Five tricks to save money

With the holidays approaching, most of us could use a little extra cash. Well, a recent article by CU Insight offers consumers five money saving tips.

In the article, the author mentions the following ways to save a little extra money:

Always carry cash, be kept accountable for spending activities, write down every penny spent, turn down the thermostat to save on the power bill and skip brand names.

See part of the article below.

1. Always use cash

We live in the days of Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and other digital wallets. Holding your phone up to a machine doesn’t really feel like spending money, but if you check your account online, you’ll see that you definitely are. Even if you don’t want to take out an exact amount of cash each week, just spending cash will feel a little more personal each time you complete a transaction. This may be enough to keep you from buying that thing you don’t really need.

2. Write down every penny

I started doing this a couple of months ago. Instead of just checking my mobile banking and making sure “it looks right,” I began keeping a spreadsheet of every receipt I’m spending. This is highly annoying and it just might make you accumulate fewer receipts. Just make sure you have fewer receipts because you are spending as much and not because you stopped keeping up with them.

3. Be kept accountable

Want to spend less? Tell your friends. Tell them you want to cut back and you need their help. You might be surprised about how your habits change when your friends are constantly asking you how you’re doing.

Read the full article here.