The most popular way to save money on your phone costs is to get rid of extra phones or phone lines.  In some cases, you may have just had an extra line for a fax line in a home office or an extension for your teenage kids while they were at home.  In the mix and routine of it all, you might have just forgotten that you are paying for these services that you don’t even use.  An extra line was often used for an internet connection – yes, the dreaded dial up connection.  Get rid of these.  There you go, money saved.

Oh, you want some more ways?  Okay, how about those internet phone lines?  These are known as voice over internet protocol (VoIP) lines.  Some of these include those jacks that just plug into a special port that you get for your computer.  The Magic Jack “as seen on TV” is probably the best example of this. Other styles are lines of communication that require a computer and can interface with a webcam.  The brand Skype, best captures the essence of these types.  Then, there are also the types that have a separate box that you can connect your regular phone through.  These allow you to keep your same phone number, give you voicemail and other features you can find on your traditional home phone.  The name of this latter one is “Ooma”.  The prices for these vary from free to $250 or so for the Ooma variety.  However, these are one time fees.  Once you pay the initial set up fees or cost for the ‘box’, the rest costs you nothing.  Think about that, no more home phone bills.  Definitely something to think about if you want to save money on your phone service.

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For the sake of this article, we are going to be evaluating the benefit of a surge protector.  Now, you might be thinking that these are nothing more than ways to protect your appliances, like TVs and computers from damage in the case of energy spikes or drops.  While this is their intended function, they also have side benefits.  I guess in one regard, this is all part of the same discussion.  You can’t look at them separately, really.  While you are protecting your computer from damage, you are also extending its potential lifespan and this will result in less replacement costs.  If it is damaged, you will have to buy a new one.  You are also saving energy as it is possible to power down your appliances and then just press the ‘master switch’ on your surge protection device to make sure no power is ‘leaking’.

This is something that is just beginning to get some attention.  This phenomenon of having a slow energy trickle or leak as we are describing when appliances are turned ‘off’ can be using a lot of energy during the course of a year.  And, when combined with millions of other households, we are literally wasting energy and money all at once.  What we need to do is hook up all of the appliances that we can to a surge protector, then just turn that one switch off each night or when not in use.  This will save much in the way of energy draining away for no reason.

There are some obvious reasons, like electric clocks, timers, etc. that would simply stop being useful if they were constantly turned on and off.  Consider using surge protectors for all these vital reasons and we may just be able to affect our energy consumption on a global scale after all.  Saving money has never really been easier or a no-brainer than this.

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You can look at this like a fault or just accept it with open arms.  Now, if you are both planning this wedding together, kudos to your man, I couldn’t do it.  But, if you are both doing this together, realize that he is probably only pretending to be adding something to the conversation.  More often than not, he is simply finding the best way to agree with you.  If he does this, you will get what you want – his approval and your way.  It is like magic.

Now, since this site is all about the green, saving money and all of that and this topic is about your wedding plans, let’s take a minute to talk about just one aspect of the plans – the invitations to be exact.  Again, your fiance has little interest in the color of the paper or the font, I promise you.  He might be giving you a hard time about something, but that is only because you asked his opinion.  Now, if you have pink and foo-foo stuff going on all over the invitation, he will likely object to some of that.  It just doesn’t look good to him.  He wants to see you wearing pink, he doesn’t care if it is on paper.

You can save a lot of money by making them on your own.  Consider this a do it yourself wedding invitations party that you could have with him and a bunch of your girlfriends.  Okay, scratch that.  You can have the party with you and your girlfriends and he can take a much needed break from the estrogen frenzy that will ensue.  You really can’t expect him to enjoy something like that.  And, I promise you, he will not be very helpful when he is counting the seconds until he doesn’t have to do this anymore.  He will appreciate the fact that you are both saving money by doing it yourself, but don’t expect him to actually enjoy the process.  Don’t worry, you’ve plenty of years to be mad at him, don’t use it all up before you are even there yet.

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Let’s take an example.  Just for the sake of argument, let’s say that Steve really likes to get together with his buddies on the weekend and it is really the only thing he thinks he does to ‘get away’ from the workweek stresses.  Now, his wife, Emily, feels that all the money he spends on drinks, trips to Vegas and all the rest is more than they can comfortably afford at this point.  She feels like he is spending their future college savings and retirement when they really only make a little more than enough to get by.

On the outside, this seems like a conversation or conflict over money.  But, in reality, it is a conflict over specific needs not getting met.  Emily has a problem with Steve being gone, when she feels like he could be home more, especially in their first year together as husband and wife.  Steve feels like he needs to get some ‘pressure relief’ with the guys.  These are really signs of marriage problems, not money problems.  Would having more money help ease their situation?  Temporarily, they may not argue over it, but these deeper issues would come back into their relationship.

How Do You Solve Relationship Issues With Money?

Answer:  You Can’t!  It really is that simple.  If you are having relationship issues, then you need to deal with those.  Throwing money at these types of problems will never get you what you want.  True happiness can never be paid for.  Temporary fun and momentary happy distractions can be great, but they will not give you deeper joy.  Don’t get me wrong, boats are a lot of fun, Alaskan fishing trips for a week with the guys is a great place to go and diamond jewelry looks gorgeous draped on a beautiful woman.  Just recognize it for what it is.  These things will never make you have a more enjoyable life with someone that you love and care about.  It is the same with arguments about money.  Yes, you can have problems revolving money from time to time that are actually just because you lost a job and then have some financial emergency in your life.  Imagine that kind of stress.  While you can’t completely eliminate risk from life, you can help mitigate the pain of having no money through proper budgeting.  A budget will help you and your significant other be on the same page when it comes to spending and saving money in your home.

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This is actually a problem that we face in our country.  The rate of savings and ‘nest egg’ monies that we put aside is not what it once was.  We have become much more of  a consuming culture, where we value spending and getting more instant gratification rather than saving money like our grandparents and great grandparents did.

Yes, times are different.  I’m not calling on you to step back in time and throw out your cell phone, only take one shower every 3 days or drink two martinis at lunch.  Some of those things might sound appealing to you, but it is really more of a philosophy of saving money that I’m talking about.  The mindset is that what you delay in terms of your gratification for spending now can turn into a windfall in your golden years.  In fact, you can turn your golden years platinum with the right investing ideas and programs to assist you.

How a program like the Checklist Investor helps you is by simply, well, making it simple.  Maybe it is just a guy type of thing.  One of those things that just makes the male brain tick.  Checklists, that is.  With a checklist, it is easy to see what needs to be done and what was done.   Guys like things to be simple, that is why something like this can be so helpful in keeping you organized and on task.

There are many features that make such investing software a great idea.  Not only can it open up windows that you simply need to fill in with the right info, but they can seamlessly tie into your trading accounts.  This can make your investing for retirement that much more likely.  And, this is something that everyone in your family appreciates.

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Well, this article here is about how to make money in a different way.  It is a play on this theme and one that we get to have a lot of fun with here at Save Money Topics.  Since we have a different kind of site dedicated to teaching different ideas of how to save money in a way that doesn’t fly in the face of common sense or convenience.  There are certainly ways to make your money go further if you cut out everything from life and we are not here to say what is right or wrong.  But, from personal experience in trying to save money in a variety of ways ourselves, this approach has little staying power because we often lose sight of the goal.

Back to our topic at hand here, we are talking about saving money in this case not to so you have enough money to write a book, but so that you can detail your experiences in a book.  In other words, if you are creative in the ways that you are able to save money and you have a knack for being able to tell a good story, there is probably a book that can be written and possible profitable.  After all, not just in tough economic times are people looking to save money.  Many intelligent and diligent people are always looking for ways to keep more of what they make.  Some people go a little overboard and they usually hear about it from their significant other first!  Sometimes, this is just how you know you are on the right track.  So, if you are really passionate about saving money and you think you have some ideas and stories that could help or inspire other people to do the same, you might have a book in you after all.

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Buying gifts can be fun and even exciting, especially when you know exactly what the other person wants.  After all, ‘stuff’ is fun to have and play with.  The thing is, if spending the money on this stuff to give to someone else puts you in a financially tougher situation, then all the intention behind it is wasted because the other person could even feel guilty accepting such a gift.  It is another one of those philosophy of money types of things.

Maybe some of these could be homemade or re-purposed.

So, how is saving money on gifts possible, given all of this?  Well, it is possible to create gifts or re-purpose some things that you have around your home.  If you think that only new, store bought items can make your intended recipient happy then you might be underestimating your relationship with them.  If it is a child, well, we will get to them in a minute.  This individual whom you plan to give your gift to will be much more impressed and delighted to find a cared for and created item that can cost you little to nothing.

Think Martha Stewart.  Guys, you’re probably about to stop reading at this point.  Don’t be scared, we aren’t about to dive into some discussion on lace or ribbon or anything like that.  The point is, she has ideas that most anyone can appreciate if you are at all creative or craft-minded.  Sure, some of her ideas will cost you more to make in terms of having to get a bunch of supplies for, but others are practically free with the right things from around your home.  Would you associate something from Martha as being cheap or flimsy?  Nope, and neither will the recipient of your wonderful homemade gift.

Now, back to kids for a moment.  Often, kids will want what they either see other kids playing with or something that is heavily advertised.  I don’t think kids in the middle of a rural country side are dying to have a Dora backpack, those Liv Dolls or a laptop.  Don’t get me wrong, kids can have fun and even learn with these, but giving them something they could probably use or play with outdoors would probably be more impactful to them.  Think back, it may be decades ago, but just because technology has improved, it doesn’t mean kids must get the latest gadgets and stuff.  Again, these things can be fun, so you might have to set limits.

There is a bigger problem which is learning how to save money if you think the more you get your kids, the happier they will be and the more they will like you.  This is a really dangerous road to go down.  I don’t think that you have raised kids like this and probably don’t want to either.  So, if you are in a comfortable situation financially, but are just looking to pull in the reigns, then buy one gift.  Maybe this gift is new and from the store.  You could add to the amount of stuff you give as gifts by making things or having them help you make things for others.

Some friends of ours started a great tradition with their kids from a very young age.  What they did was at every special occasion, like a birthday or holiday, when they knew that there was going to be a new crop of stuff in their home, they would ask their kids to go through their things and take them to a local Goodwill or donation drop off type of store.  Two things happened, maybe more.  One thing was the parents got to rid themselves of all the excess things that accumulate over time that the kids have grown out of or simply no longer enjoy.  The other thing that happened, which is right up our alley at Save Money Topics, was the lesson the kids learned.  They gained the most valuable lesson of all concerning money, which is that hording only leads to less abundance.  In order to grow not only your wealth but your also personal and spiritual self, giving is where it is at.  Giving as a way to save money, who would have thought?  Well, you did, that’s who.

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The obvious ‘no brainer’ so to speak in this whole scenario is that if you don’t have the money to spend or are feeling the pinch of financial stress, then spending any money on luxuries like vacations, concerts or eating out is just childish behavior.  It is the “I want to” attitude.  If you have kids, then you’ll remember that early childhood period when the answer to your questions was “because I want to”.

Entertainment costs can get expensive - money you could be saving.

While certainly the truth in their minds, your child is not understanding the importance of delayed gratification – this concept does not exist to a child at this age.  If you are living your life this way, not saving money and spending what you make on things because you want them, you are headed for trouble.

In fact, most U.S. Americans are in this sort of trouble.  There is no other place in the world that has the type of debt amassed on revolving credit that we do here.  Why do you think this is?  In part, it is because we have some belief – and who knows where it came from – that because we work hard we deserve to spend it.  Do you think this is any way to learn how to save money?  Will your kids learn any differently if you continue with this behavior?

All right, so we’ve laid out a brief look at the problem, now it is time to do something about it.  So, how do you save money on entertainment costs?  The first place to look is in what ways you currently spend your money.  Some people will give you formulas for determining budgets and such for different categories.  This can all be helpful, but I am not going to introduce that concept here.  This is just an introduction to the philosophy of saving money, not the course on exactly what step to do next.

Determine where you are spending the dollars you are making coming in.  How much do you spend on entertainment costs like eating out and leisure.  If you make a large income, then you may not need to cut back to nothing, just be reasonable.  If your leisure spending is totally out of balance with your income, time to re-evaluate.  If you have kids, you’ll need to determine what activities you can participate in that do not require long car trips, plane rides or admission tickets to get in.  Don’t worry, your kids will be fine.  It’s amazing how few kids are teased because they didn’t go on vacation when they were 5 years old!  Seriously, get over it.  The vacation is more for you than it is for them, so give them a memory in other ways.  There are places close to home where you could give them just as much of an experience that they will remember forever.  If it is just you or you and a partner, make exploring your local attractions or own backyard your next vacation destination.  You’ve heard these called “stay-cations”.  It’s a great term because it captures the essence of both the vacation element and the fact that you don’t have to leave far from home.

The over riding point is this:  you still need to enjoy time off of work, you just don’t need to spend yourself into anxiety getting it.  Just like with the other advice given on Save Money Topics, there is always another way to make it work.  You shouldn’t fret over doing it the way so and so said or compare your financial stance with your neighbors.  It is hard to imagine a feeling until you experience it.  There is something inexplicable of enjoying time with family that is created from the combined energy and time together.  Try it, you’ll like it.

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I can give you a real world example of this as I just did this myself.  And, actually, I got more coverage on our vehicles and saved more money on our auto insurance.  How did I do this?  Did I get cheaper car insurance?  No, in fact, like I mentioned, my benefits increased.  We’ll get to that in a moment.

This particular lizard has nothing to do with me saving money on auto insurance.

The main point of this article on our Save Money Topics site is to let you know that there are ways to do this effectively and that embrace the right way to do it.  Sure, you could save money by cutting out all of your insurance.  But the problem is, one, this would be illegal and two, you would be at great risk.  Insurance is just one of those things we all hate to pay for until we need it – then it all pays off.

So, what is an effective way to embrace the philosophy of saving money we advocate here all while dropping your insurance costs?  There are a few ways actually.  We will discuss a couple of them here and give you the example of what I recently did that I alluded to in the beginning of this article.  Just like in other examples of how to save money on groceries, there can be several ways to go about it.  You don’t simply need to starve yourself or go completely without to save some costs.

One way to shave off some premium is to reduce your coverage limits.  Please understand, I am not in the insurance business and have no license to sell it or anything else.  I’m also not trying to tell you what to do.  However, the point has been made elsewhere that we are talking about a depreciating asset – your vehicle.  At some point, the amount of coverage you have in terms of what your insurance company will pay you to repair or replace your vehicle is in excess of what you need.  So, in this case, you might be able to save a few bucks doing that.  Sometimes, this isn’t even a big savings.

Another choice is to do what I did. For one, I contacted an old friend who I knew in the business.  I had a question for him about another insurance matter and asked him if he wouldn’t mind checking to see if he could get me some better rates and coverage, etc.  He was more than happy to check around.  He is a broker, so is not limited to the products than one particular company sells.  When he got back with me, he showed me that he could increase my coverage limits by almost double, added full glass coverage, roadside assistance and car rental reimbursement AND it saved me around $50 USD per month, that was for both of our vehicles.  Not a huge savings, I agree.  But, what was more impressive was that I got more coverage and higher limits for less!  Oh, and I forgot to mention that since my homeowner’s insurance was through him as well, there was an additional 10-15% reduction in insurance premium there as well.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.  It is still with a major insurance company – no fly by night cheap stuff by some company you’ve never heard of.  This one you’ve heard of.  So, the next time you are thinking about saving money on insurance products for your home or auto, give these methods a shot.

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Then, around this same time (some months later actually) I stumbled across a blog called No Impact Man writes.  He is a writer and movie producer/director who took it upon himself to create as little a footprint as possible on the earth for one year with his family.  His journey is quite amazing and it turned into a documentary.  The whole point of this article is to introduce you to a new concept of how to save money.  In fact, the whole point of starting this site Save Money Topics, was driven by my desire to open up a different dialogue about how we relate to and with our money.  It by no means is going to make you change your entire life, unless of course you want to ‘downsize’ anyway.  If this is true, then finding this site and maybe taking a look at Dr. Colin Beavan is just what you needed to find at this point in your life.

So, like this particular article says, this is about learning how to save money on food, right?  Well, yes and no.  If you adopt even some of the suggestions made here and on the other recent articles on our site, you will definitely learn some out of the box ideas regarding spending and saving money.

There are many radio personalities and personas on television that claim to have all the answers when it comes to your money.  One person that I really enjoyed listening to, at least while he was on in our market, was Dave Ramsey.  True, I can catch it online, but I used to listen in the car at the time he was on each day.  In any event, one of his main driving principles and one that is echoed elsewhere is that in order to life a truly blessed and abundant life, you should always learn to live on (ie. spend) less than you make.  Now, I don’t want to try to boil all of his other great advice and support down to that theory, but it is a really big key.

In our culture, we are praised for what we can show for our work.  The things that we acquire represent how well we are doing in the world.  Is this actually true?  You might challenge this notion if you think about how the people that go bankrupt are usually the ones with all the stuff around them.  In any case, it is a good solid principle with which to live by.

So, how does all this have to do with saving money on groceries?  I thought you’d never ask.  The food we eat is also nothing more than a representation of our lifestyle.  If you value your health, then you will eat foods that support this ideal.  If you value convenience over quality, you may opt for more fast food choices in your diet.  And you know that fast food always costs more in the long-run than quality food.  Spending your money on this calorie rich and nutrient poor stuff is really a silly way to try and save money.

Excuses run rampant with why we need to eat out.  The kids.  No time.  Crazy work schedule.  These may all be true, believe me, I live it too.  My wife, son and I are really no different.  The thing is, we choose to eat healthy, so we put our money and energy into nourishing foods.  This can actually save you more money because you will be buying locally grown, fresh fruits and vegetables.  You may find that a way to cut back is to buy more vegetables and less meats.  This is not to say that you can only save money by being a vegetarian.  We are only saying that if you are making a choice to save money on your food and groceries, then you’ll need to likely re-evaluate and investigate ways to eat healthier.

Buying fresh each week can also limit spoiling of foods.  If you are not wasting foods, you have more value there.  One quick way to spend more on groceries is to buy a lot of them and then have to throw half of them out because you didn’t want to cook.  So, you may need to learn how to cook again. If cooking seems like more than you can handle with your busy schedule, consider teaming up with friends or neighbors for some kind of co-op meal planning and preparing.   There is so much more that can be said on this topic and we will allow that for another discussion.  See the links in this article and start there.  In no time, you’ll find that saving money on groceries isn’t that hard after all.

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