MID-DAY MONEY- Tips on Saving $$$

-Everyone and there mama wants to save money. Now that we're in these hard economic times people are looking for various ways to cut coast and save some money. One day while surfing the internet and i came across many interesting articles with some tips on how this can be done. These articles had tips that i use now to save green....

1) Stay alert as to what is going on in the financial industry.(Be alert by checking MID-DAY MONEY on IAMPIFF.com) A recession can shake things up very quickly, causing old industries to collapse (like the housing market) and new industries to be born (like the alternative energy market).

2)If you don’t already have a budget, it’s time to create one. Use a budget to reduce your unnecessary expenses (which average 30% in the US). A budget could very likely help you save your family from a financial hardship

3)Pay down your debt and build a savings account of three to six months of your living expenses. This will be a great help if you get laid off and have to find a different job.

4) Reduce your food costs, by eating out less and buying more food from the grocery store. Plant a small fresh salad and vegetable garden this summer to increase your health and save some money. Food costs are going up for many reasons, Ethanol, population growth, rising cost of oil (falling dollar), increase in natural disasters, etc.

5) Create another income stream, even a small one. Maybe you take a second job for a month to pay off a credit card or maybe you sell your baseball cards on Ebay or maybe you find another way to start a small business on the side.

6) Carpool/share a car. This will help you save the cost of fuel, insurance, and auto maintenance.

7) Compare your alternatives. Calculate the expenses of what you area doing now, versus the various alternatives you could try. For example, is it cheaper to take the bus, carpool, or drive. Factor in fares, parking fees, and other expenses. If you need to, make up a spreadsheet to do your comparison.

8) Track expenses. Make a spreadsheet, or list of all your expenditures. By having them in a form that allows you to visually see your costs, you will be more able to see where costs can be cut further.

9) Start working for yourself. Even if you've invested in your paid-by-someone-else career, the layoffs just keep happening, leaving hard workers looking for their next gig. Assuming one's money is locked down, it can be surprising how much cheaper it is to start working for yourself—if the conditions are right. The self-employed route is one of the most common suggestions from our readers in response to post-layoff confusion, and if you don't have to pay for a commute, parking, lunch-on-the-go, daycare, or many other costs, freelance work might help you stem the losses, at least until you can land back on your feet. Everyone's situation is different, of course, and self-secured healthcare isn't getting cheaper, but we happen to know at least one certain blogger/developer who's taking a chance on working totally off the grid for 2009.

10) Reduce your bills by simply asking. One of the most effective means of shaving money off your monthly costs doesn't involve a website, coupon code, or any kind of hack, unless you count working up the small courage required to just, well, ask. There are great ways to save on internet package, gas bills, household insurance, and even trash disposal, just by being persistent and, in most cases, simply asking if there was a deal he didn't know about.-