Thursday, April 23, 2009

Get Going in the Tough Times

There’s a saying, oft repeated in the military services, which says that when the going gets tough, it’s the tough who get going. Considering the current economic scenario, this could not have been more relevant. Therefore, considering the tough times, it is probably time that you toughen yourself, and save money for times ahead, which could be even worse.

None of the initiatives is in fact too big or too difficult. All that they require is a certain amount of determination along with dollops of self-discipline. Together, both these aspects should definitively ensure that you sail through the financial imbroglio, unscathed.

Take for instance, the daily newspaper. I am sure you could do without it; if you really need to read it, you could always go online and read the version there! Perhaps, you could restrict yourself to the Sunday edition only, which in fact often contains numerous discount coupons and offers; if you avail them, even your one day’s newspaper would be free! Do the math for all the copies that you forego on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis, and will see that you would already have saved thousands of dollars! Not too tough, eh?

Although gas prices have seen record levels in recent times, off late the prices have come down, rather unpredictably. Yet, having said that, gas prices differ across stations. Maybe not by much, but if you add up the gallons, the consolidated impact is in fact quite a bit. So, before you embark on your next gas-filling trip, make sure you do some homework. Research the stations and see where the cheapest gas is offered. You could also look up online resources that will offer you a comparative tabulation of gas prices in your area.

Taxes are an area that offers numerous saving avenues that we often overlook. For instance, till a few years back, I would simply file my taxes with my accountant and forget about the whole process. It was only at the behest of one of my close friends that I took a closer look at my accounts and saw that I had not been availing exemptions and rebates that I was entitled to…in other words, I was gifting money to the government, which it now owed me! Of course, I fired my accountant…

If you are a smoker and have been considering quitting for a long time, now is probably the best time to do so; after all, not only will you do your health a world of good, you will save a lot of money in the process too. After all, calculations have shown that smokers, over the span of their smoking tenure, spend tens and thousands of dollars, first on the cigarettes themselves, and then a multiplier of that figure on health related complications caused by smoking. Giving up smoking will ensure that you not only live long, you also live happy and well. Do you still need more reasons to kick the butt?

Now, do you consider it easier to get going in these tough times?

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