Thursday, March 26, 2009

Frugality - Tips For Checking The Obvious

By Donna Burr

Money-saving tips are something most people can put into practice and save hundreds, even thousands a year. They will improve your personal lifestyle and stretch your money .

One practical tip is to secure your personal checks on-line. You'll save 50% off what a bank charges and you'll get a more expansive choice of categories and designs. You can also save more than $100's a year in fees by choosing|selecting) a free checking account or one with no need for a minimum balance.

One big area of possible savings, if you own a home, is on property taxes. Most homeowners don't realize that property assessed value does not equal fair market value. The way to win a property tax appeal is to: Acquire the sales ratio or equalization rate. This may also be called by other names. Divide the appraisal by the sales ratio to find what the "true" market value that the tax assessor placed on your property. Go to the the local real estate broker and get a a handful of comparable property sales that are equal to yours in size and locale. You need Xerox copies of MLS ( multiple listing service) home comparable sales information since it has "buyer" focused information you will not find in automated sites that you need to make significant modifications for age, updated kitchen, bath, new roof, decks and other similar items. Compare your comp "sold" value to the "true" market value that the tax man placed on real estate and appeal your property if there is an imbalance.

Your car is another area of savings. A tuned engine can improve gas mileage by 4 percent, accurately inflated tires by 3.3 percent, proper grade motor oil by 1-2 percent, clean air filter by 2-6 percent but, if it is real dirty, up to 14 percent.

Check for auto insurance quotes at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners website or ask friends or the Yellow Pages. Also look through consumer guides, insurance agents, companies and insurance quote services on the internet and compare similar plans. Compare against your current policy. Often, using the same insurance company for multiple policies will get you 10 to 15% off your premium.

With credit cards, avoid incurring late payment fees and potential interest rate increases. Send in your payment a week to ten days before the statement due date. You do not want to risk having increased fees and interest rates on other cards. Whenever possible, avoid finance charges on credit cards.

Many people save a bundle of money a year by shopping at lower-priced food stores. Go with a list, scour sales papers, and purchase basic ingredients, rather than pre-packaged, ready-to-eat items. Also, stock up on those items with low per-unit costs.

Save money by eating at home. Order water to keep the bill low. Eat appetizers or lunch portions or, if it is a large portion, think about taking leftovers home for another meal.

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