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8 Ways to Save $100 in a Week

8 Ways to Save $100 in a Week

When trying to save money it helps to take baby steps. Many consumers find it difficult to save $50 a month let alone $100 in a week. Unexpected expenses like an auto repair or a new after school activity for your kids not only immediately empties an emergency fund but also makes it difficult to start saving again. Instead of thinking that you need to save $1,000 with drastic spending cuts, start with the basics by evaluating your current money use and working with what you have.

1. Negotiate Your Bills

Every business on the planet knows it cost more money to obtain new customers than to keep current customers happy. If you've been a good customer, you'll have a better position when trying to negotiate better terms. An existing installment loan or credit card, phone service, cable and Internet service and any other business who wants to keep getting your money will normally work with you.

2. Sell Your Possessions

We are a country which loves to buy stuff and in a consumer driven economy that's not necessarily a bad thing. It does however mean that we accumulate a lot of possessions over the years which wind up collecting dust and not getting used very often. Have a garage sale or two and you may be surprised at how much money you can make in a few days sitting in your driveway.

3. Don't Pay for Extras

There are certain services many households have such as telephone and cable which contain additional costs that are slid onto the monthly bill. Look at your bills closely and determine whether or not you need these additional services. One dollar here and two dollars their adds up and can easily equal $100 a month or $25 per week.

4. Track Your Spending

It's difficult determine what wasteful spending to cut if you don't know where your money is going every month. While creating a household budget is the best solution to saving money, at a minimum track your purchases so you have an idea of how your money is being used. You may immediately find that eating out every day or buying a latte every morning is more than $100 each week.

5. Borrow Instead of Buy

Instead of purchasing sports gear or lawn equipment, consider borrowing these items from a friend, relative or neighbor. Depending on what you're trying to do, it may make more sense renting expensive equipment from specialty shops. You'll probably find someone somewhere has already purchased what you need saving you the cost of buying it yourself.

6. Clean out the Pantry

How many times have you looked in the refrigerator or pantry and said to yourself there's nothing to eat? More often than not it's not a lack of food but of ideas on how to use what you already have. Get creative and force yourself to clean out your pantry all the while lowering your food costs. You may find a number of delicious items and meals waiting to be eaten if you put your mind to it.

7. Take Your Lunch to Work

Once you start cleaning out the pantry and refrigerator you'll have more meals than you know what to do with. If they tasted great the night before then consider taking them to work as leftovers. Eating out can be incredibly expensive at $15 a pop which is easily $100 a week for most employees.

8. Entertainment Alternatives

Entertainment doesn't always have to revolve around going to the movies or even spending money. Go old school and try spending more time with friends and family by having barbecues, potlucks and a weekly game night. Not only do you save money but you get to spend more quality time with people you care about.

Image by: Jessica Lucia