Easy Ways To Save Your Family Money

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While you may not get excited over talking about financial advice, it’s important to get a handle on it. Burying your head in the sand isn’t going to pay your bills or balance your checkbook — if you even have a checkbook anymore! Technology improves our lives in new and offbeat ways. Did you think 10 years ago that you’d tap your phone and you’d get a car right at your door ready to whisk you someplace? Why wouldn’t we use tech to streamline our personal finance routines? Digitizing your life can have a bonus effect on your wallet. Saving your family money is always a good thing. 

Did you know that Cable price hikes have averaged 5.9 percent a year since 1995, according to the FCC. Recently we cut the cord and get our internet service and then use an antenna, plus Netflix and Prime Video.

Check out financial expert Katie Linendoll’s Top Financial Hacks to Help You Save Money

• Trade in your old tech for cash. Have some old phones and tablets lying around? They could be worth a couple hundred bucks. Many internet trade-in sites and retail stores will offer gift cards and even free shipping for your old tech through something called “recommerce,” aka reverse commerce. If you can make money off old things lying around, do it!  
• Cut the cord. The average cable bill per household is around $99 per month, and most people only watch a handful of those channels. A one-time purchase of a media streaming device costs about the same as a single month of cable. Subscribe to your favorites and you can save around $1,000 a year*. *SOURCE: An annual survey by Leichtman Research Group
• Make your home smarter. Strengthening your financial IQ begins at home. Enhancing your home life with smart products can save you time, energy and money. By switching to a smart thermostat, which can turn on and off when you need to, you’ll save up to $145/year.* *SOURCE: Nest
  
• Take charge of your spending (and saving). Many Americans struggle to come up with emergency expenses, which makes having the flexibility to bank more ways all the more critical. Find a bank that offers you perks!

My Tips: 

• Google Docs! Make a monthly budget in google docs for you and your partner to both have access to – plan out monthly expenses and have a tab where you set aside a “weekly allowance”. If you buy something online or with your credit card, make sure to deduct that expense from your allowance so you know how much you have left. You can also take the cash out of the bank and do what you want with it. But if you are a heavy amazon prime shopper, like I am, know what you can afford to spend!
• Turn off electronics when you aren’t home. I try to turn off electronics that use a lot of power when we go on vacations or weekends away. This is not a big saving money tip, but by shutting off your internet router, tv’s, stereos, laptops, etc. when you aren’t home, you’ll save a little money and it will also help you be greener.
• Save Money on Online Shopping !  Speaking of online shopping, I always check Rakuten (used to be called ebates )or Honey (which finds me the best prices on Amazon and other stores right in my Chrome Browser) to make sure I save money as a shop online. Both Rakuten and Honey comes up right as I online shop, so I don’t even have to think about it. I also look for promotional codes on Retail Me Not and Coupon Cabin. I bought a winter jacket recently and checked around for coupon codes before I bought and saved over $20! I tend to only buy when I’m on my laptop, if you use your phone for shopping, Rakuten also has a mobile app. 
• Cartwheel from Target Clips Coupons paperlessly! I am a huge Target shopper and I use the Cartwheel app to clip coupons when I’m at the store (okay, it’s my happy place). I can scan what’s in my cart and Cartwheel will search to find me a match or suggest something that is on sale. I saved $30 on my bill last week. Now they have Target Circle for even more ideas. 

 

 

Read more tips by Katie here: http://www.katielinendoll.com/blog/financial-hacks-to-help-you-save-1

What are your best financial hacks to save money? 

9 Financial Hacks To Save Families Money