3 Easy Ways to Save Money Without Breaking a Sweat

Our family of 7 is working hard to pay off our remaining debt. We’re always on the lookout for easy ways to save money. Over the years we’ve found a lot of cool ways to save on our expenses.

In fact, I’ve included a huge list of these money saving tips in the FREE Hack Your Financial Future e-course. Today I’m sharing with you 3 more easy ways to save money this month.

Whether it’s to help pay down debt or simply to stock away some extra spending cash, families just like us are looking for easy ways to reduce expenses. These are the top three ways that I’ve discovered to save a boat-load of money for my family without expending much effort.

 

#1. Look for Cheaper Insurance

Take a look at your insurance premiums. Jot down the current price that your family pays for homeowners/renters, car, and life insurance. Obtaining quotes from alternative insurers is as easy as navigating to their website and filling out the provided form. Most insurance companies provide instant policy pricing results. Compare these quotes with your current premiums. How much can your family save?How much can your family save? Click To Tweet

Keep in mind that insurance is often cheaper when purchased as a package (i.e., homeowners and vehicle insurance purchased through the same provider). Check both individual premium and package pricing, when offered, to find the best deal.

We’ve found that the best insurance premiums for our family have occurred by choosing what is traditionally a more expensive insurer. You’d think that our costs would be higher, right? We reduce costs by purchasing both home and auto insurance through this big name insurer. The price of our policy ends up being less than it would be through a discount insurer. Cool, huh?

Here are some legitimate insurance providers that offer easy online quotes:

• Progressive  – A discount provider. I can vouch for their ability to payout. It’s a long story involving my college ride (a 1992 purple Ford Taurus) and a really nice guy with no insurance and a bunch of gold teeth.
• Geico – Another reputable discount provider. I can’t vouch for them personally, but I really dig the fact that they fly a giant banner over my Alaskan town all summer. You go, gecko.
• Allstate – This is the company that I currently use for both my home and auto insurance.
• Liberty Mutual – Another option for auto, home, and renter’s insurance.

 

#2. Switch to LED Bulbs

The amount of energy needed for LED (light emitting diode) bulbs is significantly less than those of its traditional counterparts. Although they’re initially expensive, this cost can be reduced by purchasing when LED bulbs go on sale. These sales happen often at big box stores.

If the cost is too much to stomach at once, try changing out the most-used bulbs in the house first. These bulbs are likely in the living room and kitchen areas (that’s how it was for us!) Slowly purchase LED lighting and swap out additional bulbs as possible.

Prefer to shop in your PJ’s? Here are some online LED bulbs that get good reviews:

• Philips 60 Watt equivalent (16 pack) – Swap out your whole house at once with these brand-name LEDs
• Cree Dimmable LEDs (4 pack) – These dimmable LEDs get great reviews. We use a similar bulb in our kitchen chandelier and nursery.

 

#3. Ditch Cable

With Amazon, Netflix, and others providing thousands of hours of entertainment, there’s little reason to rely on pricey cable packages anymore. These online streaming services are cheap and offer documentaries, movies, and TV shows for the entire family. Netflix offers patrons the ability to create separate log-in screens for various family members. Our family uses one profile for the adults and a separate profile for children’s services.

Actually, our 10 year old created yet a third profile that he dubbed “little kids” so that their Curious George and Octonauts obsessions didn’t overtake his tween-flavored Netflix queue. Mama confession? It is awesome to have a kiddo old enough to operate the technology for me. I love it!

There are a myriad of additional streaming services available. Some are free, others charge a minimal fee. Even if your family chooses to subscribe to several of these services they are likely to cost much less than the current cable or satellite bill.

FREE online entertainment providers:

• PBS – Tons of free documentaries and performances!
• YouTube – Many documentaries and older TV shows are available here for free.

Legitimate paid streaming services:

• Netflix – I have so much love for this service! If you haven’t joined Netflix, you’re missing out. It’s cheap and full of great TV, movies, and documentaries.
• Amazon Prime – Subscription includes Free 2-day shipping + tons of free streaming movies and music. Start your free 30-day trial now. I LOVE amazon prime!
• Hulu – Inexpensive plans for streaming TV shows. Check out the free trial…

 

Saving money doesn’t have to take a gigantic effort. Just a few small steps can make a huge difference on your monthly budget. Just a few small steps can make a huge difference on your monthly budget. Click To TweetWe’ve been inspired by the slow and steady progress these little changes have brought us on our own journey to financial success.

I’m confident that a few little changes will make a big difference in your life too! Try these three easy ways to save money and discover big savings.

 

What are your favorite ideas for easy ways to save money? 

 

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