Tips for Cutting Car Costs

Change the air filter. This is one of the best examples of money-saving DIY tips. A new air filter costs around $10. A clogged one decreases gas mileage as the engine has to work harder to suck in the air it needs past the clog. Air filters should be changed every 12,000 to 24,000 miles. The filter can be rectangular, round or conical shaped. Remove the cover, take out the old, put in the new. It's very easy and saves gas.

Check the battery. As part of the charging process, a battery vents gasses. The venting process can cause corrosion to build up around the battery's terminals, impeding the flow of electricity and preventing the car from starting. A simple tool can be used to clean the terminals to ensure a strong connection. If you've determined that the battery needs to be replaced, it's fairly simple to change it. Making sure the engine is off and cool, disconnect the negative (-) terminal first, then the positive (+), disconnect the battery hold down brace, and remove the battery. Pretty easy, though some precautions must be taken to avoid shocking yourself (not wearing jewelry, disconnecting the negative terminal first).

Check drive belts. Most car systems (air conditioner compressor, alternator, power steering pump, emissions controls pump) run off a long serpentine belt that snakes around several pulleys on the engine. You can check its tension by grabbing it midway between the two farthest spaced pulleys (with the engine off, please) and twisting it gently. A properly taut belt should rotate no more than 90 degrees. Squealing, or chirping, especially at startup, might indicate the need to adjust the tension of the belt. Adjusting the belt's tension, or changing it if needed, is best left up to your auto technician. But, checking it yourself is easy.

Unload the trunk. A lot of us carry a lot of useless items in our car creating extra weight, which is an enemy of good fuel economy. You can save money by simply emptying extraneous material from your car.

Check tire pressure. No more important item to saving gas. An under-inflated tire causes increased rolling resistance, making the engine work harder and burning more gas. Believe it or not, tire pressure should be checked once a week, or at least once a month. A quality tire gauge and some time are all you'll need. Not only will you get better mileage, properly inflated tires make the vehicle corner and steer better, increasing safety.

Rotate tires/Align Tires. Generally the driving wheels of a car will wear its tires more quickly. Front wheel drive cars will see their front tires wear faster than the rears. Rotating tires, swapping front for back, is laborious, but helps balance the wear on the tires prolonging the need to buy a new set.

Driving Style
Driving style. Use your right foot in a gentle, sedate manner-and you'll save lots of gas. Accelerate and brake gently. And whatever speed you're accustomed to driving at on the highway, lower it. Also, combine errands with your daily commute and try to avoid unnecessary driving.

Cut Your Annual Budget by $5,000!

Cable bill: Save $60 a month= $720 a year
Save $600 a year by changing or cutting your service. Your average cable bill today across America can now range over $100 a month. Do you really need 200 channels? What do you really watch? Can you give up the movie channels? Do you need the deluxe package? By going down to a basic package you should be able to drop your cable bill below $40 a month. Many cities now have introductory rates as low as $20 a month. Call and ask for a “better rate.” If they won’t give you a better deal, then close your account and transfer to a new carrier in your area.

Cell Phone: Save $30 a month= $360 a year
We have 262 million cell phones in America, and we talk an average of 23 minutes a day, and spend an average of $50 a month on our phones. Many of us spend more. We also don’t use all of our minutes, which can average wasting about 35% a month. Pull out your bill and call your company to make sure you have the best plan according to your usage. Just changing your plan, to a newer plan or renegotiating your rate in 2009 could cut your bill in half.

Gym Membership: Save $50 a month= $600 a year
It is reported that 80% of those who join gyms stop using them on regular basis by March. Gym memberships range from $30 a month to as high as $150 a month. If you only end up using the gym a handful of times a year, seriously consider canceling your membership. Don’t pay for a “premium membership” that allows you to use gyms all over the country. Consider switching gyms to get a better deal since most are offering new deals in 2009. Talk to the membership office at your gym about new member offers, and make sure they aren’t offering better deals then you currently have. If they are, considering canceling your membership and rejoining.

Monthly subscription fee: Save $35 a month= $420 a year
What do you pay for a month? Do you have a video membership you don’t really use, magazines you don’t read or newspapers you can’t get to. Cut all unnecessary membership fees.

Car Insurance: Save $50 a month= $600 a year
You really can save 10 % to 15% on your car insurance by calling Geico. Seriously, you should call and get new rates on your car insurance. Car insurance prices are coming down. Go online and get three estimates for car insurance and make your current company compete for your business.

Home Insurance: Save $40 a month= $480 a year.
Now is the time to pull out your home insurance. Review it and make sure you have the right policy insuring “what you really own” and that you are properly covered. In 2009 insurance quotes are coming down in many states and you can probably save 20% on your policy this year.

Life Insurance: Save $42 a month= $500 a year
As Life Expectancy's have increased, and competition online has made shopping life insurance easier, the business of life insurance has becoming increasingly competitive. As a result you can often cut the cost of your current life insurance policy by 10% to 50% depending on your age by shopping your current policy online. Shop for a better price, compare policies and then ask your current life insurance company to compete for your business and see if they can offer you a better price or policy. It is not uncommon to be able to drop your insurance premiums in half or double your death benefit by aggressively shopping and or negotiating now for a better policy. *Never cancel your current policy if you are applying for a new policy until your new policy has been approved and is officially in place (you don't want to risk being without coverage!)

Credit Card and Interest Fees: Savings $100 a month= $1,200 a year
Resolve not to be late in 2009. Credit card and interest fees can cost you easily over $1,000 a year. Late fees are now averaging $35 to $50 a month and “over limit” fees are the same. Being late or over the limit just once a month can cost you $100 a month per card. Also, get the interest rate on your cards lowered by calling and asking for a lower rate.

Bank Account Fees and Debit Cards: Save $40 a month= $480 a year.
You can easily waste $20 a month on ATM fees by just taking money out of your account. Switch to a bank that credits you back ATM fees, or make sure you use your bank’s ATM machines. Also, look for bank accounts that truly offer free checking. Checking Fees can easily run over $10 a month.


Total Saved= $5,360!

How to Save Money Around the House

Adjust Your Thermostat: Save 30-50% of your heating/cooling bills
The US Department of energy reports that the average American home uses 34% of its energy for space heating. Given how high utility bills are, this is a terrific amount of money. So the front line for changing the bottom line has to be at the thermostat. The optimal temperature to set your thermostat in the summer is 78 degrees and 68 degrees in the winter. Each degree below 78 represents 5% increased cost in the summer, and each degree above 68 represents 3% higher heating cost in the winter. Finally, the best thing to do is to lower the thermostat to 55 at night once everyone is in bed.

Buy Outlet Insulators: Save $20/year
Outlets represent a loss of heat and intake of cold weather in the winter – especially outlets on weather-barrier walls. Investing in outlet insulators is a cheap and easy fix for this problem.

Buy Power Strips: Save $365/year
Appliances drain power even when they're off. This has been known problem for awhile now. Even still, no one can bring themselves to tour the house every night unplugging all the appliances, and then re-plugging them in the morning or while they're used. (Computers are especially responsible for power drain.) Smart power strips were created in response to this problem –but regular power strips work well, too. Smart power strips turn off all your peripheral equipment when they sense the computer itself has been turned off. Or another option is to use a regular power strip to group together electronics, this will enable you to turn everything of with one switch at the end of the day.

Check Your Fireplace
Fireplaces are great to create ambiance and glow, but they're terrible for warming a home. Use them only for special occasions, and make sure the flue is sealed shut when you're not using it, as it's very much like an open window. When in use, a fireplace displaces 24,000 cubit feet of warm air, which is then replaced with cold air coming from outside.

Use Oops Paint
When painting your home, go for the Oops paint. Oops paint from Home Depot is high-quality paint that was mixed and rejected by a previous customer, and is being sold at 75% off, or higher! Lowe's and paint stores do this as well –and you can get great paint for $5/gal. Just make sure you ask that they shake the can well before you look at the color so that all the pigments are well combined.

Install Low-e Film: Save $200/year
Install low-e film on windows to reduce heat loss by a full 40%.

Light For Less: Save $200/year
When lighting your home, reconsider the usual tactic of putting a very bright light in the ceiling lighting fixture to light every corner of the room. Instead, use fewer lights in the overhead lighting, and attach the fixture to a motion sensor. Then put task lighting in all the places you'll need them: over the desk, by the sofa, next to the reading chair, etc. Naturally, use compact fluorescent light bulbs which use 75% less energy, these days they come in a variety of styles and shapes.

Reverse Your Fans
Reverse your ceiling fans in the winter to circulate cool air up and warm air down. Also, place a bottle filled with water in your toilet's flush tank and it will displace its weight in water and keep you from wasting water.

Stop the Drips: Save $60/year
Water savings... A fixed dripping faucet saves over 200 gallons of water per year. Also, don’t leave the water running while you brushing your teeth and lower your hot water heater to 115 degrees – this will all save you money.

FUN TIP: Break Out the Vodka!
Do you have some vodka lying around the house? It's actually an amazingly versatile liquid! It's great on poison ivy rashes. It freshens laundry with a quick spray from a bottle because it kills odor-causing bacteria; also, it doesn't leave a scent when it dries. It's great for shining glass, chrome and porcelain. It keeps flowers fresh if you put a few drops along with some sugar in the water in a vase. Lastly, if you add a shot of it to your 12 oz. shampoo, it makes hair very shiny.

 

Deb Geigis Berry from FamilyFun Magazine shares great ideas for inexpensive fun you can have with your family. For more information visit FamilyFun.com


Save a Dime and Have Fun with your Family

Coordinate a Babysitting Co-Op: Save $750/year
Instead of paying for babysitters, form a babysitting co-op, where you trade off babysitting duties with other families. Each time a family provides care for another family, they earn points. The points are tallied on a spreadsheet. Parents who need a sitter “pay” for this service with their earned points.

• Begin with 8-10 families
• Establish bylaws (outline expectations for members, discipline, food, household issues)
• Set up an on-line group to stay organized
• Get families together a few times a year to have fun and discuss problems

Hold a Table Swap: Save $300/year
Set up a free table swap (called Swap and Shop by one FamilyFun reader) at your school, church or other local organization, where you drop off unwanted items and get to pick up items for free

• Make it a regular event
• Establish ground rules: nothing broken, dirty or dangerous
• Kids and parents can take as much as they want, but must bring back same amount the next week (or time)
• Donate extra (leftover) items each time to a local organization or homeless shelter

Throw Birthday Parties on a Budget: Save $225 per/party
When planning a birthday party, give your kids a set budget, and let them decide what they want to spend their money on. Bonus perk: It teaches kids the value of a dollar.

• Shop at a dollar store
• Have a joint sibling party and increase the budget a little
• Buy a fun cake shape mold and make your own cake
• Throw a themed birthday blowout at home instead of an expensive outing. Check out FamilyFun.com for great birthday party theme ideas!

Enjoy a Family Staycation: Save over $2000 per 5 day vacation
Pull off an amazing (and thrifty!) stay-at-home vacation with FamilyFun’s family-tested tips and use-anywhere strategies.

Pick a theme

• Luau Day, Spa Day, Dinosaur Day

Book a Room at Your Own "Home-tel"

• It can be lots of luxurious fun to transform your home into a hotel for the night.
• Transform your bathroom with a folded hand towel and fancy soaps – temporarily hide the normal counter clutter.
• Give each child a “Do Not Disturb” sign for bedroom doors
• Offer turndown service complete with wrapped chocolates on pillows
• You can even give kids a room service breakfast menu (and make it as simple or complex as you’d like)
• Slip an agenda of the day’s activities under kids' doors every morning

Create a Nightlife

• Have a dinner picnic in front of the fireplace
• Throw a fondue party
• Order in pizza and watch a favorite movie

Shop for Souvenirs

• Give your kids a special staycation souvenir allowance and a chance to spend it.

Act like a Tourist

• Approach your town with the same curiosity as you would a foreign land.
• Take public transportation, use travel guides or tourism resources, visit the library for an afternoon of free fun

Plan Big Events

• Hold basement Olympics, bake from scratch, make rock candy, and plant an indoor herb garden.

Slash Your Grocery Bills

Make a List and Stick to It
And don't shop hungry. You'll be less tempted to over buy.

Get a Store Card
With a preferred-shopper card, you receive automatic discounts on products in the store circular without clipping coupons. These programs request personal information, which means that the chain can track your purchases. Most chains have strict privacy policies, but it makes sense to review them carefully before joining.

Consider Store Brands
They're significantly cheaper and often at least as good as their brand-name counterparts.

Compare Prices in Different Areas of the Store
Cheese at the deli counter, for example, is often pricier than sliced or chunked cheese in the dairy case.

Weigh the Cost of Convenience
Prepped and precut foods often cost more. Similarly, you'll pay extra for single servings, such as cereal in disposable bowls.

Evaluate End-caps
Often, products prominently displayed at the ends of aisles aren't actually on sale. End-caps can also be a destination for merchandise about to expire. So check expiration dates carefully.

Compare Unit Prices.
Big packages are often more economical, but not always, according to studies. In one, the Federal Trade Commission reported that canned tuna, peanut butter, ketchup, canned coffee, and frozen orange juice frequently turned out to be costlier in larger containers. Comparing unit prices (per ounce, etc.) is especially important when one size is on sale.

Clip Coupons
Check out Sunday newspaper inserts and consider checking out coupons from Web sites such as www.coolsavings.com, www.valpak.com, and www.smartsource.com. You generally have to supply personal information to register, so familiarize yourself with privacy policies. Just don't let coupons encourage you to buy products you wouldn't otherwise buy.

Don't Assume All Items Advertised in Circulars are on Sale
Manufacturers may have paid for placement.

Beware of Last-Minute Temptations
Single-serving snacks at the checkout counter cost more than multi-packs of like items along the aisles