Let’s face it, the holidays can be one of the most stressful times of the year. Not only are most people busy coordinating plans with family and friends, but wallets are stretched for winter travel and presents. We here at MoneySaver.us thought we’d put-together some quick tips to help you save money over the coming month. There are essentially two different categories that we’ll look at, travel and gifts. Ready to start saving? Let’s get started!

Save Money On Holiday Travel

• Book flights and rental cars as early as possible to get the best rate
• Use discount travel websites like Expedia to get the lowest prices
• To maximize savings avoid the most popular destinations if you can
• Don’t fly – drive! You could save a fortune driving to a destination you’d normally fly to
• Use AirBnB rather than a hotel
• Find vacation house deals on Craiglist

Save Money On Holiday Gifts

• Buy gifts online at popular marketplaces like Amazon
• Take advantage of free shipping and no tax
• Looks for holiday savings and buy products that are on-sale
• Try buying personalized gifts at Personalization Mall
• Make your own gifts at home
• Use credit card reward points to buy gifts

If you just use one or two of the tips above 2011 could be the year you start saving money rather than spending it during the holidays. Last, but certainly not least is to make sure that you have a budget finalized before you spend a dime. Many people get-into financially challenging situations because they don’t budget properly. Set a firm maximum for yourself and make sure that you don’t exceed it. Don’t just spend money and wait until January to see how you did – this will almost certainly lead to disaster.

Enjoy the holiday, and love every minute you get to enjoy with friends and family. Remember it is the time together that matters not the amount of money you spent on gifts or travel. No go out there and be a good money saver – it’ll make you, and us, so proud!

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2011 is here and there is no better time to start planning for a year of financial success. If you want to save money in 2011 then you’ll want to keep up with this blog as we’ll be helping you save money all year long. To help get your new year started right I thought I would provide my list of the top five ways that I personally will be saving money in 2011. Feel free to post your own money-saving tips in the comment area!

1. Stop Using Credit Cards – If you really want to use plastic just stick to a charge card. If you don’t put any money on a credit card in 2011 you won’t get any more credit card debt. Seems simple but it’s probably the #1 place people are already starting to lose money this year.
2. Eat Out Less – This is an oldie but a goodie. Eating out and going out for drinks can be one of the biggest monthly that can be cut in half very easily. You could save hundreds of dollar a month just by eating out two nights less a week!
3. Make Coffee or Tea at Home – I did this last year and am continuing it into this year. I make tea at home rather than spending $5/day on coffee or tea from Starbucks. Many of my friends spend $150/month on coffee. I spend $30/month on a water cooler that gives me fresh spring water and instant hot water for tea.
4. Don’t Fly During Peak Times – You can save a small fortune by flying during less heavily traveled months. Rather than visiting your favorite vacation destination during Christmas why not do it a month earlier or later?
5. Cancel your expensive television package – I did it in 2010 and you can do it in 2011. I now pay $18/month for Netflix and Hulu Plus, everything I want to watch is on demand and my bill went down from over $200/month!

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With the holidays coming-up many people are booking flights, hotels, and rental cars. The Holiday travel madness begins with Thanksgiving and continues through New Years. This is when the travel industry makes a lot of their money and where you as a traveler can get some great deals – if you know where to look and what to look for.

The first rule of budget travel is to never buy an airline ticket, hotel room, or rental car from the corporate website. There are a zillion discount travel sites online that can usually get you a better deal.

So where should you start?

I’ve found the best place to start is with a discount travel site like Expedia. This will help you set a baseline for what you should expect. A site like Expedia will also help you save money by booking a flight, hotel, and/or rental car all together at the same time. This can sometimes save you up to 50% on all three which could mean hundreds of dollars or more for a full trip.

If you are a bit of a hotel snob but still want a good deal give Hotwire a try. They can oftentimes get a 4-star hotel for under $100. Hotwire definitely offers a lower price than Expedia but you’ll lose the savings of booking a flight and hotel together so you’ll need to pick the cheapest option.

Budget travel starts with how you get to the airport. If you’re taking a cab that could be an unnecessary expense, parking at the airport? That also might be expensive if you’re gone for more than a few days. Try to use a shuttle service or have a friend of family member drive you to the airport. This can easily save you $50 or more each way in most cases and that’s an extra $100 for your trip!

Remember, Budget Travel doesn’t mean staying in crappy hotels and sitting in a middle seat. Now thanks to sites like Expedia and Hotwire Budget Travel can mean getting preimum window seats and staying in four-star hotels. So if you haven’t booked your trip for the holidays yet make sure you’ve evaluated all your options and used the incredible discount travel sites available online.

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Any way that you can reduce a recurring expense can help you put money into an emergency fund or investment account. Just saving $25-$50/month can add-up over a few years and car insurance is a great place to save. Like most people you’ve probably used the same car insurance company for a while. When you signed-up the rates seemed fine and they still seem okay. Here’s the magic question:

When was the last time you called a different car insurance company and got a quote?

For most people the answer to this question is – never. Most people ask their friends and family who they use – pick one company, call them and get insured. After that they just stick with the same company for years thinking it will be a hassle to change and that all insurance companies must be the same. This is a big mistake and one that could be causing you to spend hundreds of dollars more a year than you need to!

So how can you save money on car insurance? Easy – just pick-up the phone, call a car insurance company and let them know you are looking to save some money on car insurance. They will go over what you pay now and the coverages you have and in many cases can find ways for you to save. In fact – if you like your current insurance company you can just put the pressure on them. Call your current insurance company and tell them that you need to pay less – you’ll be surprised how quickly they can reduce your rates without making dramatic changes to your coverage.

That’s it! No weird trick or magic act here – all you have to do is make a few phone calls. Set a goal for yourself – even if it’s just a $20 savings/month. You’ll feel good when you hit your goal and you can put that money into your emergency fund, savings account or investment account. Ever dollar counts and car insurance is one place where you can save money just by picking-up your phone!

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So you are ready to buy a new something – maybe it’s a TV or Stereo, or maybe it’s a new car. Either way any purchase over a few hundred dollars deserves some research. A little research can go a long way and with all the information you need available online it is easy to make an informed purchase decision. There are many advantages to doing your research but the two most important reasons you should be doing your research is to save money and get a product that will last a long time.

Need an example? (I work better with examples myself)

Suppose you are going to buy a new TV for your bedroom. Well it might seem like something you could just walk-in and buy assuming that salesperson at the store will give you the best advice. This is where most consumers go for their advice and it can sometimes lead you to a purchase decision that puts more money in the salesperson’s pocket rather than creating more value for you. As you probably know salespeople are paid on commission so the more expensive the product is the more they make…right? Well, not always. You see television manufacturers are famous for giving incentives or specials to salespeople for a particular time period.

This means that a particular television company could give salespeople an extra $100 for every TV they sell in the month of October. Now here’s where the consumer gets screwed. Walking into the store you might be surprised to find that the salesperson doesn’t show you the most expensive TV, they might even show you the cheapest TV they have. The customer then think, “well if they are telling me this is a great TV and they make less money on it than many of the other TV’s – this must be an honest opinion!” Little did you know that the salesperson is actually making more money on the lower-priced TV than the higher-priced TV because the manufacturer is giving them a bonus.

Remember, this is only one example – the same can be true for car sales and even house sales! So how can you protect yourself and make sure that you are getting a good price and a high-quality product? Looks for reviews online! A simple Google search can help you out more than you think. Just go to Google and type “[product name] review” and you’ll find reviews of the product you are looking for.

Pay attention to who is writing the review. If the review is written by a publication then there is most likely some bias and you should take this review with a grain of salt. If the review is instead written by a user who actually bought and used the product than you can have a much better reason to trust it. For electronics products I oftentimes use Amazon.com as they tend to have a lot of reviews and the more reviews the better!

A little research can go a long way so before rushing to the store spend 20-30 minutes online and you’ll find yourself not only saving money but also getting a better product in the end!

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Okay – this might sound ridiculous but hey – many people drink beer and saving money on beer can actually save you money every month. First I’ll start by saying that I’m not going to tell you to drink Natural Ice or some awful tasting beer to save money. Instead I’m going to tell you that you can actually save money every month just by changing your habits and where you shop.

My first tip is an easy one – if you’re going out try to limit how much money you spend on beer. Thus try to focus your beer consumption on store-bought beer rather than beer from a bar. At most bars one beer is around $4-$5 which means that after drinking just two beers at a bar you could have purchased an entire 6-pack. Almost no-where is the mark-up so high yet consumers still okay with paying this mark-up. If you are taking a cab to a bar or club have some drinks at home before you go – the idea here, oftentimes referred to as “pre-partying” actually can save you money.

Next is another tip that most people don’t think of but can actually makes a big difference. Most people pick the most convenient or closest location to buy their beer. What you are most likely failing to do here is price-shop. Spend an hour of your time comparing prices at 4-5 stores near your house. What you’ll most likely find is a gap in pricing as well as different sales as you go from store to store. By just changing where you shop and focusing on buying at stores that have the beer you like on sale you might just find that you can save a good deal of money each month.

Now for my last tip. I don’t do this myself but if you are really dedicated you can brew your own beer. It might sound crazy at first but it’s not as hard as you might think and of course your cost goes down to almost nothing. If you are a serious beer drinker this could help you save more money than you might think. Now – like a good money-saver take that money and put it into your emergency fund or investment account. Just think – having one less beer at a bar each weekend could save you $25/month – put that in an emergency fund along with your other savings and your saving goals may be easier to hit than you once thought.

Remember – saving money is all about finding ways you can save money in different places. Beer is a non-essential item so however you can save money here you can help save-up for the essential stuff like a house, car, business, school, etc. So next time you crack open that beer think of how you could be saving money at the same time – I can promise you it will make any beer taste that much better!

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So you need to eat – we can all agree on that – but what should you really be spending each month on groceries? My girlfriend and I went to the grocery store last night and by the time we were done the total was $180 for one week of groceries! For two people this seems quite expensive, especially for Trader Joe’s. The good news is that I’ve cut my spending in so many places over the years that I can accommodate this kind of expense. My weekly budget for groceries is $70 and since we split the bill this was $20 over budget. When I mark this on my budget I put $70 in the groceries category and $20 in the Additional Expenses category to remind me that I went over budget on this item.

Many people would spend the extra $20 shrug their shoulders and say, oh well – it’s only $20. Not me, I’m a money-saver so I need to analyze anything that has exceeded my budget to figure-out what we can do to stay within budget in the future. As a money-saver you should always be doing this – analyze your expenses and see where you money is going.

We reviewed the receipt from our grocery trip when we got home and determined what the extra overages had been. We are now buying our lunches at the grocery store rather than from a restaurant/store during the day. I normally spend $45/week on lunch – buying at the grocery store decreased this to $25/week. When I bring my weekly lunch budget from $45 to $0 I now find myself with $5 extra every month or $5 saved in my monthly budget! So while I spent more on groceries I save money on lunches – and where does that $5 go? Into my emergency fund which I contribute $100 to each month (now $105) – every dollar counts and by keeping close track of your money you’ll be able to maximize your savings!

Now ask yourself – when was the last time you analyzed your grocery bill? Next time you go shopping spend five minutes reviewing the bill – you might just find some incredible ways to save money each month!

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As you know if you’ve read the “About MoneySaver.us” section of this blog – I haven’t always been a money saver. In fact – I was a big money-spender for quite some time. You learn a lot from your mistakes and Entertainment is where a majority of my money went during and shortly-after college. Now I’m not one of those people that is going to tell you that you have to completely change your life and sit and home eating Ramen watching television on a television with rabbit ears – you still need to have fun!

What I can teach you is a few great ways to reduce your spending on entertainment. Follow these three tips and you might find yourself saving hundreds or thousands of dollars a month. For me I was quickly able to save over $1,000/month by applying these three techniques. Did I still have fun? Yes! I just learned to plan my entertainment budget better.

1) Reduce Spending on Restaurants
Notice I don’t say “Stop eating at restaurants” like so many financial advisers. You can still eat-out but set a budget for how much you can reasonable spend on eating-out each month. Once you have a number you have to realize a simple fact – the lower the price of the restaurant – the more you can eat out each month! If you want to eat at five star restaurants you might have to cut back, but you can eat out just as much but pick some restaurants that aren’t quite as expensive.

Don’t eat fast food – instead eat great food, but do your research. Go online and read restaurant reviews – find great restaurants that don’t cost and arm and a leg to eat at. Also look for restaurants that have deals during certain hours. I’ll give you an example – there is a restaurant in Los Angeles near my place called “Palomino” that is a nice upscale restaurant with a great wood oven. Between 4PM – 6PM daily they have incredible pricing on food and drinks. We go to this restaurant during happy hour and can easily get a full dinner and drinks for under $20 each. If we went after happy hour the pricing would be more than double. That’s just one example – try to find the same opportunities in your city!

2) Buy Less Alcohol At Bars, Clubs, and Restaurants
Buying alcohol in restaurants, bars, and clubs is often very expensive. In most Los Angeles bars beers are about $7/each – the same price you can buy an entire six-pack for at the grocery store. This is a simple tip that will go a long way – buy less alcohol when you go out. You can have a great time going-out without buying a ton of drinks – set a maximum for yourself and don’t exceed it. The great thing is not only will you save money but you’ll feel MUCH better in the morning.

3) Watch Movies At Home
I love movies! I’ve loved movies since I can remember. Seeing a movie at the theater is a great experience but can be expensive. I’m not saying you should never step foot in a movie theater again but I will say that you should limit yourself to one or two movies a month in the theater – don’t go once or twice a week – it adds-up. Instead buy some popcorn (at Trader Joe’s – healthy and cheap) and a box of red vines (or your favorite candy) and make your living room your theater.

One trick to making the home movie experience better is to have the same amenities you would have in a theater or even better. Always have popcorn, candy, and soda (or beer/wine if you prefer). Make your couch more comfortable by getting pillow from your bed and putting them behind your back. This will be more comfortable than a movie theater and a lot cheaper!

That’s it! Follow these three steps and you’ll see you entertainment expenses drop like a rock without having to sacrifice the fun in your life. It’s not as hard as you think but old habits die hard so you’ll really have to commit yourself to these techniques if you want to scale back your entertainment expenses!

Have a tip of your own? Comment and share your own tips for decreasing entertainment expenses!

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Most likely the answer to this question is – no. Most people in the world don’t have a budget – they may spend less than they make but they don’t have a budget to track it. Of course spending less than you make is essential to the health of your personal finances – but keeping a budget is more important than you might think.

A budget is important because it can make you very aware of where all your money is going. If you are spending too much in one area of your life a budget will make this very clear. A budget will also help you figure-out exactly how much money you can put into savings and investments each month. There are a few bucket’s you’ll want to put your extra money into and I’d address this in the following order:

1) Emergency Fund
This should be the Pay Yourself First category and must be contributed to every month. Even if you can only put $25/month in your emergency fund – do it! In an emergency you’ll be glad you did.

2) Credit Cards
If you have any credit card debt you should be throwing any extra money you have into these. This is not only money you owe but money you are paying interest on! Pay as much above the minimum as you can afford each month to get rid of this debt as quickly as possible.

3) Savings/Investment/Retirement Account
If you can try to put some money into savings or an investment account each month. The goal here is to grow your money over time.

So here’s the challenge. How do you know how much money you can put towards each of these three? Easy – make a budget. By making a budget you can specify exactly what your income is, what your expenses are, and how much money you have left-over in the end. You’ll then take this left-over money and divide it between these three areas leaving a bit of a buffer in case things don’t go according to plan.

Now here is one essential item to really make your budget effective – make a section in your budget labeled “Unplanned Expenses” and every time you spend money that you didn’t budget for list it in this category. At the end of the month you will be able to plainly see exactly how much money you are spending outside of your budget. Being aware of these additional expenditures can really help you spend your money more effectively and ensure that you have more left-over for things like your emergency fund and paying-off those pesky credit cards.

So make today the day! Make a budget and begin planning for your financial future!

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To those who read my blog I would first like to say – “Thank You!” I hope my blog has helped you save money and with each post I hope to bring all my readers one step closer to financial freedom. As a blogger and money-saver I like to read a number of personal finance blogs and I thought now would be a good time to share my top five with all of you. The blogs on this list are blogs you should absolutely be reading on a daily basis – these blogs aren’t just about saving money but about changing how you think about your finances.

Saving money is more than just changing habits – it means changing your mindset and nothing is more helpful than reading about people with a similar set of priorities. So make sure to read my top five – I read them everyday and they have helped me immensely to get to the point I am at today!

1) Get Rich Slowly
2) Man Vs Debt
3) Frugal Dad
4) Debt Free Adventure
5) The Simple Dollar

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