Money & Career
Fun and easy ways to save money today
Money & Career
Fun and easy ways to save money today
You're bound to come up with plenty of your own ideas for
cutting costs. Remember that even small changes count. When you add them all up they can make a big difference in your overall savings. Here is a list of ways we cut down our spending. Take a look at these and then spend some time going through your daily routine and coming up with your own list:
• Make your own coffee, or your own lunch, and you can immediately trim your daily expenses.
• If you need a fancy coffee, order one straight up with a shot of vanilla syrup instead of a vanilla latte and pay half the price.
• If you're eating out at lunch, buy a pre-priced sandwich instead of loading up at the deli bar, where the food is weighed and often much more expensive. Or opt for a $2 bagel with cream cheese or a spread for lunch instead of a $7 sandwich.
• Meet a friend for coffee or brunch instead of dinner, and cut the cost of your meal by at least half.
• Make a big meal on Sunday and freeze or refrigerate the leftovers so you can just heat them up quickly for lunch or dinner during the week.
• If you and your partner or husband want to check out that expensive new restaurant, go ahead, but save a little money by taking a seat at the bar and split a dish or a couple of appetizers. That way you'll still get to experience being there, and you can sample the food so you know whether it's worth paying more for a full meal.
Page 1 of 2 - find more great money-saving tips on page 2.
Excerpted from
The Smart Cookies' Guide to Couples and Money by The Smart Cookies with Jennifer Barrett Copyright © 2010 by The Smart Cookies with Jennifer Carret. Excerpted by permission of Random House of Canada.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced except with permission in writing from the publisher.• If you want to get some friends together but don't feel like spending a lot on refreshments, why not organize a potluck where each guest brings a dish or beverage? We regularly have Girls' Nights In, where we each contribute about $6 to get a pizza, or some other inexpensive food, and a bottle of wine. You can do the same with your friends – or even just plan some date nights in.
• Are you in the mood for a movie night? Pick up a cheap bottle of wine, or pop, and some snacks and rent a romantic DVD or something from iTunes. It's a lot cheaper than shelling out $10 apiece for theatre tickets – not to mention another $5 to $10 on snacks (and if you rent from iTunes there's no fear of late charges!). And you can curl up together on the couch while you watch the movie at home, instead of sitting in a crowd of strangers in uncomfortable seats.
• If it's a cultural experience you're after, check to see if either of your employers has a relationship with any of the local museums, so you can get a discount. Or check out some of the free events in your area. Cities often sponsor free outdoor movies or concerts in the summer, and theatres sometimes have pay what you can nights. Bookstores host free readings by famous authors. Many art galleries are also free to the public.
Looking for more ways to cut back on your spending? Find more great money-saving tips here.
Page 2 of 2
Excerpted from
The Smart Cookies' Guide to Couples and Money by The Smart Cookies with Jennifer Barrett Copyright © 2010 by The Smart Cookies with Jennifer Carret. Excerpted by permission of Random House of Canada.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced except with permission in writing from the publisher.
• Make your own coffee, or your own lunch, and you can immediately trim your daily expenses.
• If you need a fancy coffee, order one straight up with a shot of vanilla syrup instead of a vanilla latte and pay half the price.
• If you're eating out at lunch, buy a pre-priced sandwich instead of loading up at the deli bar, where the food is weighed and often much more expensive. Or opt for a $2 bagel with cream cheese or a spread for lunch instead of a $7 sandwich.
• Meet a friend for coffee or brunch instead of dinner, and cut the cost of your meal by at least half.
• Make a big meal on Sunday and freeze or refrigerate the leftovers so you can just heat them up quickly for lunch or dinner during the week.
• If you and your partner or husband want to check out that expensive new restaurant, go ahead, but save a little money by taking a seat at the bar and split a dish or a couple of appetizers. That way you'll still get to experience being there, and you can sample the food so you know whether it's worth paying more for a full meal.
Page 1 of 2 - find more great money-saving tips on page 2.
Excerpted from
The Smart Cookies' Guide to Couples and Money by The Smart Cookies with Jennifer Barrett Copyright © 2010 by The Smart Cookies with Jennifer Carret. Excerpted by permission of Random House of Canada.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced except with permission in writing from the publisher.• If you want to get some friends together but don't feel like spending a lot on refreshments, why not organize a potluck where each guest brings a dish or beverage? We regularly have Girls' Nights In, where we each contribute about $6 to get a pizza, or some other inexpensive food, and a bottle of wine. You can do the same with your friends – or even just plan some date nights in.
• Are you in the mood for a movie night? Pick up a cheap bottle of wine, or pop, and some snacks and rent a romantic DVD or something from iTunes. It's a lot cheaper than shelling out $10 apiece for theatre tickets – not to mention another $5 to $10 on snacks (and if you rent from iTunes there's no fear of late charges!). And you can curl up together on the couch while you watch the movie at home, instead of sitting in a crowd of strangers in uncomfortable seats.
• If it's a cultural experience you're after, check to see if either of your employers has a relationship with any of the local museums, so you can get a discount. Or check out some of the free events in your area. Cities often sponsor free outdoor movies or concerts in the summer, and theatres sometimes have pay what you can nights. Bookstores host free readings by famous authors. Many art galleries are also free to the public.
Looking for more ways to cut back on your spending? Find more great money-saving tips here.
Page 2 of 2
Excerpted from
The Smart Cookies' Guide to Couples and Money by The Smart Cookies with Jennifer Barrett Copyright © 2010 by The Smart Cookies with Jennifer Carret. Excerpted by permission of Random House of Canada.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced except with permission in writing from the publisher.
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