Hundreds of budgeting and other personal finance websites will give you advice about saving money, and while there are many solid words of wisdom out there, many simply don't get the fact that making significant lifestyle changes is difficult. Just like extreme diets, making drastic changes with your spending habits is feasible for a few months, but more than likely we just yo-yo back to our old ways if we try to sacrifice too much. The best money-saving method, one that works better in the long-term, is to make smaller adjustments and keep these adjustments constant. I personally saved more money than I ever have in my life merely by assessing and recording my spending habits, then eliminating habitual expenditures that didn't seem like much at the time, but really added up after a year. Here are a few common money-wasting culprits that can easily be disposed of.

1. Bottled water.
Purchasing bottled water over the long-term can become a fairly large expense, especially considering that we must drink water every day. Even if you don't consume the recommended 64 oz of water daily, you'll more than likely have at least half of that. While bottled water does taste better, there aren't any significant health benefits to be gained, so purchasing a filter to put on your tap gets rid of the tinny taste and works just as well. I saved about $600 over the course of a year by switching to filtered tap water. It also cuts back on container waste.

2. Individual coffee drinks.
If you're anything like me, you absolutely need caffeine to get through the day. Before getting to work, I would always get a small coffee at a cafe next door. While the coffee was high-quality, it also cost almost three dollars per cup. Sometimes I'd get another cup during my lunch break. I never really thought about it, but these coffee drinks really started to add up. By brewing my own at home, and bringing a thermos with me, I saved about $800.

3. Organic or all-natural food.
Don't get me wrong I am committed to the environment, and I much prefer unprocessed foods that are prepared without chemicals or preservatives. Still, many people buy such products based on the label and not on the actual value. Before spending extra on all-natural foods, do some research and know what you're buying. After becoming a more educated consumer, I usually pass on anything labeled "all-natural" since it has absolutely no standard and is virtually meaningless. I also limit my organic purchases to produce (unless it has a protective skin like bananas), beef, and dairy, as the non-organic varieties of these products are most likely to contain additives. Check out this New York Times article for information on food labels.

4. The latest gadget.
In our tech addicted world, I know that this one may be hard for some of you. But trust me, you really don't need the latest mobile device on the market. I used to purchase every new Apple product when it first came out, but by biding my time and waiting for prices to drop (which they always do), I was still able to satiate my technology cravings while saving at least $3,000-$5,000 a year. Be patient and save big.

While everyone has different money-drainers, the concept is the same. Saving money doesn't have to be rocket science. All it takes is a little bit of awareness and a commitment to making small changes.

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This guest post is contributed by Barbara Jolie, who writes on the topics of online classes. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: barbara.jolie876@gmail.com.

Editors note: The 2 easiest steps you can take for getting out of debt are making more and spending less, and this article certainly gives you a few good tips for cutting your spending.

Once you have determined you need to do something about the amount of debt you have, chances are you want the fastest method of getting out of debt possible. Whether you have multiple credit cards that you pay each month or just one or two credit cards with large balances – you can benefit by saving both money and time by using balance transfer credit cards to get out of debt. Most 0% balance transfer offers last for at least 12 month and some last as long as 24 months. With one of these offers, you can stop interest from relentlessly piling up while under the umbrella of a 0% rate.

Balance Transfer Offers Help You Get Out of Debt Faster

On a credit card with a $2,000 balance charging you 15% interest, your minimum payment is likely to be 2% of the balance – or around $40 per month. Of that $40 payment, $24 goes toward interest. That means that more than 50% of your payment is going towards interest while less than half is working to reduce your debt. Even if you pay twice the minimum, or $80 a month, over 25% of every dollar you send in is going towards interest.

If you transfer this balance to a credit card with a 0% balance transfer offer and continue to make a $40 payment each month – all $40 will be deducted from your balance. And if you can afford $100 a month, you can reduce your two thousand dollars of debt by more than half in just one year.

How Balance Transfers Work

Credit card companies rely on 0% balance transfer offers to bring in new customers. They charge a fee of 3 to 5% on each balance you transfer, but then give you 12 months or more with no interest. Even after you account for transfer fees, most people with interest rates in the low teens or higher can save money when paying off credit card balances without interest expenses.

During the 0% period, all of the money you send will go toward reducing your debt, helping you pay the balance off quicker.

The credit card companies with balance transfer offers are hoping you have a lot of debt left when the 0% promotion ends, so that they can begin charging you interest on the remaining balance. If you've made repaying that debt a priority, hopefully the debt has been paid off. If you still have a large balance left once the promotion ends, there are probably other credit card companies who will offer you a new 0% balance transfer offer so you can continue paying off the debt interest free.

For People With Too Many Credit Cards

If you're struggling to get out of debt because you have a few hundred or a few thousand dollars spread out across several credit cards – a balance transfer offer will help you get organized and pay off your debt. When you are sending a small payment to multiple credit cards, most of your money is paying interest. This is why you can send money month after month and barely see any difference in the amount of credit card debt you have!

If you can get approved for a 0% balance transfer offer, you can then transfer balances from your highest interest cards that cost you the most money. If you don’t get a high enough credit limit to cover all of your credit card debt, pay close to the minimum on your 0% card and as much as possible on the cards that still have rates. Then, once you’ve paid them off, try to repay the debt you transferred before the 0% rate expires. In the meantime, you can continue sending just the minimum payment to your other credit card accounts if you don't have additional money in the budget to send more. Once you've paid off your balance transfer; you can look for a new balance transfer offer for your remaining high interest credit cards and repeat the process.

Balance Transfer Offers Help You Get Out of Debt Faster

On a credit card with a $2,000 balance charging you 15% interest, your minimum payment is likely to be 2% of the balance – or around $40 per month. Of that $40 payment, $24 goes toward interest. If you transfer this balance to a credit card with a 0% balance transfer offer and continue to make a $40 payment each month – all $40 will be deducted from your balance which helps you get out of debt faster.

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Jeff Weber writes about saving money and reducing credit card debt with balance transfers at SmartBalanceTransfers.com, a website designed to educate consumers about 0% APR balance transfercredit cards.

Insurance can put a dent in our budgets, but it can't be cut out entirely. Insurance protects us from unexpected events, financial disasters, lawsuits, and other things that we often don't think about until they happen. The good news is that there are lots of little ways to save on necessary insurance costs. Here are ten to explore in your spare time:

1) Buy Your Policies from the Same Company

Buying your auto, home, renters, life, and umbrella insurance from the same company can provide a very nice discount on insurance costs. The size of multiple-policy discounts can range from company to company, but most people can save at least 10 percent.

2) Buy the Right Amount of Insurance

Being under insured is never a good thing. However, you don't want to be over insured either. Buying too much insurance coverage can be a waste of money. Take time to do an inventory of your home's contents so that you can purchase the right level of insurance coverage. You should also check to see how much it will cost to rebuild your home. Other things to look at include your auto insurance coverage and liability levels. You may be able to lower liability insurance on some policies and save enough to purchase a separate umbrella policy, which can often help you save in the long run.

3) Look into Group Plans

There are many different employers, schools, professional associations, and other organizations that offer group insurance plans. You may be able to buy auto, home, life, health, disability, and other types of insurance at a discount by purchasing policies through the companies that these groups work with. You can learn more about group plan availability by speaking with someone at your organization or checking your employee and member handbooks.

4) Buy from Specialists

Buying from a company that specializes in a particular type of insurance, such as life insurance, flood insurance, or classic car insurance, can also net you significant savings. Companies that specialize in one type of insurance are often able to sell policies at deep discounts. They also tend to handle claims more smoothly than companies that sell every type of insurance imaginable.

5) Ask About Discounts

Although different companies often offer different savings packages, discounts are available for every type of insurance that can be purchased. Questioning your agent about the various discounts you may be eligible for is the key to unlocking these savings. Common discounts include multi-policy discounts, multi-vehicle discounts, paperless billing discounts, safety feature discounts, good driver discounts, good student discounts, loyalty discounts, professional discounts, senior discounts, and healthy living discounts.

6) Raise Your Deductible

Your deductible is the amount you have to pay before your insurance kicks in. When you buy an insurance policy, agents often neglect to ask you how high you would like this deductible to be. If you raise your current deductible by $250 to $1,000, you could save as much as 30 percent on your insurance costs.

7) Reduce Your Risk

Insurance companies will charge their "risky" customers higher premiums. You can reduce your auto-related risk by avoiding tickets and accidents and taking a defensive driving course. You may also be able to lower your home insurance by installing an alarm system, deadbolts, updated electrical systems, and other safety features. Finally, don't smoke. Doing so will raise nearly all of your insurance rates.

8) Maintain a Good Credit Rating

Your credit score can have a significant impact on your insurance rates. You can get lower rates by improving your credit score and maintaining a good credit rating. If you currently have bad credit, you may want to consider purchasing a policy from one of the few insurance companies that do not conduct credit checks.

9) Stay with the Same Company

Staying with the same insurance company for several years could allow you to benefit from a loyalty discount. Many of the largest insurance companies offer this discount to customers who renew their insurance policy each year.

10) Shop Around Frequently

Although staying with the same company can lead to discounts, it also makes sense to shop around every year or two to make sure you are getting the best deal. When shopping for insurance, you should contact multiple companies for a quote. Be sure to ask about applicable discounts as you are making your inquiries.
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This is a guest post from Bailey Harris. Bailey writes on finance, insurance, and related topics for the Car Insurance Blog.

Editors note: Shopping around for the lowest price is a if you are struggling with money or dealing with too much credit card debt. While it is nice to stick with the same company for many years, it is not always the best financial decision.

The busiest time of year in the debt relief industry is usually from January to March. Why is that? Because of all the people who spent too much money during the holidays and need help! And don’t forget about all of those people who make “getting out of debt” their New Year’s resolution.

I’m not trying to be a Grinch. And ruin your holiday season. But here are the statistics that show people will be spending a LOT OF MONEY this holiday season:

The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend $447.1 billion on holiday-related items in the months of November and December. Wow! And they estimate that almost 30% percent of that will be bought using credit cards. Extra wow!

How long will it take people to pay off this incredible amount? 3 months? 6 months? Longer?

But just because the holidays are known as the season for giving, doesn’t mean it has to be the season of spending.

And I’m not going to tell you that you need to camp outside of your favorite retail store for days just so you can get there early and get in on some of the “Black Friday” bargains.

It's never too early to look for ways to save money, especially with the holidays right around the corner. Here are a few helpful tips to help you get off to a good start, and keep yourself out of financial trouble!

1-Be real with yourself.

Of course, everyone wants to be able to give a lot to those they love. But that’s not always a good idea financially speaking. So unless you are wealthy enough that spending doesn’t matter, you need to be the one to keep your spending under control. Nobody else will do it for you. How do you do this?

2-Make a list BEFORE you go shopping and stick to it.

Retailers LOVE consumers who go shopping without a plan! That’s exactly why they set up all their fancy displays with their “best deals”. If you go shopping without a list, you are destined to spend more than you should. So write down a list of gifts for each and every person on your shopping list. And put a spending limit on each item. That way you can add up all the dollar amounts and know exactly how much you will be spending.

3-Put cash in an envelope and only use that for gifts (no credit cards!)

If money is tight in your household, another good strategy is to get an envelope and put a few dollars in it every time you have some extra money. You can do this throughout the year, it’s a fun, easy way to save for any planned expense (vacations, big screen TV, a night out at a restaurant) or for emergencies (car repairs, home repairs, etc). And it works especially well during the holidays. Whether you use it for some extra spending money or as your entire spending budget for the holidays, it’s a lot o fun using cash instead of credit cards.

4-Make personalized gifts instead of buying more expensive ones.

Not only will this save you money, but it can be really fun! And it will get you “points” for being creative. Put together a gift basket with samples from a theme that the person receiving the gift will like. Know someone who likes movies? You can put some microwave popcorn, a candy bar, and a movie ticket in a basket (and this is a gift that works for people of all ages!) Lots of fun, without spending a fortune! In fact, you can probably do the movie basket for under $25.

5-Donate to a charity in the name of someone else.

What better gift than one to a charity? This sends such a great message. And helps others. Even a $5 donation is worthwhile. Rather than buying a bunch of junk just to fill up a stocking or shopping bag, use that money to buy something meaningful. While it may not save you money, it teaches a much more valuable lesson – both to you AND to the person you are giving the gift to.

So don't let yourself fall victim to a large amount of credit card debt from holiday shopping. If you use common sense, and a little creativity, you can avoid being one of those 30% of people who need help digging out of debt after the holidays!