How to Keep More Cash in Your Pocket!

We've been blogging about ways to cut expenses, save money, reduce your spending and ways to be more frugal and have some more suggestions that your could incorporate into your life. You can never cut your expenses too much!

1. Quit playing the lottery! You may as well put your money into a fireplace and light it up! The odds of hitting it BIG are slim. You could use this opportunity to make a lottery fund and instead of buying the tickets you normally would, put the money away. After a while you HAVE won the lottery; a personal goals lottery plus you'll have some cash set aside too!
2. Make sure that you are getting ALL of the tax credits which you are entitled to. An accountant can help you to determine what tax credits you may be eligible for. There's credits for disabled persons, people with children, moving credits and many more. If you qualify for a credit it could easily offset the cost of paying for the accountant's advice.
3. Get a NO FEE chequing account with PC Financial. I generate very few dollars each month in fees for my checquing account at a mere $4.00 through RBC but some of my friends pay as much as $10-$20 per month with all fees combined. So signing up for PC Financial's NO COST chequing account could save you somewhere is the range of $48 to $240 per year.
4. When searching for a job, look for employers who offer not only a benefit plan but ones offering a pension plan too! This is a great way to start a base savings for retirement. Remember, you will also need to continue with your own retirement savings program to ensure a comfortable old age.
5. Make certain that your utility and other monthly bills are paid on time each and every month. The interest charges add up quickly and once you fall into a pattern of paying late it's harder to revert back causing you extra fees each month.
6. If you celebrate Christmas, buy an artificial tree to save the recurring costs of buying a fresh Christmas tree each year. The best time to buy is at the end of the season to take advantage of ticket price slashes for out of season items.
7. If you have kids, ask if they are entitled to a discount when you are out at restaurants and other entertainament venues. Many places offer discounts to kids under a certain age.
8. If you are mature adult or senior, you could be entitled to senior discounts at a number of places you already deal with. Check with your bank, insurance company, restaurants you eat at, entertainment venues and any other place you may spend money.
9. Take advantage of the various FREE entertainment available. Concerts and music events, Easter Egg Hunts, Museums, swimming, skating, guided walking tours, historic sites, movie screenings, bridal shows, library events and much more.
10. Plan for and pre-pay your funeral and cremation expenses. I know, I didn't suggest burial because it is more costly and will require regular maintenance costs to upkeep a grave site. Cremation will save you and/or your loved ones money all the way around. Pre-paying can significantly reduce the costs if you buy while you are financialy stable and when a contract is drawn up with a reputable funeral home stipulating that no additional costs will ever be incurred.

Are you already incorporating any of these ideas in your life right now? Do you have any suggestions to help reduce expenses and keep the money in your own pocket? Please leave your comments, we would like to hear how you cut corners and save your hard earned bucks!