After your regular bills and debts, like mortgages, student or car loans, the vast majority of people spend the most money on communications and media products and services.

That is of course a part of our everyday lives and in most cases necessary, but many times we buy more product or service than we need or use, and there are a number of ways to bundle or cut back on these to save a significant amount of money, which you can of course than use to build up your savings or use to invest.

Here are several tips on what you can do to cut back on your media, communication or electronic expenses:

Bundle your services

Amazingly, a lot of people either aren’t aware of or don’t bother with having their cable TV, Internet and phone services bundled.

It’s really simple, just call you your providers and ask if they bundle them together, and what type of savings you’ll get if you buy their services that way.

From there, just do some comparison shopping to find the best deal and service and make you decision and do it.

Depending on how much service you’re talking about, this can save a lot of money in and of itself.

Another great things is you save time and money through the convenience of paying for it all in one bill too.

Cable itself

Here’s one you can definitely save on when you think it through a little. This works well for someone who has a lot of extra premium channels and other services which you may never or rarely use.

Just take inventory of your lifestyle and see if the extra services are worth what you’re paying. If you don’t use them much, I’m sure having dozens of TV channels and the ability to watch TV or movies on the Internet is more than enough for even the most rabid TV or movie fan.

Magazines or newspapers

There are a lot of people that of course have already done this, but why pay for a magazine or newspaper when you can find everything you would ever need online, or secondarily on the TV if that’s your choice.

Sometimes a small town newspaper offers some value, but overall, magazines and newspapers carry the same stories you find on the Internet through a variety of devices. Why pay extra for print media?

Telephone and cable bills

Go through your telephone and cable bills and see what it is you’re paying for. There are so many extras you may have signed up for that you may have forgotten and never use them or have no need of them.

This could include music channels on cable or all those fancy extras on the phone you never use or care about; whether it’s a land-line or mobile phone.

For the mobile, just think texting and you could get rid of a lot of money spent you never need to.

Mobile Phones

Speaking of mobile phones, here’s a place that most people can really cut back on, depending on your lifestyle.

You may even have a couple of plans which are costing you a lot of money. If your primary purpose is for emergencies, don’t get hooked into all those plans with large monthly fees or minimum payments.

Again, go through it all and look at your actual practice and lifestyle. You may be surprised that you’re paying for services you never or rarely use, and usually they’re at hefty prices when added together.

Internet Access Speed

While many of us always want to think we have a need for speed in many things we do, in the case of the Internet, again, it depends on what you’re using it for.

If you’re a heavy user like me, and use it for video, and to a lesser degree – audio, then you may not have much choice as to what you pay. But if you use the Internet for mostly reading and communicating with others, you can easily get a plan for less and save a lot of money with less speed.

You could experiment a little with a slower cable Internet speed, as a number of people say they’ve lowered their Internet speed and really haven’t seen any change in the experience or performance while surfing online.

Conclusion

No one will be able to do all of the suggestions above, but just do a couple of them or think of other things you pay for in life which you rarely use or need, and you could come out with a nice amount of money saved you can than use to save or build your wealth.

While we’ve been talking a lot about debt and the numerous ways it helps our lives to eliminate it, one of things we do need to understand is it’s a different purpose to eliminate debt and to look for great deals at low prices.

Some may think this is obvious, but I’m talking about doing things for the purpose of releasing money in order to build up wealth. Paying down debt, while important, and it can indeed help you set aside more money for wealth building once you lower it though a number of strategies, like transferring debt from a high interest credit card to a low interest card. That’s an immediate release of funds. The problem is, most people really addicted to debt need to focus on paying down that debt before they think in terms of trying to build up their wealth.

Having said that, I do think it’s good to take symbolic steps which can help you psychologically and at least put a little bit of money away, even if you have a heavy debt load. But overall, when you cut back on debt load and expenditures, it’s best to take that savings and tackle your debt before anything else.

Now the reason I lump this together with finding good deals, is many people are looking to cut back on monthly expenses for the purpose of putting away money for themselves.

This is a different purpose and a different practice, and you can see the results instantaneously as you take money saved and apply it toward building a financial moat and preparing for your retirement.

I mention this because I’ve communicated with people that sometimes confuse these two purposes of deal with our financial circumstances, when they are completely different issues, mentalities and financial challenges to work through.

When it comes down to it, lowering and paying off debt is to get you out of bondage to the lender, while looking for and getting good deals is for the purposes of lowering monthly expenses, building up financial protection and putting away for the future.

With one you’re releasing funds to deal with the past, and with the other you’re putting away funds to prepare for your future.

Debt is dealing with major financial surgery, and must be approached that way, while looking for deals is saving money through a thousand cuts. Each has its place, but we need to be sure not to confuse them, as they are completely different financial issues we’re dealing with, and it’s essential to understand one from the other when working through the financial morass we call life.

Philanthropy is expressed through acts of charity and generosity. As more and more people find themselves unable to keep afloat financially the need for charitable donations has never been stronger. Not only do your fellow humans need financial assistance, the organizations that sponsor programs designed to help anyone (or anything) in need survive on donations. Most people who donate to charity do so because it is the right thing to do and it feels good to help others in need. That feeling in itself is enough motivation for those that are able to help however it is important to know that helping others can save you money as well.

Donations and Tax Deductions

When you donate either money or items to a qualifying charity you can reduce the amount of income that is subject to tax. Here are a few tax rules that you should understand to ensure you receive the maximum tax benefits from your donations.

• Check to see if the charity you are donating to is qualified by the IRS. Obviously this should not deter you from making a donation to a cause which you believe in, however you should know that not all charities qualify, making it necessary to know where you stand before attempting to claim a tax deduction.
• You can only claim a deduction after you have physically donated cash or property. If you are in a situation that requires a pledge or promise of a donation, that in itself in not tax deductible until the actual donation has been made.
• Document donations to provide necessary proof required by the IRS. You will need to keep good records to be eligible for a tax deduction. Save canceled checks, letters of acknowledgement from the charity and appraisals (required for deductions of more than $5,000) for property donated.
• Determine the value of donated property. When claiming a non-cash donation on your tax return you will have to claim the fair market value of the donation. The IRS has a guideline that can help you determine the fair market value of your items.

The following contributions are not considered tax deductible.

• Volunteering your time is a great way to help organizations in need of assistance, however you will not be able to claim the value of your “time” as a tax deduction.
• Money donated to business associations, labor unions, individual people, foreign governments and political donations.
• You must donate to a non-profit organization. For-profit organizations do not qualify for tax deductions.

Avoid Getting Scammed

Sadly like many things in life there is a down side to donating to charities. There are con-artists who are more than happy to take your charitable donation and use it for their own benefit, making it important to fully investigate the charity prior to committing any money or property for their cause. Find out how long the charity has been operating, if there are complaints reported against them and how much of your money actually goes toward the cause versus administrative and other costs. By taking the time to research the charity you reduce the chances of donating money to an illegitimate organization.

Soon it will be vacation time across America. And while current economic conditions are forcing many to scale back on vacation plans, there are some ways that you can use your credit cards to help you save on vacation activities.

This assumes that you have less than 50% available on your balances. This is a must in order to be able to prevent from going over your limit and incurring charges because of it.

Obtain a cash rewards credit card. This is essential because with one of these cards you can earn cash-back on regular purchases. If you are a regular traveler for business, then a travel related rewards card would be most appropriate. The idea here is to get the maximum amount of cash back from your use of your card during the time you will be gone. Getting this money back is like having your vacation pay you money back on the things that you purchase.

Do some homework. Before you leave on your trip, investigate the location to which you will be going and find restaurants and other places that you will be patronizing. Look each place up on the Internet in order to find coupons and discounts that are offered which will help you lower your costs for the vacation. If you do not find any, pick up the phone and call those locations and ask about discounts and coupons. Keep in mind that some of these locations may only place things like this in the local newspapers. Find out if they do and where you can obtain them since you live outside of that area. Make sure that they know that you are coming to the area to spend money with them and are looking for ways to keep your costs in check.

Ask for better prices. This one you have to be careful with because you do not want to make sales clerks and merchants angry. However, saving money means being wise when it comes to the prices you pay. Many people leave their ‘money sense’ at home when they go on vacation and pay too much for items that they would immediately reject at home. You need to take your common sense with you, and if you have to, refuse to make some purchases if the costs are too high. Instead, find less expensive items that will help give you that sentimental feeling about your vacation, but not leave you broke at the end.

Take some things with you. Avoid making purchases when on the road for things that you can easily get before you leave. Like snack items and drinks. Truck stops and convenience stores make the majority of their profit on these items, not the fuel that you buy. Make a list before you leave and take what you can fit in your vehicle. Or, if you are travelling by air or other mass transportation system, do not make these purchases in large quantities where you will pay a premium. Wait until you arrive at your destination and then find a more economical solution.

Cut out non-essential things. If an activity is too expensive, then make the decision not to make it a part of your plans. This can be difficult if the vacation is a once-in-a-lifetime type that you never intend to take again. Look for something else to do that will still be memorable, but not carry the high cost.

These tips along with paying for things on your cash-back rewards card can help you have a less expensive vacation while maintaining a fun and entertaining time for everyone. The reason for going to begin with is to get away and be with your family. If you go with that mindset, you will have a good time while spending less money.

In these tough economic times everyone is looking for ways to shave money off their daily expenses. As most people know the first place to save money is on your grocery bill and the best way to do that is by cutting and using coupons. Did you know however that cutting coupons is not the only way you can save money? Just as consumers are trying to save money businesses are also in the market to make money. In the process businesses have developed tactics to encourage consumers to spend more money. Once you are done cutting your coupons (which will save you money if you do it right) read the following tips to make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck the next time you hit the grocery aisles.

• Look beyond eye level. We are a society of convenience and this extends to our shopping habits. Many people buy products that are placed at eye level on the shelves. I wouldn’t say that people are too lazy to stoop down and look at the bottom shelf or reach higher for things on the top, however the fact remains stores place the highest priced items at eye level. Check out products on the entire shelf to find the best bargains.

• Buying in bulk. Often recommended as a way to save money, think twice before you buy in bulk. Do you really need five boxes of the same snack? Will you consume the product before it expires? If you have a large family that has a genuine need for that justifies buying in bulk than it can certainly be a money saver, however if you buy more than you need just for the “savings” and end up throwing it away, you really aren’t saving anything after all.

• Pay attention to “sale” items. If you do the grocery shopping in your house, you are familiar with the sale items that are showcased at the front of the store. Manufacturers are generally behind the placement of the products at the front of the store and you may be surprised to find that if you compare the brand to others in the same isle the “sale” price really isn’t your best buy.

• Brand name isn’t always best. If you are trying to save money and haven’t yet tried store brand than you really should give it a shot. When you are looking to save money and find you will be amazed at the difference in your bill upon checkout by simply swapping a few brand name items for store brand.

• Shop with a list. You are less likely to fall prey to manufacturers tactics if you know in advance what you need when you get to the store. Make a list (plan for at least a week) and stick to it to avoid making impulse buys.

The question of whether or not cutting coupons can save you money at the grocery store is not debatable. The fact is if you cut and use coupons wisely you will save money at the checkout line. What is debatable is whether or not cutting coupons is right for everyone; some individuals simply do not find the savings worthy of this slightly time consuming task. For those of you who find the savings are worth your time the following tips to organize the process can make a big difference in how much money you can shave off your grocery bill each trip.

• Start Clipping- It would seem obvious but many people who “try” to use coupons don’t get the most benefit simply because they forget to clip the coupons they save. If you find yourself saving grocery fliers or pages of unclipped coupons you have probably already discovered that if you wait too long to actually clip the coupons many go to waste as the stack of unclipped coupons grows into a stack of expired coupons. Designate a few hours each week where you can sit and clip all your coupons before their value is lost.

• Get Organized- It is important to be organized while clipping coupons so that the stacks of unclipped coupons does not turn into piles of clipped coupons. You should organize and store all of your needed tools in one easy-to-access location. The only tools required are a scissors and some form of storage container for clipped coupons. Some consumers purchase a coupon organizer while others use labeled envelopes to help stay organized.

• Organization Method- You don’t want to get to the grocery store with your coupons only to discover you can’t find the one coupon you were sure you had. Take a few moments when you are at home to organize your coupons to streamline the process of finding them once you are at the store. You may choose to organize the coupons in groups such as paper products, personal care items, frozen foods and pet supplies. Perhaps you prefer organizing your coupons in alphabetical order by product or manufacturer name. Choose whichever method works best for you.

• Buy only what you need- Coupons will not save you money if you end up making purchases that you would otherwise not consider. Some coupons require you buy a certain number of products in order to save money. If you wouldn’t normally purchase that number of items or find you really do not need an item, do not make the purchase because you have a coupon for the item.

In an economy where everyone is trying to save a few bucks, cutting coupons is an easy way to reduce your grocery bill. By following the steps above you should be able to streamline the process so that it only takes a few more moments of your time to see some real savings.