Tax time, the sudden urge to travel and that fancy night on the town all remind us that needless spending must be kept in check. But -- as any homeowner will attest -- saving is much easier to plan than accomplish.

One of the most effective methods of saving money, says the Homeowners' Information Center, is to "take an inventory of your needs to see where you can shave the dollars. Begin with the biggest items first, where the most potential for savings is, and move down the scale to the less expensive items. A moderate savings on one of the big items (houses and cars), combined with savings on the smaller items (food, clothes, etc.), can reap a large reward in your total budget."

The mortgage is a great place to start, since it's likely to be a homeowner's single largest monthly expenditure. Legions of homeowners are now refinancing to take advantage of reduced interest rates, but which program is best for you? If you want a lower rate but not a bigger loan, look into "streamline" refinancing programs. Paying off credit card bills with a home equity loan can make sense -- as long as you do not run up new credit debt.

In addition to local brokers and lenders, LendingTree.com, Nolo.com, and HSH Associaties all offer extensive refinancing information.

Since credit-card costs are often right behind house payments in terms of size and impact on a monthly budget, consolidating credit-card obligations into lower-interest rate debt can be a good strategy. Be wary, however, of credit card offers which have low rates up front and then switch to high rates a few months later. And never, ever, cash one of those unsolicited "checks" you get in the mail.

Another big source of savings is "less" car -- or at least less auto debt and costs. Owning "too much car" -- in other words, paying exorbitant insurance and maintenance costs for a car that remains underused in the garage or simply exceeds one's basic needs -- can drastically reduce disposable income.

While bank and insurance charges can be costly, consumers often operate on automatic pilot with respect to their banks and insurance companies, never bothering to question the high interest rates and other monthly fees they're paying. Doing a little comparison shopping can prove to be an eye-opening and cost-saving exercise. The Insurance Information Institute suggests comparing your policy coverage limits with the value of your possessions at least once a year and not over-insuring your house (Remember, land cannot be insured because in theory land cannot be destroyed.)

"Small" expenses -- those daily expenditures for food, entertainment, and assorted non-necessities -- should not be overlooked; they can add up with lightning speed. If there are 5 work days a week and you work 50 weeks a year, that's 250 work days. If you spend $5 a day on minor items when the money could be saved, that's $1,250 a year out of your pocket -- after taxes.

What else can you do to save now? Here are several quick ideas.

• Save your change. Take whatever change you have at the end of the day, save it, and deposit the total once a month.

• Use a computer spreadsheet to track expenses -- know what you're spending, and maybe where costs can be reduced.

• Time purchases to work with coupons and sales. A few dollars here, a few dollars there, and suddenly you have enough to make a bigger credit card payment.

• Take a good look at your mortgage. Are you allowed to make prepayments without penalty? Speak with your lender for details. If yes, an extra $50 a month can radically reduce your loan term and overall interest cost.

  Imagine that you have a $100,000 mortgage at 7 percent interest over 30 years. Your monthly cost for principal and interest is $665.30. Pay $715.30 a month and you'll knock off almost 70 monthly payments over the term of the loan.

What else can you do? Sit down with your checkbook, pay stubs, and a few sheets of paper. The betting here is that in an hour you can save $1,000 a year -- that's only $20 a week.

For more articles by Courtney Ronan, please press here.

Published: April 24, 2001

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