New year - new financial tips to help you save!

It’s a new year, which means it’s a great time to review your current finances and determine ways that you can either start saving, or ways that you can save even more money. Not good at sticking to New Year’s resolutions? No need to worry, just print this list so you can have it for easy reference. Even if you only make a few of the changes or take a couple of the action steps, your savings can start to grow. Let’s get started so you can start saving!

1. Make a budget - use an app on your phone, a spreadsheet, a software program, etc. - whatever works for your lifestyle.

2. If you don’t have a savings account, open one.

3. Pay yourself first - before you spend any money on bills or other obligations, put at least a few dollars into your savings account. Consider this a priority.

4. Review your bills to see if you can save on interest, fees, or other types of money being charged to you.

5. Call your utility companies and other places you pay money to and see if you can negotiate a lower bill for the service.

6. Sell unused or unwanted belongings to earn extra cash.

7. Make more money by freelancing online and use this extra money to pay down expenses.

8. Start shopping secondhand to save money on clothing and household items.

9. Spend more time outside during the hot summer months and don’t use as much air conditioning at home while you’re out to save money.

10. If you find that you’re overwhelmed with debt, consider talking to one of our debt specialists about your 2018 debt management plan.

While using all 10 steps can help improve your chances of saving, again, using a few to start off with and building up from there can help you slowly ease into saving. Financial habits can be hard to break, but by following a few simple tips, you can start developing good habits and say so long to the bad habits!