Money Saving Advice:
Creative Ways to Save Money

2. Tithe- In the book of Malachi the Lord said prove me now and see if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing you don't have room enough to receive. Honor God and He will honor you. Get a deeper understanding of tithing and how to do it properly.

3.Fast regularly- Talk about creative ways to save money?, this takes the cake. Fasting has spiritual, physical and practical benefits as well. Spiritually, fasting puts you in a position to hear God clearly by ridding your self of all the clutter from the world. Physically, fasting is a way of detoxing your system, which is something we should do regularly because of our poor eating habits. Practically, since fasting means you are going without food, that alone will save you a few dollars. This is our favorite of all the money saving tips because it has so many benefits. Learn about the different kinds of fasts, and how to fast properly.

4. Pray over your finances - There is power in prayer! Pray and ask God for wisdom concerning your finances. Pray before preparing a budget. Ask the Lord for his money saving advice. The Word of God says that if we lack wisdom we are to ask.

5. Give, Give, Give - How does giving save you money? Well, remember we said earlier that the Kingdom of God has its own system. Well that system is based on the law of giving and receiving. This means when you give, more will be given to you. It's called the law of reciprocity. So don't stop being generous, keep helping others. See Luke 6:38

6. Read More - Perhaps one of the least popular of our tips for saving money. But do you realize the amount of hours and electricity you may be wasting just sitting in front of the television? Turn off the television and pick up a book instead. Hmmm, why not start with the Bible?

7. Clip Coupons and Use Them - Okay, this is a good one if you can remember to bring the coupons with you to the store. Some local grocers offer double coupons! Doing this could save you a substantial amount of money on your grocery bill.

8. Create a Budget- Creating and sticking to a budget will save you money because it will eliminate impulse purchases. Get help creating a household budget.

9. Pay off Debt - Does this sounds like an oxymoron? How can you pay off debt and save money? But listen,if you develop a systematic plan for paying off your debts, it would free up additional money for your household.

10. Start a business - what are you passionate about? What gifts has God given you? The answers to those two questions could lead you to a terrific business venture that over time could be another stream of income for your family.

11. Give each spouse an allowance - This may be your favorite of all the ideas for saving money we'll give you! We're giving you permission to spend money! Why?

Because you deserve to buy yourself something new from time to time. It's no fun working from week to week only to have all of your money go to pay bills. How does that save money? By giving each spouse an allowance it eliminates the likely hood of either partner spending money that's not in the budget.

12. Track your spending - Track your spending by saving the receipts for all of your purchases. This will allow you to see where money is possibly being wasted.

13. Take a brown bag lunch - Instead of buying your lunch every day, bring a sandwich or left overs from the night before. When you consider the average person probably spends about $6 dollars on lunch, this advice could save you $120 dollars monthly.

14. Consolidate phone lines - instead of paying for both a cell phone and a home phone, why not use your cell phone as your home phone and eliminate the additional monthly bill.

15.Fill up your gas tank in the morning rather than the evening - We haven't tested this one but the theory is this; because gas expands when exposed to heat, by filling your tank in the morning when the temperature is cooler, you will get more gas for your money versus filling up mid day when the temperature is hottest. Some have tried this and they say it actually works. Try it and let us know.

16. Make a house hold meal plan - Create a 30 day meal plan for your family. When grocery shopping, use the menu to make your grocery list. Trust me, doing this will save you money at check out.

17. Get part-time work - If you have the extra time, why not get a part-time job doing something you enjoy. The employee discounts could really come in handy.

18. Cancel cable or satellite stations you don't watch - Review your cable or satellite plan and eliminate any stations that you and your family don't watch.

19. Eat less meat - Eating less meat is healthier for your body and will reduce your grocery bill. If you take a look at your grocery receipt you'll see that meats are among the priciest of all your purchases.

20. Buy off brand products - When you go grocery shopping buy off brand products instead of the more expensive name brand products.

21. Buy a smaller house - If your financial situation has changed as it has for many people, you might consider selling your current home and moving into a smaller one. You may even consider moving into an apartment. Use this time, to get your finances back in order and make another home purchase when both you and the market have recovered.

22. Get rid of cell phone services you don't use- Review your cell phone plan and eliminate services you either don't use or hardly use.

23. Car pool - Share a ride and the expense of gas with a co-worker who lives close by.

24. Go back to school and learn a new skill - Many people have lost jobs recently because of the changes in the economy. If that has happened to you, now is a good time to go back to school and learn a new skill. This is money saving advice that could pay off big in the future.

25. Buy second hand items - Have you been inside your local consignment shop, Goodwill, or other second hand store lately? I must tell you there's a lot of hidden treasures to be found! You can even find new and designer items at prices that are next to nothing.

26. Cancel magazine subscriptions - Instead go to your local library. You'll be surprised at the variety of reading material they have on hand. Why I bet they have books that can give you even more money saving advice.

27. Cancel unused gym memberships - If getting into shape was your New Year's resolution, that was an excellent idea! But if you joined a health club and are now not using it, than you are wasting your money. Cancel your membership and take up walking or jogging instead.

28.Only buy necessities - Simply put, if you don't need it, don't buy it.

29. Install a programmable thermostat - They say these can save you up to 20% on your electric bill. You can program it to turn off when you're away from home, set it to come on before you arrive, and automatically change temperatures before you go to bed. We have one, and we really enjoy it.

30. Plant a garden and grow fruits and veggies - This won't save you a ton of money but it is healthy and it will save you a few dollars. You can plant an indoor herb garden, an outdoor vegetable garden, or both.

31. Drink more water - If you eliminated soda pop and coffee from your diet not only would you save money, but your kidneys would thank you.

32. Budget billing for utilities - Call your local utility companies and ask if they have a program called budget billing. Go a step further and ask them for suggestions on how to save money on your bill.

33. Stop paying for directory assistance calls from your home phone - Use 1-800-FREE-411

34. Stop using credit cards - If you don't have the cash to purchase it, then don't buy it!

35. Shop in bulk - We have Costco memberships and find that we save money when we purchase certain items in bulk. Plus Costco offers an annual rebate based on how much you spend during the year. We receive about $40-$50 back every year.

36. Walk more - Instead of taking the car, walk to those places that are in walking distance.

37. Shop off season - The end of a season is the time you'll find some great bargains. For instance, at the end of the Summer purchase your Summer items for the following year.

38. Yard Sales - Like they say "One man's junk is another man's treasure". One Summer we made nearly $300 in just one afternoon! If you don't think you have enough stuff to sell, take another look, I'll bet you do ;-)

39. E-Sales - Have you heard about Craig's List? It's a free on-line classified site that allows you to sell items at no charge. We've sold a lot of furniture this way. You could turn this into a business.

40. Shampoo your own carpets - Instead of paying hundreds of dollars to have your carpets professionally cleaned, do it yourself. You can go to your local super market and rent a carpet cleaner for about $40 bucks.

41. Call your credit card company and ask for a lower rate - A little known fact is that many credit card companies will give you a lower interest rate if you just call them and ask for it.

42.Consolidate insurance with one carrier - Most insurance companies offer discounts if you place all your accounts with them. For instance, allow one insurance provider to service your home insurance/renter's insurance, car insurance, and life insurance. Ask for the discount.

43. Call your auto insurance provider and ask about discounts - There are discounts available for having a good driving record, there are discounts available for taking a defensive driving class, there are discounts available for some college alumni. Call and ask.

44. Wash your own car - You can do this as a family activity. The kids will love it!

45. Change the oil on your car yourself - Okay ladies maybe you can't do this but your husband certainly can.

46. Make your own household cleaners- Hey your grandparents did it why can't you? Vinegar and water for windows, baking soda for cleaning drains and removing stains.

47. When buying a car buy used not new - Unfortunately, the value on your new car will diminish as soon as you drive it off of the lot. Not only that, but you will find it easier to negotiate a deal on a used car compared to a new vehicle.

48. Bargain shop - This means only purchase items that are on sale. This will require you to devote a little time each week checking out the advertised sales in the paper.

49. Only run the dishwasher when it's full - this will save you money on your water bill.

50.Don't allow your automobile gas needle to go pass empty - Your car has a reserve tank of about 15-25 miles. When your gas needle goes pass empty you are then using your reserve gas. When you do this you will find it takes more to fill up your tank.