Cut your expenses by following the tips below to add to your
debt management plan:
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Buy store brand cereals. If you go through one box a week, you'll save $100 a
year.
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Clip coupons for brands you already use.
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Pump your own gas and use the lowest octane.
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Brown bag it for lunch. For what you pay to eat out, you can pack a week's worth
of sandwiches and fruit.
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Shop only the sales or clearance racks when shopping for clothes.
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Haunt garage sales for items like lawn furniture, CDs and kid's clothes and toys.
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Go through your magazines and cancel subscriptions to any you don't read
faithfully. Be honest and keep only those you really love.
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Consider going to just the Sunday edition instead of the daily paper.
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Move from Premium to Basic Cable, especially if you're too busy to watch it all
that often.
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Go to matinee movies or theaters that show "second runs" that have been out for
a few months. These are less expensive.
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Eat out half as often as you do now.
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Shop around for the best phone rates and make the switch to the best deal on
both your landline and your cell phone.
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Carpool to work.
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Develop a "trade-off" for activities like baby-sitting with friends. Every other
week, watch each other's kids instead of paying a babysitter when you go out.
You both save money this way.
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Join a warehouse club to save on everything from electronics to groceries.
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Never, ever buy anything expensive without sleeping on it first. Most of the
time, you'll discover you don't want it as much as you thought you did.
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Stop using the vending machine at work. Instead, stock up on cans of pop from
home or take a thermos of iced tea to the office.
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Give home-baked or homemade gifts to neighbors and friends in place of expensive
store-bought presents at the holidays or birthdays. They'll love the personal
touch and you'll save money.
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Serve two dinners each week that are meatless, such as pasta, soup or a nice
salad with bread.
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Buy breads and snack cakes at a local bakery thrift store and freeze it, taking
it out as you need it.
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Buy meat in bulk for savings, then divide and freeze in smaller portions at home.
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Get a library card. You can check out not only recent best-sellers, but also CD's,
books on tapes and movies for free.
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Wash clothes in cool or cold water and wash only full loads.
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Only use ATM's that are at a branch of your own bank. Some ATM's now charge a
fee of up to $4.00 for every transaction.
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Barter. If you're tired of some of your jewelry, get together with friends some
afternoon over snacks and have a jewelry "swap meet."
If you need more ways to cut expenses for your debt management plan, visit
Lower My Bills.