Budgeting tips

• If you don’t need it, don’t buy it, especially if you are in debt or your completed budget sheet shows you require spending restraint. Know where you spend your money.
• For personnel use, have only one credit card, with the aim to pay it off in full each month. Credit cards have annual fees.
• Say no to offered increases in your credit limit.
• Store cards have the same effect as credit cards, should you feel you require a store card use your credit card instead.
• Reduce your bank charges, after transactions or updating your bank books, check the bank fees, if you have more than one account that is not budget related, consider rolling all accounts into one. A little bit of time may save a lot.
• Unless you are aware of fees and charges, try not to use other banks ATM machines, as their charges may be much higher than your own banks.
• Try to limit the withdrawals from the ATM, check your bank statements, which will verify the cost of these transactions.  
• Take your own lunch to work, when you practice this there is huge savings, plus the possibility of a healthier life style.
• Try and do your shopping once a week as additional weekly shopping may result with additional unnecessary items.
• Cook your own meals, or try and limit the amount of purchased restaurant or take away meals.
• Do not waste power.  Make the effort to save power. Turn off ... appliances when not in use, unnecessary lights, heating or cooling devices. Minimise the use of dishwashers and clothes dryers. If you have kept previous electricity bills, monitor the variation of the amounts from month to month.
• Mobile phones recharged at home add approximately $80.00 per annum to the power bill
•  Digital clocks on DVD’s/VCR’s for every 24 hours use the same amount of electricity that is used if the machine was operating for a 2 hour period.    
• Dripping or leaking taps should be fixed.
• Unless you require a mobile phone, do not use it, it is a fashion accessory, most home phones have message banks, there is usually no phone call that important that you have to make or receive that cannot wait until you get home.  
• Should you receive a tax return or be given an additional amount of money, resist the urge to waste this money ... pay off your short term debts and live well for le$$.