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Several days ago, Trent at The Simple Dollar wrote a blog post on 12 Little Hacks That Add Up To A Lot. What other ideas could change your financial or personal life?
One small thing I’ve done recently is stop putting sugar in my coffee. Since I drink 3 or 4 cups per day with 2+ teaspoons of sugar in each, I’ve cut my daily calorie intake by 200+ calories per day. The difference is that I’ve lost 10 pounds just since Jan 1st, with no other significant lifestyle changes whatsoever. One simple change CAN make a big difference.
What else can you and I change? I’m talking small changes, nothing earth shattering.
Could you spend 10 minutes making a grocery list and clipping a few Internet coupons? Study after study shows that those shopping with a list spend less. Could you give it a shot? What if you saved only $3 per week? Would another $150 make a difference to you this year?
How about gathering up all the unused stuff that’s in your basement/garage/attic and selling it on Ebay? After all, you aren’t using it and someone might pay you for it. Come to think of it, I have an old laptop I need to sell.
What if you took the time to wash your hands 2 more times per day? You would significantly reduce your chances of getting a cold or the flu and would cut down on the risk of spreading it to your family. How much does a visit to the pediatrician wind up costing you?
Why not take a few minutes and tell your spouse that you love him or her? Throw in a gentle massage or neck rub (expect nothing in return). They say that love is grand and divorce is 50 grand, so this simple act every couple of days could wind up saving you a lot in the long run.
What if you set your alarm clock to go off just 30 minutes earlier? Assuming you actually got up, you would pick up three and a half hours per week, that’s seven and a half 24 hour days per year. Could you use an extra week to get things done? Here’s how one man did it. What could you accomplish with another week in the year?
Could you check to see if your insurance company has raised rates faster that their competitor? Just because you’ve been with one company for ages doesn’t mean that you have to stay there until the end of time. Check your car insurance rates, your homeowners insurance rates, your spouse’s medical insurance rates (compared to your company’s rates). If you can get comparable coverage at a better price, why not?
If you carry a balance on your credit card, ask for a rate reduction (Trent covered this one). If you cannot get a significantly better rate, move to another company. Check out some of your options at My Money Blog.
Making significant improvements doesn’t have to be a huge task. Many times, more often than not, you can make significant changes to your life and your financial picture by doing the “little things.”If you have a little thing that can make a big difference, leave a comment. I would love to hear it.
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I am one of those that makes “I need this” lists. I have been doing this faithfully for many years. Mainly because I would forget items we needed. Those items I just cannot keep in my brain. Such as AA batteries, super glue, powdered sugar or wax paper.
And I don’t veer off this list very often, unless it’s something I forgot to put on the list. I just keep it handy, on the counter, and it sure makes my life more simple. And less costly.
Another small thing I did, was picking up every night after my children went to bed. My children picked up their own items, as they headed to their rooms, but I straightened, or put away everything else. Everything had it’s place. And it was in it’s place!!! Not on the floor or furniture. Things did not get lost this way. Very simple. This little step made my home neat and tidy for the next day. It also made my own life soooooo much less stressful. Stress levels in homes are diminished considerably when there aren’t arguments about, “where is my ………..”.
For a lot of people this is a discipline in itself.
Just having the gumption to do it. Making a decision to do it…..then actually carrying it out! Doing exercises like this helps me in that direction.
Thank you for this reminder today.
BTW…HAPPY BIRTHDAY Saturday!!!
Another idea that I use at work is to take advantage of the free moments in the day to knock things off my to-do list. It is easy to waste the 15 minutes before lunch or going home doing something unimportant, but I find that these are excellent times to get one more thing done. It helps me leave on a positive note!
Thanks for the great ideas. We need to incorporate those into our lives. I use most of these ideas at work but at home, that’s a different matter
@ Jeff
The 15 minutes idea is valuable. I’ve noticed that the boss seems to leave for lunch just a little early. THAT gives me a chance to get just a few more things done. Hehehe
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