How many times have you told yourself, “If I just had an extra thousand dollars in my pocket I would . . . .” in your life? There are many things that we would like to purchase month-to-month or year-to-year if only that little bit of extra cash was in our pockets. I discuss a lot of different techniques to make money or save money in meetings with clients, blogs and videos, but now let’s talk about a few ways to get cash quick in your pocket. If you need $1,000 bucks for something you want to buy, a vacation you want to take, or to make an investment that needs to be done now, here are eight ways to save $1000 fast.
Sell Your Stuff
Whether you do this through a garage sale, Craigslist, or sell it through any number of local Facebook pages or marketplace, odds are that you have items in your house that you just don’t want or need anymore. Take a look in your storage closet, your bedroom closet, and in the garage.
Don’t Eat Out For A Month
The average budgets I see today for eating out lunch and dinner easily top $1,000 a month. Don’t think so? Check your latest AMEX or VISA bill and you’ll quickly do a double take.
Shop Your Insurance
You might be able to save $1,000 just by changing your deductibles on all of your policies, but really digging in and shopping all of your insurance (auto, home, life, disability, health, and long-term care) can prove to be an eye opening exercise.
Avoid One Special Holiday of Gifts
While it is nice to get new clothes, jewelry, or the latest electronics, skipping or skimming down one or two holidays such as a birthday, holiday time, or Valentine’s day can really add the money back in your pocket.
Read Your Credit Card Statements
What? Are you suggesting, Ted, that I don’t read my credit card statements? Yes, that is exactly what I am suggesting. There may be subscriptions that you no longer use that you are spending money on currently. If you can cancel those subscriptions that can save you a $1,000 quickly.
Carpool
Saving $1000 quickly won’t come without some ingenuity and some effort. Whether you carpool, bike to work, or telecommute, if you can trim down parking and gas costs for a few months that can save you money very quickly to get to your goal.
Shop Your Technology
Where would we be today without our iPads, smartphones, and other gadgets? How often do we actually go in and shop the pricing on all of our technology? Head into your mobile phone store to see what new pricing plans are available. Call up your cable or dish provider to learn about how you can reduce your overall budget. Maybe it is time to ditch the home telephone and get that off your bill?
Tell Your Kids No
Believe me, I know how hard it is to tell you kids not now or simply no we are not buying this for the house. I give in more than I probably should, but if you really need to save a $1,000 fast, then wait for the new clothes, new sporting goods, or new bedroom furniture. You’ll be surprised how telling your kids no will bring money back into your budget.
These are eight of my smart money moves tips on how you save $1,000 fast. Do you have anything interesting you did to get $1,000 back in your pocket quickly?