Slash Your Family’s Living Expenses
People often talk about living expenses as though there’s nothing we can do about them. There seems to be this idea that the rise in bills is inevitable, so spending more each month as time goes on isn’t really something you can avoid. This isn’t necessarily the truth; while many expenses tend to rise over time, the reason we’re spending more is usually down to us not being that vigilant about our expenses.
Most of us don’t actually put that much effort into saving on our bills every month. Sure, we save money where we can when it comes to general purchasing, but many of our monthly bills remain quite high because we still have a bunch of bad habits.
Regardless of your current financial situation, here are some of the things your family can do to save money every month. We’re going to focus on things that people tend to think they can’t change all that much.
Phone and Internet plans
For a lot of people, the amount of data they’re using is what determines how much they pay every month for these commodities. But a lot of people are on plans that allow them to have way more data usage than they actually need. If you’re on a 7GB per month plan but only use around 2GB, then you should consider scaling back. And if you still feel that you’re paying too much, then pit phone and Internet companies against each other by notifying them of better prices elsewhere. They should offer to match the price, at least. Sometimes, simply asking for a slightly lower rate from your providers can do the trick!
Groceries
When it comes to groceries, the vast majority of families end up buying the same thing every week, so their grocery bill doesn’t seem to change much every month. (Until seasonal events such a Christmas and Easter rear their expensive heads!) You may not think you have much control over the savings you can make, relying instead on your chosen store occasionally running deals that allow you to save a little bit here and there. (Although many deals are there to make you spend even more money than usual!) But you do have more control than you think, as long as you know these little known ways to get free groceries.
Credit cards
Most families have credit cards (well, the adults in the families do!). Credit cards are extremely useful, but can result in some very high costs if you’re not careful. If you want to reduce your monthly expenses, then one of the best things you can do is lower your interest rate on your credit card. You can literally shop around for one and transfer your balances to that lower interest card, as long as there are no conflicts relating to the terms and conditions. Again, just as with providers of other services, it’s worth simply calling up and asking for a break in your interest rate. If you’ve been a customer for a long time, you may get the break you need.