Three More Ways to Cut Spending Without Pain

Cutting spending doesn't have to be painful. It doesn't necessarily mean that we have to do without the things we want. There are plenty of places in our everyday lives where just being smart and careful will yield up some extra dollars.

I found another good article that looks at ways to save money now. Some of the following information was referenced from the August Consumer Reports magazine.

1. Cheaper Auto Insurance. Most people tend to stay with their car insurer for a long time, but they could be missing out on saving hundreds by shopping around once and a while. To find a better plan, start with the National Association of Insurance Commissioner's, www.naic.org, then click on NAIC States and Jurisdictions to find your state's insurance department. Here you can find comparative premium quotes based on standard customer profiles. Other sites to check where you can compare premiums include www.insweb.com and www.insurance.com

2. Cut your Credit Card balance. If you have a credit card balance, you're paying annual interest charges all the time. For example, a balance of $2,200 on which you pay 15.2% interest, means you are paying $28 per month. Eliminate that balance, and you'll save $336 a year. Of course, eliminating your balance is not easy, but here are the two most effective ways to tackle high interest charges:
a) Start paying more than the minimum immediately. A good rule of thumb is to pay at least double the minimum payment.
b) Take advantage of attractive balance transfer credit cards. To compare the best current balance transfer cards, some with 0% interest rate, check out www.CreditCardsPlus.com.

3. Be smart about buying food. According to the Department of Agriculture, the average family of four can cut down its grocery bill by $190 a month by shifting to a lower-cost mix of foods. That's a lot of money to save just by changing food-buying habits. You can adjust your habits by planning menus around sales on fresh poultry, fish, meat, dairy, and produce, and by making use of leftovers. Avoid costly prepared foods. And start shopping in lower-cost stores: Costco, Trader Joe's and Wal-Mart, to name a few.