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There are a lot of ways to save money for the whole family, and most of them are practical and easy to follow. However, it is within ourselves who will make decisions if we will follow them or not. Below is a good list according to applicable categories such as Food, Education, Shopping and others, which I have compiled for easier reading. Most of them are now being practiced by my family.

Just remember that these were created to save money, and not to sacrifice the necessities of the family.

General

1 Make a strict budget and stick with it. Discipline your self.
2 Save time in everything you do. The time you save can be spent to earn more money.
3 Plan your family according to your income and status.
4 Manage your debt. Do not add loan in payment of another loan.
5 Learn the do-it-yourself activities like washing your car, cutting your hair, and minor troubleshooting of appliances.
6 Do not be excited with insurance programs. Have enough time to choose them before joining.
7 Do not join the lottery. Do not take chances on luck and work harder instead.
8 Save at least 10% of your earning no matter what happens. Cut it off it automatically every payday and consider it as part of your tax.
9 Coins are heavy on the pocket, so keep them at home and let them grow.
10 Make a list of your daily expenses, make a graph and analyze it during weekends. You will know which one you should cut off.
11 Learn the art of banking, and how to choose the best bank for you.
12 Watch out for identity thieves. Protect your ATM cards, and memorize your PIN instead of writing it.
13 To avoid transaction fees, do not withdraw money using ATM card to machines that do not belong to your network group.
14 Train your children to save energy which can be converted to money.
15 Teach your children all that you have learned. The earlier you do it, the better.
16 Live a simple life. Do not spend more than what you earn.
17 Identify your NEEDS and separate your WANTS. They are the two different things at home.

Food

18 Do not cook for dinner. Instead, make your lunch the same as dinner to save one cooking.
19 Besides junk foods and soft drinks, avoid coffee creamers, excess food seasoning and other non-value add on food.
20 Prepare our own snacks especially for children. Instead of eating outside with them during weekends, attract them with different recipes.
21 Have a vegetable day at least once a week. Use vegetable in replacement for meat for spaghetti and others.
22 Instead of flowers and other attractive plants in your backyard, plant common vegetables.
23 Learn how to cook recycled foods. Fried fish can be cooked again with tomato soup with egg.
24 Wrap the vegetables such as carrots and celery in a foil before you refrigerate them. They will stay fresh for a longer period of time.

Education

25 Apply for scholarship. This does not apply for bright children only, but also to athlete and who loves a particular sport.
26 For college students do not buy books for minor subjects only. Use your library card instead. If it is really necessary to buy, go to a second hand bookstore.
27 Buy wholesale for pencils, crayons and other school needs for young children. They will still be used for their next school years.
28 Keep old books of young students. You may use the pictures for upcoming school projects.
29 Keep old notebooks with unused pages. Compile them to make another set of notebooks. Just be creative when you do it.
30 Cover the books with plastic. They will last longer and will always look new.
31 Use pencil for writing notes that need not to be kept, and when you are practicing mathematical problems.
32 If you will be living away from home, learn how to cook simple foods. Cooked foods are more expensive than home-cooked.
33 Use your privilege as a student. The government has a law where you can get discounts from fares and restaurants.
34 Learn the art of sharing books, food and others. You and your schoolmates will benefit from it.
35 It is very much cheaper if you bring your own food at school instead of buying them.

Leisure

36 Discourage parties on special occasions like birthdays and graduation. Instead, have a simple celebration with the family alone.
37 Unsubscribe to your favorite magazine. Not all editions are useful, so just buy the ones you really like.
38 Maximize your subscription. Use prepaid services for Internet and cable tv if you are not using them regularly.
39 Control the time of watching TV. Avoid placing one inside the children’s bedroom.
40 Switch your TV to automatic Off mode during night time. You might fall asleep while watching.
41 Bring your children to the park instead of big malls. They will see lesser shops around.
42 Buy high quality Christmas lights and other decoration items. You can still use them for a couple of years.
43 Do not buy cell phones with features that you do not really need.
44 Stay away from ipods, MP4 and other unnecessary gadgets.
45 Avoid watching movies alone. Instead, rent them and watch with the whole family.
46 Do not buy expensive toys for your toddlers. The more important thing is that they are enjoying while learning.
47 If you think pirated items such as DVDs looks cheaper, you are darn wrong. Original items will always last longer.

Social activities

48 Avoid being a sponsor to wedding and baptismal. Just make sure you are not being biased.
49 Stay away from glamorous neighbors and officemates. They are irresistible to join with.
50 Befriend a junk shop owner. He may give you a higher price when you sell your junk to him.
51 Personalize your gifts for a friend’s special occasion. But be creative and resourceful.
52 Avoid socializing with your friends outside. It is better if you visit each other’s house.

Clothing

53 Do not shop for clothes during the peak season. Jackets and raincoats are cheaper during summer.
54 Avoid buying white clothes. They are more difficult to wash.
55 Buy wash and wear clothes, and ironing will be lesser.
56 Sell your old clothes. Your cabinet might have money sleeping inside.
57 Buy bigger shoes and clothes for young children. They can easily outgrow them.
58 Buy unisex baby clothes to be used at home. They can still be used for your future kids.
59 Do not follow the trend in fashion. They change frequently and will encourage you to buy again.
60 Sew your own daily clothes, as well as for your children.
61 Avoid giving snacks and drinks for your kids that can produce stain on their clothes. Train them how to use handkerchief.

Household

62 Sell your old appliances like refrigerator and aircon. Maintenance is more expensive as compared to the price of new ones.
63 Unplug your appliances right after using, such as computers, televisions and washing machines.
64 When ironing clothes, make sure handkerchiefs are at the last part and use the remaining heat only.
65 Use low energy light bulbs and provide separate switches at easy-to-reach places.
66 Do not place your refrigerator near the stove and other heat appliances.
67 Use pots that just fit your burner stove.
68 Use a teapot that whistles. This is easier to call your attention than with LED indicator.
69 Maximize the space of your refrigerator. Use square plastic containers instead of round and oval.
70 Do not use showers when taking a bath. In the Philippines, common families use a pail and a basin dipper (tabo in Tagalog).
71 Use used water for cleaning your bathroom and cars.
72 Maintain regular water consumption when washing clothes.
73 Avoid using your clothes dryers when the day is sunny.
74 Remove the batteries of remote controls and camera when not being used, especially at night.
75 Avoid using glass wares if you have toddlers at home, as well as other breakable items.
76 Buy multi-purpose items such sofa-bed, instead of sofa and a separate bed.
77 Avoid expensive pets and those that are difficult to maintain. Learn about their food, habitat and other needs.
78 Keep shopping bags when you arrive at home. They have many uses in the future.
79 Old baby feeding bottles can be used for keeping used chemicals. Just make sure they will not be reached by your children.
80 Landline phone is not a necessity anymore these days, as having a cell phone is more efficient.

Shopping

81 Do not shop with the kids. If unavoidable, let them eat at home first before leaving.
82 Avoid having credit cards that you really do not need. If you have one, don’t bring them when you are on a shopping spree.
83 Buy generic products only. Branded products are more likely to be expensive especially when endorsed by superstars.
84 Beware of fake energy saving kits. The best saving kit is your awareness.
85 Do not buy discounted items that you do not really need. Instead, buy your common needs in bulk or wholesale.
86 Compute the travel cost first, before shopping to a far grocery that has cheaper prices.
87 Avoid panic buying. Your money will be sleeping which can be used for other needs.
88 Shop on line. Prices are usually lower since managing an establishment costs higher than online stores.

Health

89 Do not join gym membership with fee if you cannot maximize it. Walking and jogging are some of the exercises you can do for free.
90 For babies’ vaccination, bring them to public hospitals. It is free but has the same effect.
91 Buy generic medicines. Ask a pharmacist for assistance.
92 Take care of your teeth. It is cheaper than to have dentures.
93 Do not go to the doctor if you have common sickness only like running nose and colds. Instead, drink a lot of fluid and take a good rest.

Travel

94 Do not use your car everyday. Share a ride with officemates living near your place.
95 Turn off your car aircons and open your windows when driving at cold weather.
96 Drive like a professional. Avoid rapid acceleration and stepping hard on your brakes.
97 Avoid the towing services by maintaining your car regularly
98 Buy a bike. Use this for near places and can make you healthy too.
99 Umbrella is one of the most left things in public vehicles. Use the easy-to-fold ones that you can put inside your bag.
100 Remove your jewelries while walking in a crowded street. Snatchers are everywhere.
101 Do not leave your laptop and other valuable things inside your car and in public places.
102 Learn how to perform minor troubleshooting and parts replacements for your car.

103 If you are going to travel far, bring extra snacks and drinks instead of buying them.

The above tips are free to share without asking permission from me. However, make sure that there is a link back to the original post and you will mention that you got it from me as the original author.

If you still have something in your mind that I did not include here, please feel to leave a comment together with a link to your homepage. If I approve it, you will get a free back link. I am willing to edit this list anytime that I need to.

Happy saving!

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