We all look for ways to save money and keep a bit more of it in our wallets. That said, for many of us who have more months than money, it can seem nigh impossible to do any more than we already do with what we make. If this is familiar to you, take a look at the following ideas to save more money.

Car Insurance

It’s a cinch to simply renew your vehicle insurance every year without checking to ensure that you’re getting the best rates. However, insurance rates change on a regular basis, and you might be missing out on some decent savings. Rather than just blindly renewing the policy you already have, check for cheap car insurance online to compare rates and coverage.

Cashback Rewards Cards

If you happen to be searching for a painless way to save money on the things you use every day, take a good look at the credit cards you use. When you’re trying to start or grow your emergency fund, the right type of rewards card can save you a lot of money on everything you use the card for.

Switch Banks

You might be being charged fees for your checking account or even getting next to no interest from your savings account. If this is the case, it’s time to make a change. Most banks now offer competitive interest rates on savings accounts and a lot of them also offer free online checking. You might actually be surprised at some of the perks you can get with online banking – and how easy online accounts are to manage.

Groceries

A lot of people save money on groceries by creating weekly menus and sticking to them. Once you know what is needed for meals throughout the week, you can then create a grocery list based on that menu. The thing is, when you go grocery shopping, you need to get only the items that happen to be on your list. Having a specific list of what to buy can also effectively deal with the common mistake of going shopping when you’re hungry.

Buy Generic

When you’re at the grocery store, keep in mind that with the exception of only a few items – like Pop-Tarts – most of the items are nearly identical to their higher end name brand counterparts. Start slowly and learn what you like and don’t like. For example, if you’ve always bought Cinnamon Toast Crunch, try the off brand and see if they aren’t just as good for a bit less money.

Act Like Your Dad and Turn the Lights Off

There was a good reason for him stalking through the house turning all the lights off while mumbling about not being made from money. Leaving the lights on can waste both energy and money. You might also unplug appliances like computers and such that use power even when they’re turned off. Put them on a power strip that you can turn off when they aren’t in use.
 

There are a lot of times when we end up spending more than we need to due to habit and apathy. If you change your way of thinking, you’ll actually come to see that the opportunity for saving money is everywhere.