Simple and Easy Ways to Save Money That Most People Don't Do

If you're looking for some easy'ish ways to save some money that are likely to cause most of you little pain, then I've made up a list below.   By my reckoning, most people don't do most of this stuff so this could be easy money for a lot of people.   Before each idea I gave an estimate of the typical monthly savings people could see.   I'm not giving a full explanation of how to do each suggestion as there is tons of information about these elsewhere.


$50 : Cut cable -   This is a totally unique idea and I'm the first financial blogger to write about it.   But did you know that you can actually save money by NOT paying for cable TV?    Its true.   I personally think this is an extreme measure only for people who hate themselves.  Ok thats just a joke since I personally value our cable but paid TV is very expensive and you can save a lot of money by cutting cable and switching to Netflix, Hulu and a good old antennae.    Of course you won't be able to watch 700 channels of nothing anytime you want 24/7 like Americans have every right to do.

$40 : Drop your landline phone -    Around 50-60% of people still have a landline phone.   Many homes can live without a landline at all.   But if you have a need for a landline you can use an Obihai OBi200* and Google voice to get free VOIP phone service.   The Obihai will cost you ~$45 up front but there are no ongoing fees afterwards.

$40 : Use a rewards credit card -  Citibank's double cash card and the Fidelity Amex both give 2% cash back on purchases.   I've discussed before that a typical family could net about $800 a year by using cash back cards.    But if all you do is start using a 2% cash back card you could easily get around $40 a month in rewards.   You can do even better by juggling the 5% promotional deals and signing up for new cards with bonuses.

$20 : Use a discount cell phone service - I'm paying $15 a month for my cell service right now.   Many people can slash their cell phone bills by going to discount providers.   The plan that is best for you will depend on your usage, but its a safe bet you can save money over the major carriers.

$10 : Shop around for Car insurance - People pay around $100 a month on average for car insurance.  You can quite likely save 10% if you shop around rates.

$2 :   Use online shopping portals :    I'm just throwing out a wild guess that the average household could get about $2 back a month by using portals like Ebates* when they do their online shopping.

$0.02 :  Start your own Blog :   Its the road to riches!!


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