This might sound the direct opposite to my last blog post but trust me it is not. It is about having the patience to save money once you have decided to take that route.

Walking is a perfect example. Have the patience and walk to the store or to work instead of driving there.  It will save you on gas expenses, parking costs and the maitainence of your car.  Walking also improves your health and state of mind which can be a big plus if you are bogged down with money problems.

Have some patience when making your next purchase and compare prices before you end up buying.  It doesn't matter what you are buying, get offers from three to five companies, go online and look at a few different prices from various stores. Let the stores you visit know that you are taking the time to search the market and they may just be able to offer you the best savings. The patient consumer is a winner.

Use coupons as much as possible.  Be patient in cutting them out and going through them before making any purchase.  Pack them together with your grocery bag or in the car so you can use the discount voucher at every opportunity.  One can save $20 - $50, just by using the coupons. 

Track your expenses.  Have the patience to keep your receipts and record all your expenses, no matter how small or frequently they occur.  By doing so, you are made aware of where every single penny goes.  Furthermore, you will know when you have spent too much on clothing, when in fact you still need to settle your credit card balance, or pay the mortgage.  You will have a better hold of your financial health, by patiently tracking your finances.

Hold-off and sleep on it.  If you are about to purchase a $100 item, hold off the purchase until you’ve given it much thought, say sleeping on it for 1-2 nights.  If after such time, you decide that you absolutely need and can afford the purchase, then go ahead.  Nevertheless, you’ll be surprised at how much you can save by just sleeping and thinking things over. 

Exude moral excellence by patiently saving for years to come, starting today!

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I can't believe how many of my friends try to save money here and there and then blow it away in another place. Saving money means that you have to be all in. It's okay to start out small and begin changing your spending and saving habits but in the process you can't be getting into bad credit card debt, spending foolishly on unneed items and going into overdraw at the bank. If you have come to the realization that you financial situation is in dire need then you need to start saving everywhere and anyway you can without jeopardizing your well being. It doesn't matter if it's credit cards, buying weight loss pills online, spending on vacations or just your plain everyday living expenses. You have to look at everyone of them and try to save money with them. There is no sense of saving money by cutting down your credit card debt and then blowing the savings on a vacation that you could have got cheaper if you had done a little research. If you want to save "go all in" and start looking at everything you do from a frugal standpoint.

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I am not much of one to go out the movies. Once in a blue moon and only if it's a blockbuster. The next Terminator movie might drag me out but I prefer to watch my movies at home in blueray and be comfortable.

My wife went to the movies the a few nights ago. We have a Galaxy Cinemas in town. They offer free refills on pop and popcorn. She was beside herself when she saw a few people take their old popcorn bags out of their purses and get a free refill. One guy even brought his bucket from the Golden Compass, which was out in 2007 and got a free refill of popcorn.

There is being cheap and there is being cheap but a night at the movies isn't easy on the pocket books anymore. If you are a movie goer ask them about their policy on free refills. If you can save a couple of bucks on food and beverages then why not.

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Saving money isn't something that is going to happen to your overnight. It's a long process that is going to take you some time. People are so hungry to save money it's like they need to take some appetite suppressants to slow down. You have to start making small changes to your way of life or small changes in your spending habits which will begin to save you money over time. For example, make a change by replacing your lightbulbs with new energy efficient light bulbs. You aren't going to save money right that day or over the weekend but you will in the long run. If you start buying some no name grocery items you will save a bit here and there, not enough to buy a townhouse in Italy in a month but over the course of a year you will have saved some nice money. It takes time, start doing what you can to save money now and it will pay off later on down the road.

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One of your biggest expenses over your life time is probably going to be medical expenses. You might not think that now but flash ahead to your twilight years and do some math on the cost of medications. You can take some practical steps to cutting down your medical costs over your lifetime.

Prevention is always better than any cure. If you are more active and leading a healthy lifestyle you are obvously going to be spending less money on medical expenses. It's as simple as that.

Taking generic drugs is most certainly the best way to go. If you are searching online for something like diet pills you would look for the best price right? So why not with your medications. Generic drugs are cheaper and just as good as the originals. According to the Association of Chain Drug Stores, the generic drugs are priced at $24 on the average in 2004, while the average price of the branded ones is $96 dollars.

Always discuss your health with your doctor. I find that many doctors are just too busy to talk to you when you see them. It's in, here's your drugs and out. That's their tough luck. You are there so talk to them, ask them questions and get your answers. Also don't be afraid to ask for generic versions of drugs or cheap alternatives to recovery or methods. It's your money.

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Saving money doesn't have to be a monumental task. You can easily save some money each month by following these five simple suggestions.

Reduce or eliminate magazines.  If you are a typical American family, your mailbox gets its regular fill of magazines: business, sports, home and garden magazines.  Can you imagine how much each of these subscriptions cost?  My wife subscribes to a Gossip magazine and it's over $100 for x number of issues. We are cancelling and she can read about Brangelina's sad and depraved life online. You can always find a replacement online and save some money.

Buy in bulk.  How can warehouse and discount clubs drastically lower their prices?  Because they buy and sell in bulk.  Consumables that are non-perishable can be purchased 10-15% cheaper when bought in bulk.  Be sure to stock up only on fast-moving items such as kitchen towels, cleaners, canned goods, etc., to avoid wasting money on rancid food.

Eat at home.  Eating out has become an American lifestyle.  What used to be an activity to celebrate special occasions has become part of the daily, fast-paced life.  But did you know that eating out could chomp as much as 40% of your budget for food?  That’s as much as $40 weekly, saved just by eating in! 

Plan your meals.  Eating out 4X a week need not be your solution to a dynamic lifestyle.  Menu planning is! Take time on weekends to plan for the following week’s meals.  Every night, before you hit the sack, take out the ingredients for the meals of the next day from the freezer, and store them in the refrigerator.  By the time you get home from work, everything is thawed and ready to be cooked.  And because eating out is part of the American way of life, you would have saved enough money to spend for dining out on special occasions!

Homemade skin care.  Is your dermatologist eating up your budget? Don’t you wish you can be beautiful and save money at the same time? The answer is yes, you can!  By using ingredients from your pantry, you can take care of your skin and still save a fortune.  Try the following:

- Honey and oatmeal can exfoliate dry skin.

- Ginger seeped in a bath softens your skin.

- Cucumber and milk softens tired skin.

Without drastically changing your lifestyle, you have started your path on saving money.  Secure your future by using these money saving ideas, today!

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I came across this article recently which discussed different ways of saving your money based on what your goals or plans are for saving that said money. It's basic in principle but interesting that once you have your goal in mind you should set up a plan or method to see it through and save your money.

1. Savings accounts. When saving for just a short period or for emergency purposes, consider opening a savings account passbook, as it is in this method that you can easily gain access to your funds. Great for both long and short term savings, you can deposit and withdraw money to your account and earn interest, based on your average daily balance. A minimum balance is required to be maintained though, and you are charged with a penalty should you fail to maintain it.

2. Checking account with interest.  Here one can benefit from checking account conveniences, while your deposits gain interests. Generally these types of accounts grants privileges such as limitless withdrawal and check writing, access to ATM and bill payments that can be done online. The interest and fees are generally based on the balance that you have in the account.

3. Money market insured accounts. For long-termed goals, this method is ideal, as it generally offers a much higher rate of interest compared to a regular or standard savings account. The interest rate usually is dependent on the amount of money in your bank account; larger balance means higher interest.

4. “CD” or Certificates of Deposit.  This is a savings method requiring you to “loan” your money to your financial agency for a certain time frame, usually ranging from thirty days up to five years. Here, the longer the time span again, means higher interest.

At certain times, when your goal is many years away, it can be a wiser decision to save money in a certain way that you are not drawn on using it other than the main reason for saving it. Deciding on the right financial agency such as a bank, credit union or insurance firm can bring about a lot of benefit in your finances.

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Well I guess I am not a very good save money blogger. Today I wrestled my way through a ton of paperwork that I had stashed near my computer and discovered I missed paying my internet bills by two weeks. Most of my bills are paid online, some right away and some I have to manually do. I like to do this so I can get a paper copy for my taxes. Old school but I get so much spam I can't risk missing a bill through one of my filters.

This will be the last time I miss a bill as I hate paying interest when really there is no reason to do so.

One, when a bill comes in have a special place near your computer or desk space to put them and alway put them there. Get in the habit of putting your paperwork in the same place.

Two, make a sort of inbox, outbox and receipts type space on your desktop where you can file all of your paperwork. Nothing is more frustrating then having to hunt down a receipt or credit card bill when you need one in a pinch. If everthing is sorted properly it won't be a problem.

Three, when your bills are processed file them away in an accordian file or filing folder. This way you know where they are and trust me it will make tax time and returning items under warrenty a lot easier.

Finally and most importantly if you can, pay them right away. You can pay any bill online, there shouldn't be any that you can't. Get in the habit when you get home from work of logging on, opening your mail and paying your bills. You can alway set the date at which the payment comes out. I always pick the day or the day before if it's a weekend just be to safe.

Paying your bills on time is a routine or habit that doesn't take much to get into the swing of.

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I am not sure if anybody has noticed or not but the March or spring time sales seem to be in full force on the internet and in stores. I was looking through the pile of flyers that just came this week and everybody and their brother seems to have sales on this week. Not only that but online too. I was looking at discount furniture sales as an example and there are plenty of places to find great deals online. If you are in the market now seems to be like a good time to save some money and pick up something nice.

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The first smart secret to a budget is to set a goal. What do you want to achieve? Do you want to correctly appropriate your income into bills payments? Do you want to put an amount aside for a big purchase or a huge investment? By having a goal, you will be able to shape your budget to best serve your interests.

Secondly, you would want to take note of where your money usually goes. This includes bills, major but regular purchases (like grocery costs, healthcare costs, and the like), and everyday miscellaneous purchases. Only when you list down where you know your money usually goes will you be able to identify which expenses you can do without. Once you’ve identified these regular expenditures, take into consideration what you can cut back on. How much do you spend on your daily caffeine fix in the morning? How much do you spend on newspaper deliveries to your front door? The measly $2 or $5 of these small purchases cumulatively translates to more than $3600 a year! Instead of buying your expensive latte or reading the newspaper on print, put aside the amount you would usually pay for these small routine purchases in a small container. You will be surprised at how much you’re saving out of your older budget.

Being indebted is a vicious cycle on its own. You’re talking about continuous payments, not to mention huge interest rates. The best way to deal with this is to pay the minimum on all of your debts in order to avoid paying extraneous late fees. Whatever cash excesses you may have, you can opt to add on to the payments you make in your biggest debt. This way, you are concentrated on getting the biggest debts first that cost you the greatest interest rates. Doing this progressively, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ll get off your huge debts.

The last and most important step is to jot down the amount you earn the sum you spend. You can make use of computer cash management programs, or make database sheets of your own. Make a system that works for you and will help you keep track of your monthly budgeting progress.

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