Three (more) changes that can shave your budget
Re-evaluate your insurance
If you've been renewing your insurance without shopping around for other quotes or reading the fine print to discover if you still need the same coverage, you could be spending hundreds of extra dollars a year.
Consider:
- Combining policies under a single insurer
- Ask your insurer about discounts
- Keep changes in your situation in mind: If your kids are grown, decide whether you need to maintain the same amount of life insurance (do keep in mind that replacing it later will be expensive)
- Raising the deductible on your auto insurance—provided you have savings to cover it
Go on a meal plan
Planning meals, particularly based on weekly sales, can save you big bucks over a year for several reasons:
- You won't spend as much on impulse buys over multiple grocery shopping trips
- You can plan so that you aren't relying as much on convenience foods
- You won't fall into the habit of getting take-out or hitting a restaurant because there's nothing to eat at home.
There a lot of online resources as well as books at the library—one example is CanadianLiving.com's meal planner tool.
Track everything
It's the same principle as a food or fitness journal: It's hard to reach a goal when you aren't aware of all the steps in the process. Make a commitment to track every single purchase for at least one month and you'll probably find your behaviour changing. That one-click ordering looks really good until you have to enter it in your spreadsheet!
For more ways to get your finances in order see:
Advice from Canada's Queen of Debt
One financial change, big way to save
Smart woman's guide to money
10 cheap ways to be happy
And share the ways you've found to save in the comments!
This article is original content on More.ca
