There are many ways to spend smarter in your life. It’s all about making minor adjustments in your behavior:

1. Consider getting a roommate to split your expenses.
2. If you have co-workers who live near you, carpool to save gas expenses and mileage/maintenance.
3.  Do your own minor home improvements or repairs.
4.  When making travel arrangements, check for discount tickets on internet.
5.  Use coupons even the millionaires do (how do you think they got to be millionaires?). These are especially good when grocery stores offer double or triple coupon days. Buy only things that are on the grocery list.
6.  When you get tired of looking at your old furniture, don’t buy new; refurnish and reupholster.
7.  Even if you’re shopping for one person, join a bulk-buying club to save on non-perishables such as toothpaste, batteries, soap, paper goods, and more.
8. Carry your lunch from home instead of always eating in a restaurant or cafeteria.
9. Look for two-for-one or “early bird” specials if you eat in restaurants with friends who are also trying to save more money.
10. Don’t be too proud to ask for Senior Discounts or order from the children’s menu if you find that restaurants serve you too much food.
11. Stop buying lattes or mochas every morning. Drink coffee at home.
12. Make your own frozen dinners.
13. Buy generic brands of food and drug store items.
14. Try to never buy groceries on your credit card.
15. Wash your own car and pump your own gas. Some gas stations even give free car washes with gas purchases.
16. Do you need a different car or will your old one still be fine for a few more years? Your insurance rate and licensing may go down as your car ages.
17. Talk to an insurance agent to see if you have the best rate for the age of your car.
18. If your old car is getting too expensive to maintain, buy a used car rather than a new one. The first two years of depreciation are the greatest.
19. Keep your car on its scheduled maintenance program so it will last longer.
20. Car pool to work or use city transportation and avoid parking costs.
21. Buy monthly passes for busses and trains.
22. Mow your own lawn. It’s good for your mind, your body, and your pocketbook.
23. Clean your own house.Use a library instead of buying books or magazines.
24. Check out movie rentals at the library; many of them are free.
25. Go to matinees to see new films.
26. Take enough cash from each paycheck to get you through that period and avoid too many stops at the ATM. Keep track of where that cash is going.
27. Payoff your credit card balances each month. Just paying the minimum will keep your credit clean but the interest continues to grow and you will find that the entire bill increases monthly even if you add no new purchases.
28. Refuse to pay an annual fee for your credit cards.
29. Never sign a credit card receipt without checking the purchase price(s). Those wonderful sale prices are not always scanned into the computer correctly.
30. Call your telephone long-distance carrier about every six months and ask if you are getting the best rate they offer for your kind of usage. They will often offer an unpublished rate just to keep your business. You can get comparative information on an Internet .
31. Do you really need cable TV? If you need it for good reception, just get the basic plan.
32. Look at your phone bill. Do you really need the extra line, caller ID, call waiting, and call forwarding?
33. Try e-mailing your friends instead of calling long distance.
34. Do you really need a cellular phone? If so, are you paying for a more expensive plan than you really need?
35. Review your insurance policies annually. Have enough insurance to cover your needs, but not more than what you need.
36. Check your insurance premiums. Get quotes online (www.Quotes. com) or from an insurance broker or agent to see if you can save some money on your premiums. You may get a better rate by having your home or renter’s insurance with the same carrier as your auto insurance.
37. If you need life insurance, buy term insurance and be a responsible investor with the money you save over permanent insurance premiums. If no one is depending on you financially, you may not need life insurance at all.
38. Turn down your heat when you leave for the day to save on your heating bill.
39. Donate things you don’t use or want to charity and use the receipts to help lower your tax bill.
40. Press your clothes at home if that’s all they need, and save on your dry-cleaning bill.
41. Do you get the extended warranty on many things you buy? Sometimes that is covered by the store where you purchased the item.
42. Walk or ride your bike instead of joining a gym or having a personal trainer.
43. Shop for holidays all year long and take advantage of sales.
44. Instead of buying lottery tickets, put the money into your interestbearing cash reserve account. Your odds of winning are better.
45. Save money in an interest-bearing account for big items like furniture and buy when you have the money instead of financing on credit.
46. If you buy a seldom-used item such as a kitchen appliance, purchase less than the top-of-the-line model or brand if it will serve you well enough.
47. Pay bills on time so that there are no late fees or interest added.
48. Research large items you plan to buy on the Internet to save gas, time, and avoid falling for persuasive sales people.
49. Be proud of the way you spend your money. If you feel guilty, find out where that feeling is coming from and work on it.

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