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Chapter 4: Cutting Spending and Boosting Income
Book I
Taking
Charge
of Your
Finances
plan ahead, eliminate impulse buying, and maybe rethink where you shop.
Consider these suggestions for how to look like a million dollars on the
cheap:
Shop only when you truly need clothes, not for fun or out of boredom.
At the end of each season, take inventory of the clothing items you need
to replace because they're worn out or because your kids have out-
grown them. Then take advantage of end-of-season sales.
Check out thrift shops, nearly-new stores, and yard sales. You'll likely
find some great deals.
Buy on sale whenever possible, and shop at discount stores like T.J.
Maxx, Target, Marshall's, and Kohl's.
If you have young children, make their clothes last longer by buying
them a little big. Then roll up the sleeves and pants bottoms, and
shorten the hems on skirts and dresses.
Swap clothes with friends or family members.
If you've got the time and the skills, make some of your own clothes.
Reducing your phone costs
Over the past decade or so, the amount of money you spend to stay in touch
has probably increased. Cell phones are ubiquitous, and phone companies
offer a plethora of extras that are nice but unnecessary. Therefore, reducing
the amount you spend on your phone service each month may not be much
of a challenge, and those reductions should have little or no real impact on
your lifestyle. You can implement some of these suggestions for staying in
touch for less:
Shop around for the best deal on phone service. If you're in the market
for a cell phone and service plan, Web sites like www·letstalk·com
and www·myrateplan·com can help you home in on your best options.
Cancel your landline and go with Internet-based phone service through
your cable company or a company like Vonage, SunRocket, or Skype.
Typically, you pay a flat fee of about $25 for unlimited domestic calls.
However, most of these companies require that you have high-speed
Internet access, and you may need to purchase a headset; before you
ditch your landline, put pencil to paper to be sure you'll save money.
Make sure your calling plan matches the way you use your phone. For
example, if you make a lot of in-state calls, your calling plan should have
a low intrastate rate; if you frequently call out of state, be sure your plan
