How to Save Money

Save Money Shopping

Even during bad financial times people still need to shop and everyone loves that great feeling that you get when you have found an absolute shopping bargain. This helpful shopping guide will not only advise you on how to reduce the amount of things that you need to buy, but will also inform you about purchasing new items for less or buying goods from secondhand shops.

The following tips can be used whether you are shopping for food, clothes and the daily necessities or shopping for furniture, a new car, car insurance and health insurance. This means that it is possible to save money shopping at any time of the year.

Saving money on shopping can take the form of small incremental savings made on lots of individual items every time that you shop, or fewer but larger savings on those big ticket items that you purchase occasionally or every year. The following Tips to Save Money Shopping provide a wide variety of FREE tips to save money using both of the above methods and also to help you stick to a budget when shopping.

Save Money On Car Insurance

• Don't simply renew the car insurance cover when is comes around every year. At least every 2 years you should shop around for the lowest car insurance estimates and premium available.
• Increase your automobile insurance excess from $200 to $500 and save between 15-25% per year. The money you save each month on the car insurance premiums can then be put aside to ensure that you have this deductible excess amount on hand if it is ever required.
• Check if your current or intended car insurance company will provide you will a discount premium when you have 2 or more different types of insurance with them. Combining your insurance policies with the same company can save you anywhere from 10-50% off the standard rates.
• Before you buy a new car or a used car check out whether or not it is rated by the car insurance companies and a high risk or low risk car. If you buy a high risk vehicle then you will be paying extra for your car insurance due to the mistakes of other, more reckless drivers.
• When you are getting a car insurance quotation remember that there are a number of factors that can make your car insurance rates much cheaper. There factors vary from insurer to insurer but they generally include things such as what the car is primarily used for, security alarm system, immobilizer, age of the drivers, postcode where you live and the garaging arrangements for the car. Ensure that the quote for car insurance that you obtain takes into account the extra factors that apply to you or any security items that you have in place to protect your car.
• The best and most effective way to compare car insurance estimates is to do so online. The good thing about online car insurance quotes is that you can play around with the options like excess amount, value of the cover, nominated drivers and security items to see which combination gives you the best price car insurance.
• When you are comparing car insurance quotes from different companies make sure that what you are comparing is the same or very similar. For example make sure that both quotes have the same excess and are giving you either market value or agreed value as this may make a large difference to the overall premium that you pay.
• If this is the first time that you are purchasing car insurance that you may want to consider using the car insurance company that your parents use. This is because some companies will start you off on a lot lower rating if you are the son or daughter of a good, responsible driver that they already have as a valued customer.
• If your car is not worth too much money then it is always advisable to just get 3rd party fire and theft insurance. This type of auto car insurance protects you against any damages that you cause to others if you are at fault in an accident. It also has the added benefit of still reducing your insurance rating for every year that you don't make a claim, making it cheaper to get comprehensive car insurance in the future.
• The majority of the above points can also be applied when you are comparing estimates for motorbike, boat or caravan insurance.

Save Money On Health Insurance

• Every 2-3 years it is a good idea to reassess your health insurance needs and shop around to try and find the most appropriate policy that still meets all of your family's medical requirements but also has the cheapest health insurance rates.
• There are now some websites where you can compare online health insurance quotes from lots of different insurers in one go. This can be very useful as a research tool but do be aware that not all of the health insurance companies are a included in their comparisons.
• When looking comparing health insurance quotes work what extras, if any, are included in the price. It is important for getting the most amount of benefit for your health insurance dollar that you have extras cover only for things that you need like optical and dental, and not for extras that you are never likely to need like hearing aids, hip replacement, renal dialysis and plastic surgery.
• You can choose to pay an excess every time that you or one of your family is admitted to hospital in order to reduce your health insurance premium. This can be a useful way of saving money on insurance, but be aware that unless you put aside some of the monthly savings to ensure that you have this excess amount on hand if required you could be in for a large bill when you least expect it.
• Always be aware when comparing insurance policies that some extras and medical covers have limits that restrict the amount that you can claim each year. Also check how these limits are applied because some limits are per person on the policy, whilst other limits are applied per family.
• Be aware before you join a health fund or take out a new insurance policy of any waiting periods that apply for a particular service, during which time you cannot make any claims. Also note that certain levels of health cover will have restrictions on pre-existing conditions limiting when and how much you can claim.
• Once you have chosen a health insurance policy that suits your needs be aware that only certain medical practitioners and health providers are approved by that particular insurer. Also some of these health providers will charge above the schedule fees covered by the insurer so you will be required to pay these out of pocket expense or 'gap'. For example if the insurance company covers $50 for a particular service and they guarantee that you will be covered for a minimum of 60% of the cost of this service then the health provider can charge anywhere up to $83 and you will have to pay the 40% or $33 difference. Some health providers, however will charge less than the $83 in the above example so do shop around and ask questions about how much they charge and how much the gap will be before you go and see them.
• For a cost effective and frugal way of obtaining life insurance for you or your partner check to see if you can get it through your superannuation, pension or retirement fund. This way your family is covered even if something unfortunate happens to you, but you don't have to fork out any money from your pocket because the life insurance premiums are paid for out of the funds in your retirement account.

Save Money on Groceries and Food

• When shopping for grocery items such as bread, butter, sugar, flour, etc consider buying generic store brands which are cheaper and equally good quality if not better.
• Do a meal plan for the entire upcoming week. Start this by checking your fridge and pantry to see what you already have and what you require. You will be amazed how much money and food wastage can be saved by doing this.
• Some fruit and vegetable shops will have shopping bargain bins for produce that is very ripe and needs to be sold and eaten right away. By making the most of these you can very easily save money shopping for fruit and vegetables.
• Don't limit yourself to shopping for groceries at one supermarket. Check out the savings in competing supermarket catalogues and pick up the items at the cheapest price available.
• You will be surprised that the same supermarket chain will have different prices for same products in different suburbs, so look around and save money food shopping.
• When items come on special at a supermarket consider buying 3 or 4 of that item and storing it in your cupboard so that you don't have to buy it again when it isn't available at a special price.
• Buying in bulk can save you money provided that you have the storage space for the items and that food products don't go off. If you don't have enough storage space but would still like to enjoy bulk discount shopping then you can go halves with a friend, relative or neighbour.
• Instead of buying baby food in small tins or jars, prepare it at home by taking ideas from the baby food aisle at the supermarket. Make large quantities & freeze suitable food in batches with dates on them.
• Some packaged breakfast cereals can be quite expensive. It is possible to make your own and save money shopping by buying a plain cereal and adding dried fruit that you have purchased separately.
• At major shopping centres the food court shops will offer cheap meal deals near the end of the day because they'd rather make some money than throw away the food.
• Never go food or grocery shopping on an empty stomach as you will be tempted to add unnecessary purchases to your shopping trolley.

General Shopping Guide & Money Savers

• Pre-empt your major purchases & do your research beforehand so that when clearance or stocktake sales come around you already know what you are looking for and can immediately make the most of the shopping sales without wasting too much time.
• During a major purchase of any kind be sure to ask the store if they have any special shopping deals or offers available. Also check if they have any last year models on sale as these are generally just as good but available at huge discounts.
• Never underestimate the power of Asking for discount when paying by cash. After all the store has less costs than credit card purchases and may pass on the savings to you.
• By finding shopping bargains at factory outlets you can save a lot of money by paying much less than full retail price.
• Before buying anything always say to yourself 'Do I need this or Do I just want it'. This is especially useful if you are an impulse buyer as it will help to curtail any unnecessary expenditures and learn how to do shopping on a budget.
• Keep track of all offers such as flybuys, frequent flyer points and store loyalty programs. When they accumulate to a decent amount you can go gift shopping for yourself as a sort of reward for being good.

Other Money Saving Shopping Tips

• Consider stretching out time between haircuts. Going every 8 weeks instead of 6 weeks will save yourself the cost of two haircuts a year.
• Save on books and magazines by using your local library. You are also able to borrow magazines, CDs and DVDs from most libraries.
• Get your kids a toy library membership. You will save money on expensive toys and spare the kids getting bored with the same old toys.
• When you go shopping or to work take a refillable water bottle with you to quench your thirst. Not only is this better for your health but not spending money on a daily $3 coffee or soft drink will save you more than $1000 a year.
• Whenever you need to print some family photos or holiday snaps always save them up and print them in bulk to take advantage of cheaper printing prices at major stores.
• Use internet shopping to save money on things like accommodation and car hire. Try online shopping websites such as Wotif, Web Car Hire and even Not One Night where you can book your holiday well ahead of time without having to pay the full amount up front.
• Local discount vouchers that are delivered or on the back of your grocery shopping receipts from supermarkets are worth checking out.
• Instead of buying ready made jewellery, take up beading (or another form of jewellery-making) and make your own. Not only will you save money on your own jewellery but you can also make lovely, thoughtful gifts for friends and family. You can even turn your jewellery-making into a hobby or business that makes you money. Beading is a relaxing, fun, creative hobby and you can even do shopping online for beads, so even if you live in a remote area you can still get beading delivered. There are also plenty of free online beading instruction resources available on google.

Save Money on Petrol or Fuel

• Always ensure that your car tyres (including the spare) are aligned properly and have the correct tyre pressure. Not only does this make the car safer but you will also get much better fuel efficiency and economy.
• If you are stopped at a traffic light or waiting for a passenger for over a minute then don't sit with the motor running. Turn off the engine and you will be surprised how much money you can save on petrol.
• Don't carry unnecessary, heavy items in your car's boot or trunk such as golf clubs or work toolbox, as the extra weight will make the car less fuel efficient.
• Whenever you are driving try to maintain a steady speed. The more that you brake and then accelerate the more petrol or gas that your car with go through.
• You would probably do this anyway for you own stress levels, but try to plan your travel when the traffic is going to be light because this will help you save money on petrol.
• When you are driving on the highway of freeway use your car's cruise control, if it has one, because this has been adjusted by the manufacturer to use the least amount of fuel or gas whilst still maintaining a constant speed.

Checklist Before Buying a Used Car

• Check the paintwork for bubbles and colour differences which may indicate that there is rust underneath the paint or that the car has previously been in a crash.
• Check that all of the panels and doors fit properly and that there is not any unevenness where the panels join. You can do this by simply running your finger over the join of the 2 panels and if they feel uneven then it means that the car could have been in a crash and had one of the panels replaced.
• On secondhand cars don't forget to check that the boot and windows open and close properly.
• Always check for oil leaks underneath the car and on the side of the engine.
• Look under the interior carpet and floor mats to see if there are any signs of rust on the floor of the vehicle.
• Look at the dipstick for the engine oil. If the oil is milky or grey this can indicate serious engine problems with the car.