Cheap ways to save money

by Rain

When I was laid off in March, I knew I needed to cut as much spending as I could, as quickly as I possibly could. I could find another job tomorrow or it could also take months. I needed to find cheap ways to save money.

I started by taking a look at my bills over the last month. I called each of the companies and asked them to help me reduce my monthly cost. From cable tv to cell phone to home phone, everyone was very nice and unbelievably helpful. The cable company actually just gave me the promotion they were currently running, saving me $10/month. Next, I cancelled everything “extra”, no movie channels, basic cable only, canceled Netflix to save money, canceled any monthly subscription services that I didn’t need.

Next I took a look at my spending. I could easily save a great deal of money without a lot of effort by not buying lattes! No magazines on the newsstand…they cost more than just getting a subscription! If you really like a magazine, you’ll save money by getting a subscription instead. And believe it or not, just getting water and not ordering a Coke or Iced Tea at lunch or dinner with friends or at networking lunches is helpful. Finally, I highly recommend selling your old electronics, books and DVDs on eBay. Did you know that people will buy old, even dead laptops on eBay for the parts alone? I sold one for $41 that otherwise would have just been recycled. Recent books and DVDs will go for about half if they’re super recent and in great condition. And you can print the postage right on your home computer. I feel like I’ve done well in finding cheap ways to save money.