Ways to Save Money in the New Year

The New Year has come and Christmas has gone.  All the parties are over; the decorations are coming down.  What to do now? For some of us,  we find that the New Year is seeing us with a lot less money than last year. It is a matter of fact that the world's economy is  causing all the watch the pennies.  We often hear about budgeting but budgeting can take you only so far. I applaud those persons who can consistently stick to their budget. But for most of us, budgeting is a never ending battle between common sense and human desires. For others, there is just not enough money to budget with.  Therefore, I wanted to focus on some lifestyle choices we can make to help us save money.

Swap Babysitting with Neighbours and Friends


I love this idea. Instead of paying someone to babysit. You can swap babysitting with neighbours and friends. This way you are sure your child is secure while your out. You can take turns to baby sit.

Review Your Selection of Clothes

It is a common trend to hear persons say they have anything to wear. For some, this might be true ;but for others it is far from it. I suggest you go through your closet and review your clothing collection. After doing so, you will have an idea of the pieces of clothing you own. Also, you are able to mix and match pieces that can be used to create new outfits. 


Start a Backyard Garden



Not everyone has a green thumb. However, if you do; this is a great way to exercise and save money. You can grew your own herbs, tomatoes, lettuce and the list goes on. You can even get the kids to help.


Prepare Meals at Home

This is said so often that we should all know this at by heart. However, there are persons like me; who (for one reason or another) find it difficult to scheduled the time to prepare meals at home. 

Solutions:
pre-season meats on the weekend
find easy meal ideas
cook in bulk, package and refrigerate for use at a later date. 

Consolidate your student loans

This was very helpful for me. I was able to cut my student loan payments buy consolidating my student loans. This can be applied to other loans as well. There is no use burning your head in the sand go in and meet with your lending agency.

Use the Library


When was the last time you went to the library? Using the library is a cheaper alternative to buying books and magazines. It might seem like a drop in the bucket but every penny adds up.


Do It Yourself


There are so many things that we pay to get done that we can do ourselves. It is just crazy when you think about it. There are also so many things that we can make for example: beauty treatments, jams, cleaners, etc.