Saving money is the reality show of the moment. This new reality that is part of our world now make us do all the efforts to buy cheap, avoid unnecessary products, save energy, gas and water. We have to be prepared for the future, there are houses to pay, cars to be bought, kids need to have a steady future school program and we, the parents, are responsible to make all that we can to provide a good future to our kids and ourselves.

There are several ways to save money. Usually our fist thought is saving a percentage of our monthly but sometimes that’s not possible because the paycheck isn’t enough for the monthly bills, so how we can save when we don’t have enough?

Now here come some measures we can taken:

Start at our own Home

Saving money should be part of our way of life to make it most effective. It is best that the effort to save be shared by everyone in the family, even the younger members of the family.

Little Efforts

I work far away from home and on the way I have to leave my two kids in school so I can’t imagine my life without a car. Walking would be great if we were closer to work and school. Riding the bike would be a healthy alternative but with two kids it’s impossible. Sharing a car with friends and neighbors seems a great opportunity to save a few bucks but again it’s not possible. We all live and work in different parts of the city and there is no middle term.

Avoid the little temptations that may come my way. It is naturally fine to reward myself after a hard work every now and then, but staying away from splurging is the best .

Use Less and Save Energy

Electricity - I’m already used to turn off appliances that are not being used. Turning the Tv off is a little difficult, with so make channels available we always find a great program to watch.  The refrigerator is a struggle for me because the kids tend to open it an stare at the interior trying to decide what they want to eat. Energy saving bulbs are already being used in most rooms. They had an initial investment that I’m sure will be regained very soon. Sometimes they are offered as packages for the whole house and at sale prices.

Water - Avoid long showers – this one is difficult for me, the shower is the only moment I rarely have to relax a little and a few extra minutes are spent under water but I always try to be as fast as I can. My son loves to take a long shower so everyday it is a struggle to get him out of the running water. Don’t leaving the water running when brushing our teeth is something that I already educated my kids to do. We can save a few liters of water if the faucet is off.

Phone – My phone provider has a saving plan where we pay the same amount of money to every other providers. It’s really great. I don’t do long distance calls so I don’t have a special plan for it.

Gas - I have a membership benefits with one station. I usually fill up the tank when the prices go low and use all the advantages from the membership. Not having air conditioning in the car makes me save gas. I usually take advantage of open windows.

Small gestures can make a big difference when choosing to save money and the world.

You might be also interested in reading:

• Money Saving Tips
• My tax refund arrived and is gone already
• Why Your Family Needs a Budget
• Reducing expenses and so far we are doing well
• Counting Pennies