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[5PM CUTTING YOUR BUDGET]

* Video: Look For Specials, Plan Ahead To Save Money



Trimming Budget May Be Easier Than You Think
Look For Specials, Plan Ahead To Save Money
Reported by Michelle Hopkins // E-mail

POSTED: 7:01 pm EDT October 8, 2008

CINCINNATI -- It’s becoming harder and harder to make ends meet, but it may be easier to trim your budget than you think.

Coupon queen Heather Tenney knows about trimming the fat from family budgets, and she recommends looking for specials and planning ahead.

“Stores know that shoppers who walk in and wander up and down aisles looking for what looks good, they spend 40 percent more,” Tenney said.

Making a monthly menu can save $50 per month, Tenney said, and changing driving habits can save even more.

“Most of us sit and idle at stop lights and at the drive-through,” she said.

Driving slower can help, too, because speeds over 65 mph reduce gas mileage by about 10 cents per gallon.

Cutting back on dining out can also save money, and so does looking for discounts at restaurant.com.

Tenney recommended trimming little-used features, such as call-forwarding and three-way calling, from your cell phone service.

“Can you switch to something like Time Warner, Insight or Vonage?” Tenney said. “We saved $20 a month right there by switching to an Internet phone.”

Eliminating some movie channels can save $15 or more from your monthly cable bill, and shopping around for a new service provider can save additional money.

“It costs twice as much to get a new customer as it does to keep one, so they're going to try to keep you and reduce your rate,” Tenney said.

Unplugging home electronics can lead to substantial savings, because 75 percent of all home energy consumption comes from devices that are turned off but plugged in, such as cell phone chargers, coffee makers, lamps and televisions.

Even when turned off, Tenney said these devices can draw on energy usage by as much as 40 percent.

Lowering your thermostat by 2 degrees can save 10 percent on heating and cooling bills, Tenney said.

Turning down the temperature on your hot-water heater can also save money, and so does switching from traditional light bulbs to energy-efficient CFL bulbs.

Previous Stories:

* July 31, 2008: Mom Uses Coupons To Save Big -- Really Big
* July 31, 2008: Coupon Sites From The 'Coupon Queen'

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