Bank statements, credit card statements, utility bills.....
Be sure to look at the line items, purchases, etc. (1) to make sure they ARE your purchases. This applies especially to your credit/debit cards. We caught that one of our cards was compromised and being used because i do look at my statements- line by line.
(2) See where your money is going!!
Are you spending alot more dining out than you realized? Too much retail therapy maybe? $40 here, $20 there does add up!
(3) Are you getting charged for things you don't use?
For example- your phone bills, or your cable bill. Are you paying for 3 TV cable boxes, but only use one? At an average of $10 a month for each cable box, why not ditch the extra two and just hook the tv straight to the wall jack for the basic channels. it would save you $240 a year or more.
(4) Are you paying "stupid tax" (Dave Ramsey term)? For me, I noticed that too often through the year, I was paying late fees or interest, simply because my bill was paid 2 or 3 days past the due date. It adds up fast!!
(5) Are you paying for something you don't use? Like a gym membership you forgot about, a weight-loss program you never attend (guilty!), magazines you never read.
Be sure to look at the line items, purchases, etc. (1) to make sure they ARE your purchases. This applies especially to your credit/debit cards. We caught that one of our cards was compromised and being used because i do look at my statements- line by line.
(2) See where your money is going!!
Are you spending alot more dining out than you realized? Too much retail therapy maybe? $40 here, $20 there does add up!
(3) Are you getting charged for things you don't use?
For example- your phone bills, or your cable bill. Are you paying for 3 TV cable boxes, but only use one? At an average of $10 a month for each cable box, why not ditch the extra two and just hook the tv straight to the wall jack for the basic channels. it would save you $240 a year or more.
(4) Are you paying "stupid tax" (Dave Ramsey term)? For me, I noticed that too often through the year, I was paying late fees or interest, simply because my bill was paid 2 or 3 days past the due date. It adds up fast!!
(5) Are you paying for something you don't use? Like a gym membership you forgot about, a weight-loss program you never attend (guilty!), magazines you never read.