezing your own is much cheaper and often tastier.
  • Using a shopping list and sticking to it will ensure you buy only what you need.
  • Plan your shopping list carefully. Check your fridge and cupboard for what you need first.
  • Shopping less often can save you a lot. Larger quantities are often better value.
  • You can save up to 40% by buying generic no name brands.
  • Keep an eye on the top and very bottom shelves; this is where you find the cheaper brands.
  • By shopping later in the day, week and month you will find more items on special.
  • Save money by check the back of super market dockets for discounts.
  • Cook more than you need and freeze the rest in meal sized portions for a quick and easy lunch or dinner.
  • Save money by shopping at discount food shops rather than expensive local grocers and convenience stores.
  • When serving a meal, serve smaller portions of meat and larger portions of vegies, rice and pastas.

Share on Facebook

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Our Blog | No Comments »

Easy Ways to Save Money

Saturday, March 1st, 2008

Author: Sarah Russell

To get on the road to financial freedom, you’ve got to have a budget to help you focus on achieving your financial goals. If you’d like to own your own home someday or pay off all your credit card debt, you need to plan ahead and set aside money to make your dreams a reality. But saving money can seem impossible when you’re already reaching to pay all your bills. Fear not – it can be done! Check out some of these easy tips to help you start saving money.

Spare Change Matters

Don’t underestimate the power of the penny! If don’t think you can afford to put any extra money into a savings account, commit to saving your loose change for that purpose. At the end of each day, put all your loose coins in a jar or a cheap piggy bank. As your jar fills up, stop by a Coinstar machine and deposit the cash into your savings account.

Let Online Banking Help You

Online banking makes it easy to transfer money to your savings account. If have direct deposit for your paycheck, you should be able to set up an automatic transfer so that a portion of your money automatically goes to your savings account. If you never see the money, in your checking account, you won’t be as tempted to spend it. Most experts recommend that you automatically deposit 10% of your take-home pay, but if this is too much for you to start with, try to work up to it.

Learn the Trading Game

If you’re great with kids, why not volunteer to watch a colleague’s children in exchange for a free ride to work? Or offer to trade some of your world-famous pies for some auto repair work from a car-loving friend. Everyone have some skills – use the things you’re good at to trade for the goods and services you’d otherwise pay for.

Cut Your Utility Bills

With the explosive growth of modern technology, it seems that there’s some new gadget for every task. Using all these tools can make your life easier, but it also increases your energy bill. One night a week, wash your dishes by hand, or hang your clothes to dry on a clothesline in your laundry room. Buy a carpet sweeper or a manual lawnmower to replace their energy-guzzling alternatives. You’ll cut your energy bill and develop a new-found respect for your pioneer ancestors.

Live the High Life on a Budget

Buying a $5 coffee everyday or catching dinner and a movie every Friday night with your partner can quickly chip away at your savings. If you can’t give up your Starbucks, consider switching to plain black coffee with a bit of flavored creamer. You’ll save money as well as all those calories in your grande caramel macchiato! Learn to cook a nice dinner to serve by candlelight in your home and follow it up with your favorite old movie on the couch.

If some of these tradeoffs don’t sound like much fun, try to keep your financial goals in mind. Picture yourself moving into your new home or driving down the road in your Ferrari convertible. If you stay focused on your goals, you’ll find it much easier to stick with your budget and save more money. For more easy ways to save money, visit The Sexy Secretary – a great website with lots of tips on living the good life on a budget.
About The Author

This article was published by Sarah Russell on Smart Young Money – a collection of money management resources for teens and young adults. For great information on using credit, managing debt and more for young people, visit http://www.smartyoungmoney.com.

Tags: ,
Posted in Our Blog | No Comments »