Money is tight for practically everyone in today’s economy. Bills and credit card debt don’t go away, even if you can’t pay them, so we’ve all go to look for ways to save and cut costs where we can. I’d like to share a few tips for cutting costs around the house that you may not have considered.

1. Cancel your cable service. Yes, I know this is drastic and that True Blood is kind of important to see. But, you can save $100 or more simply by cutting out that monthly bill. Almost everything you want to see is on Hulu or Netflix now, anyway. We cancelled our cable a few years ago and didn’t miss it for the six months we went without it. But then True Blood came back on and I couldn’t manage to live without Alexander Skarsgard.
2. Lower your cell phone plan. If you’re like me, you probably never use all of your minutes anyway, so taking it down a notch won’t kill you. If you’re already at the lowest minute plan, start looking at the add-ons. Do you need unlimited texts? Unlimited data? Unlimited everything? I bet if you really look, there is something you can shave off of that bill.
3. Stop eating out! I know, it’s obvious, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. When I did a budget analysis on my own budget, I found that I was spending 40% of my money on eating out. WOW! Isn’t that insane? Hundreds of dollars every month going toward restaurants. If you want to avoid consumer credit debt, this is a great place to start. Make your lunches at home to take to work, it’s that simple!
4. Stay home! You don’t have to stay home all the time, but just staying in costs a heck of a lot less than going to the movies every other weekend, right? When you factor in the babysitter, movie, dinner, tips, parking and everything else that comes with a night out, maybe dinner and a movie at home doesn’t sound so bad after all.
5. Turn down the heat. Your house doesn’t not need to be at 72 degrees at all times. As a matter of fact, lowering your thermostat just a few degrees during the day when you’re not home can save you a pretty penny. Put on a sweater or something if you have to, but keep that thermostat set just a little lower during the winter and a little higher during the summer to save yourself some real cash.

These are simple tips that will help you save money by doing little things around the house. Cutting costs can help you avoid falling too far behind with your bills. But there are good options out there if you need a little extra help with bill consolidation.

(Image above by Svilen Milev [stock.xchng])