Want to pay off debt quickly, but don’t know where the extra money will come from? Instead of trying to earn more money to pay off debt, what if you could save money by cutting costs in places you’d least expect?
Here are a few little-known ways to save money to pay off debt.
1. Explore Other Energy and Water Companies
In any residential area, there are usually just one or two energy companies that are heavily marketed. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have the best or the cheapest service.Changing power companies isn’t difficult, due to anti-monopoly laws. If you find a cheaper company with a good reputation to go with, making the switch can be as simple as making a phone call.You can save as much as 30% off your utility bills just by making this switch.
2. Disconnect Your LAND Line
If everyone in the house has a cell phone, do you really need that home LAN line? That’s an easy $15 to $30 a month you can immediately put towards your debt payments
3. Buy Generic Products
Is “Kleenex” really that much better than “Generic Tissue?” Is “Kellogg’s” better than “Cornflakes?” Is “Colgate” better than “Toothpaste?”Instead of buying branded products, you can often save as much as half of a product’s costs by buying generic brand products. If you make it a habit to just buy generic products, you can easily save $200 or more a month that can go straight towards lowering your debt payments.
4. Saving on Drinks
If you drink coffee, instead of spending that $3 to $4 on Starbucks, why not just make your own? Your coffee will cost perhaps $0.50 per cup instead.
If you drink soda regularly, avoid the vending machines. Instead, buy your cola in bulk from the supermarkets. This can cut your costs by as much as half to a third.
5. Make One Shopping Trip a Week
Most people make two or three shopping trips a week. That can easily be cut down into just one trip, however.Have the whole family keep a shopping list. Have it posted on the fridge so everyone can just add anything they need from the store. Once a week, buy everything that’s on the list.This helps save a lot of money on gas. It also prevents things from piling up, especially perishable items. Finally, it saves time.
These are just a few of the many ways you can cut your costs to raise more money that can go towards paying off your debts. Remember that every dollar you save and put towards paying off debts is money multiplied. Applying just one or two of these techniques could make the difference between financial difficulty and smoothly paying off your debts.