04 Jan Make a Habit of Saving Money

Saving money is an extremely good habit to have. Hopefully those savings will not need to be touched and can be put to things you are actually saving for like buying a home. However, when an emergency calls, you will at least have some money available. Here are some ways to save a little more money that individually are small, but collectively, can sum up to something quite large.

• Dine out at restaurants less and cook dinner at home more. Think about this: a plate of pasta (good for 1 person) at a restaurant can cost $15-$20, average. But cooking a pound of pasta (good to feed 3-4 people) at home can cost you around $10.
  

• Make grocery lists before going to the store by planning your meals. People who shop without a list tend to make more spontaneous purchases.
  

• If you do not really watch television, or know that you can catch all your favorites online, cancel your TV service. Sign up for Netflix or Hulu instead.
  

• Cancel your gym membership and workout at home or outdoors.
  

• You know how you are already splitting your check into percentages: savings, needs, leisure? Take 1% or 2% more from your leisure and put it towards savings.

There are so many ways, big and small, that can help you save money. Trust us, it is a smart habit and though we hope you will never need it for emergencies, you will be glad it is there in case you do.