Save $3000 a Year

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Everyone is always looking for ways to save money. We think about how to save money on food, fuel, and general spending habits, but there is a lot of little things that add up to big money by the end of the year. These 20 tips offer you ways to save up to $3000 a year.

1. Paying bills by snail mail. If you write a check and send it into the mail, you are paying for an extra cost that’s not necessary. With the average household having 15 bills every month, it will cost about $79 in postage and envelops every year. Plus if it doesn’t make it through the mail in time, then you have to pay the late fees as well. It is better to pay your bills by an automatic payment to avoid all the extra little cost every year.

2. Don’t pay for tolls by cash. Instead sign up for an electronic toll device which will save you money every year.

3. Most people now have cell phones. They are everywhere with everyone, but most people have a plan that doesn’t fit their calling habits. Either they are paying for more minutes then they use every month or they are paying for the huge cost when you go over your minutes. Figure out just how much you do use it and then see about changing your plan.

4. Letting the water run is another extra expense, as well as bad for the environment. Letting the water run while you are shaving, brushing your teeth, washing your face, can cost you big. An average household can save $189 a year just by turning off the water.

5. Paying to much for insurance is another place where you can save money. For example, how many people have house insurance which covers the land too. Insurance only needs to cover the structures and belonging because the land isn’t going anywhere. The same goes for car insurance. Some people are paying for more coverage then their car is even worth.

6. Not use flexible spending accounts means you are losing money. Most employers offer flexible spending accounts where so much money can go into them, for expenses such as medical, prescriptions, and vision, which are tax free. So instead of paying money on the taxes, when you have to pay the bill anyway, look into flexible spending accounts.

7. Paying online shipping fees. There are many online companies that pay for the shipping themselves instead of making you pay for it, such as Amazon which pays for shipping when it’s over $25. Save money by finding them and using them.

8. Trips to the ATM will cost you. Most people take about $50 out of there accounts every week. This $50, or $200 a month, or $2400 a year has no paper trail and most doing know what all that money is being spent on. Also not using the ATM’s will cut the fees that you have to pay to use the ATMs.

9. Everyone loves vacations, but most of the money that is spent is on food. Eating out on vacations is extremely expensive. A family of five for one week (7 days) could spend over $1000 in eating out. That is figuring that breakfast $5 person, lunch $10 person, and dinner $15 person. Instead, pay a little extra to get a room with a kitchen and buy groceries instead.

10. Bounced checks steal money away real quick. I don’t know about a lot of banks, but I can tell you that Bank of America charges $35 fee for a bounced check. Spend the little extra for overdraft protection because in the long run it is cheaper then the fees.

11. Be careful when you fly, because there is a lot of airline extras that you could be charged for, including drinks, pillow and blanket, baggage over 50lbs, and cub side checkin. Check the details before you go so you know what you will be charged extra for so you can avoid it.

12. Everywhere we turn on the internet, there is advertising for paying for your credit report. You get the free one, but pay extra for a fancy one is generally what happens. Then you have a month subscription to keep up with it. You best bet is just getting the one free credit report you can get once a year at

13. Another place to lose money is by not bundling phone, internet, and cable. It’s not a huge savings every month, but it is enough to make a difference by the end of the year.

14. Although we have heard all about how we should just pay the minimun payments on our credit cards, it’s really important we don’t. Instead of just paying for what we charged, we are paying for interest, finance charges, and even late fees if you miss a payment. To calculate the most efficient payment schedule, visit

15. Next, don’t purchase supplemental life insurance through your employer. The way it is set up, you will be paying for not just your health level, but the health level of everyone around you as well. It’s cheaper to buy it independently because it’s only based on you.

16.Believe it or not, but there can be fees for not redeeming your gift cards soon. Dormancy can be a bad thing, so don’t wait to long to use them.

17. Thinking of selling your house. Don’t pay for expensive renovations before selling it. These investments in your house won’t bring you the same returns as you put in them. Instead pay for home staging, which is much cheaper.

18. You have heard of all inclusive vacations, well there not all inclusive. There are still items that you vacation won’t be covering, such as you might get free drinks at the bar but be charged to have them from your room. Ask a lot of questions and know exactly what is going to be covers. Don’t assume that everything will be.

19. You can lose money by keeping six months worth of salary in a savings account as an emergency fund. You need the six months, don’t get me wrong, but it is better to put two months in a savings account and the other 4 months into a CD or money market fund so you can earn interest on what is just sitting around.

20. Lastly, paying an annual fee on Frequent Flier Credit Cards is only useful if you are putting at least $10,000 on them a year. It is better to go for a no annual fee cash back card instead.

www.annualcreditreport.com. If you are worried about your actual score, try www.myfisco.com which will cost about $16.creditcardnation.com and click on “Debt Zapper.”