The following two methods of saving money are radical. They are not easy to do. But they will instantly save you thousands of dollars a year. People may laugh at you, or sneer at you, but you'll have the last laugh, because you'll finally be living within your means, and saving money for the future. If you're ready to save radically, read on:
Saving on Transportation:
Following this tip will save you the most money of all. Here it is:
SELL YOUR CAR
If you have two or more cars, sell all of them. Instead do this:
- Buy a monthly bus pass for everyone in your family
- Buy a bicycle for each person who is old enough to ride a bicycle
- If you need to go somewhere where the bus doesn't run, take a taxi; taking a taxi once or twice a month is still cheaper than owning a car
I realize that this isn't possible for people who live on a farm. But it should be doable for everyone else. And the relief of not sinking further and further into debt will be tremendous.
Saving on Meals:
Here's how to save on meals:
NEVER EAT OUT
And I mean NEVER. Don't buy a coffee at Starbucks, don't buy lunch at the cafeteria, don't get pizza delivered to your house, don't buy those barbecued chickens at the supermarket.
Anything that is already cooked to some extent has labour costs involved. If you do the labour yourself, you can save 50% (or more) of the cost of the item you buy. For example, buying a whole roasting chicken and cooking it yourself costs you about half as much as buying an already cooked barbecued chicken.
Of course, doing it this way requires you to plan ahead, and you have to know how to cook (at least some types of) food. If you don't know how to prepare food yourself, here are a few tips that will get you started cooking:
- Buy a cookbook
- Use Google to search online for recipes (e.g. type in: recipe bran muffins)
- Watch Rachel Ray or Martha Stewart on TV
- Ask people for recipes (your mom, your aunt, your co-workers)
- Check out some of the recipes in my Food section
Disclaimer: while these hints are the result of years of experience and/or lots of research, in the end they are just my personal opinion. If you try something I suggest and it doesn't work, please don't sue me &mdash I guarantee nothing. Best of luck!
Page created and maintained by A. Steinbergs
Last modified: September 24, 2008