Sure, you can cut down on trips to the mall as a nice passive way to curb spending, but too often the stores come to us in the form of glossy catalogs. For every 10 catalogs I throw away, there's one that catches my eye with something I don't really need. Now you can simply delete the temptation by going to Catalog Choice. There, once you register, you simply click on the catalog you want to delete (they're listed alphabetically), plug in your customer number, and hit delete. I went through a pile of 10 glossies yesterday in 15 minutes and then stuck them in the circular file. Very satisfying.
Easy online tracking of your spending
Here's some info on taking the first steps towards getting a grip on current spending. This 10/3 NY Times "Your Money" column gives quick nods to Quicken and Wesabe's online financial tracking systems before focusing on Mint.com's easy-to-use pie charts. Writer Ron Lieber quickly figured out he was spending too much on dining out compared to eating in (and compared to other people like him). By tweaking some Mint numbers Ron was able to figure out a more livable ratio. Earlier this year I got distracted from filling out the lengthy Quicken info forms, but this has fired me up to go back at it.
8 ways to cut your grocery bill
Sample tip from SmartMoney.com's smart list of 8+ tips:
“Shop on Sundays. It's the best day to buy groceries. Armed with the fresh batch of coupons from your Sunday newspaper and the weekly sales circular, you can maximize your savings. Consumers who combined the two reported saving an average $678 annually, according to a recent Consumer Reports survey.”Up ’til now, I’ve stayed away from the grocery store on Sundays (clueless dads and their kids take over the place) but maybe this makes venturing into the maw more worthwhile.
Laughing's better than crying
"As you know, the government takes 40 percent of what you make. The other 60 percent, of course, is taken by the gas stations." --Jay Leno
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