10 Ways to save $50 per month

10 Ways to save $50 per month: The art of pinching a penny
until it screams
by Kimberly A. Griffiths

1. Save up to 50% per month on convenience cleaner
cloths by cutting them into half, i.e. dryer softener
cloths, face cleanser cloths, etc. Savings: $5 per month

2. Find more thoughtful gifts and buy when the item is
on sale, shop for birthdays and holidays throughout the year
not at the time of the events. Savings: $10 per month

3. Bring your lunch to work once a week instead of
eating out. Savings: $7 x 4 weeks = $28 per month

4. Don’t go to the coffee shop on the weekends.
Savings: 2 visits @ $2 = $4 per week x 4 weeks = $16 per
month

5. If you carry a balance on your credit card, and
you’re only able to afford paying the minimum monthly
amount, pay weekly installments instead of one monthly
payment. For example, if you owe $100 per month, pay $25
per week. Because credit card companies accrue interest
daily on your balance, paying only once a month is a huge
detriment to your fiscal health. Savings: $10 - $100 per
month (or more!)

6. Instead of a family night out, consider having an
old fashion picnic together or a bike ride. Curbing
entertainment costs doesn’t mean curbing the fun. Savings:
$25+ per month

7. Spend a day cooking meals that can be frozen for
later use for your family. Once a Month Cooking, a book by
Mary Beth Lagerborg and Mimi Wilson, features grocery lists
and recipes to prepare and freeze a month’s worth of
food for you and your family. Not only are you able to
purchase the food in bulk, this method prevents having to
throw away any spoiled food. Savings: $50+ per month

8. If you are a regular monthly book buyer, stop the
habit and visit your library instead! If you insist on
buying books, buy it used at your local store or online at
merchants such as www.half.com or www.amazon.com. Even a
better
idea, how about selling the books you have that you don’t
need! Savings: $5 - 15 per month

9. Use less expensive gasoline. If you live in North
America and have Internet access, you are able to search for
the cheapest gas price in your neighborhood with Gas Buddy,
www.gasbuddy.com. Savings: $5 - 15 per month

10. Use two-for-one coupons when dining out; search for
these in local newspapers, flyers, and in your “junk mail.”
If you are a group of four or more people, consider buying
dining certificates at Restaurant.com, www.restaurant.com.
After choosing your city and state on the Website, you will
be presented with a listing of restaurants vying for your
dining dollar! Savings: $5- $50 per month

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This is an excerpt from ONE PAYCHECK AT A TIME,
www.onepaycheckatatime.com, by Kimberly A. Griffiths,
ISBN: 1591133327. ONE PAYCHECK AT A TIME, a 200 page
workbook, contains budget management exercises for an
entire year of paychecks. The author, Kimberly A. Griffiths,
has been through the vicious cycle of debt herself, and
provides a no-nonsense system to managing your money
paycheck to paycheck. You customize the journal based on
your pay schedule and learn the necessary tools for making
ends meet.