10 Life Hacks to help you save money!

- Get larger bills when you cash a check.

It is scientifically proven that you are less likely to spend paper money in your wallet rather than your credit or debit card. To break this down even further it is also proven that many people don’t want to break larger bills for smaller purchases therefore hindering there likelihood of doing so. Instead, put that $50 or $100 bill in your sock drawer and forget about it until next month, when you add another, of course.

- Use your cell phone more efficiently

I constantly go over on my cell phone data plan which costs me an extra $10/month. This is on top of the crazy amount I already pay for my cell phone data usage. If you are at work and have access to a work phone, turn your cell on airplane mode. This will keep your phone from refreshing your email, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever other apps you have. There are many apps that can also help with using your data more conservatively.

- Sell your old cell phone

Many people will throw their old phone in a drawer for a back-up in case something happens. This is money that you could have in your pocket, or better yet that sock drawer we talked about earlier. Sell your old cell phone on the secondary market for some extra cash. You can often put them on ebay or craigslist and get about half of what you bought it for new. This will not only offset the cost of your new phone but will also help you save money.

- Use a grocery list

If you don’t use a grocery list when you head the supermarket you should start. Many times people will go to the grocery store and grab things that they think they need or things that they have ran out of. If you take a list you are less likely to grab extra junk food that you don’t need and that is costing you extra money.

- Air dry clothes during the summer months

Dryers use quite a lot of electricity. Even with the new temperature sensing dryers, they still use a lot of electricity that you could be saving by using a clothesline in the backyard. It is cheap, simple, and can potentially save you hundreds of dollars a year.

- Switch all your household light bulbs to LED technology.

LED light bulbs are the newest innovation in household lighting. They are very energy efficient and can save you up to $9.99/year on each bulb in your house. That’s a lot of money when you think about all of the lights that you probably forgot you have on right now.

- Cheaper airline tickets

Many times if you repeatedly look at airline tickets online, websites can watch this and will cause them to rise. Delete your browser history and cookies. This will cause your computer to look like a new user on airline websites and the prices will stay the same. In less, of course, you wait until the day before to buy your plane ticket.

- Save time and money while using the microwave

Instead of cooking each person in your houses chili in the microwave separately, place a cup upside down inside the microwave and a bowl on top of it. Now you can cook two bowls at once, saving you time and money.

- Get good at coupon-ing.

If you have seen the show about coupon-ing on TLC, then you know how much money the people on there save. Many individuals are good enough to go to the market and get $300 worth of groceries and household supplies for just pennies. Begin looking in the Sunday paper and online for coupons that will save you the big bucks.

- Don’t go out to eat

No, I’m not saying never go out to eat, but cut it out for the most part. Going out is 50% more expensive than if you were to cook the exact same meal at home. And often times than not, it will taste better from your own kitchen.