Money. Where would we be without it? The thing is, it seems as if there is never quite enough to go round. We all love the feeling of having a bit of spare cash in our pockets. It’s always nice to have a little extra but how can you make your money last longer?
The answer may be staring you right in the face. Your home is the basis of your life, right? Where you, eat, sleep, and live your life? You could be surrounded by ways of coming into more cash than you thought could be possible.
If You Don’t Use it, Sell it!
According to online auction giant eBay, the average home has around about six thousand dollars worth of stuff you could sell. Have a big clear out. One man’s trash is another’s treasure! You can usually place adverts on eBay for free if you stick to certain conditions. If they don’t suit you, try advertising your second-hand goods on local for sale sites or Gumtree. Be ruthless. If you haven’t used something in a year, be realistic. Are you likely to use it again? If you’re not going to, then it’s time for it to go – it could be saving you storage space and making you some easy money!
Are You Throwing Money Away Without Even Realising?
One of the biggest expenses any household has is what they spend on fuel. Electricity is not cheap! Gas isn’t exactly kind on the pocket either, so it’s important to make sure you’re not wasting it. There are loads of ways you can make your home more energy efficient. This has the added benefit of helping save the planet while you’re saving money. According to heating engineers Patriot Air, ventilation can be a massive drain on your finances if you don’t watch out. Of course, you need to use ventilation to help stop conditions like damp, but only use the fans when you actually need them. Even one upstairs vent fan left on too long, can suck all the hot air out of your house in just one hour. Yes, that’s right! You pay to heat your house, then it’s all sucked up and blown out onto the street. In less than an hour!
Get the Best Bang for Your Buck.
Are you paying out more than you should on your essential bills? You can often get a better deal if you shop around. Gas and electricity suppliers are often in competition and reduce certain tariffs. It pays to have a look at all the different price plans available! It’s usually not much hassle to change suppliers, no matter what they might try and tell you! Don’t forget to check your mortgage interest rates. Depending on your circumstances, you could get a better deal on that too! Think cable, insurance, credit cards, anywhere you can save money! Do not throw money away, search for the very best deal you can! And don’t forget to haggle. There’s no harm in asking for a better price. You may be surprised at the results.
Check Your Subscriptions
You might be surprised at how much you’re splashing out on subscription services. Cable, Netflix, the gym, Amazon Prime, cinema passes, it could go on and on. Do you actually use them? Do you use them enough to make those payments good value? The chances are you probably don’t. These companies business model works by you overestimating how much you’ll use the benefits of their services….. then not give it any more thought. Your mobile phone is another classic example. You might be paying for unlimited calls, texts or data, but how much of this are you going through? Take a look at your spending over the last year. Have you used these subscriptions enough to make paying the monthly fee worthwhile? Or are there less expensive options?
Shop Online
One of the best things about shopping online is the potential to save oodles of cash. Making a list and sticking to what you really need is always the best way to keep you on track. It helps stop your eyes from wandering, and seeing things you don't need to buy. Grocery shopping online makes this a piece of cake. There also many introductory offers with many stores that give you a hefty percentage off of your first shop with them. It makes to try out these deals, but be sensible! A good hack when shopping online for other goods is to register with the site, put the items you want in your virtual basket, and then…. leave it for a few days. More often than not, you’ll receive an email telling you that you forgot to check out, and a discount code to try and make sure you do!
source: 401kcalculator
Got a spare room? Have you considered renting it out? There are different ways you can rent out an extra bedroom. If you don’t want someone else living full time in your property – let’s face it, that can be a major upheaval and potentially difficult. Try Airbnb, where you can rent out your spare room for a night, a week or more, when it suits you! You have to make sure the accommodation is of reasonable quality and be honest in your listings, but there’s one great benefit. You get to vet who comes and stays so there is less chance of any disasters occurring. If you do want to rent out your room for a longer period, then there are plenty of sites online where you can advertise. Consider first what sort of tenant you are looking for. If you’re a quiet type, then you probably don’t want to live with a party animal.
If you use your imagination, there are plenty more ways you can save money around the home. Simple steps are often the most effective when it comes to saving money. What are your favourite ways to save on your bills? Share your tips in the comments!
