The first step in reducing your living expenses is to make a budget. This might seem obvious but you would be surprised at how many people have no idea of their spending patterns. I know - until recently I was living in blissful ignorance of where our monthly paycheque was going and wondered why my husband would tell me toward the end of the month not to spend any more on groceries or we would be overdrawn. I couldn't understand how we could have blown our monthly income as my husband was earing a very good salary and we didn't live an extravagant lifestyle.

So I asked my husband to go over all our expenses and only then did I realize how easily the money seems to disappear. But there are many ways that you can reduce some of the bills and find ways to keep your money in your wallet or bank account. First, go through everything and decide what you can live without or cut down on.

Here are some tips to help cut your expenditures:

1. Instead of eating out once a week eat out once a fortnight or once a month.
2. If you have your clothes dry-cleaned regularly this can add up to a hefty sum. We were spending $30 a week on shirts and pants. You can cut down by buying clothes that don't require dry cleaning and washing them yourself.
3. Instead of using the dryer cycle, hang your clothes out to dry (at least in the summer months).
4. SOS - Switch off Something. Turn the lights off in rooms you are not using, and close heating vents or turn off radiators in unused rooms.
5. Use ceiling fans or portable fans when possible instead of costly air conditioning, and switch them off when you are not in the room.
6. Buy a portable room-sized air conditioner rather than air conditioning the whole house.
7. Switch to boilers that heat the water as it is being used rather than storing the hot water in tanks and using energy to keep the water hot.
8. Only use your dishwasher when it is full, and use an economy setting.
9. Use front load washing machines - they are more energy efficient and adjust their water levels for small loads. They also wash better.
10. Pay off credit card bills as soon as they come to avoid paying interest.
11. Cancel any newspapers that don't get read or use the library. The same goes for magazine subscriptions.
12. Instead of buying the latest hardcover novel wait for it to come out in paperback, or borrow it from your local library.
13. Only use credit cards where you can collect reward points for things like travel

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Where you can cut down on living expenses?
We want to hear your view. Write now!