Now that we all have made–and broken–our New Year’s resolutions, it’s time to get real about our finances. Although the US has been recovering from the 2008 recession under Obama, recent studies have shown that Americans are still broke.
Now, to add insult to economic injury, food prices are increasing, especially fresh produce. (I live in Canada, and, due in part to our worthless dollar, grocery store prices are even higher!)
Here are some charts to help you save money in the new year.
1. Save Money In Your Household Budget
2. Save Money At The Pump
Although gas prices are low, you may be wasting money by using more fuel than necessary.
3. Save Money On Food
Now that you have made your budget and have done your grocery shopping, make the most of the food you buy. Since food is usually the biggest part of a family’s economy, preventing food from going bad will go a long way toward reaching your financial goals.
4. Save Money By Freezing Food
Freezing perishables allows you to buy in bulk from club warehouses, or from stocking up on stuff that’s on sale.
Best of all, becoming freezer-literate allows you to grow your own food, and eat it year-round! We went on a strawberry-picking blitz at a local farm last summer, and froze them all. Now, in the middle of winter, we eat fresh, delicious, local strawberries!
5. Save Money On Clothes And Drycleaning
Catch 22: You need to work to make money. You need good-quality clothes to work. You need money to buy good-quality clothes. And a cup of coffee or a glass of wine can end it all. Amirite?
Stretch your clothing (and drycleaning) budget farther by picking up some simple fabric-cleaning tricks.
6. Save Money On Travel
You’ve saved your pennies. You’ve kept your food from spoiling. You’ve saved up some money for travel. Here’s how to make flight sales work for you.
Now get out there and save those bucks!
H/t to Buzzfeed.
Featured image is by Pictures of Money, available under a Creative Commons 2.0 Attribution-Sharealike license.
