There is no doubt that at this time of financial crisis, every cent counts. The global recession has affected millions of people around the world. Thousands upon thousands of employees have been laid off from their permanent jobs. Most of the contractual employees lost their primary source of income. Some companies and small, striving businesses closed down and filed for bankruptcy. Even college graduates who have graduate studies up their sleeves find a very difficult time landing a job that has a salary and benefits fit for their curriculum vitae. To make matters worse, the price of food, utilities, rent, gasoline, matriculation, and other commodities keep getting higher and higher. At this situation and at this rate, we just cannot afford to spend on anything unnecessary. Here are some tips to save every cent from your paycheck.

1.    Bring your own lunch to work. We all know that a meal costs way cheaper if we prepare them in our own kitchen. There is nothing embarrassing about bringing your own lunch food. In fact, this can teach you discipline and control over your choice of food and the amount you consume. As much as possible, learn to cook healthy meals. Recipes are free and available online. You can cook them the night before and reheat them before you go to work in the morning. If your office has a microwave oven in the pantry, sneak in to reheat your food for a quick minute during lunch time. Opt for easy-to-prepare and quick cook meals. Do not be afraid to take on new recipes during the weekends. Learning how to cook more meals can provide variety for your packed lunches and you won’t ever be bored with just one thing.
2.    Make your own cup of joe. Whether you prefer brewed or instant coffee to kick start your day, buying your java or latte from your favorite coffee shop every morning sets you back at least a thousand dollars each year. If you drink coffee more than once a day then you would be roughly two or three thousand dollars poorer by the end of the year. Think how nice this figure could have reflected on your savings account than on your accumulated coffee receipts. For coffee drinkers choose to buy your favorite ground coffee, brew it yourself, and enjoy your daily dose of caffeine knowing that at the end of the year you have at least saved a thousand bucks. That is something worth looking forward to.
3.    Turn appliances and lights off when not in use. It sounds so cliché but this proves to be very effective. Acquire the habit of unplugging those cords when you leave the house for work or vacation. Not only are you saving energy, you are slashing off a considerable amount off your electric bills every month. If the whether is fine, open those windows to ventilate your home. That energy consumption for your heater or air conditioner. If it is bright outside, turn off your lights and pull up the shades instead.
4.    Use fluorescent lamps and bulbs instead of incandescent. It has proven over and over again that fluorescent lamps consume lesser energy, emit more light, and have a longer life than incandescent bulbs. They can be more expensive but the cost of purchase pays off in terms of the length of its use and its energy consumption. 

1.    Stick to your budget and your grocery list. Make a list of the items you are ran out or running out of. Prioritize the basic necessities like toothpaste, soap, meat, vegetables and cereals over items such as popcorn, chips, ice cream, and the like. There is no harm in purchasing some treats but make sure important things come first. Buy these extra, not-so-important things only after you have extra money from your budget. Avoid grabbing items that are not in your list and not important.

2.    Make your list and do your shopping on a full stomach. Studies show that on an empty tummy, we often exaggerate on our needs and their quantity. If you are trying to save money, you cannot afford to go over your monthly food budget. Only when you are full are you able to think rationally of the appropriate amount of food you need.

3.    Make fewer visits to the grocery store. Instead of going to the grocery store once or thrice a week, try to go there once a week or even every other week. This way you can save up on gas and you learn how to budget your supplies for that long period of time. Frequent trips to the store allow us to buy more items at the end of the month.

4.     Avail of food coupons. Food coupons and food stamps are given away by food clerks. They can also be downloaded from the stores’ websites. Never feel obliged to use all of these coupons. Clip on the ones that you normally buy and discard the rest. There is no reason to hoard and spend extra bucks on items that you will not be using. That will completely defeat the purpose of saving up money.

5.    Check out the items on sale. If an item on your list is one sale, do not hesitate to grab the opportunity to pay fewer dollars for your item. However, be very conscious of the expiry date of the product. When it seems like the printed expiry date has been tampered, do not buy it. Also check for extra air in the packages. This can indicate growth of bacteria or fungi especially when the products are old stocks and has tiny holes in their seal, reason for the food contamination. If you are suspicious of the older stocks on sale, opt for the new ones in the shelves. There is no need to skimp on the quantity if you hold on to your budget.

To see if one can qualify for a Pell grant one first needs to complete a Free Application for Federal aid known also known as FAFSA. One can fill out either the written form, or they can go about filling out the online version. It is highly recommended that the online version is chose due to the fact that the Internet can make filling out the application much faster, and more efficient.

When you go to fill out the FAFSA you will be asked about the Pell Grant requirements, as these are the items that will either make you eligible, or disqualify you from receiving the grant. Once this is done the Department of Education will notify by email or regular mail whether you have qualified or not. Below are some of the basic federal Pell Grant requirements that are going to be asked when you go ti fill out the FAFSA.

One of the first things they look at is going to be your income, and your family's income if you're a dependent. Families that make a combined income of up to $50,000 may qualify for the grant. Usually it is given to applicants who come from a family that make $20,000 or less per year. One must have a high school diploma or an equivalent to qualify. GEDs are usually accepted.

One must be a citizen of the United States of America, United States national, eligible non-citizen, U.S permanent resident with an alien registration card, a conditional permanent resident, or a refugee form Haiti or Cuba. If you are living independently from your parents you will not have to submit your families financial information, as only your income and other financial data will be sequestered.

Pell grants are only given to students who are completing their undergraduate or professional degree such as engineering or pharmacy. One must also be already enrolled in a program that is currently participating in the Pell Grant program. Once one has enrolled it is important to maintain passing grades, as one of the main Pell Grant requirements is maintaining satisfactory academic progress at the school you are enrolled at. Other requirements that you should pay attention to include not having a Pell overpayment on your record, not having served jail-time due to a drug-related offense, and making sure that you will be registered with the Selective Service if you are a male applicant.

Grocery shopping can sometimes be tedious and once or twice, you may have thought that you have been wasting your money. But then, you need food to live, obviously. So being smart in shopping is essential. Being smart means saving more money, so you could use that money on other things. So here are a few tips on how to save money on grocery shopping:

For certain items you use often, try going to different grocery stores. Doing this allows you to compare or equate prices. You could also check for sale fliers. Knowing different stores allows you to know which store is on sale, so you could buy the cheaper option. But this is advisable only to grocery stores which are near to each other, because if they are far apart, it would cause you more effort and time merely just to compare prices.

Before you use a coupon, check the price and debate with yourself whether it really is the most beneficial deal. If you check another brand, would it cost less or more without using a coupon? Sometimes, the prices of the coupon really aren’t the best deals. Some grocery stores try to reel you in with the sale prices to convince you to spend more for other items they have in their stores, so it is best not to be misled.

For the past few years, generic brands were rated only second to the big brands out there. But come to think of it, the product qualities have changed dramatically over time. There is this secret manufacturers never dare to tell. The producers of the big brands sell their products in big quantities to the other manufacturers. These manufacturers consequently package these products in generic appearances selling them at a much lower cost. This makes you think: why would you spend four dollars just for a box of cereal when there is one of exactly the same for a mere dollar and fifty?

Dollar stores should be feared. These stores are the key to save money because the products sold there are actually just purchased from the manufacturers in large quantities causing them to cost less. There are also times wherein the manufacturers may have changed the packaging. The dollar stores purchase the ones with the old packaging for a lesser cost and of course, a big discount. That is why dollar stores have products that cost a mere one-thirds of the usual price tag.